Each Main Character of ‘The Office,’ As Seen in Their Younger Years

The Office has become such a fundamental show in many people’s lives, that seeing any of the actors in other contexts makes everyone think “hey, it’s so and so from The Office!” Believe it or not, they weren’t actually members of a paper company, but actors that had a career before the well regarded show.

Here, we’ll go over the main cast and what they were known for before The Office, with some of them having relatively small roles prior to the comedy hit. We will always think about them as their show’s characters, but at least we’ll briefly remember the actor behind them.

Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell

Before becoming Dunder Mifflin’s famously clueless regional manager, Carell made his screen debut in the 1991 comedy Curly Sue. He played Tesio, a waiter, in a small role that came fourteen years before his breakthrough as Michael.

Dwight Schrute, played by Rainn Wilson

Wilson had already appeared in several productions before becoming Dwight, including the soap opera One Life to Live in 1997. A particularly recognizable early film appearance came in 1999’s Galaxy Quest, where he played the alien Lahnk.

Jim Halpert, played by John Krasinski

Krasinski’s earliest film appearance was an uncredited part in the 2000 comedy State and Main, playing a judge’s assistant. He subsequently appeared in television shows such as Ed and Law & Order: Criminal Intent before landing Jim.

Pam Beesly, played by Jenna Fischer

Fischer’s early acting work included the 1998 films Born Champion and Channel 493. She later appeared in the 2000 superhero comedy The Specials, written by her future (and later divorced) husband, James Gunn, before becoming Pam.

Ryan Howard, played by B.J. Novak

Before playing Ryan, Novak was building a career as a stand-up comedian and appeared as a field agent on MTV’s Punk’d in 2003. It was among his earliest television appearances, two years before The Office premiered.

Kelly Kapoor, played by Mindy Kaling

Kaling was already performing comedy before joining The Office. In 2002, she co-wrote and starred in the off-Broadway play Matt & Ben, a parody of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s friendship that helped establish her as a rising comedy talent.

Stanley Hudson, played by Leslie David Baker

Baker’s first major screen appearance came in the late 1990s, with a role in the sitcom Maggie. He subsequently appeared in Malcolm in the Middle, That ’70s Show, and Just Shoot Me! before becoming Stanley.

Phyllis Vance, played by Phyllis Smith

Smith worked behind the scenes as a casting associate before making the transition to acting. Her early screen appearances included playing Carla in Arrested Development in 2005, the same year she joined The Office.

Angela Martin, played by Angela Kinsey

Kinsey began building her acting résumé in the late 1990s, with appearances in sitcoms such as Step by Step and Run of the House. She also lent her voice to several episodes of the animated series King of the Hill.

Oscar Martinez, played by Oscar Nuñez

Nuñez made his television debut in 2000, playing a parking lot attendant who argues with Larry David over a lost ticket in Curb Your Enthusiasm. He later appeared in The Italian Job and 24 before joining Dunder Mifflin.

Kevin Malone, played by Brian Baumgartner

Before becoming Kevin, Baumgartner had several small television appearances. Among his early credits were CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, LAX, and Arrested Development, where he played a gun vendor in the episode “Burning Love.”

Creed Bratton, played by Creed Bratton

Bratton had a career long before the sitcom, initially becoming known as a musician with the rock band The Grass Roots. His acting credits included Heart Like a Wheel (1983) and Mask (1985), before he played a fictionalized version of himself.

Meredith Palmer, played by Kate Flannery

Flannery’s early screen work included the 1999 film Trick, followed by appearances in the television series Spyder Games and Curb Your Enthusiasm. These smaller roles came before she became the Scranton branch’s famously chaotic accountant.

Toby Flenderson, played by Paul Lieberstein

Unlike most of his castmates, Lieberstein had an established career as a television writer before becoming an actor. He worked on The Drew Carey Show and King of the Hill, but his first on-screen acting role was Toby himself.

Darryl Philbin, played by Craig Robinson

Robinson’s early television appearances included Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2000, where he played an attendant. He later landed a recurring role as Buddy LeGendre on the sitcom Lucky in 2003, before joining The Office.