Hot Gallery! You Won’t Believe Who Starred in Super Bowl Commercials Before They Made It Big!

ali landy super bowl commercial doritos tv photo

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ali landy super bowl commercial doritos tv photo red carpet 2011

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Ali Landry Becomes “The Doritos Girl” (1998)

This former Miss USA burst onto the scene when she became “The Doritos Girl,” doing indescribable things with a bag of chips in a sizzling 1998 Super Bowl ad. (Bonus! A pre-Will & Grace Sean Hayes costars; more on him later.) The spot launched her career as an actress; she's since had roles on TV shows like Felicity and in movies like Bella (directed by her husband, Alejandro Monteverde). Landry has appeared in a couple of episodes of Tori & Dean, including the season finale, when she hosts an event for child-seat safety.

elijah wood super bowl commercial lays tv photo

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elijah wood super bowl commercial lays tv photo red carpet 2012

Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Acura

Elijah Wood’s Amazing Bag of Wavy Lay’s (1994)

Elijah Wood was a child star who received critical acclaim (though not widespread fame) in movies like The Ice Storm and The Adventures of Huck Finn. But before he was Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he was probably best known for being the “betcha can’t eat just one” kid who used a bag of Lay’s potato chips to wheedle his way into better seats at the big game. This spot also stars Dan Quayle and Troy Aikman (what a combo!). Wood’s latest, Celeste and Jesse Forever, just debuted at Sundance, and he’ll appear in The Hobbit later this year.

farrah fawcett super bowl commercial noxema tv photo

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farrah fawcett super bowl commercial noxema tv photo red carpet 2006

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Farrah Fawcett “Creams” Joe Namath with Noxzema (1973)

Three years before she became one of Charlie’s Angels, Farrah Fawcett lathered up New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath with Noxzema. (“I’m so excited,” says a grinning Broadway Joe. “I’m gonna get creamed!”) In addition to posing for a legendary poster, Fawcett continued to act and gave an acclaimed performance in 1997’s The Apostle. She bravely chronicled her fight against cancer in Farrah’s Story before passing away, at age 62, in 2009.

henry winkler super bowl commercial schlick tv photo

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henry winkler super bowl commercial schlick tv photo red carpet 2012

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Henry Winkler Shills for Schick (1973)

Ayyy ... did you recognize that mustachioed guy talking up his snazzy single-blade “injector razor” to his folks? That would be none other than Henry Winkler, who just a year after this ad aired would become forever identified as one of the coolest cats in TV history, Happy Days’ The Fonz. Since then, Winkler has appeared in everything from dramas like The Practice to comedies like Arrested Development (where he hilariously mocked his own cultural touchstone moment by, once again, jumping the shark). He starred in the second season of the satirical Childrens Hospital and released a children’s book, Ghost Buddy.

keri russell super bowl commercial lee tv photo

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keri russell super bowl commercial lee tv photo red carpet 2010

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Keri Russell Likes the Way She Looks in Lees (1995)

In addition to starring in The All New Mickey Mouse Club (yes, that’s her rapping), Keri Russell appeared in a whole bunch of commercials—like this one, where her man joins a support group as she’s trying on jeans—before soaring in popularity and fame with Felicity (and crashing nearly as quickly after chopping off her signature curls). Since, she’s expanded into movies, both mainstream (Mission: Impossible III) and indie (Waitress). Next up: Goats, alongside David Duchovny, Vera Farmiga, and Ty Burrell.

sean hayes super bowl commercial bud light tv photo

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sean hayes super bowl commercial bud light tv photo red carpet 2010

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Sean Hayes Enjoys a Bud Light with the Guys (1998)

It seems this was a theme in the ’90s: the long-suffering menfolk being dragged along as their women go shopping. In this Bud Light commercial, Sean Hayes finds a way to entertain himself in the petites section. This ad came out the same year that Will & Grace premiered and Hayes embodied the larger-than-life Jack McFarland. His guest spot as a hand model on this season of Hot in Cleveland was his first time back on a sitcom in five years. He’s also playing Larry in the Farrelly brothers’ upcoming The Three Stooges (featuring the cast of Jersey Shore, no joke).

iman super bowl commercial young diet sunkist photo

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iman super bowl commercial young diet sunkist photo red carpet 2011

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Iman Enjoys a Splash of Diet Slice (1987)

Nowadays the Somalia native may be best known as Mrs. David Bowie, but back in 1987 Iman was still an aspiring actress and model when she donned a veil, big baubles, and a procession of poufy ’80s dresses to get thoroughly soaked in this ad for Diet Slice. In recent years, she has concentrated on producing and hosting shows like Project Runway Canada (check her out defending goth as a “legitimate look”) and The Fashion Show.