This Year’s Emmy Nominees [And Winners!] Before They Were Stars

Who Am i?

THEN: Bryan Cranston Senior Year 1974 at Canoga Park High School, Canoga Park, CA NOW: Nominated for 2013 for BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES in “Breaking Bad” (AMC)

Who Am I?

THEN: Don Cheadle Senior Year 1981 at East High School, Denver, CO NOW: Nominated EMMYS 2013 for ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES in House of Lies” (Showtime)

Who Am I?

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Elizabeth Moss, Nominated for 2013 EMMYS ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES for Mad Men” (AMC)

Who Am I?

THEN: Jeff Daniels Senior Year 1973 at Chelsea High School, Chelsea, MI NOW: WINNER for EMMYS 2013 for BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES “The Newsroom” (HBO)

Who Am I?

THEN: Kerry Washington 8th Grade 1990 at Spence School, New York, NY NOW: Nominated for EMMYS 2013 for ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES in “Scandal” (ABC)

Who Am I?

THEN: Kevin Spacey, his Senior year in "The Sound of Music" play in 1977 NOW: Nominated for 2013 EMMYS for BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES for House of Cards” (Netflix)

Who Am I?

THEN: Laura Dern 4th Grade 1976 at Buckley School, Sherman Oaks, CA NOW: Nominated for EMMYS 2013 for BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES for “Enlightened” (HBO)

Who Am I?

THEN: Louis CK in high school in 1985 NOW: Nominated for EMMYS 2013 for both WRITING, COMEDY SERIES and ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES and DIRECTING, COMEDY SERIES for “Louie,” “New Year’s Eve” (FX)

Who Am I?

THEN: Robin Wright in high school as homecoming queen NOW: Nominated for EMMYS 2013 for ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES in “House of Cards” (Netflix)

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Who Am I?

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Mayim Bialik as a Sophomore at North Hollywood High School in 1991 and Mayim Bialik in 2012

Nomained fro EMMYS 2013 for SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES in “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS). Ready to feel under-accomplished? Okay, here goes: By the time she was 16, Mayim Bialik had played a young Bette Midler (Beaches) and starred in her own series (Blossom). She then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree and her Ph.D. in neuroscience, having conducted research into obsessive-compulsive disorders in adolescents. Her “comeback” (after years of voice-over work) came in 2005 when she appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm and continued with guest spots on shows like Bones, ’Til Death, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Then she got the plum role of Amy Farrah Fowler on the hit comedy The Big Bang Theory. (She’s nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.) Oh, and the mom of two has written a book about attachment parenting. Bialik survived what she called a “terrifying” car accident recently that seriously injured her right hand. But that won’t stop her from attending the ceremony: Her cast will still be on, though “maybe in a modified form,” she told E! Online. “Absolutely we have to get it in black. The dress, we already picked it: long-sleeved.”

Who Am I?

Damian Lewis in Micky Love in 1993 and Damian Lewis in 2012

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Damian Lewis in Micky Love in 1993 and Damian Lewis in 2012

Back in 1993, a very young Damian Lewis had his very first screen credit, in the British TV movie Micky Love. My, how far he’s come. After breakout roles in Band of Brothers and the short-lived but critically acclaimed series Life, Lewis landed the role of turncoat POW Nicholas Brody in the Showtime series Homeland—and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The tense, thrilling, tightly scripted show returns September 30; if you just can’t wait, here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come in season 2.

Who Am I?

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Lena Dunham as a Child and Lena Dunham in 2012

Could things get much more awesome for Lena Dunham? Her risqué real show Girls wasn’t just the talk of the TV-viewing audience this year—and the source of considerable controversy—it’s now up for four Emmys. She’s nominated alongside stalwarts like 30 Rock and The Big Bang Theory—as well as newer favorites like Modern Family—in the Outstanding Comedy Series category; for her performance as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series; for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series; and for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. (Yes, she herself is nominated as a producer, actress, director, and writer—talk about a quadruple threat.) Though she’s only 26, Dunham has already written-directed-starred in another pseudo-autobiographical work, the acclaimed movie Tiny Furniture. Check out the oddly hilarious short Pressure she made while still a student at Oberlin College. “I think that I may be the voice of my generation—or, at least, a voice of a generation,” she says in the pilot episode of Girls. Apparently so.

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Who Am I?

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Louis Skekely as a Senior at Newton North High School in Massachusetts in 1985 and Louis C.K. in 2011

So what’s with the name, anyway? As a child, people kept mangling Louis C.K.’s last name—so he changed it to a can’t-mess-up abbreviation of how it’s pronounced. But he didn’t stop there—his nearly eponymous show Louie reflects how his first name is pronounced too. However you spell it, C.K. is nominated for seven awards: three for Louie and another four for Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre (which he self-released on his website, earning a bundle and setting all kinds of precedents). So how popular is C.K. right now? His “everything’s amazing and nobody’s happy” bit on Conan has gotten nearly 7 million views on YouTube. “People say there’s delays on flights? Really?” he says. “New York to California in five hours. That used to take 30 years, and a bunch of you would die on the way there and have a baby—you’d be a whole different group of people by the time you got there.”

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Who Am I?

Maggie Smith in The Master Builder in 1964 and Maggie Smith in 2011

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Maggie Smith in The Master Builder in 1964 and Maggie Smith in 2011

In her long and storied career, Dame Maggie Smith has played everything from a Mother Superior to a socialite. She’s won two Oscars, two Emmys, and two Golden Globes, among other honors and distinctions. Until recently, many younger viewers probably knew her best for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies—that is, until she donned the role of the Dowager Countess Crawley in the series that’s made PBS cool for a whole new generation, Downton Abbey—for which she’s nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category. Win or lose, she’s an inspirational example of aging gracefully and remaining relevant—take note, young actors: This is how it’s done.

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Who Am I?

Michael J. Fox in Grade 11 at Burnaby Central High School in British Columbia in 1978 and Michael J. Fox in 2012

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Michael J. Fox in 11th Grade at Burnaby Central High School in British Columbia in 1978 and Michael J. Fox in 2012

It’s hard to find a more likable—or liked—figure in Hollywood than Michael J. Fox. Which is why it’s especially hilarious when he plays himself as an ornery guy using his Parkinson’s as an excuse to exasperate Larry in Curb Your Enthusiasm—for which he’s nominated as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. The star of Family Ties (where he met Tracy Pollan, to whom he’s been married since 1988), Spin City, and the Back to the Future movies has been publicly battling Parkinson’s disease for more than 20 years—and working to find a cure through his Michael J. Fox Foundation.

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Who Am I?

Peter Dinklage in The Station Agent in 2003 and Peter Dinklage in 2012

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Peter Dinklage in The Station Agent in 2003 and Peter Dinklage in 2012

Since his breakout role in 2003’s The Station Agent, Peter Dinklage has starred in Elf, the sci-fi series Threshold, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Death at a Funeral. Then he landed the role of a lifetime: the witty, charming Tyrion Lannister in HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. “We never even auditioned for the part of Tyrion Lannister,” Martin said of Dinklage. “He was the only one we ever wanted. Thankfully, we landed him. And he’s magnificent.” Clearly the awards circuit agrees: He’s already won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the role, and is nominated again this year as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.