Home
Gallery
19 Stars You Forgot Were on 'The X-Files'

19 Stars You Forgot Were on 'The X-Files'

By Madeline Boardman

Updated August 09, 2016 at 01:30 PM EDT

1 of 19

Shia LaBeouf

Fox

Just 13 years old at the time, Shia LaBeouf landed one of his first credited small-screen roles thanks to a 1999 episode of The X-Files. The future star played Richie Lupone, a young boy with a rare disease, in the show's seventh season.

2 of 19

Octavia Spencer

Fox

Years before she earned credits for The Help or Fruitvale Station, Octavia Spencer was making an early appearance in The X-Files. The future Oscar winner popped up on the show in 1999, playing a nurse at a mental hospital in the seventh season.

3 of 19

Aaron Paul

Fox

Aaron Paul landed a small screen gig in 2001, appearing in The X-Files' ninth season. Paul, who would go on to become a household name thanks to Breaking Bad, played David "Sky Commander Winky" Winkle, the leader of a risk-taking group of high school friends who film their out-there stunts for a cable show.

Continued on next slide.

4 of 19

Lily Tomlin

Fox

The same year that she wrapped her run as Kay Carter-Shepley on Murphy Brown, Lily Tomlin made a cameo on The X-Files. Dropping by the show's sixth season, she played Lyda, a ghostly creature who has run-ins with Mulder and Scully.

5 of 19

Jack Black

Fox

Jack Black found his spot on The X-Files as Bart "Zero" Liquori. The Tenacious D star joined the show for one 1995 episode early in his career, playing an arcade employee who is friends with Darren Peter Oswald.

6 of 19

Minnie Driver

Fox

A few years after Good Will Hunting, Minnie Driver made a brief appearance in the seventh season of The X-Files. She played an unnamed member of the audience at the Lazarus Bowl screening.

Continued on next slide.

7 of 19

David Alan Grier

Fox

David Alan Grier found himself near Driver in the episode from 2000. He played another member of the audience at the Hollywood movie showing.

8 of 19

Tea Leoni

Fox

Dana Scully got a new look in 2000, thanks to Tea Leoni. The actress depicted Scully in the movie about the agents.

9 of 19

Lucy Liu

Fox

In one of her first on-screen roles, Lucy Liu played Kim Hsin in a 1996 episode of The X-Files. Her character is a leukemia patient whose father goes through dark avenues in an attempt to save her.

Continued on next slide.

10 of 19

Seth Green

Fox

Seth Green hit the small screen in 1993, appearing in one season 1 episode of The X-Files. The actor played Emil, a teenager who has an encounter with a UFO.

11 of 19

Felicity Huffman

Fox

In one of her first roles, Felicity Huffman dropped in on the first season of The X-Files as Dr. Nancy Da Silva. She played a well-educated scientist who assists Mulder and Scully on a project in the Arctic.

12 of 19

Kathy Griffin

Fox

Kathy Griffin found a spot in The X-Files in 2000. The comedian played two characters in the season 7 episode, appearing as Betty Templeton, as well as her doppelganger, Lulu Pfeiffer.

Continued on next slide.

13 of 19

CCH Pounder

Fox

CCH Pounder popped up in The X-Files' second season. She appeared as Agent Lucy Kazdin, an FBI employee who works with the Hostage Rescue Team.

14 of 19

Bryan Cranston

Fox

Two years before he became Malcolm in the Middle's Hal and 10 before he debuted as Breaking Bad's Walter White, Bryan Cranston was Patrick Crump in one 1998 episode of The X-Files. He joined the sixth season as a man whose life is torn apart by military tests.

15 of 19

Willie Garson

Fox

In the midst of his run as Sex and the City's Stanford Blatch, Willie Garson made two appearances as two different characters in episodes of The X-Files. He played Quinton 'Roach' Freely in 1995, returning as Henry Weems in 1998.

Continued on next slide.

16 of 19

Lucy Lawless

Fox

Xena herself stopped by The X-Files in 2001. The same year that she wrapped her run on Warrior Princess, Lucy Lawless appeared in two episodes of X-Files as Shannon McMahon, a Super Soldier.

17 of 19

Burt Reynolds

Fox

Burt Reynolds graced The X-Files with his presence in 2002. He played the aptly named character Mr. Burt in the ninth season, a mysterious man whom Mulder and Scully identify as a suspect in a case involving a serial killer.

18 of 19

Jane Lynch

Fox

Eight years before Glee, Jane Lynch hit the small screen in a 2001 episode of The X-Files. The actress played Mrs. Anne T. Lokensgard in the ninth season, the mother of a boy with bizarre powers.

Continued on next slide.

19 of 19

Ryan Reynolds

Fox

Ryan Reynolds landed one of his first roles thanks to The X-Files. He appeared on the show in a season 3 episode, playing Jay De Boom, a student who dies under dark circumstances.

Replay gallery

Up Next

By Madeline Boardman

Account

19 Stars You Forgot Were on 'The X-Files'

1 of 19

Shia LaBeouf

1 of 19

2 of 19

Octavia Spencer

2 of 19

3 of 19

Aaron Paul

3 of 19

4 of 19

Lily Tomlin

4 of 19

5 of 19

Jack Black

5 of 19

6 of 19

Minnie Driver

6 of 19

7 of 19

David Alan Grier

7 of 19

8 of 19

Tea Leoni

8 of 19

9 of 19

Lucy Liu

9 of 19

10 of 19

Seth Green

10 of 19

11 of 19

Felicity Huffman

11 of 19

12 of 19

Kathy Griffin

12 of 19

13 of 19

CCH Pounder

13 of 19

14 of 19

Bryan Cranston

14 of 19

15 of 19

Willie Garson

15 of 19

16 of 19

Lucy Lawless

16 of 19

17 of 19

Burt Reynolds

17 of 19

18 of 19

Jane Lynch

18 of 19

19 of 19

Ryan Reynolds

19 of 19

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Everything in This Slideshow