She Was on 'Baywatch'? 7 Surprising Early Roles of Oscar Nominees

Feb. 22, 2012— -- intro: The Academy Awards have their critics, of course, but being nominated for an Oscar is the pinnacle of the acting profession. The added prestige, power and salary a nomination brings make it hard to remember and imagine an actor's early roles.

But we all have to start somewhere -- usually at the bottom. Here are some of this year's nominees' early roles.

quicklist: 1title: Michelle Williamstext: Before establishing herself as one of the top Hollywood actresses, Michelle Williams had a long and successful TV career. She costarred opposite James Van Der Beek and Katie Holmes on "Dawson's Creek" and appeared on "Baywatch" and "Home Improvement."

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quicklist: 2title: Jessica Chastain text: In 2005, Jessica Chastain had a recurring job on "Law and Order: Trial by Jury" playing Assistant District Attorney Sigrun Bor.

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quicklist: 3title: Rooney Maratext: Rooney guest-starred on two episodes during the final season of "ER." She played a young woman facing the challenge of rearing a baby with little money.

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quicklist: 4title: Viola Davistext: Viola Davis got her first television credit appearing on a 1996 episode of "NYPD Blue."

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quicklist: 5title: Octavia Spencertext: Showing her range, Octavia Spencer was on "The Big Bang Theory" in 2008 -- the world of California computer nerds is a far cry from that of "The Help," the film for which Spencer is nominated.

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quicklist: 6title: Melissa McCarthytext: In 1997 MTV gave former Playboy centerfold Jenny McCarthy a sketch comedy show titled "The Jenny McCarthy Show." The show featured several actor/writers who are now well known, including Will Forte and Brian Posehn. Melissa McCarthy, Jenny's cousin, was another -- only she was just a production assistant.

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quicklist: 7title: Berenice Bejotext: Berenice Bejo played Christiana in the movie "A Knight's Tale" (2001), which starred Heath Ledger, late husband of another Best Actress nominee, Michelle Williams.

Watch "Before They Were Famous," a "20/20" special, online here.

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