Famous Secondary Characters Who Became Television Stars

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Whereas the main characters, or protagonists, are important to the very essence of a play, the secondary characters are important to the well-being of a play. Not only do they serve as fillers and bulking agents for the story, but they also support the protagonist throughout the ups and downs of the story and help remove the stumbling blocks in the life of the protagonist. Many times the secondary characters excel the protagonist by the strength of the inherent quality of the character or on account of the excellence of the performance. A distinguishing feature of the protagonist in a play is that, if withdrawn, the whole structure of the play is demolished. Contrarily, the same is applicable to the secondary character in some cases. For example, the protagonist Godot of Samuel Beckett is never seen, and the whole story revolves around the secondary characters Pozzo, Lucky, and the Boy. These secondary characters are essential to the very existence of the whole play which simply cannot exist without any one of them.

1. Jaleel Ahmed White

Jaleel Ahmed White
Jaleel Ahmed White

Jaleel Ahmed White was born to Michael  and Gail White in Pasadena, California, U.S.A. on November 27, 1976. He appeared in a Kellogg’s TV Commercial at the age of three. At the age of 12 he appeared in a TV commercial for the Atari Lynx portable video game system. Shortly after that he started his most famous role as Steve Urkel on Family Matters which was a spin-off writing for the sitcom Perfect Strangers. The role was supposed to be a one-time guest appearance only, but it earned so much popularity that White was given a full-time starring role that he played until 1998. Not only was it that he performed the role so well and for so long, but also that the audience received it so well that the character became glued to his person like an inseparable identity, and he was almost filled to the brim with his performance. During an interview he said, ‘If you ever see me do that character again, take me out and put a bullet in my head and put me out of my misery.’ Jaleel Ahmed White won many awards including the NAAC Award thrice and one Young Artist’s Award. This, however, does not exclude many other honors not mentioned herein.

2. Don Knotts

Don Knotts
Don Knotts

Don Knotts was born to Elsie L. Moore and William Jesse Knotts in Morgantown, West Virginia, U.S.A. on July 21, 1924. He died of lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center on February 24, 2006 at the age of 81. He got his education in speech and drama from the West Virginia University. His talent appeared in his early childhood, but he made regular appearances on TV after his marriage when the couple moved to New York. Don Knotts made his debut in the famous comedy No Time for Sergeants, and it was in collaboration with Andy Griffith. In 1959 he rejoined his friend Andy Griffith and appeared in The Andy  Griffith Show playing Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife, which made him a rising and famous star.

3. David Boreanaz

David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz

David Boreanaz was born to Dave Roberts and Patti Boreanaz in Buffalo, New York, U.S. A. on May 16, 1969. He got his education at Rosemont School of the Holy Child, Malvern Preparatory School, Malvern, Pennsylvania and Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York. He was given an opportunity to perform as a secondary character in a television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and played the role of Angel, a vampire with a cursed soul. His role was extremely popular to the extent that he starred in a spin-off series.

4. Misha Collins

Misha Collins
Misha Collins

Misha Collins was born in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. A. on August 20, 1974. His birth name was Dimitri Tippens Krushnic. He got his schooling at Northfield Mount Hermon School and graduated from the University of Chicago. Prior to acting, he interned at the White House during the Clinton Administration in the office of Presidential Personnel. In Supernatural, Collins played as a secondary character a role of Castile, the fallen angel who made a deal with the King of Hell to open the door of purgatory and, in turn, was harnessed with monstrous powers to make him god-like. He played the role so well and so quickly that he was promoted from the supporting role to a starring role. Answering a question about if he was surprised with how things had turned out over the period of time he had played the role, he said, ‘Yeah, it was just supposed to be a few episodes, originally. Actually, when I auditioned for it, I thought it was one episode. Then it turned out it was 3, and then it was 6, and then it was 12. It kept evolving.’

5.  Larry Hagman

Larry Hagman
Larry Hagman

Larry Hagman was born to Mary Martin and Benjamin Jack Hagman in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A. on September 21, 1931. His parents divorced when he was only five, and obviously this disturbed him a lot. He started drinking heavily when he was only 14 and an elementary student. He was attracted towards the stage after attending Weather Ford High School and earned a reputation as a talented performer. In 1978 Hagman was cast as R. Ewing, a wicked person in the CBS television series Dallas. The show, viewed in 90 countries, was an enormous success, and Larry Hagman emerged as the best known star of his time.

6. Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.A. on September 7, 1954. He got his early education at South Tama Country High School and graduated from Drake University. He moved to New York where he worked as a freelance illustrator for some time. Later on he worked as a director and teacher at Flagler College. He played Benjamin Linus, a fake persona of Henry Gale in Lost. The role was originally supposed to be for three episodes only, but the producers were impressed with his performance and wrote him in as the leading star. He was raised to the starring character and performed as such throughout the series.

7. James Joseph Parson

James Joseph Parson
James Joseph Parson

James Joseph Parson was born in Houston, Texas, U.S.A. on March 24, 1973. He got his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston followed by his admission in the University of San Diego. When he auditioned for playing the role of Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom, he was so good that he was re-auditioned to rule out the possibility of mere chance and a luck factor in the performance. Not intended as the protagonist initially, he performed so well that he was upgraded and starred in the series.  He is famous for playing the role of Sheldon Cooper, and his performance is said to be the main factor in the success of the series. He has received a Television Critics Association Award, two Emmy awards, and a Golden Globe Award.

8. Noah Munk

Noah Munk
Noah Munk

Noah Munk was born in Orange County, California, U.S.A. He played the role of Gibby Gibson in the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly. Noah Munk earned extraordinary popularity in the very first episode and continued starring throughout the role as Gibby, a friend and classmate  of Freddie, Sam, and Carly. He was an outcast from school on account of his odd personality. Gibby Gibson, played by Noah Munk, earned him fame in his first appearance in this show.

9.  Henry Winkler

Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler

Henry Franklin Winkler was born in New York City, New York, U.S.A. on October 30, 1945. He was educated at Emerson College and Yale School of Drama. He started playing the secondary role of Fonzie in the American sitcom Happy Days. Very quickly this secondary character became a focal point of the series, and the character was developed into a close friend of the protagonist. Winkler was upgraded to the second position as the rising star, and this too was because he refused to supersede Howard to accept the first position. However, Henry Winkler was number one after Howard left the show.

10. Trey Parker

Trey Parker
Trey Parker

Trey Parker with the birth name Randolph Severn Parker III was born in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. on October 19, 1969. He received his early education from Evergreen High school. He attended Berklee College of Music and majored in music and Japanese at the University of Colorado. He played the role of Randy Marsh in South Park. The character developed over time till the end when the whole episodes were devoted to him. He won four Emmy Awards.

Conclusion:

The prerequisite for success in any discipline of the arts in general and in the case of the performing arts in particular is the dedication and devotion put into its realization. The lack of a formal education, as in case of Larry Hagman, can be made up by the love for art. But there is no substitute for the lack of love in any discipline. Whereas the breakout characters emerge unplanned, persistence also brings success as seen in the case of Trey Parker.

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