Before They Were Famous: 9 Comedians' Awesomely Bad First Gigs (VIDEOS)

A few weeks ago we brought you an unearthed awkward bank commercial featuring a young Tina Fey circa 1995, and later on the now-infamous video showing one of Paul Rudd's first gigs as a bat mizvah DJ. Then we got to thinking - what were some of our other favorite funny folks' earliest gigs? More terrible commercials? Cheesey anti-drug PSAs? Guest spots on 90s teen sitcoms? Well, we were right. Below you'll find 9 comedians (or comedic actors) working in all three of those categories before they hit it big. You have to pay the rent somehow, right? Check out some of your favorite funny people in these early gigs, and vote for your favorite!

1 of 9

Tina Fey Bank Commercial

1 of 10

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

When Mutual Savings Bank decided they needed a quirky brunette in an applique vest for their new commercial, they looked no further than Tina Fey, who was at the time only known for her work in the Chicago improv scene. The commercial is hopelessly 90s, but underneath the terrible hair we can see the Tina Fey we've all grown to love on "30 Rock" as Liz Lemon.

The Best Late Night Clips of the Week (VIDEO/PHOTOS)

7 Sites You Should Be Wasting Time On Right Now (PICTURES)

The Funniest Someecards Of The Week (PICTURES)

gadgets/slideshows/203968/slide_203968_599374_small.jpg

Feline Alarm Clock: Boo The Cat Turns Door Stop Into Wake Up Call (VIDEO)

19 Cat Slumber Parties (PHOTOS)

gadgets/slideshows/220319/slide_220319_866021_small.jpg

Babies Vs. Birthday Cakes (VIDEO)

When Mutual Savings Bank decided they needed a quirky brunette in an applique vest for their new commercial, they looked no further than Tina Fey, who was at the time only known for her work in the Chicago improv scene. The commercial is hopelessly 90s, but underneath the terrible hair we can see the Tina Fey we've all grown to love on "30 Rock" as Liz Lemon.

comments(76)

Total comments: 76 | Post a Comment

1 of 10

This Funny First Gig

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Just Bad AWESOMELY Bad!

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Top 5 Funny First Gigs

loading...

Top 5 Funny First Gigs

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[Hnef Tafl]

03:09 AM on 09/10/2010

Jack Black: Love child of Chris Farley and Brian Dennehy.

[Hnef Tafl]

03:02 AM on 09/10/2010

So plump.

[floydian101]

01:49 AM on 09/09/2010

I remember seeing "Airborne," then I saw "Hackers," and I felt like I was watching the same movie.

[brettrobbins]

10:58 AM on 09/08/2010

At 0:58 in the Jack Black clip he's upstaged by Seth Green! lol

[Michael Files]

01:35 AM on 09/06/2010

Did anyone else notice Seth Green making an appearance in one of the Jack Black "Airborne" clips? His hair looks insane once again and he makes this really funny face right before he goes out of frame.

[fredex]

01:36 AM on 09/05/2010

I loved Jack Black when I saw him in 1992 "Bob Roberts" by Tim Robbins. He played the son of the mayor of Harrisburg who is a psycho teenage fan of Roberts. One of my top ten films of all time.

[Andra Claudia Garcia]

02:28 PM on 09/04/2010

Airborne is a classic. I would watch it growing up.

[Manly Pointer]

12:28 AM on 09/01/2010

A few years ago Adbusters magazine ran this feature. It was called "how much of my memory is actually my own?" The argument was that you are bombarded by maybe tens of thousands of commercials by the time you are 30. So somewhere, way down deep in your brain is the jingle to a Gameboy commercial you last heard in 1992. And when it plays you can remember every line of it as if it were yesterday. Don't believe me? Go to Youtube and type in retro commercial. You'll be surprised to see what you'll "remember."

[J0E1]

02:19 PM on 08/31/2010

I bet the frosting on those flakes was cocaine

[Mary Saunders]

12:23 PM on 08/31/2010

And that was bad because.... I don't watch that much TV, but it seemed better than most of the stuff I am tormented with when my roommate watches it.

[bcw]

10:56 AM on 08/31/2010

"Perhaps if someone told Jane that she'd later star in Chistopher Guest movies ... she would have walked away from this corny Frosted Flakes commercial."

Ironically, that's a Christopher Guest commercial she's appearing in.

[ipresumelikely]

09:25 AM on 08/31/2010

Paul Rudd had a lot of patience for spoiled teen girls...very sweet.

[weekendpartier]

01:12 AM on 08/31/2010

Craptastic!

[LMPE]

12:52 AM on 08/31/2010

Tom Hanks debuted in the 1980 horror flick "He Knows You're Alone". Can we ever focus on those sorts of debuts?

[MexiChick67]

12:15 AM on 08/31/2010

Seth Green looks to be 22 in that commercial aimed at 10 year olds. Dude has a five-o-clock shadow! LOL!

[LMPE]

12:50 AM on 08/31/2010

Seth Green also played Woody Allen's character in the latter's 1986 movie "Radio Days"