Before they became household names and faces, these stars kicked off their careers on Disney Channel.

Generations of major celebrities have had their big break as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/joey-king-winter-issue-2018" target="_blank">child actors</a> and performers alongside Mickey Mouse. Our screens and speakers are filled with former <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/disney-plus-movies-streaming-now" target="_blank">Disney</a> starlets&mdash;some who we may remember well from their&nbsp;hit Disney Channel TV shows&nbsp;and movies, and some who are almost unrecognizable from their family-friendly childhood roles.&nbsp;

These 12&nbsp;stars have made it far since their Disney days, releasing <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/grammy-nominated-artists-to-know-2021" target="_blank">chart topping songs</a>, earning nominations for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/critics-choice-awards-2021-tv-nominees-netflix-the-crown" target="_blank">major awards</a>,&nbsp;becoming the faces of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/anna-may-wong-actress-movies-hollywood" target="_blank">Hollywood</a>, and making headlines for <a href="https://www.lofficielsingapore.com/Culture/12-celebrity-bffs-you-probably-didn-t-know-about" target="_blank">celebrity friendships</a> and fallouts. But you can&#39;t forget where you came from.

Known for her kick-butt action movies and starring in the&nbsp;Resident Evil&nbsp;franchise, model and actress <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/best-milla-jovovich-movies-the-fifth-element-resident-evil" target="_blank">Milla Jovovich</a> actually got her start in a Disney Channel movie.&nbsp;The Night Train to Kathmandu&nbsp;follows a young girl played by Jovovich as she travels with her family through Nepal and falls in love with a prince.

Milla Jovovich

Before becoming&nbsp;an Oscar-nominated leading man in movies like Drive, The Notebook, The Place Beyond the Pines, La La Land, and many more, Ryan Gosling was a young Mouseketeer, acting and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGFRG09sHag" target="_blank">dancing</a> on Disney Channel&rsquo;s The Mickey Mouse Club.

Ryan Gosling

Hayden Panettiere may now be known for her roles in the shows Heroes and Nashville, but she was once a Disney star, voicing the characters of Dot in the&nbsp;1998 film A Bug&#39;s Life and Suri in Dinosaur in 2000. The actress also had some popular on-screen Disney moments, playing leading roles in the movies&nbsp;Remember the Titans&nbsp;and Tiger Cruise.

Hayden Panettiere

Ryan Gosling wasn&rsquo;t the only Mouseketeer that made it big. Before&nbsp;she became a <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/britney-spears-y2k-fashion-juicy-tracksuit" target="_blank">pop icon in the 2000s</a> for&nbsp;hits like &ldquo;...Baby One More Time&rdquo; and &ldquo;Toxic,&quot; as well as a target for <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/framing-britney-spears-new-documentary-hulu" target="_blank">public scrutiny and controversy</a>, singing&nbsp;sensation Britney Spears got her start on The Mickey Mouse Club.

Britney Spears

The star gained fame leading Showtime&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/watch-stream-july-2020-movies-tv" target="_blank">Shameless</a>&nbsp;for nine seasons, but originally broke onto the scene with her role as the&nbsp;love interest in Disney Channel&#39;s Original&nbsp;1999 movie Genius.

Emmy Rossum

It&rsquo;s hard to think about <a href="https://www.lofficielsingapore.com/living/lindsay-lohan-interview-the-mean-girls-actress-on-turning-30-in-2017" target="_blank">Lindsay Lohan</a> without recalling&nbsp;her notorious <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/1698124/lindsay-lohan-arrest-history/" target="_blank">run-ins with the law</a>, her tumultuous friendship and feud with <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/editorial-a-not-so-simple-life-paris-hilton-nicole-richie" target="_blank">Paris Hilton</a>, or her highly publicized <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/inside-lohan-family-struggles/story?id=20250507" target="_blank">family conflicts</a>. But <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/forgotten-celebrity-fashion-beauty-brands" target="_blank">Lohan</a> was a talented and successful child actor, rising to stardom in her leading role in Disney&rsquo;s 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. After that, she went on to take over the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/ariana-grande-takes-inspiration-from-2000s-films-for-thank-u-next-2018" target="_blank">2000s in movies</a> like Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, and more.

Lindsay Lohan

Before rising to fame as the star of the popular&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/robert-pattinson-dior-homme-cologne" target="_blank">Twilight Saga</a> and becoming an acclaimed actress <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/kristen-stewart-princess-diana-photos-new-film-spencer-movie" target="_blank">set to portray Princess Diana</a>,&nbsp;Kristen Stewart was a successful&nbsp;child actor, starring alongside legends like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/the-new-black-mirror-trailer-will-give-you-chills" target="_blank">Jodi Foster.</a> Her first role, however, was a little less known: she was cast&nbsp;an uncredited, nonspeaking part in the Disney Channel movie The Thirteenth Year&nbsp;in 2002.

Kristen Stewart

Mischa Barton is best-known for her role as Marissa Cooper on hit TV show <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/madison-bailey-netflix-outer-banks" target="_blank">The O.C</a>., but one of her first roles was in the 2002 Disney movie A Ring of Endless Light,&nbsp;where she acted alongside&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/thanksgiving-episodes-to-stream-now-friends-gossip-girl" target="_blank">Gilmore Girls</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;Supernatural&nbsp;star&nbsp;Jared Padalecki.&nbsp;

Mischa Barton

Okay, it may be impossible to forget Zac Efron&rsquo;s breakout role as High School Musical&nbsp;teen heartthrob Troy (even if Efron <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/zac-efron-mens-fitness-feature-june-2016-baywatch-neighbors/" target="_blank">desperately wants us to</a>). Since his Disney origins, Efron has ditched his floppy hairstyle and become a major Hollywood <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/why-is-hollywood-hunk-afying-serial-killers" target="_blank">star</a>, known for his roles in movies like Neighbors, Bay Watch, The Greatest Showman, and more. He even has <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/watch-stream-july-2020-movies-tv" target="_blank">his own Neflix show</a>.

Zac Efron

Before she was Fergalicious in The <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/politics-culture/the-stars-of-complexcon" target="_blank">Black-Eyed Peas</a> and her own solo music, Fergie was a young actress and singer in the cast of Kids Incorperated, a Disney show in the &lsquo;80s.

Fergie

In a time before <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/selena-gomez-new-song-video-2019" target="_blank">celebrity relationship scandals</a>, hit songs, and <a href="https://www.lofficielsingapore.com/beauty/everything-we-know-about-selena-gomez-s-inclusive-new-beauty-brand-rare-beauty" target="_blank">makeup lines</a>, Selena Gomez was a&nbsp;Disney starlet in shows like&nbsp;Hannah Montana, Sonny with a Chance, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. But it was her role as Alex Russo&nbsp;in Disney Channel&rsquo;s hit show Wizards of Waverly Place that solidified her place in the spotlight.

Selena Gomez

Although only 24 years old, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/zendaya-instagram-style-valentino-fashion-euphoria" target="_blank">Zendaya&#39;s</a> debut on Disney Channel happened over a decade ago on&nbsp;Shake It Up,&nbsp;which aired from 2010 to 2013. Starring with Bella Thorne (who you also probably forgot started on Disney Channel), Zendaya played Rocky Blue, a teen girl trying to make it as a professional dancer. Now, her Oscar-winning performance on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/euphoria-season-2-zendaya-news-release-date-cast" target="_blank">Euphoria</a>&nbsp;and exciptement for the upcoming movie <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/malcolm-&amp;-marie-zendaya-john-david-washington-netflix-trailer" target="_blank">Malcom &amp; Marie</a>&nbsp;have overshadowed her Disney days.

12 Stars You Forgot Launched Their Careers on Disney Channel

Tags

Related Articles

Pop culture

Look Back at Jake Gyllenhaal’s Fresh-Faced Moments in Hollywood

Beauty

10 Beauty Trends That Ruled the 2010s

Film & TV

10 Must-Watch Movies on Disney+

Recommended posts for you

Fashion

Carolina Herrera's Resort 2025 Collection Captures the 'Intensity' of Mexico City

Beauty

Rhode's Cinnamon Roll Lip Tint Is Finally Here

Fashion

These Timeless Luxury Accessories Were Made to Cherish for a Lifetime

Beauty

The Evolution of Rocker Hair

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Re-Opens in NYC With Five-Floor Extravaganza

Music

Tate McRae Announces 2025 Tour, Drops New Single

Fashion

Dior's Lady Art Project Returns With Stunning Artist-Made Bags

Pop culture

20 Rare Photos of Young King Charles III: A Look at His Earlier Life