The old saying "ya gotta start somewhere" usually warrants an eye roll, but it's true, especially if you're an actor. Many actors work their way up the ranks by appearing in featured roles in an episode of a major show. If you look back on the history of television over the last 50 years, you will see many up-and-coming names appear on hit television shows before they became famous.

Usually, a hit show is the perfect platform for someone with a lot of talent and industry backing to make their presence felt to audiences. TV has always worked better as a launching pad for talent to be discovered. Many more people are watching every night to catch these "no names" that could be somebody in Hollywood, and in the early 2000s, the hit medical drama on Fox.

House, was the perfect place for many young actors to get discovered. You may have missed these faces back then, so here is a reminder of who appeared in a small featured role on the show but eventually got a lot of industry recognition.

10 John Cho

Season 1, Episode 20 - "Love Hurts"

John Cho made us laugh back in the late 1990s in a small role in American Pie. He played a character named John, who coined the phrase "milf" in the film. His career would continue after that in more small roles, but right around the time Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle were brought into the world, Cho also appeared in a role on season one of House.

Harvey Suffers a Stroke

It's kind of funny that Cho's Harold and Kumar co-star Kal Penn would go on to play a major factor in House later on in the series, but in season one, Cho would play the role of Harvey, a man who has no issue with BDSM and is an asphyxia addict. However, being choked all the time makes him have a stroke. See the scene below to understand more.

9 Skylar Astin

Season 8, Episode 21 - "Holding On"

Skylar Astin's career was about to get somewhat big not long after his appearance on House. He would go on to play the character of Jesse Swanson in the Pitch Perfect movies. Astin appeared on another little Fox show you may have heard of called Glee. It must've been easy for him to make the jump over to House for an episode.

Astin Plays a Troubled College Student

Before he would play a love interest in the competitive world of college choir groups, he showed up in an episode of House as a college cheerleader who has dizziness and nosebleeds and also hears the voice of his deceased brother. As he worsens, he attempts suicide, but House has other plans for him in a highly dramatic scene. A great line is delivered by Hugh Laurie in the climactic scene: "It is our human responsibility to stay alive!"

8 Evan Peters

Season 5, Episode 9 - "Last Resort"

In the last couple of years, Evan Peters shocked us with the Netflix limited series Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story. His portrayal of serial killer Jeffery Dahmer left us shaken to our core. He is an actor who can dive into a part and make us lose sight of him on screen. He also had a brief stint as Quicksilver in the X-Men universe ten years ago, and many admire his work on American Horror Story.

Captured by a Patient

In Season 5 of House, Peters made an appearance as a character named Oliver, who is one of the few held hostage by a man in the hospital. Oliver has a chance to make a run for it, but ends up deciding to stay behind to watch the patient and captor be worked on by House. Peters is known for his vulnerability and versatility in his roles right now, and the early workings of that talent can be seen here.

7 Leighton Meester

Season 3, Episode 3 - "Informed Consent"

Leighton Meester went on to become one of the queens of young adult drama television in the early 2000s as one of the two leads of the show Gossip Girl. She would transition into romantic dramas and thrillers on the big screen in the years that would follow, but right around the time Gossip Girl was about to air, she got a little flirty over on House for a few episodes.

Meester Plays an Underage Girl Enamored with House

In season three of House, Meester shows up as the teenage daughter of a patient with a bad case of the flu. Rather than being sympathetic to her sick parent, she takes an interest in House, which gets a little uncomfortable. Meester technically appears in two episodes, as her character shows up the following week still enamored with the eccentric doctor.

Related: The 20 Best Episodes of Gossip Girl, Ranked

6 Jermey Renner

Season 4, Episode 9 - "Games"

A lot of people forget that Jeremy Renner's career went on long before his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He had brief big-screen roles, like a villain in the film S.W.A.T. with Collin Farrell. But a few years before he dawned the bow and arrows as Hawkeye to team up with The Avengers, Renner appeared in a Season 4 episode of House.

Renner Plays an Ailing Musician

It's crazy to think that not long after this episode aired, Renner would become an Oscar-nominated actor. In the episode, he plays a punk rocker whose long run of hard living has caught up to him. Years and years of drug abuse on the road as a rock star have begun to eat away at Renner's character. His performance here is another testament to his range as an actor.

5 Lin Manuel Miranda

Season 6, Episode 1 - "Broken"

Lin-Manuel Miranda would have quite a career ahead of him in just a few years after his appearance on House. Miranda has gone on to become a successful actor, songwriter, and playwright behind two of the biggest Broadway shows of all time, Hamilton and In the Heights.

Miranda as House's Roomate

Lin Manuel Miranda appeared in two episodes of season six. He was in the season premiere and the back end of the episode in season 20. Miranda played House's bipolar roommate at the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital, named Alvie. The two characters have great chemistry with one another, and you can spot Miranda's versatility in his singing and acting through his performance in House.

4 Amanda Seyfried