10 Hollywood Stars You Didn't Know Began Their Career In Soap Operas

6. Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon is such a prolific actor that there's even a game about him called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon; the game challenges movie buffs to link any film to the actor in as few steps as possible, playing on the "small world phenomenon" which suggests any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart. Bacon certainly has an extensive filmography - after first appearing in National Lampoon's Animal House the actor has appeared in dozens of movies - often in a starring role - while most recently headlining for Warner Bros Television's hit show The Following. During his early years taking small parts in movies he made a name for himself in the soap opera Guiding Light, a show which has the honour of being the longest running TV drama of all time. A few years later and Footloose would prove to be a box office smash, jettisoning Bacon into the acting big league.