11 famous actors who got their start in Disney Channel original movies

"Captain Marvel" and "Room" star Brie Larson began acting in the late 1990s, but didn't land a starring movie role until the 2003 DCOM "Right on Track."

In the film, she played a drag-racer and Beverley Mitchell, known for her role on The WB-CW's "7th Heaven," played her sister and drag-racing partner.

For Vanessa Hudgens, 2006's "High School Musical" and the two DCOMs that followed were truly her big break.

Before "HSM," she had a few small guest-star roles on various TV series like "Still Standing" and "Drake and Josh."

This movie also helped jump-start the career of her costar Zac Efron, but prior to appearing in "HSM" he was actually on the short-lived, high-profile WB series "Summerland."

Known for her role on the long-running CBS sitcom "Two Broke Girls," Kat Dennings actually got her start in the early aughts in the lesser-known 2002 DCOM "The Scream Team," which is about a family who inherits a haunted house.

It may not have kicked off her career very quickly, but "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart's first-ever acting role was as "girl in the fountain line" in the 1999 DCOM "The Thirteenth Year," a flick about a teen boy who turns into a merman on his 13th birthday.

Technically, Demi Lovato got her "start" as a child actor on "Barney," but she stepped away from Hollywood until her turn in 2008's "Camp Rock" opposite the Jonas Brothers.

That role put her on the map as a bonafide Disney star and helped launch both her singing and acting careers.

The star of Showtime's "Shameless" had just a few small acting credits under her belt when she nabbed a leading role in the 1999 DCOM "Genius."

It's about a boy genius who goes undercover as a regular teen. Emmy Rossum played his love interest.

Known for leading roles in sitcoms like ABC's "Ugly Betty" and NBC's "Superstore," America Ferrera kicked off her career in 2002 when she starred in the celebrated DCOM "Gotta Kick It Up!"

In it, she played a Latinx cheerleader on a quest to make it to a major cheer competition.

Long before starring on NBC's "Parenthood," Erika Christensen got her start by appearing in the 1999 DCOM "Can of Worms" — a movie about a teen who is visited by aliens after he sends a message into space.

After one episode of NBC's "ER" and another of CBS's "Cold Case," actor Finn Wittrock had a major role in 2004's "Halloweentown High," a sequel to the popular "Halloweentown" film.

He's now best known for his work on several seasons of FX's "American Horror Story."

Danielle Campbell recently starred on Hulu's "Runaways" and the CBS series "Tell Me a Story" but, back in 2010, she had a break-out role in the DCOM "StarStruck."

In it, she played a small-town girl who falls in love with a Hollywood pop star, played by Sterling Knight.

The CW's "Supernatural" star appeared in the 2002 DCOM "A Ring of Endless Light," which starred Mischa Barton as a girl who could communicate with dolphins.

The DCOM is based on the book of the same name by Madeleine L'Engle.

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