4 actors who successfully quit their hit shows to become movie stars - and 8 who weren't so lucky

Clooney played Dr. Doug Ross for the first five seasons of "ER" from 1994 to 1999, and he became a star both on and off the show. He left after five seasons (all that was contractually obligated), according to the SF Gate, to become a movie star. "ER" executive producer John Wells even said Clooney "lost literally millions of dollars by staying on the show."

His gamble worked. Clooney is now one of the most famous people on the planet, an Oscar and Golden Globe winner, the face of an iconic franchise (the "Ocean's" films), a successful producer, owner of a tequila brand, and People's 2006 Sexiest Man Alive.

Chase was arguably the first real "SNL" breakout star, and the first "Weekend Update" anchor for its inaugural season in 1976. His success was so immediate that he left the show midway through the second season — while he claims it was for love, others have a more cynical view.

While it took a few years, Chase's status as a comedic box-office draw cannot be overlooked. He starred in "Caddyshack," three "National Lampoon's Vacation" films, "Spies Like Us," "Three Amigos," "Fletch" and "Fletch Lives" all in a single decade.

Chase continued to work throughout the '90s, and while his career slowed down after that, he is surely one of "SNL's" biggest success stories, box office-wise.

Both Kutcher and Topher Grace (more on him later) left "That '70s Show" after seven seasons to concentrate on movies in 2005, ScreenRant reported — missing out on the disastrous eighth and final season. Kutcher quickly established why Michael Kelso was the breakout character from the show.

While his films aren't exactly well-received by critics, they've proven to be box-office successes like "What Happens in Vegas," "No Strings Attached," "Jobs," and "Open Season," to name a few. Kutcher is also half of one of Hollywood's most beloved couples, as he's married to Mila Kunis, which keeps him in everyone's good graces, no matter how many mediocre films he makes.

Murphy can actually be credited with saving "SNL" in the '80s, one of the worst periods of the show's tenure, in addition to his status as one of the biggest movie stars of all time.

He left "SNL" in 1984 after four years, but even before he had left, Murphy was already big-time. He starred in "48 Hours" (1982), "Trading Places" (1983), and "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984) all before he officially left.

But after he was free of "SNL's" schedule, he began a run that has still yet to be replicated, starring in "Coming to America" in 1988, "Another 48 Hours" in 1990, "Beverly Hills Cop II" in 1994, "The Nutty Professor" in 1996, "Mulan" and "Dr. Dolittle" in 1998, "Bowfinger" in 1999, "Shrek" in 2001, "Daddy Day Care" and "The Haunted Mansion" in 2003, "Shrek 2" in 2004, and finally, "Dreamgirls" in 2006, which earned him an Oscar nomination.

Fawcett is inextricable from "Charlie's Angels" — would you believe she only starred on the show's first season, from 1976 to 1977? She was even nominated for a Golden Globe for the role. But she left after just one season to pursue movie stardom.

In fact, that's why her film career's trajectory is so disappointing. Perhaps the only other role Fawcett is known for is 1976's "Logan's Run." She also appeared in "Saturn 3," and "The Cannonball Run," both of which got her nominated for Razzies.

On "Shameless," Fisher has played the foul-mouthed criminal with a heart of gold Mickey Milkovich. He was recurring in the first two seasons, then bumped up to a series regular from seasons three through five, which ended in 2015. By that point, Mickey was a beloved part of the "Shameless" family, but he decided he wanted to start "journeying" and left, he told the Chicago Tribune in 2019.

Simultaneously, he was began appearing in would-be franchises, like 2014's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and its 2016 sequel, which ended up being a box-office flop, hence his full-time return for seasons 10 and 11 in 2019.

By season two of "NYPD Blue" in 1994, it had become a huge hit, and part of that was Caruso's role as the first-billed Detective John Kelly. Apparently, Caruso asked for more money, the network declined, and so he decided to take his talents to the big screen. He was written off in the fourth episode of season two. Producer Steven Bochco said in his memoir it was clear that Caruso "felt he was too good for television ... He wanted to be a movie star."

He only appeared in seven movies post-"Blue," and he was nominated for Razzies for two of them. In fact, his career was basically DOA until he scored the role of Horatio Crane on "CSI: Miami," which lasted for 10 seasons from 2002 to 2012.

Barton's Marissa Cooper was the heart of "The OC" — or at least, she was supposed to be. But by season three, it became clear that Coop had gone as far she was going to go, and she was killed off during the season three finale in 2006. She even pushed for the death, as opposed to a more open ending, because "I was getting no time to do any of the other offers that were out there," she told the New York Times in 2019.

Since then, the quantity of Barton's filmography is immense, but the quality varies. She's only appeared in two "fresh" movies since leaving Newport, according to Rotten Tomatoes: 2013's "Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain," and 2020's "Spree."

Her most high-profile project post-"OC" is appearing on the first season of "The Hills: New Beginnings" in 2019.

Wheaton had actually been a movie star before "Star Trek," as he had starred in '80s classic "Stand By Me" as a kid. But he began starring on "TNG" during its first season, and over time, the character Wesley grew more and more hated, until he left in season four in 1991.

During a Comic Con appearance in 2012, Wheaton explained why he left.

"I left 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' when I was 18 years old, and initially I thought it was a really smart business career move," he said. "In some ways it was, and in more ways it wasn't," he added.

He never really had another successful film or TV show, and instead he became more of an online personality.

Heigl played Dr. Izzie Stevens for six seasons of "Grey's Anatomy," a performance which earned her an Emmy (and potentially another one, had she not taken herself out of the running). But by the sixth season, Heigl's relationship with Shonda Rhimes had reportedly soured, and she was written out of the show, making her last appearance in 2010.

Meanwhile, Heigl had become a box-office draw, starring in 2007's "Knocked Up," 2008's "27 Dresses," and 2009's "The Ugly Truth." But after her acrimonious departure in 2010, coupled with some poorly received comments regarding "Knocked Up," Heigl's movie career came to a halt.

She starred in "Life As We Know It," "New Year's Eve," and "One for the Money," before slowly returning to TV, with roles in "Suits" and "Firefly Lane."

Grace played the sitcom's main character Eric Foreman, which is why it was truly terrible when he left and was replaced with some guy named Randy for the final season, who basically took over Eric's life.

He left the show in 2005, the year after he starred in "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" and made a cameo appearance in "Ocean's Twelve." Two years later, he was poised to have his big break in "Spider-Man 3" ... but the movie was hated by many Spidey fans, and his performance as Venom wasn't widely praised.

That was basically it for Grace's career as a leading man. He was part of the ensemble of "Valentine's Day," and starred in the flop "Take Me Home Tonight" in 2011. He's had small parts since then in films like "Interstellar" and "BlacKkKlansman," but nothing compares to his run as Eric — which is why his big return to TV in the ABC sitcom "Home Economics" is important for his career.

Sam and Diane of "Cheers" are one of the most important will they/won't they couples in sitcom history, which is why it might be easy to forget that "Cheers" went on a whole six seasons after Diane left the bar to write her book, leaving her ostensible soulmate behind.

But why would Long leave one of the most popular shows of the '80s? In addition to rumored friction with co-star Ted Danson, Long reportedly wanted to become a movie star. She left the show in 1987, and two years later starred in the biggest hit of her career, 1989's "Troop Beverly Hills." Long also played Carol Brady in the "Brady Bunch" films in the '90s. But besides that, she didn't do much.

In the latter half of her career, once again TV proved to be the best. She appeared in eight episodes of "Modern Family" as the Pritchett matriarch, which was well-received.