Djimon Hounsou
Homeless, down on his luck, and looking for anything, it was then that Djimon Hounsou met fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who got him to take a step into the modeling world. He was living in Paris at the time and spent plenty of time showing off chiseled features before moving to America and trying his hand at acting.
He had a few roles on “Beverly hills, 90210” and “ER” before earning a Golden Globe nomination in “Amistad.” He’s now been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, voiced a character from the DC universe, and is set to star in “A Quiet Place Part II.”
James Marsden
James Marsden has an enviable six-pack and a chiseled, lantern jaw. It's come in plenty handy, since he's played one of the leading members of the X-Men, Cyclops, and plenty of other heroic characters. He's also appeared in “Superman Returns,” “Hairspray,” and is one of the lead characters in the recent miniseries for “The Stand.”
Before he made the jump to movies and TV, Marsden modeled for Versace. In recent years he's put in a lot of time helping out small, independent movies. Examples include “Into the Grizzly Maze,” and “The D Train.” He's also applied his voice to a few projects.
January Jones
Before she appeared on “Mad Men” as Betty Draper (who was also a former model, now that we think about it,) Jones was an Abercrombie model, wearing a high-collared jean jacket and some big earrings. She got her start in acting with the pilot of “Get Real” in 1999, but her big break came five years later when she appeared in the “sequel” to “Dirty Dancing.”
From 2007 to 2015 she was Betty Francis/Draper before moving on to “The Last Man on Earth” and “Spinning Out.” She's also been in a few big movies, like “X-Men: First Class” and “Unknown.”
Justin Chambers
Before he became a worldwide heartthrob on “Grey's Anatomy,” Justin Chambers had been found by a modeling scout. Some of his clients before he made the step to the screen include Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, and Calvin Klein in the nineties. He appeared on the soap operas “Another World” and “Four Corners” before jumping to movies.
He was in “Liberty Heights” in 1999 and “The Wedding Planner” in 2001, but he still hadn't made it big. That would come in 2004 when he got the part of hunky Dr. Alex Karev next to Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo.
Eric Winter
Getting his start late in the nineties, Eric Winter was still able to snag modeling jobs with Tommy Hilfiger, and even landed a commercial for a fragrance that was part of the Britney Spears line after the turn of the millennium. He decided just looking pretty in front of a camera wasn't enough for him, so he made the switch to acting.
While he hasn't reached A-list status yet, he's been on plenty of shows, including “The Mentalist” from 2012 to 2013, and “Witches of East End” in 2013 and 2014. Since 2018 he has been one of the lead characters on “The Rookie.”