The X-Files ran from 1993 to 2002, before returning in 2016, and hooked audiences with its perfect mix of horror, drama, sci-fi, thriller, and above all, the strange and enticing stories that were woven through it all.
Upon its release, both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were catapulted into a celebrity, and their portrayals of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully kickstarted both of their careers. Due to The X-Files' popularity, it was, along with Friends and Seinfeld, the show to be on at the time, especially for up-and-coming actors, and because of this, there are a lot of familiar faces throughout the shows nine seasons.
Bryan Cranston - 'Drive' (1998)
Two years before starring in Malcolm in the Middle and even longer before he starred as Walter White in Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston starred in The X-Files episode "Drive."
Cranston plays a man believed by Scully to be mentally ill, however, when he kidnaps Mulder and holds him hostage on a strange car journey, it is soon made clear that there is something supernatural going on. Mulder realizes that the only way to find out the reasoning behind his strange behavior is seeing the journey to the end with him. Cranston's acting alone makes this a standout episode of the season.
Ryan Reynolds - 'Syzygy' (1996)
This episode from season three is a "Monster of the Week" episode, meaning it was separate from The X-Files' broader mythology.
"Syzygy" follows Mulder and Scully as they investigate a small, seemingly normal town when reports come in that high school students are displaying very strange behavior. One student, in particular, played by a 19-year-old Ryan Reynolds, is the victim of a bizarre cult ritual. Although only in the episode briefly, it is interesting to see him so young and so early on in his career.
Seth Green - 'Deep Throat' (1993)
Four years before Austin Powers, and six years before Family Guy, Seth Green starred in the second episode of the first season of The X-Files. Green plays a young stoner called Emil who, along with his girlfriend, helps Mulder and Scully to break into a military base that they believe is housing and testing U.F.O's.
Emil and his girlfriend, although not in the episode for that long, play a vital part in not only the episode but the whole season, featuring so early on that the information they give Mulder kicks off his journey further down the rabbit hole of aliens and the unknown.
Jack Black - 'D.P.O' (1995)
Jack Black was 25 years old when he starred in "D.P.O" with Giovanni Ribisi, five years before he was ever cast as a leading man. In the episode, Jack Black plays Bart "Zero" Liquori, the owner of an arcade and a friend of Ribisi's character, Darin Oswald.
Bart is questioned by Mulder and Scully following a strange incident in the arcade that happened when Darin was playing an arcade game, leading to the mysterious electrocution death of a young boy. Jack Black's role was one of many small parts before he entered the mainstream.
Giovanni Ribisi - 'D.P.O' (1995)
Giovanni Ribisi plays a young man named Darin Oswald, a young kid who enjoys spending his time at the local arcade (ran by Jack Black). One evening, when playing a game with another man, Darin starts an argument with him, his anger causing the lights in the arcade to turn off.
When the man is thrown to the ground by Darin, he runs to his car, only to be electrocuted to death when he is inside. Unlike Jack Black, Ribisi had been working for a while before starring in "D.P.O," but it was not until afterward that he became a household name due to starring in Friends, Saving Private Ryan, and Ted, to name a few.
Shia Labeouf - 'The Goldberg Variation' (1999)
A long time ago, when Shia Labeouf was not the huge, controversial star that he is today, he starred in "The Goldberg Variation." Another "Monster of the Week" episode, it follows a man who, no matter what he does, wins and succeeds, possessing such good luck that it warrants Mulder and Scully's investigation.
Shia, who was 13 years old at the time, plays a young, sick boy who lives in the man's apartment building. His medical bills are eventually paid off, thanks to the man's strange luck.
Lucy Liu - 'Hell Money' (1997)
Released in the same year that Lucy Liu had a small part in Jerry Maguire, "Hell Money" follows Mulder and Scully as they investigate recent incidents in Chinatown that involved numerous people being burned alive. While Scully begins to think a cult is to blame, Mulder believes the murders were perpetrated by a ghost.
It is soon discovered that there is an underground lottery taking place, with the winners winning big money and the losers having organs removed to be sold on the black market. Lucy Liu plays a young girl with leukemia whose father enters the lottery in order to pay for her treatment.
Luke Wilson - 'Bad Blood' (1998)
While The X-Files has its moments of comedy within each episode, "Bad Blood" is an all-out horror-comedy. It follows Mulder and Scully as they investigate what Mulder believes to be an incident involving a vampire.
Inspired by an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show, "Bad Blood" hilariously features separate s of the same event from multiple characters, each one completely different from the others. Luke Wilson plays an odd-looking (according to Mulder's story) Sheriff who attempts to assist the FBI agents in their quest for the truth.
Lili Taylor - 'Mind's Eye' (1998)
Fifteen years before Lili Taylor starred in The Conjuring, she played the main role in "Mind's Eye." This 1998 episode follows Mulder and Scully as they investigate a series of murders that many believe to have been perpetrated by a blind woman (Lili Taylor).
After interviewing her, Mulder begins to suspect that Lili is only seeing what the murderer is seeing using her mind's eye. While Lili Taylor had been in many things before The X-Files, there is no doubt that her superb acting in this episode opened many doors in her career.
Octavia Spencer - 'Millenium' (1999)
This "Monster of the Week" episode was written to tie up the ending of the recently canceled X-Files spin-off, Millenium, and features its main character, Frank Black, a man who can see into the minds of serial killers and murderers.
Frank Black is in a psychiatric facility and is soon visited by Mulder and Scully to ask him for assistance with a case. Octavia Spencer has a very small role playing a nurse, also named Octavia, who works at the hospital. Spencer had been in a few television shows before this and her role in "Millenium" came the same year as her role in Being John Malkovich.