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Long before they were toting Oscars<\/a>, A-listers were making a name for themselves in everything from soap operas to romantic comedies and everything in between.<\/p>\n Leonardo DiCaprio<\/strong><\/a> was nominated four times before he finally won an Oscar for his fifth nod, for his part in The Revenant<\/em>, at the 2016 ceremony. However, even before his first nod in 1993 for the heartbreaking part he played in What\u2019s Eating Gilbert Grape?<\/em>, the actor had already made a name for himself.<\/p>\n He started acting in 1979, guest-starring on multiple TV shows before landing a supporting role on Parenthood<\/em> in 1990. In 1991, he landed a leading role in Growing Pains<\/em>, launching his massive career.<\/p>\n Meryl Streep<\/strong><\/a>, the actor with the most Oscar nominations<\/a> of all time, also had quite the career before earning her first nod in 1978. She made her stage debut in Trelawny of the Wells<\/em> in 1975 and the following year, earned a Tony Award nomination for her role in 27<\/em> Wagons Full of Cotton and A Memory of Two Mondays<\/em>. She first appeared on screen in 1977.<\/p>\n Tom Hanks<\/strong><\/a>, one of the most famous actors in Hollywood history, has also had quite the journey to the Oscar. He made his acting debut on film in 1979; the following year, he landed the starring role in the TV series Bosom Buddies<\/em> and later appeared on an episode of Happy Days<\/em>. In 1984, he was in the box-office hit Splash<\/em>. In 1989, Hanks earned his first Oscar nomination for Big<\/em>. While he lost, he went on to win consecutive Oscars for Philadelphia<\/i>\u00a0and Forrest Gump.<\/em> He was nominated again in 1999, 2001 and 2020.<\/p>\n Sign up for Us Weekly’s free, daily newsletter<\/a> and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Click through the gallery below to see where stars like Austin Butler<\/strong><\/a>, Jamie Lee Curtis<\/strong><\/a>, Brendan Fraser<\/strong> <\/a>and many more were before they were nominated for an Academy Award.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n