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.”
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.”
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.
Mehcad Brooks
The number of actors and actresses who got their start modeling underwear for Calvin Klein is unbelievable. Add Mehcad Brooks to that list. Brooks made the jump to acting when he appeared on “Desperate Housewives” in 2005.
His character lasted for a few seasons, and then Brooks was on to bigger and better things. These things included “True Blood” for a few seasons, “Glory Road” in 2006, “Necessary Roughness” from 2011 to 2013, and then as Jimmy Olsen in “Supergirl” from 2015 to 2019. He's also playing Jax in the latest installment of the Mortal Kombat franchise.
Boyd Holbrook
Walking major runways and landing huge campaigns before the movie-going public even knows your name: the Boyd Holbrook story. This model-turned-actor was discovered by a modeling scout while working as a carpenter at a theater.
He was working with designers like Gucci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Moschino, and Marc Jacobs before he decided to turn his charms toward the camera. His first acting role was in the 2008 movie “Milk,” but he didn't become anything close to a household name until his role in the Netflix series “Narcos” in 2015. He's also been in “Logan,” “The Predator,” “The Host,” and “The Sandman.”