See the 2019 Oscar Nominees As Young Actors

You can always count on the Oscars to deliver some serious star power, and this year is no exception. With movies like The Favourite, A Star Is Born, Roma , and Green Book (among many others) up for awards, the show is worth tuning in for the celebrity spotting alone. Watching A-listers make their mark at the biggest award show of the year makes us wonder what they were like when their careers were just starting out. Here's a glimpse at some of the nominees, then and now.

THEN: Glenn Close

Glenn Close has been acting since the 1980s, but she didn't have a rough start like many other stars have had; in fact, she became successful almost immediately. She started off on television in 1975, then her first film role in The World According to Garp landed her an Oscar nomination. A year later, her role in The Big Chill (which was written specifically for her) got her a Tony, an Emmy, and an Oscar nomination all in the same year, making her only the third actor to claim that achievement.

NOW: Glenn Close

Leading up to the 2019 Oscars, Close received a nomination for Best Actress for her role in The Wife , and considering her winning streak through this year's other awards shows, many believe she'll win big. That would be her first Oscar, despite being nominated seven times and holding the title for the most nominated living person without a win.

THEN: Olivia Colman

Olivia Colman is a British actress who first got her start on television. Although she began acting on TV in 2000, it wasn't until her role as Sophie on the show Peep Show that she began her rise to stardom. Colman has been doing film roles for a while now as well, and her role in 2011's The Iron Lady helped her gain more prominence in the American film scene.

NOW: Olivia Colman

Throughout her acting career, Colman has received a few BAFTA awards, as well as two Golden Globes. This year, she is nominated for Best Actress for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite , and has already snagged the Golden Globe for Best Actress for the movie.

THEN: Lady Gaga

You probably remember the beginning of Lady Gaga's career, which was kicked into gear with the release of "Just Dance" — her first hit single. Her success with her 2008 debut album, The Fame , propelled her to superstardom, and Gaga quickly became known for her dramatic and extravagant outfits, her elaborate performances, and her ever-changing look.

NOW: Lady Gaga

Today, Gaga is much more than just a pop star: She's known as a bonafide actress, something that began with her role in the anthology series American Horror Story and was solidified with her performance in Bradley Cooper's version of A Star Is Born . You may not have ever predicted that Gaga would one day be up for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, but she has surprised everyone — in a good way. Although Gaga's performance at the 2019 Grammy Awards was proof she's still very much a pop sensation, she's proven she's a triple threat.

THEN: Melissa McCarthy

Anyone who recalls Melissa McCarthy's early days in Hollywood probably remembers her best as Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls . McCarthy was famous for playing Lorelai Gilmore's sweet, accident-prone best friend. It wasn't until 2011, when McCarthy had her breakout role in the film Bridesmaids , that she became known as a truly hilarious star.

NOW: Melissa McCarthy

Although McCarthy is constantly taking on funny roles that make everyone laugh, this year she's nominated for something a little different: McCarthy is up for Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her role in the film Can You Ever Forgive Me? — much more serious than the roles she took on early in her career. Fingers crossed we see more of that from her in the future.

THEN: Christian Bale

Christian Bale got his start in Hollywood very early on: He was only 13 years old when he got his first starring role in Steven Spielberg's film, Empire of the Sun . For years afterward, he snagged various other roles, including one in Little Women , and then became particularly notable following his eerie portrayal of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho .

NOW: Christian Bale

Today, Bale is known as a method actor who focuses intensely on any role he's given. He's been known to drastically change his appearance and his voice, which is exactly what he did for his role as Dick Cheney in Vice — that scored him a Best Actor nomination at this year's Oscars. Bale is also known for playing Batman in The Dark Knight series.

THEN: Bradley Cooper

It's almost hard to believe that this photo of Bradley Cooper is the same dapper dude we see on the red carpet today. But Cooper has been in the Hollywood scene for a long time — he began his career back in 1981, with a role in Wet Hot American Summer . He was also on the show Alias in the early 2000s, but didn't draw too much attention until 2005 with his roles in Wedding Crashers and 2009's The Hangover .

NOW: Bradley Cooper

Now, Cooper can say that he's done much more than just acting: He directed his first film, A Star Is Born , and starred in it as well. Cooper's work earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and A Star Is Born received four other nominations as well. We certainly hope to see more directing from Cooper in the future.

THEN: Rami Malek

Rami Malek hasn't been a big name in Hollywood for long, but he's still made quite an impression. Malek started his career with a few small roles, like ones on the shows Gilmore Girls and 24. In 2015, he nabbed his breakthrough role on Mr. Robot , which helped propel him into film.

NOW: Rami Malek

If you don't know Malek from his television success, then at this point, you definitely know him from his role as Freddie Mercury in the film Bohemian Rhapsody . The spot-on portrayal scored Malek a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards, and he has already taken home the trophies for Best Actor for that role at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the BAFTAs. Malek is currently working on another movie he plans on directing, writing, and producing.

THEN: Amy Adams

Like many actresses, Amy Adams started off with some smaller roles: Her debut performance was in 1999's film Drop Dead Gorgeous , and you may remember one of her more notable early roles in 2002's Catch Me If You Can . Adams had her breakthrough performance in the film Junebug , and became even more popular with the release of Enchanted .

NOW: Amy Adams

Today, Adams is not only known for many great performances, but she has also been named one of the highest paid actresses by Forbes three times. Adams has been nominated for many awards for her work in films like American Hustle and The Fighter. This year, she's up for Best Supporting Actress for playing Lynne Cheney in Vice .

THEN: Regina King

Regina King is another actress who has been around since the 1980s. She began her successful acting career in 1985, playing Brenda Jenkins on the show 227 , and was then seen in films like Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice , and Higher Learning . She became even more famous with her roles in Jerry Maguire and How Stella Got Her Groove Back .

NOW: Regina King

It's impossible to have missed King this awards season: She won Best Supporting Actress awards for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk at the Golden Globes and the Critic's Choice Awards, and she's up for the same at the Oscars. King has also recently found success on Netflix with her role in the series Seven Seconds , which allowed her to score her third Emmy award.

THEN: Emma Stone

Although Emma Stone started acting at four years old, her career was centered around theater performances and small television roles like on Nickelodeon's All That until 2007, when she appeared in the film Superbad . Her career began to take off after that, with comedic parts in movies like Zombieland and Easy A , and she started to take on more serious roles in 2011 with The Help .

NOW: Emma Stone

Today, Stone is a bonafide A-list actress, and her impressive number of award show wins and nominations is a testament to that. This year, Stone earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in The Favourite . In 2017, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for La La Land . Stone is known for being able to take on funnier roles as well as more serious ones, and nail all of them.

THEN: Rachel Weisz

British actress Rachel Weisz has been acting since 1992, when she appeared in the television film, Advocates II. Her film career began with a small role in Death Machine , and her first major role was in the 1996 movie Chain Reaction , alongside Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman.

NOW: Rachel Weisz

Since these early roles, Weisz has become incredibly successful with movies like The Whistleblower, The Deep Blue Sea , and The Bourne Legacy. This past year, she made an impression on Hollywood with her role in The Favourite , which scored her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

THEN: Mahersala Ali

Mahersala Ali started his career on television, with a starring role in the show Crossing Jordan and one in Threat Matrix. In 2008, he scored a part in his first major film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , and then gained even more attention on Netflix's House of Cards .

NOW: Mahersala Ali

Today, Ali is best known for his role in Moonlight , which scored him a Best Supporting Actor award at the Academy Awards, the SAG Awards, and the Critic's Choice Awards. His win at the 89th Academy Awards made Ali the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. This year, he is again nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Green Book , and is currently starring in HBO's anthology series True Detective .

THEN: Adam Driver

You might think that Adam Driver's role as Adam Sackler in HBO's Girls was his first acting role, but it wasn't: Driver had a small part in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar before that. Girls , though, certainly helped Driver gain a lot of notoriety, and he quickly took on other roles that proved he was an actor worth paying attention to.

NOW: Adam Driver

Driver gained a lot of commercial success with his role as the villain in J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2014. He also gained respect in the industry with his role in the indie film Paterson . This year, Driver nabbed his first Academy Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in BlacKkKlansman, and he has plenty of exciting projects in the works.

THEN: Sam Elliott

Sam Elliott began his acting career back in the 1960s with appearances in many old-school Westerns, thanks to his deep, gravelly voice and handsome appearance. He had an early film role in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969, then got a part on the hit series Mission: Impossible in 1970. Elliott starred in many notable films in his early career, including Lifeguard, The Shadow Riders, and Mask .

NOW: Sam Elliott

In 2015, Elliott had a bit of a comeback with his role as a series regular in the Netflix series The Ranch , then got a recurring role in Grace and Frankie . He also starred in The Hero , and really made a big comeback in Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born . His portrayal of Jackson Maine's brother, Bobby, got him nominated for Best Supporting Actor at this year's Academy Awards.

THEN: William Dafoe

William Dafoe began his film career in 1979 with a role in the Western film Heaven's Gate . He went on to star as leading man in the film The Loveless , and gained notoriety with his role in Streets of Fire .

NOW: William Dafoe

Today, Dafoe is known as fiercely successful actor with countless roles, award nominations, and big wins on his resume. This year, he was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his role in At Eternity's Gate .

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