'Scandal' Stars Before They Were Famous

How Kerry, Shonda and others got to the hottest show on TV.

Kerry Washington  - Get ready, Gladiators! Scandal is back tonight after a long, long hiatus and we couldn't be more hyped. Before we step back into the drama with Mellie, Olivia and the rest, we take a look back at where Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn and the rest of the cast were before they joined the hottest series in prime time.Washington, a multiple Emmy nominee for Scandal, was already a rising movie star before she took on the challenge of becoming Olivia Pope. The Bronx native first came to notice as street-smart teen mom Chenille in Save the Last Dance. Her big breakthrough came in the mid-2000s, when she hit a series of home-run performances in Ray, The Last King of Scotland and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.(Photos: Courtesy of MTV Films; Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

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Kerry Washington  - Get ready, Gladiators! Scandal is back tonight after a long, long hiatus and we couldn't be more hyped. Before we step back into the drama with Mellie, Olivia and the rest, we take a look back at where Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn and the rest of the cast were before they joined the hottest series in prime time.Washington, a multiple Emmy nominee for Scandal, was already a rising movie star before she took on the challenge of becoming Olivia Pope. The Bronx native first came to notice as street-smart teen mom Chenille in Save the Last Dance. Her big breakthrough came in the mid-2000s, when she hit a series of home-run performances in Ray, The Last King of Scotland and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.(Photos: Courtesy of MTV Films; Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy of MTV Films

Guillermo Diaz  - Diaz plays Olivia's tech genius and sometimes torture expert Huck, who is himself a tortured soul. The Cuban-American actor stole scenes in the 1998 film Half Baked, prompting co-star Dave Chappelle to cast him in numerous sketches on Chappelle's Show. But prior to joining Scandal, Diaz was best known for his role as a drug trafficker on the Showtime series Weeds.(Photos: Courtesy of Universal Pictures; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Guillermo Diaz  - Diaz plays Olivia's tech genius and sometimes torture expert Huck, who is himself a tortured soul. The Cuban-American actor stole scenes in the 1998 film Half Baked, prompting co-star Dave Chappelle to cast him in numerous sketches on Chappelle's Show. But prior to joining Scandal, Diaz was best known for his role as a drug trafficker on the Showtime series Weeds.(Photos: Courtesy of Universal Pictures; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Tony Goldwyn  - As President Grant, or "Fitz" to his inner circle, Goldwyn has to carry the weight of the world — and his illicit affair with Olivia Pope — on his shoulders. If the actor looks familiar, its because he has been popping up in films and television since the 1980s, most notably as Patrick Swayze's friend-turned-foe in Ghost and a young, HIV-positive interior designer in Designing Women. Goldwyn is also the son of legendary film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and grandson of one of the original moguls of Hollywood, Samuel Goldwyn.(Photos: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures; Mark Davis/Getty Images for Gilt City)

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Tony Goldwyn  - As President Grant, or "Fitz" to his inner circle, Goldwyn has to carry the weight of the world — and his illicit affair with Olivia Pope — on his shoulders. If the actor looks familiar, its because he has been popping up in films and television since the 1980s, most notably as Patrick Swayze's friend-turned-foe in Ghost and a young, HIV-positive interior designer in Designing Women. Goldwyn is also the son of legendary film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and grandson of one of the original moguls of Hollywood, Samuel Goldwyn.(Photos: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures; Mark Davis/Getty Images for Gilt City)

Jeff Perry  - Perry plays Fitz's cold, calculating chief of staff Cyrus Beene on Scandal. The actor's resume stretches back to the 1970s and he has starred in some of the most beloved films, television shows and stage productions of the last 40 years. Perry's most memorable roles include the befuddled English teacher Mr. Katimski on My So-Called Life.(Photos: ABC Productions; Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

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Jeff Perry  - Perry plays Fitz's cold, calculating chief of staff Cyrus Beene on Scandal. The actor's resume stretches back to the 1970s and he has starred in some of the most beloved films, television shows and stage productions of the last 40 years. Perry's most memorable roles include the befuddled English teacher Mr. Katimski on My So-Called Life.(Photos: ABC Productions; Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Joe Morton  - Even before he won an Emmy Award for playing Olivia Pope's dad on Scandal, Morton was one of the most prolific and respected actors of film, television and Broadway. The actor made his stage debut in Hair and has starred in over 70 films and mini-series. He's best known for his role as Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson inTerminator 2: Judgment Day and as Cab Chamberlain in Blues Brothers 2000, a character based on the late Cab Calloway.  (Photos from left: A-Train Films, ABC/Ron Tom)  

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Joe Morton  - Even before he won an Emmy Award for playing Olivia Pope's dad on Scandal, Morton was one of the most prolific and respected actors of film, television and Broadway. The actor made his stage debut in Hair and has starred in over 70 films and mini-series. He's best known for his role as Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson inTerminator 2: Judgment Day and as Cab Chamberlain in Blues Brothers 2000, a character based on the late Cab Calloway.  (Photos from left: A-Train Films, ABC/Ron Tom)  

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Darby Stanchfield  - As Abby Whelan, Olivia's ace private investigator turned White House press secretary, Stanchfield is often at odds with the boss. The actress is a favorite among television casting directors, having landed meaty roles in some of primetime's best shows. Stanchfield's credits include Mad Men, Castle and NCIS. (Photos: Courtesy of CBS; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Darby Stanchfield  - As Abby Whelan, Olivia's ace private investigator turned White House press secretary, Stanchfield is often at odds with the boss. The actress is a favorite among television casting directors, having landed meaty roles in some of primetime's best shows. Stanchfield's credits include Mad Men, Castle and NCIS. (Photos: Courtesy of CBS; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Katie Lowes  - Lowes plays Quinn/Lindsay, whose true identity was the crux of the show's mystery in seasons one and two. Scandal is the actress's first time as a series regular on television, but she's racked up a large number of guest spots on shows like Guiding Light, NCIS and Scandal showrunner Shonda Rhimes's Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.(Photos: Courtesy of The CW; John Sciulli/Getty Images for Children Mending Hearts)

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Katie Lowes  - Lowes plays Quinn/Lindsay, whose true identity was the crux of the show's mystery in seasons one and two. Scandal is the actress's first time as a series regular on television, but she's racked up a large number of guest spots on shows like Guiding Light, NCIS and Scandal showrunner Shonda Rhimes's Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.(Photos: Courtesy of The CW; John Sciulli/Getty Images for Children Mending Hearts)

Bellamy Young  - Viewers loved to hate Young's character, jilted first lady Mellie Grant. So much so that she was bumped up to series regular during season three and now plays a junior senator with her eye on the White House. Young, who won a Critics Choice Television Award for the role, got her start on Broadway but quickly became a mainstay on network television on such shows as Dirty Sexy Money and Peacemakers. She first worked with Rhimes as a guest star on Grey's Anatomy. The actress also has a long list of film credits, including We Were Soldiers and Mission: Impossible III.(Photos: Courtesy of ABC; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

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Bellamy Young  - Viewers loved to hate Young's character, jilted first lady Mellie Grant. So much so that she was bumped up to series regular during season three and now plays a junior senator with her eye on the White House. Young, who won a Critics Choice Television Award for the role, got her start on Broadway but quickly became a mainstay on network television on such shows as Dirty Sexy Money and Peacemakers. She first worked with Rhimes as a guest star on Grey's Anatomy. The actress also has a long list of film credits, including We Were Soldiers and Mission: Impossible III.(Photos: Courtesy of ABC; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Shonda Rhimes  - We all know what Miss Shonda was up to before Scandal hit the air. The super-producer is the talent behind some of the most addictive dramas on television, including Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. But few remember that the USC film school grad also wrote the acclaimed TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, starring Halle Berry. Rhimes is using her success to change the face of television with more diverse characters and by fostering emerging talent, like Awkward Black Girl's Issa Rae. And as the executive producer of How to Get Away With Murder (starring Viola Davis), she pretty much owns our Thursday nights.(Photos: Courtesy of HBO; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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Shonda Rhimes  - We all know what Miss Shonda was up to before Scandal hit the air. The super-producer is the talent behind some of the most addictive dramas on television, including Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. But few remember that the USC film school grad also wrote the acclaimed TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, starring Halle Berry. Rhimes is using her success to change the face of television with more diverse characters and by fostering emerging talent, like Awkward Black Girl's Issa Rae. And as the executive producer of How to Get Away With Murder (starring Viola Davis), she pretty much owns our Thursday nights.(Photos: Courtesy of HBO; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images)