Over the years there have been actors who have become the face of a company's brand and appear on ads, posters, and even more impressive, commercials. There are some commercial actors who have been around for years, causing viewers to know them by their commercial name instead of their real name.
Some of the commercial actors don't just limit themselves to commercials, of course. Commercials are a way for actors to get their careers going before taking a bigger step. Their television personas have garnered millions in revenue for the actor, so a bigger role isn't always necessary to make a difference in the acting world.
Updated on November 5, 2021, by Lynn Gibbs: There are some actors who were born to be commercial successes. They may appear in TV shows or have small roles in movies, but their claim to fame is commercials. Companies like Progressive, Sonic, and even Old Spice have made incredible moves by making an actor the face (or voice) of their company. By seeing the same faces over and over again in a commercial, the viewers or consumers are more likely to remember the brand than they would without that same face. These TV commercial spokespeople give brands more business while also creating a great career for themselves.
15 Kevin Miles: Jake From State Farm
Kevin Miles has an impressive resume but he's most known for his role in State Farm's commercial as a call center employee named Jake. His line "It's Jake... from State Farm" is widely known by State Farm customers and those that aren't.
Miles got his start in the acting world in 2010 after getting a gig in Innocent. From there, he's played characters in S.W.A.T., Underdogs, and more recently, Pretty Smart. In 2017, Miles was even in a short for State Farm called Finding Jake from State Farm.
14 Jake Wood: Martin The GEICO Lizard
Jake Wood is a popular British actor known for his roles in EastEnders and the Illusionist. But in America, Wood is best known for his voice acting abilities portraying Martin the gecko for GEICO commercials.
Martin appears in most GEICO commercials where he encourages those watching to buy GEICO insurance to assist with their problems. The commercials are all different but Martin remains. Jake Wood's proper British accent is what's most remembered by viewers.
13 Gillian Vigman: Multiple Companies
Gillian Vigman is a well-known actress who is a triple threat: TV shows, commercials, and movies. She's been in great movies like The Hangover and Walk of Shame, but she's also been in TV shows like Star Trek: Lower Decks, Life Sentence, and New Girl. Her role in New Girl was Schmidt's boss and love interest, who couldn't deny Schmidt's one-liners.
Commercial-wise, there doesn't seem like many that Vigman turns down. She's starred in commercials for Dole Fruit Bowls, Breathe Right, Swifter, DirecTV, and more. Because of how many high-profiles she's been in, she's known as the commercial queen.
12 Morgan Smith-Goodwin: Wendys
Morgan Smith-Goodwin is most recognized as Red from the Wendy's commercials. Wendy's planned on hiring someone who looked like the original Wendy and chose Morgan Smith-Goodwin to play the role. With long red hair, "Red" ate Wendy's menu items while interacting with other Wendy's-goers from 2012 to 2016.
Outside of starring as Red in most of its commercials, Morgan was a likable character in Veep. Most recently, she's been in Messiah as Agent Rhymer and Gigi in Love in the Time of Corona.
11 Diane Amos: Pin-Sol
Diane Amos has been acting since the early '90s. Her first role was as Janet Drew in the TV series, Midnight Caller, but she later made appearances in Patch Adams, Sweet November, and most recently, The Hall. But where fans recognize her the most is as the "Pine-Sol Lady." Almost starred as the Pine-Sol Lady since 1993. In the commercial, she appears in homeowners' houses where she preaches the greatness of Pine-Sol and how it can enhance their home. Her glow and energy make her the perfect commercial spokesperson.
10 Tim Williams: Trivago
Taking a weekend getaway after a long work week sounds like a dream. Many people have turned to Trivago for help in booking cheaper accommodations. It also might be because the actor in the commercials is so convincing. His name is Tim Williams and has become the face of the hotel search engine.
Williams isn't only the face of the German company commercials but is also a well-known actor in Germany on television and in film. If he still looks familiar outside of the commercials, Williams also had small roles in Valkyrie, Ninja Assassin, and Labyrinth of Lies.
9 Peter Grosz & T.J. Jagodowski: Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Drive-In is one of the best places to be during the summer and the commercials are just as convincing. What made the "Two Guys" commercials a success were its two main actors, Peter Grosz and T.J. Jagodowski. The comedic duo were the stars of the fast-food company's commercials for eight years before the company decided to take a new direction.
Besides being an actor, Grosz is also a television writer having worked on The Colbert Report and Late Night with Seth Meyers. He also had small roles in Veep and on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Jagodowski is a comedian and improv performer who has been a part of the film Get Hard and was in the show Prison Break. If there's ever a spoof documentary on the fast-food chain, let's hope Grosz and Jagodowski are hired.
8 Jonathan Goldsmith: Dos Equis
Jonathan Goldsmith is The Most Interesting Man in the World! He also happens to be the suave and alluring spokesman for the beer Dos Equis. His role saying "Stay Thirsty My Friends" has become an internet sensation and the basis for many online memes. He starred in the campaign back in 2006 until 2018.
Goldsmith started his acting career back in the '60s and established his career in Western films like Hang 'Em High in 1968. He also took his career to television appearing in numerous works like Gunsmoke, Bonanza, CHiPs, and a little fact about Goldsmith is that he appeared 17 times in the series Dallas.
7 Colin Ferguson: Maytag
For sci-fi fans, seeing Colin Ferguson as the Maytag Man in the appliance commercials is a fun treat. Ferguson started the role in 2014 but has had a long and notable career outside of it. In 2003 he became the lead in the sitcom series, Coupling. He was the lead character in the popular Syfy show, Eureka.
He has continued his career in the sci-fi/supernatural genre and was the recurring character in season six of The Vampire Diaries as Thomas Vincent 'Tripp' Cooke. He also played William in the show Haven and had a recurring role in Cedar Cove.
6 Isaiah Amir Mustafa: Old Spice
After the end of Terry Crew's portrayal in the Old Spice commercials, actor Isaiah Mustafa took on the role. His suave and charming demeanor won over fans and he became the new face for the male grooming company. Mustafa may seem familiar outside of the commercials.
He was a former football wide receiver before pursuing a career in acting. If there's ever a potential role revolving around a fictional football player, Mustafa is the perfect man for the role. Before taking on big roles, Mustafa played minor characters in the show Nikita and Sirens. He is known for having played the role of Luke Garroway in the show Shadowhunters. For the second installment of the horror film It, he played the grown-up version of Mike Hanlon in It Chapter Two.
5 Paul Marcarelli: Sprint/Verizon
Before being the spokesperson for Sprint, Paul Maracarelli was first the spokesperson for the rival team, Verizon. Many would recall his famous line, "Can you hear me now?" He was part of the Verizon team for nine years before switching over to the other side. Fans were in shock to suddenly see him, adorning yellow instead of red.
This wasn't the first time Maracarelli was seen in television commercials. He also took part in commercials for Old Navy, Dasani, T-Mobile, and Heineken. When it came to phone companies, he was the go-to guy.
4 Dennis Haysbert: Allstate
Dannis Haysbert is one of the most recognized commercial actors for his role in the Allstate Insurance commercials. So much so that the company decided to make comedic jokes about it in the commercials. Haysbert is also a known voice actor. In the late '80s, he portrayed the baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the film trilogy, Major League.
He became the first actor to portray the DC Comics character Kilowog from the Green Lantern comics. As a voice actor, he has narrated many documentaries like The World According to Dick Cheney. Haysbert also starred in the Netflix thriller film, Secret Obsession.
3 Dean Winters: "Mayhem" Allstate
Dean Winters is one of those well-known television actors who is now also known for his commercial acting. Winters is known for playing tough-guy characters and his role as "Mayhem" in the Allstate auto insurance commercials was a perfect fit. His career was already a hit before taking part in the commercials.
In Law & Order: SVU he is known for playing the role of Cassidy for multiple seasons and is best known for his character Ryan O'Reilly in Oz. Winters has an extensive acting list ranging from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, John Wick, and American Gods. He also plays The Vulture on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
2 Milana Vayntrub: AT&T
Alongside, Marcarelli, Milan Vaybntrub is also a well-known commercial actor as the spokesperson for AT&T. While she originally played her character, Lily Admas, in 2013 up until 2016, she reprised her role in 2020.
Vayntrub has been known for work outside of commercials like having a guest role for two episodes in Silicon Valley. She also appeared in This Is Us in 2016. As of now, her biggest role is voicing Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl in the Marvel Rising franchise.
1 Stephanie Courtney: Progressive
Taking the number one spot as the most recognized commercial actor is Stephanie Courtney or better known as Flo. Courtney is famous for portraying the insurance agent for the Progressive commercials. Who can forget her iconic red lip and bumped-up hair with her blue headband? She has since made a fortune on the character alone.
Courtney has also appeared in some notable work and audiences have heard her voice somewhere else before. She is known for voicing the characters Renee the Receptionist and Joy Peters in Tom Goes to the Mayor back in 2004. In 2007, she had a small role in Mad Men and in Cavemen. For three seasons, she played Eassie Karp in The Goldbergs.
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