10 Actors Who Have Written Episodes Of The Shows They Star In
Once someone has made it into Hollywood, it can be easy for them to jump around from job to job assuming they're talented. This is true for actors, especially when they spend several years playing the same part in the same show.
In fact, actors on successful shows often make the jump behind the camera sooner rather than later. While most opt for the director's chair because it most related to their acting skills, some take the leap into the writer's chair. Sometimes actors only write one or two episodes of their shows, while other actors become a hybrid actor-writer, creating their own shows that they star in.
10 Freddie Highmore - 'Bates Motel' & 'The Good Doctor'
Freddie Highmore is well on his way to be a major player in Hollywood in the next couple of years. Not only is he a successful actor who started as a child, but he's also dabbled in both directing and writing for television.
Highmore first got the chance to write for television while appearing as Norman Bates on Bates Motel. He ended up writing two episodes of the show: "Unfaithful" and "Inseparable." He returned to the writer's chair on The Good Doctor writing the season two premiere episode "Hello."
9 Mindy Kaling - 'The Office' & 'The Mindy Project'
Mindy Kaling has certainly made a name for herself both on-camera and behind it. In fact, she's become a very successful showrunner having created several successful television shows in recent years.
Kaling got her television writing star on NBC's hit workplace sitcom The Office. In addition to portraying Kelly Kapoor on the show, Kaling wrote over twenty episodes for the show including the episode where Jim and Pam get married and "Michael's Last Dundies." After The Office, Kaling created her own show The Mindy Project where she played the lead and wrote several episodes.
8 Aziz Ansari - 'Master Of None'
Aziz Ansari is best known for playing Tom Haverford on one of the most iconic sitcoms ever, Parks and Recreation. While several of his Parks and Recreation cast mates got the chance to write an episode for the show, Ansari did not.
It wasn't until Ansari created his own show Master of None that Ansari became a television writer. Since creating the Netflix show, Ansair has written most of the episodes either by himself or with one of two co-writers, Alan Yang or Lena Waithe.
7 Amy Poehler - 'Parks and Recreation' & 'The Mighty B!'
As many known, Amy Poehler got her start in the world of sketch comedy which is why it's not surprising that Poehler has also had much success behind the screens as a writer. She got her television writing start on Saturday Night Live where one of her political sketches became the biggest viral video of the year.
After SNL, Poehler created the animated kids show The Might B! where she not only wrote but also provided the voice for the main character. She then moved on to Parks and Recreation where she portrayed the main character, Leslie Knope. While there, Poehler wrote six episodes of the show, including co-writing the finale.
6 Chris Colfer - 'Glee'
Chris Colfer rose to fame portraying Kurt Hummel on the iconic teen musical drama Glee. Colfer appeared in 116 episodes over the course of the show and became an iconic and inspiring character for thousands, if not millions, of viewers.
While appearing on Glee, Colfer got the opportunity to put his writing skills to the test when he was asked to write an episode. He wrote the season five episode "Old Dog, New Tricks," where his character ends up landing a lead role.
5 Issa Rae - 'Insecure'
Like most recent successful people in Hollywood, Issa Rae began her extremely successful career as a writer-actor hybrid. She created and starred in her own web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl which launched her career.
Since then, Rae has continued acting and writing in tandem. Most notably, she created her own HBO show, Insecure, where she is not only the creator but also the lead and a head writer on the show. She's also written and appeared on the web series Little Horribles.
4 Ramy Youssef - 'Ramy'
Ramy Youssef is quickly on his way to becoming another powerful showrunner in the television industry. However, Youssef got his start in the acting world by landing the main role in the Nick at Nite sitcom See Dad Run and a recurring role on the hit series Mr. Robot.
After his success on the screen, Youssef created the hit Hulu original series Ramy. Inspired by his own life, Youseff not only created the show, but he also plays a fictional version of himself and has written, directed, and produced several episodes of the show.
3 Rachel Bloom - 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'
Rachel Bloom got her start in Hollywood as an animation writer for the show Allen Gregory. She then went on to write and voice various characters in Adult Swim's Robot Chicken.
Bloom got her big breakthrough in 2015 when she created the CW romantic musical dramedy series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Not only does Bloom portray the main character, Rebecca Bunch, but she also 13 out of the 16 episodes including the series premiere and the season finale.
2 Seth MacFarlane - 'The Orville'
Seth MacFarlane is another Hollywood elite who to his start in the world of animation. In fact, MacFarlane started as an animator before making the jump to the writer-actor title he holds now.
MacFarlane got his big break in 1999 when he created the animation series Family Guy where he both wrote and portrayed multiple characters including Peter, Stewie, and Brian Griffen. While most of MacFarlane's work is in the animated world, he most recently created the live-action show The Orville where he both writes and stars in the show.
1 Esther Povitsky - 'Alone Together'
Esther Povitsky may be new to Hollywood, but she's already carved out a place for herself in the competitive television industry. As a comedian, Povitsky is familiar with juggling both acting and writing which made her jump to television so seamless.
She got to test out her writer-actor hybrid in 2018 when she co-created the Freeform comedy series Alone Together. Povitsky played a fictional version of herself on the show and all ended up writing 3 episodes of the show which ran for two seasons.
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