Most of the main cast members of The Big Bang Theory have accomplished some impressive career feats before and after their time on the CBS sitcom. Still, practically every single one of them would say that the Chuck Lorre series is the most notable endeavor of their professional life.
Kaley Cuoco got the fastest start among them, having been a child actor since the age of 7. She would go on to gain prominence thanks to her role as Bridget Hennessy on ABC’s 8 Simple Rules in her late teens. She would also appear to be one of those faring the best since the end of Big Bang: The actress now produces and stars in The Flight Attendant, a dark comedy thriller series on HBO Max.
Johnny Galecki and Mayim Bialik also started acting at a relatively young age, as they both appeared in professional screen roles at the age of 12. Like Cuoco, Bialik now also stars in and produces her very own show, titled Call Me Kat on Fox Network.
Another main cast member of The Big Bang Theory was Kevin Sussman, who played the character Stuart Bloom.
Who Was Kevin Sussman Before The Big Bang Theory?
Unlike many of his co-stars from The Big Bang Theory, Kevin Sussman was very much a late bloomer as an actor. Born in New York City in December 1970, it wasn’t until he was nearly 30 that he started landing professional acting gigs. Even then, he had to wait almost another decade before he got his breakthrough role, as the character Walter in Ugly Betty on ABC.
In the years in between, Sussman got to feature in movies like Liberty Heights, Almost Famous and Sweet Home Alabama. He also appeared in two episodes of ER, as well as single episodes of Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Third Watch and The Sopranos.
Sussman’s spell in Ugly Betty lasted 20 episodes in total, and came to an end with the East Side Story, the Season 1 finale. The show would go on to air for another three seasons, and 62 episodes.
After Ugly Betty, Sussman appeared in guest roles on a number of TV shows before finally being cast in Big Bang. These were CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, My Name Is Earl and The Middleman.
Kevin Sussman Nearly Played A Different Role On The Big Bang Theory
In October 2022, a book titled The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series was released. The publication was authored by Glamour editor Jessica Radloff, and was drawn from a collection of various interviews with the cast and crew members of the award-winning sitcom.
It was in this book that it first emerged that Kevin Sussman had nearly played a completely different role in the show. When the actor auditioned, he tested for multiple parts. As well as Stuart Bloom – who he would eventually portray – he also read for the characters Sheldon Cooper and Howard Wolowitz.
Those two parts would go to Jim Parsons and Simon Helberg respectively, but Sussman came excruciatingly close to landing the latter. According to the inside information on the making of Big Bang, he was even booked for the part before they changed their mind and signed Simon Helberg up.
Sussman only confirmed the episode to Helberg after the Radloff book was released. According to the writer, it was because he never wanted his colleague to feel awkward about being an “afterthought” casting choice.
What Has Kevin Sussman Been Up To Since The Big Bang Theory?
Having come so close to playing one of the most central characters in The Big Bang Theory, Kevin Sussman eventually got started on the show as a guest star in Season 2. His role would eventually blossom into a fully fledged main cast member, not least following an improvised line that brought his character more exposure.
Sussman went on to feature in 84 episodes of Big Bang, including the series finale which aired in May 2019. While most of his castmates appeared to dive right into the next job, things were relatively different for him.
After featuring in The Stockholm Syndrome episode of TBBT in May 2019, Sussman was not seen on screen for almost three years. That came in March 2020, when the miniseries The Dropout was released on Hulu. He played lab director Mark Roessler for six of the show’s eight episodes.
Sussman also went on to appear in an episode of Call Me Kat and two of Better Call Saul.
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