Actors who jumped from TV to movies

This week’s summer tentpole, to use current show biz jargon, is Hellboy II: The Golden Army, with Ron Perlman as the hero from Hades. Perlman got solid practice for the role on television’s Beauty and the Beast, playing a lion-man whose growling exterior hid a sensitive heart. The new flick and the ’04 original continue the feline connection. Hellboy has a soft place in his heart for kittens.

Most star treks from small-to-big screen have had smooth passage. But not all.

John Travolta had one of the easiest voyages. Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back, Kotter was ideal launching for the wicked high school stud in Carrie and likable stud wannabes in Saturday Night Fever and Grease.

George Clooney is movie royalty, complete with an Oscar and a Lake Como villa. Yet only a few of his movies have been bona fide smash hits. But his personality and suave looks make his star status secure. He earned heart-throb rank on TV’s ER and comfortably navigated his way to the big screen. But let’s not mention his recent flop Leatherheads.

Will Smith remains a July 4th firecracker, with Hancock overcoming critical jeers. In the middle of his primetime reign as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, he turned to movies, where his good-natured sass proved well-suited for Independence Day and Men in Black. In recent interviews, he worries that the public only accepts him in light-hearted roles. Hey, Will, life is full of problems.

Steve Carell’s flight to the big screen was well-oiled by smooth slots on The Office and Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. His quirky TV persona allowed him to take mild risks in such crowd-pleasers as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Little Miss Sunshine. Some false prophets, including me, thought Get Smart might prove his downfall. But he and Anne Hathaway provided the movie’s safety net.

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