Last week we had an opportunity to waste a weekend with three male TV actors who made the rare transition from the small screen to movie stardom. This week we’ll take a look at three female TV actors who have become huge successes on the big screen. Waste this weekend catching up on a few shows that sparked the careers of some the most recognized female movie stars of our era.

The Popular Choice – Jennifer Aniston (Friends 1994 – 2004)

Tabloids aside, Jennifer Aniston is having what most would call a “storybook-career.” After a rough start to her television acting career, Aniston landed the role that changed her life as the infamous Rachel Green on Friends. Like most of her cast mates, before Friends, Aniston’s acting career consisted of a handful of failed pilots and a starring role in the classic horror film Leprechaun (probably not a classic for the reasons you’re thinking).

But when Friends took off and became the staple hit sitcom, Aniston began to get much better movie offers. During her run on Friends, Aniston also starred in the cult hit Office Space, The Good Girl, Bruce Almighty and Along Came Polly. Since the conclusion of Friends she has gone on to star in The Breakup, Marley And Me and The Bounty Hunter. But I don’t think it matters how many big movies Aniston stars in, she will forever be Rachel Green.

The Niche Choice – Jennifer Garner (Alias 2001 – 2006)

Sorry to stay on the Jennifer path here, but it would be a crime to leave Jennifer Garner off this list of female TV actors turned movie stars. Although Garner is widely known for her work on Alias, it actually wasn’t the first show she’d been a major part of. Back in 1999, Party of Five actually gave Jennifer Love Hewitt her own spin-off show called Time of Your Life and Garner played Romy, the roommate and struggling New York City actor. But as many of us can agree, Garner’s role as Sidney Bristow on Alias is really what catapulted her to the big screen. During her time on Alias, Garner managed to make big screen appearances in 13 Going On 30, Daredevil and Elektra which seemingly jump-started her transition to full time movie star. Since the conclusion of Alias, she’s been in The Kingdom, Juno and most recently, Valentine’s Day.

The New Age Choice – Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars 2004 – 2007)

Veronica Mars was an iconic cult hit for a number of reasons, but none more than the fact that it represents the coming out party for Kristen Bell. Bell made small guest appearances on shows like Deadwood and American Dreams, but it wasn’t until she was able to show her quick witted timing and range of emotion on Mars that people really started to notice her. When her show was canceled in 2007, Bell made the jump to the big screen with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Fanboys before returning to television for a season on Heroes. Although she continues to work in television quite a bit (as the narrator for Gossip Girl), Bell’s focus seems to be with feature films. She recently voiced a character for the animated feature Astroboy and her film When In Rome is currently in theaters.