17. Simon Helberg: Now
While Helberg may not take home almost a million per episode like his costars—he only clears $750,000; sad, right?— he’s done well for himself in the wake of the fame. He was in the movie Florence Foster Jenkins with Hugh Grant and Mary Streep and has voiced the character to Bias Zao in the Kung Fu Panda series. He’s also grown into a handsome young man. Keep an eye on Helberg. Something tells me he’s only getting started.
16. Kunal Nayyar: Then
Rounding out the four main male roles is Rajesh Koothrappali, an astrophysicist known simply as Raj, and played by Kunal Nayyar. Raj and Howard are inseparable friends on the show, except for that time Howard went to space. Nayyar plays his part as the quiet physicist, especially when women are around, at least in the beginning. In the early episodes, Raj needed a drink or two to loosen up. Over the years, Raj has grown up and learned how to speak to women.