George Clooney emerged during the mid- to late '90s, as one of the most rapidly ascending stars of both small and large screens. Although his rise to big-screen stardom, following his success on the wildly popular TV medical drama E.R., may at first glance seem meteoric, a closer look at Clooney's career reveals that he has more than paid his dues, having spent over a decade mired in relative obscurity as a contract player for Warner Bros. television