George Clooney isn't the first Oscar winner who started his acting life on television; heck, he's not even the tenth. Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt and Hillary Swank, for instance, all had significant TV experience before making it big on film (Bosom Buddies, anyone? Beverly Hills, 90210?). But has any Oscar winner had the checkered acting history that Clooney has? Yeah, yeah, he came to prominence in a little medical drama called ER (whatever happened with that show, anyway? Is it still on the air?), but what came before that is a bunch of roles that Clooney would rather not talk about:

1. The Facts of Life: This is the one everyone remembers. He played George Burnett, the contractor hired by Mrs. Garrett and the girls to help them rebuild Edna's Edibles after it burnt down. After the store re-opened as a novelty shop, George stayed on to be, I guess, the "hunky male presence" on the show. He actually lasted on the show for two whole seasons, and came back for a guest appearance or two in the show's last year. His role was mostly forgettable and the show had already run its course, but things could have been worse; he got to stare at Kim Fields' blossoming womanhood everyday.

2. Roseanne: I don't think George would be embarrased by the classic sitcom itself, but with how quickly his role as Booker, the foreman at the factory where Roseanne and her sister Jackie worked, disappeared. Think about it: he gets a plum role on a highly-hyped series that's starring the era's hottest stand-up comedian. He even had a love interest in Jackie. George thought he had it made. Then Roseanne decided to shift the show away from her character's working life and -- OOPS! -- there goes the plum role, even before the first season was over.

3. E/R: No, not ER! E/R! With a slash in the middle! E/R was a sitcom from the mid-'80s that took place in, yes, a Chicago emergency room. It starred Mary McDonnell (currenlty on Battlestar Galactica), Jason Alexander, and... wait for it... Elliott Gould. Thaaaaat's right. Elliott Gould, one of the original series killers. George played the hotshot orderly (or was he a hotshot intern?) Ace. I vaguely remember this show; it wasn't bad, but any show with Gould as the star was doomed to failure.

4. Sunset Beat: I had no idea this show even existed, but the IMDb description of it is priceless: "A team of Los Angeles cops go undercover posing as motorcycle bikers to nail street crime and other disorder in town." I'm sure that the mullet George was growing on Facts was in full bloom here.

5. Bodies of Evidence: The name alone is awful. I don't know much about this one, but it was an early-'90s crime drama that starred Lee Horsely or Matt Houston fame. Hopefully, George didn't grow a moustache to match Lee's. That would have looked kinda...odd.

Anyone remember either of these last two shows, or any of Clooney's other painful TV roles? Let me know in the comments.