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Not every actor is going to become a megastar in their early 20s (or in some cases even sooner than that). Some have had to grind their way through the system before finally catching on with a big hit. Nobody knows that quite like Jim Parsons, a once relative unknown in the acting world that wound up becoming the highest paid actor in television. Of course, we all know him better as playing Sheldon Cooper in “The Big Bang Theory”, but he’s had several other roles you might remember.

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Like his famous character, Parsons also hails from Texas, having been born in the city of Houson on March 24, 1973. Parsons parents were both teachers, but he wanted to be a professional actor at a very young age. He continued to train in acting throughout school and when he graduated, Parsons stayed in his home city, attending the University of Houston. Parsons continued his stage career during this time, eventually heading to New York City for several plays and roles in commercials before landing scripted productions.

Parsons described himself as a child as being shy at times, but had a rather normal upbringing. “I was very average in the social label scale going through school,” he said. “I was neither the coolest person in school, nor did I suffer the slings and arrows of being made fun of to such a degree that I couldn’t get through the day.”

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Parsons finally made his television debut in 2002 when he appeared on an episode of “Ed”. The following year, Parsons has his film debut with “Happy End”. Over the next few years, Parsons added more supporting roles in films such as “10 Items or Less”, “School for Scoundrels” and “Garden State”. Then, in 2007, Parsons landed the role of a lifetime.

That’s when Parsons became Sheldon Cooper, the neurotic genius who was very particular about every aspect of his life. The series instantly became a hit for CBS, and was among the most watched shows during its entire run. Parsons was nominated for six Emmy awards for his role, winning four times. As the show went on, Parsons eventually became TV’s highest paid actor.

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During his run on “The Big Bang Theory”, Parsons had many guest appearances on television, mostly coming from his voice work on shows like “Family Guy”, “Pound Puppies” and “Supermansion”. Parsons also had another Emmy nomination for starring in the television movie “The Normal Heart”. You’ll also still hear his voice portraying Sheldon Cooper’s adult version in the spin-off series “Young Sheldon”.

Parsons also found himself in more films after “The Big Bang Theory” took off. Some of his more well known movie appearances include “The Muppets”, “Wish I Was Here” and “Hidden Figures”. More recently, Parsons had a role in the Ted Bundy focused film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”. Coming up, he’ll be starring in the Netflix movie “The Boys in the Band” that was based on a Broadway play.

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Parsons has maintained his interest in stage production that he did throughout his childhood and into his 20s. “Theater was my first love,” he said. “I can’t take the theater out of me. And I wouldn’t want to. To me, it’s home.” Parsons knows, though, that landing a show like he did takese being in the right place at the right time. “To have a job you can count on as an actor is so rare, whether that means belonging to a regional theater company or being on TV,” he said.

Talking about how he selects his roles, Parsons says that “My choices in projects have all been character or role-based, and on a financial level, it’s obvious: as an actor on a TV series, I get a wonderful paycheck, and a consistent paycheck, which doesn’t always happen when you’re doing theater or movies.”

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It’s not easy to end a show like “The Big Bang Theory”, especially when you’re making so much money, but the cast and crew felt it was the right time. It meant that Parsons had to figure out what’s next, and there’s a bit of a re-introduction to that acting life. “No matter how successful you are, even if you’re a huge success in movies, you don’t get to check into the same parking space for 12 years,” Parsons said. “This is not how someone in a creative profession normally gets to behave. Most human beings crave that structure, so I can see how it causes some hurricanes in the heart.”

“It’s both as complex and as simple as just feeling innately that it was time,” he added. “It speaks to a lot of things, none of them bad. There is no negative reason to stop doing ‘Big Bang’. It felt like we have been able to do this for so many years now, it doesn’t feel like there is anything left on the table. Not that we couldn’t keep doing it, but it feels like we’ve chewed all the meat off this bone. I guess at a personal level, it feels like the right time in my life. I don’t know what’s next for me. It’s not like there is something specific I am aiming for. I’m firmly in my middle age now...What is this next chapter of life? What is this next chapter for all of us?”

So how does he feel about his performance as Sheldon Cooper for so long? “I played the (expletive) out of that character,” he said.