Laurence Fishburne's climb to fame was long and slow, and it started even before 1979's "Apocalypse Now."

He did appear in a bit role as a soldier in Francis Ford Coppola's war-drama masterpiece, however seven years prior, he was playing an adopted street kid on "One Life to Live."

It was a fairly large role for someone his age, and he said he "learned a lot."

He opened up about his time on the legendary soap in an interview on ABC's "The View."

"I was 11 years old and suddenly I was on TV, so that was cool." Among his favorite memories, he listed "working with a young Tom Berenger, and a very young Tommy Lee Jones."

There is some dispute about what Fishburne's actual first role was, though. Some sources say it was a brief run on the classic action series "The Mod Squad," but the biography on his official website (Laurence-Fishburne.com, if you're interested) says it was "One Life to Live."

Beginning a pattern that would last through his career, he quickly jumped into film after leaving "OLTL," landing a leading role in the 1975 drama "Cornbread, Earl and Me."

However, that leading role did not lead to more, and he was back to small roles and guest spots.

Among the famous series he worked on before finding fame are "Miami Vice," "M*A*S*H," "Trapper John, M.D." (a "M*A*S*H" spinoff), "Hill Street Blues," "The Equalizer" and "Spenser: For Hire."

As you can see, it was a long trip, but he eventually hit the big time in the early '90s with a string of acclaimed turns in hits such as "What's Love Got to Do With It" (1993) and "Boyz n the Hood" (1991).

Now, of course, he's back on television, starring in the NBC serial-killer drama "Hannibal," after having spent a few seasons hunting other killers on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

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