Steve Carell, brilliant comic actor, as a lonely and depressed gay Proust scholar who tried to kill himself over an obsessive love affair gone wrong? Is this actually supposed to be a funny part?

That was my initial reaction to the description of Carell’s role in "Little Miss Sunshine." But after seeing that delightfully quirky movie, I can say that Carell, like the film, is very funny at times, and quite poignant at others. His marvelous, shtick-free performance will open many eyes about this guy’s range.

No matter how many times I see this kind of breakthrough — George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Greg Kinnear, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray and Steve Martin, to name a few — it still astounds me when a television actor or performer, particularly one known for comedy, shows dramatic chops or box-office muscle on the big screen.

Carell’s quirky "Sunshine," an indie that was a big hit at Sundance, is a road movie about a very dysfunctional family that travels from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach, Calif., so the youngest family member, 7-year-old Olive, can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant.

Carell plays Olive’s uncle, Frank, an ousted college professor who slashed his wrists after falling in unrequited love with a hunky graduate student. Carell holds his own with a fine cast that includes Alan Arkin, Toni Collette and Kinnear (who was, of course, the original host of "Talk Soup"). Because doctors at the psychiatric hospital have instructed Frank’s sister (Collette) to keep a close eye on him, Frank has no choice but to go along with her family for the ride — through the desert in a dilapidated, un-air-conditioned VW van.

Along the way, Carell has one stunning scene, in a convenience store, that starts out comically and suddenly turns heartbreaking for his Frank. You can’t watch Carell’s shift in mood without thinking that this 43-year-old guy — who from 1999 to 2005 played a loud, self-absorbed, bankably funny faux news correspondent on "The Daily Show" — is really quite a fine actor.

This shouldn’t come as a complete shock. There were moments of pathos in his "40 Year Old Virgin," the sleeper hit of last summer, and even his buffoonish Michael Scott has shown tragic-comedic glimmers on "The Office."

This summer has been an especially good one for television actors moonlighting on the big screen.

Rainn Wilson, Carell’s "Office" co-star, played Luke Wilson’s best friend in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" — and his character wasn’t a complete nerd for a change.

Adrian Grenier, best known as Hollywood star and chick magnet Vincent Chase on "Entourage," was convincing as the cool and supportive chef boyfriend Anne Hathaway neglects in "The Devil Wears Prada." Daniel Sunjata ("Rescue Me") also had a small role in that film, and Australian actor Simon Baker ("The Guardian"), who’s soon to be seen in the CBS series "Smith," had a showy turn as a handsome cad.

Many other television actors used their summer hiatus this year to make movies, so there may be more pleasant surprises ahead.

In my view, there are a number of TV actors with big-screen potential, including several cast members of "Lost."

First and foremost there’s Josh Holloway, the infamous bad-boy Sawyer. It’s not only his amazing looks. Most of the "Lost" castaways, after all, are gorgeous. But Holloway’s got something extra — a certain spark, a brash, larger-than-life attitude. He’s a Matthew McConaughey type without all the bizarro baggage.

Also possibly film-worthy: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Mr. Eko) and Naveen Andrews (Sayid). (Though I have actually seen the latter in a few movies, they’re the kind that play on IFC in the wee hours.)

Kristen Bell, star of "Veronica Mars," could also make the big leap, as could Jake Weber of "Medium," Poppy Montgomery of "Without a Trace," Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz of "Bones," and almost anyone from the cast of "Grey’s Anatomy" — especially Katherine Heigl, who seems to be lit from within (and, not surprisingly, has several feature deals in the works). Sandra Oh, of course, already made a splash with "Sideways."

Wentworth Miller of "Prison Break," who has gotten more attention for his Fox series than he did for playing the younger version of Anthony Hopkins in "The Human Stain," also could go far.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star Chris Meloni, who won great notices for a smallish role in "Runaway Bride," should again try his hand at movies.

In the comedy realm, "Office" co-stars John Krasinski (Jim) and Jenna Fischer (Pam) have that certain something (and have been making movies during their TV break). Jason Lee ("My Name Is Earl") could easily return to movies, and not just Kevin Smith’s (Lee can be seen in this summer’s "Clerks II"), and it would be great to see his "Earl" co-star Jaime Pressly take her inimitable spunk to another level. And, after his well-received "Garden State," Zach Braff of "Scrubs" has a foot planted in both worlds, television and movies.

Needless to say, we’d love to see more of Carell, who’s so dedicated to his craft that he endured an actual (very painful) chest waxing for his "40 Year Old Virgin" and braved scorching days of filming in the desert for "Sunshine."

And it paid off handsomely — for Carell as well as his fans.

Who knows what he and other television series players may have in store for us next summer?