# Actors and Actresses Who Have "Played Themselves"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 12, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258 "2003-06-12T01:30:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![doctordoowop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/41 "2003-06-12T14:47:32Z")
Otto- the list is “pending verification.” I saw the movie & Capote is in it, playing a witness to the execution, & he has dialogue. It is the last scene. He plays a reporter, not sure if his name is used in movie. Bobt- probably, I recall him sweeping the floor, but bartenders do that. Hernandez was also in Seinfeld. Recall Don Drysdale from a Brady Bunch. I vaguely recall Gleason playing himself in a Honey Mooners Ethilrist-Moore WAS a concert pianist. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/42 "2003-06-12T14:51:38Z")
Jamie Farr was a U.S. soldier in Korea, then went on to play Corporal Klinger in M.A.S.H. ---
**Author:** ![doctordoowop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/43 "2003-06-12T15:03:42Z")
Sammy Davis Jr was a rider in Bunker’s cab. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/44 "2003-06-12T15:16:49Z")
I’ve also seen _In Cold Blood_ and I don’t believe Capote is in it, or if he is it’s not in a speaking role while on-screen. He was IRL a witness to the executions and he did watch the filming but I don’t believe he appeared on-screen. In addition to the IMDB listing for ICB and Capote’s own listing there, there is also no mention of Capote’s appearing on-screen in any of the biographical material I’ve read, but there is mention of Capote’s displeasure at the addition of a reporter character to the execution scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/45 "2003-06-12T16:02:49Z")
Robert Clary, Cpl. LeBeau from _Hogan’s Heros_, was in a concentration camp in WWII, and went on to play a character in a POW camp in WWII (not identical to his real life, but close). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/46 "2003-06-12T17:49:22Z")
Paulie Walnuts from _The Sopranos_ was a gangster (low level). I’d link you to The Smoking Gun page, but I can’t do that from work. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/47 "2003-06-12T18:54:10Z")
Dean Martin plays a womanizing, alchohol-saturated, Vegas-performing superstar named “Dino” in _Kiss Me Stupid_ Robert Montgomery was a PT commander in _They Were Expendable_ after serving as a PT commander in WWII. ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/48 "2003-06-12T18:54:33Z")
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played himself for a moment on Airplane, when the kid told him that his dad said he only played hard during the playoffs. He was also carried out of the cockpit in a Laker uniform. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/49 "2003-06-12T19:25:46Z")
Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman)!!! Oh. Wait a minute. I thought you wanted Actors Who Have “Played _with_ Themselves”… Never mind. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![doctordoowop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/50 "2003-06-12T19:27:48Z")
Otto- I saw it when it came out. So I may be wrong-now I’ll see it again. Bob Smith-Wolfman Jack -in American Graffiti; Humble Harve -Harvey Miller - DJ in Hollywood Nights.(Wuhl’s 1st flic) ; DJ Alan Freed played himself in all his films. Dodgers played themselves in Roogie’s Bump-Erskine, Meyer & Campy. Mantle & Maris & others played themselves in Safe at Home. ---
**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/51 "2003-06-12T19:53:02Z")
Jim Carrey’s latest, _Bruce Almighty_ is basically the story of his career. Some would say that Julia Roberts in _Notting Hill_ is pretty much playing herself in that the character is a mega-movie star. Sean Hayes’ character on _Will & Grace_ often plays the piano as part of his shtick; Sean Hayes is a classically-trained pianist. (This could be the writers deciding that Sean has a talent, let’s exploit it; lots of shows do this.) Harrison Ford in _Witness_ helped the Amish raise a barn; he did some carpentry before/while getting into the film business. Hugh Jackman really has adamantiu… wait, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/52 "2003-06-12T20:09:58Z")
Lots of examples from sports, like Pete Vuckovich playing the feared opposing team slugger in _Major League_. (Kinda funny in itself seeing as how he was a Cy Young pitcher, not a slugger). I wondered why the crappy movie _Driven_ had a scene of Estella Warren doing synchronized swimming, until I read her [Bio](http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Warren,%20Estella) on the IMDb and discovered that she was the Canadian National Champion for three years. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/53 "2003-06-12T20:18:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Peg \* > **Jim Carrey’s latest, _Bruce Almighty_ is basically the story of his career.** Jim Carrey is _not_ God! :mad: > [@](#): > > **Some would say that Julia Roberts in _Notting Hill_ is pretty much playing herself in that the character is a mega-movie star.** Likewise, Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard. [sub]hey… I just noticed that if you’re quoting somebody and click on a smiley, it inserts the smiley at the end of the post, rather than where the cursor was. Learn something new every day… ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/54 "2003-06-12T21:29:36Z")
Howard Stern, Baba Booey, Robin Quivers, Fred Norris and the whol “Whack Pack” in “Private Parts”. ---
**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/55 "2003-06-12T21:37:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*Jim Carrey is _not_ God! :mad: > > \*\* In no way implying that he is. I am not a Jim Carrey fan in the least. I just meant that in the movie, his character … is a funny guy who longs to be a Serious News Anchor, but then realises that it’s OK to be the funny guy because funny makes people feel good. Just like how in his career he was the funny plastic faced man who longs to be a Serious Dramatic Actor, but the realises that it’s OK to be the funny guy because funny makes people feel good. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/56 "2003-06-13T05:30:03Z")
Jennifer Grey played Jennifer Grey in _Its like, you know…_. The only redeeming feature of the show and I wish she was still on. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/57 "2003-06-13T06:48:36Z")
I have to throw this in. Michael Jordan in Space Jam. Quite possibly the worst acting job of a person trying to play themself. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/58 "2003-06-13T14:52:48Z")
In the “playing themselves” spirit of the OP: In the movie _Slap Shot_, David Hanson, Jeff Carlson, and Steve Carlson as Jack, Jeff, and Steve Hanson, respectively. On the DVD they it describe as “He’s Hanson (refering to David), and we’re brothers.” As well as Ned Dowd as “Oggie” Ogilthorpe, who was also the technical advisor for the film (and the brother of the screenwriter). All four men were professional hockey players. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/59 "2003-06-13T15:04:35Z")
Also legendary DJ “The Real” Don Steele who appeared in movies like _Rock ‘N’ Roll High School, Death Race 2000_, and _Grand Theft Auto_ usually played DJs/announcers/masters of ceremonies in most of his acting roles. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258/60 "2003-06-13T18:25:03Z")
Car collector Jay Leno appeared on “Home Improvement” as the curator of a car collection. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-actresses-who-have-played-themselves/181258.md?page=4)