Born Free.
Australian crime series Underbelly has many real living people in it - excluding the ones who die graphically during the series, which are also numerous. The first series was set around 2000 or so, and most of the people who were still alive by the last episode, are alive now.
Damn. I’ve had it wrong all these years.
He was portrayed by Phil Morris, son of actor Greg Morris. And he did a damn fine job. Good thing they called for Phil Morris.
The Real O’Neals was originally loosely based on Dan Savage though it morphed along the way into the show it became.
It’s Like You Know… starred Jennifer Grey playing Jennifer Grey.
In a similar vein, Bobby Generic of Bobby’s World was based on creator Howie Mandel, who voiced him.
Big Bang also had James Earl Jones & Carrie Fisher in one episode, a recurring role for “evil” Wil Wheaton, Brent Spiner, and the best of all, Mark Hamill.
And Walter Cronkite played himself in a cameo on the Mary Tyler Moore show against a star-struck Ted Baxter.
The very first American TV sitcom, 1947’s Mary Kay and Johnny, was about an attractive, young. newly-married couple named Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns. The show was created by and starred an attractive, young, newly married couple - Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns.
Phil Morris on Jackie Chiles:
And was an attempt to recreate Seinfeld which was based on …
Is Entourage too obvious to mention? Every. single. episode had at least one actor/director/other playing hirself.
Specifically, it was the second season episode, “The Revenge”, where George quits and Jerry suggests he pretend it never happened. Jason Alexander said no one would do such a thing and Larry told him that *he *had done it when he was a writer on Saturday Night Live. That was when Jason realized George *was *Larry, so he changed how he was playing him.
Walter O’Brien claims this about Scorpion, the show where “Walter O’Brien” is a genius who hacked his way into NASA as a kid and has since used his high-IQ talents to help the authorities solve problems in general and catch criminals in particular.
At least one episode of Murphy Brown had a fictionalized George HW Bush.
At least one episode of The Twilight Zone had an actor playing Nikita Krushchev.
The Wire had the real-life Gary D’addario as a desk sergeant, an actor playing Gary D’addario, and a guest appearance of Detective Munch, who was based heavily on Gary D’addario. At least one of those should qualify.
The Beatles (1965, animated) used uncredited voice actors to play the Fab Four; Lance Percival and Paul Frees were two of them. Paul Frees was also in the Jackson 5ive cartoon, but not as one of the Jacksons (also played by voice actors).
It’s unclear whether some of the Harlem Globetrotters played themselves in the cartoon about them. IMDB credits Rudy Clark and Meadowlark Lemon as actors, but other actors–notably Stu Gilliam, Eddie “Rochester” Andeerson and Scatman Crothers–play their teammates.
King of the Hill had a non-speaking version of Gov. Ann Richardson in one episode.
Has South Park been mentioned yet?
**SNL **has been mentioned. Once, they had Robert Urich guest host–as Burt Reynolds. I guess this was around '81 or '82.
George H.W. Bush on the Simpsons.
Michelle Obama played herself on an episode of NCIS. The episode concerned aid to military families, which she supported.
The above post made me remember Nancy Reagen’s anti-drug appearance on Diff’rent Strokes.
To quote Sheldon Cooper: What? I have an eidetic memory. Sometimes it’s a curse.
How about The Waltons although only one of the characters had any real fame.
Not sure if one-off cameos should qualify