Troy Donahue, Godfather II, as Connie’s suitor. His character’s name was his real name: Merle Johnson. He had been washed up for years. A nice touch slipping him in like that.
I like ex-big star ones better than the current-big star ones.
I wonder why that was?
Wesley Snipes also didn’t take any billing in Waiting to Exhale. That was also a small role, but the character was crucial, and anyone who’d read the book, which meant most of the audience when I saw it on opening night, knew when the character would appear. So he walked on screen and there was a chorus of “ooooooooohhhhhh!” He said he didn’t want billing because the film was about the four women and he didn’t want to detract from that. Kudos to him.
Phil Hartman had a small part as a reporter at the end of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Probably because he co-wrote the script.
The only one I can think of, besides the ones mentioned, is Mark Hammil in Britannia Hospital.
Here’s one that’s pretty obscure: Jack Nicholson in Targets.
I’ve gotten into arguments as to whether Nicholson was actually in the film, even with other people admitting that he actually appears on the screen.
Targets is about a horror actor played by Boris Karloff who comes face to face with a mass killer. Much of it takes part in a drive-in, which is showing The Terror, a Karloff film. There are scenes from The Terror shown on the drive-in screen, including one where Jack Nicholson (in a Napoleonic uniform) comes to the house to meet Karloff.
I say that puts him in the movie.
I couldn’t stand not knowing if that was Jack’s first movie, so I checked imdb.com. They list one earlier film, “The Cry Baby Killer.” Jack apparently played the title role.
Does Steve Buscemi’s part in Pulp Fiction count? I know he wasn’t a star at that point but he was promiment in Tarantino’s previous film.
Also. how about Harrison Ford in Apocalypse Now?
Larry Hagman was an army guy in Superman.
Daniel-Day Lewis in Gandhi.
Brad Pitt in True Romance.
“Zsa Zsa Gabor in “Queen of Outer Space” (1958)”
—Huh? Zsa Zsa vas ze STAH, dahlink! She even got to look directly into the camera and say, “I hayd her. I hay dot qvinn!”
As for future stars appearing as extras, pre-fame, we got (off the top of my head):
Jean Harlow in “The Love Parade” (1929)
Marilyn Monroe in “Scudda-Hoo! Scudda-Hay!” (1948)
Rita Hayworth in “Dante’s Inferno” (1935)
Valerie Harper in “Rock! Rock! Rock!” (1956)
Kay Kendall in “Dance Hall” (1950)
Clark Gable in “The Merry Widow” (1925)
Joan Crawford AND Myrna Loy in “Pretty Ladies” (also 1925)