# Favorite cameos from famous people as "themselves" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2019, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905 "2019-01-17T00:51:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/81 "2019-01-18T17:14:52Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > In an episode of “Legends of Tomorrow” the heroes realize the bad guy sounds a lot like John Noble. They go back in time to the set of Lord of the rings and get John Noble to say some lines that they need to set up the plan to defeat the baddie. > > Of course John Noble played himself and he had already been the voice of the bad guy for multiple episodes. The episode was aptly titled “Guest Starring John Noble.” When he was playing himself it’s one of the few times I have heard him using his real accent. Just the one I was going to mention. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/82 "2019-01-18T17:55:12Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Kevin Spacey as himself playing Dr. Evil. Danny DeVito as himself playing Mini-Me. And of course, Steven Spielberg. Got called away before I could edit. And John Travolta playing himself playing Goldmember. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/83 "2019-01-18T17:59:32Z")
Peter Falk as Peter Falk the angel in Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin). And probably Nick Cave (and the other Bad Seeds) as themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/84 "2019-01-18T18:46:30Z")
I like when Merv Griffin shows up in _The Man With Two Brains,_ and rants about his inability to get away with lurking due to his celebrity. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/85 "2019-01-18T20:06:47Z")
In the “Columbo” ep [Uneasy Lies the Crown](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097091/?ref_=tt_ch), Columbo walks in on a card game, and three of the players are Ron Cey, Nancy Walker, and Dick Sargent. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/86 "2019-01-18T21:54:50Z")
Almost forgot, The Beatles first make an appearance in Strange Tales #130, and are later featured in at least a dozen titles. (Although I’m not sure you can count the comic adaptation of _Yellow Submarine_) Alice Cooper as himself in _Dark Shadows_. Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) appears as himself in _The Stupids_ ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/87 "2019-01-19T14:45:57Z")
When Paul Simon was the guest singer on an episode of SNL, Senator Paul Simon showed up. It was hilarious ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/88 "2019-01-19T15:37:30Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > In the “Columbo” ep [Uneasy Lies the Crown](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097091/?ref_=tt_ch), Columbo walks in on a card game, and three of the players are Ron Cey, Nancy Walker, and Dick Sargent. The fourth one, the one doing all of the impressions, was John Roarke, who was a performer on the late-night sketch show _Fridays_. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/89 "2019-01-19T17:09:15Z")
In the circus movie “The Greatest Show on Earth” there is a scene panning the crowd. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are sitting in the front row eating popcorn ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/90 "2019-01-19T17:23:19Z")
It may be easier to say who _hasn’t_ voiced themselves on _The Simpsons_. The one person I can think of who was asked but turned the show down: Bruce Springsteen - and, in fact, “his” part was rewritten for Sting. ---
**Author:** ![HollieHobby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/839c29/32.png) [@HollieHobby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HollieHobby)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/91 "2019-01-22T17:24:59Z")
In Airplane a soldier in the psych ward believes he is Ethel Merman, played by Ethel Merman. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/92 "2019-01-22T22:42:37Z")
A while ago I started a thread asking a similar question. I was specifically looking for examples of celebrities playing an unflattering version of them selves for laughs. I was also trying to figure out if the Larry Sanders Show is what made this into a popular plot device. > **[Larry Sanders question (stars playing themselves for laughs)](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=788260)** > > With the death of Garry Shandling it got me thinking. One big part of the show had various celebrities often acting like awful versions of themselves for laughs. It’s something that many other shows used later such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and Gervais... ---
**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:** [January 22, 2019, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/93 "2019-01-22T23:25:18Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > A while ago I started a thread asking a similar question. **I was specifically looking for examples of celebrities playing an unflattering version of them selves for laughs.** I was also trying to figure out if the Larry Sanders Show is what made this into a popular plot device. > > [Larry Sanders question (stars playing themselves for laughs) - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=788260) This would totally explain Seinfeld… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/94 "2019-01-23T14:38:54Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > A while ago I started a thread asking a similar question. I was specifically looking for examples of celebrities playing an unflattering version of them selves for laughs. I was also trying to figure out if the Larry Sanders Show is what made this into a popular plot device. > > [Larry Sanders question (stars playing themselves for laughs) - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=788260) Preceded by Garry Shandling’s own _It’s Garry Shandling’s Show_, which is more likely to have launched the genre in a significant way. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/95 "2019-01-23T15:50:50Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > If we’re including comic book creators, and talking about Roy Thomas, we have to talk about the [Rutland Halloween Parade](http://comicsalliance.com/rutland-halloween-parade-marvel-dc-crossover/) issues, which spanned multiple Marvel and DC comics in the early 70s, and featured cameos from several comic book artists and writers. (The first couple of images at that link are missing now, but most of the illustrations are still there when you scroll further down). > > To briefly summarize, the small city of Rutland, Vermont, held (and still holds) an annual Halloween parade in which a lot of people dressed as superheroes. This was kind of notable, as it was long before superhero cosplay became a thing, and it attracted the attention of several comic book creators, who started attending. Eventually they liked it so much that they started setting some stories there, and put themselves into the issues. It’s kind of fun, but weird at the same time. Even weirder because it seems to have been the entire point… Dave Sim in Cerebus the Aardvark. Somewhere between issues 187 and 190 - we’re talking 15 years of comics - the lead character Cerebus begins conversing with an all-knowing entity named ‘Dave’ who reveals his possible futures and pasts. It’s. Truly. Weird. And in interviews Sim said that he’d had the entire run of Cerebus laid out in his mind up until the point where ‘Dave’ introduces himself to Cerebus. The entire run. From that point on it just got weirder and less coherent. Hemingway appeared. F. Scott Fitzgerald appeared. The Three Stooges appeared. Cerebus ended up an award winning hockey goalie. As I said. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/96 "2019-01-23T15:54:32Z")
In the 1940s, comic book creators were definitely NOT famous, but when Bob Kane was the lead artist on Batman, Bruce Wayne bore a striking resemblance to Bob Kane. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/97 "2019-01-23T21:33:33Z")
I WAS going to mention Regis Philbin appearing as himself in 1992’s _Night and the City_, but at the last minute, I noticed that the thread title calls for our _favorite_ cameos. So I have to go with George Raft flipping his silver dollar while he watched the brawl in _Casino Royale_ (the good one; not that monstrosity where everyone acts as though Bond deserves to be taken seriously). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/98 "2019-01-23T21:43:12Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Done a million times on The Larry Sanders Show. The guest celebrities play themselves as guests on Larry’s late night talk show and with some exceptions usually come off looking entitled and self-absorbed like, you know, celebrities. My nominations are David Duchovny appearing (twice IIRC) on _The Larry Sanders Show_ followed by Garry Shandling appearing on _The X-Files_. I strongly recommend you go look them up and watch them. In that order. Funniest line ever to appear on _The X-Files_. _“Mostly?!”_ ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/99 "2019-01-23T21:51:21Z")
Henry Mancini applauding from the cheap seats after Pink Panther conducts the Pink Panther Theme. ---
**Author:** ![KMS94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ad7895/32.png) [@KMS94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KMS94)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905/100 "2019-01-23T22:40:29Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > (2) The famous person is playing a heightened, fictionalized or exaggerated version of themself, sometimes making fun of one of their known characteristics, sometimes just having weird quirks added. The first thing that popped in my head when reading this was Rick Springfield in Californication. Hilarious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-cameos-from-famous-people-as-themselves/827905.md?page=6)