# Not a Cameo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [October 5, 2024, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464 "2024-10-05T03:56:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/21 "2024-10-07T00:48:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m ok with any brief appearance being called a ‘cameo’, credited or not. > [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Well-known, credited or uncredited. Mike Todd coined the term ‘cameo’ for “Around the World in 80 Days (1956).” Pretty sure those were all credited. Yep. Yeah, _Around the world in 80 Days_ was loaded with cameos, and they were (mostly) credited. > **[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_80_Days_(1956_film))** > > Around the World in 80 Days (sometimes spelled as Around the World in Eighty Days) is a 1956 American epic adventure-comedy film starring David Niven, Cantinflas, Robert Newton and Shirley MacLaine, produced by the Michael Todd Company and released by United Artists. > The picture was directed by Michael Anderson and produced by Mike Todd, with Kevin McClory and William Cameron Menzies as associate producers. The screenplay, based on the classic 1873 novel of the same name by Jules Verne, was w... > [@TriPolar](#): > > Doesn’t mention credits. _small but noticeable_ covers a lot of ground. I don’t think the meaning has changed. I looked up the definition, and they never say “always uncredited” the most is- “Often uncredited”. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2024, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/22 "2024-10-07T01:47:35Z")
Certainly can be credited, especially with thorough databases like IMDb. I think the distinguishing feature is how big a role and how much screen time the actor has. Chris Evans’ appearance as Johnny Storm in DP&W for example, was a pleasant surprise, especially if you didn’t know he was in it, but he def played a character with dialogue, even if it was cut short. Not a cameo I would say. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2024, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/23 "2024-10-07T12:12:06Z")
I’d say the best operational definition of “cameo” is a small part where the audience is expected to recognize the actor. The recognition is important: Cate Blanchett in _Hot Fuzz_ isn’t a cameo because she was unrecognizable. An actual cameo is a small but recognizable portrait, after all. If the part is uncredited (in the film, not the IMDb, which often credits uncredited actors), it’s a good sign it’s a cameo, but not a necessary one. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/24 "2024-10-07T12:32:18Z")
Interesting. That would make the Princes William and Harry, or Simon Peggy’s appearances as stormtroopers in Star Wars not-cameos, since they weren’t recognizable. Yet I would consider these to be cameos due to the the brief but famous aspect of their appearances. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/25 "2024-10-07T19:32:40Z")
Yes, but you couldn’t know who they were just by watching the movie (not counting credits, though cameos tend to be uncredited). You need to go to outside the film to know they were there. (If an actor is credited for a cameo, it could affect how much money they get for their next film.) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2024, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/26 "2024-10-07T19:46:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yeah, _Around the world in 80 Days_ was loaded with cameos, and they were (mostly) credited. A few years later, _It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World_ had a similar wealth of cameos, including Jack Benny and Jerry Lewis. According to Wikipedia, they were uncredited. Other short appearances in the movie did result in credits, including a single shot of the then-Three Stooges. Both _80 Days_ and _World_ were made in the ‘_we’ve got to fight off the threat of television_’ era–giving movie-goers more than they thought they were going to get was a smart strategy. As for what’s a cameo and what isn’t: I’m comfortable with a loose definition prevailing. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/27 "2024-10-09T21:15:12Z")
I recently rewatched _The Blues Brothers_ and wonder if Stephen Spielberg’s appearance as the tax office clerk would be considered a cameo or a real small role. The movie came out in 1980, so Spielberg, although not an actor, was well-known for _Jaws_ and _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_. There’s also a ton of well-known and soon-to-be-better-known people in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/28 "2024-10-09T22:29:42Z")
I would say that Steven Spielberg in the Blues Brothers certainly feels to me like a cameo. Same with Frank Oz as the checkout guy at the prison. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/29 "2024-10-09T22:32:00Z")
The Blues Brothers was directed by John Landis and cameos by directors seems to be a signature of his. I know there were a couple in Trading Places and several in Spies Like us. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/30 "2024-10-10T00:08:09Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Same with Frank Oz as the checkout guy at the prison. The IMDB Trivia page says _The Blues Brothers_ and _The Empire Strikes Back_ came out on the same day, but this appears incorrect (Google tells me they were a month apart). It is still kinda cool that both Princess Leia and Yoda were in it. “Soiled, your prophylactic is!” ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/31 "2024-10-10T00:26:49Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I know there were a couple in Trading Places … This reminds me. The Duke brothers from _Trading Places_ (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) have a brief cameo in _Coming to America_ as a couple of street bums, to whom Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem gives some money. “Mortimer! We’re back!” ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/32 "2024-10-10T04:45:45Z")
^^^^This 😆 ---
**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:** [October 10, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/33 "2024-10-10T14:52:18Z")
I also use the term with regard to doctor visits, while waiting once I’ve been taken back waiting for the doctor to make his/her cameo appearance. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/34 "2024-10-10T15:18:12Z")
Last week I was thinking of the Coming to America one. Other examples and my opinion… Naked Gun 33 1/3. The setting was the Academy Awards. Some actors were presenters and others were in the audience and so forth, To me, the presenters were not a cameo, but if they showed them in the audience they were. Scrooged. It was a television station. They had “promos” that included Lee Majors and Mary Lou Retton. I consider them cameos. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/35 "2024-10-10T16:11:51Z")
Sometimes they just flat-out tell you: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tcOVNlpS2uA/maxresdefault.jpg "A Very Brief Cameo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcOVNlpS2uA) ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/36 "2024-10-10T16:17:29Z")
A group of “E.T. The Extraterrestrial” aliens appear in the background in _Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace_. Would THAT count as a cameo? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/37 "2024-10-10T16:25:52Z")
And how about the first _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ movie, where the four actors in the turtle suits all make brief appearances as other characters with their faces visible? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/38 "2024-10-10T17:26:47Z")
That could be more in the category of actors playing multiple parts in a film. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/39 "2024-10-10T21:28:58Z")
But Simon Pegg was mostly just providing the voice, and was buried under makeup and prosthetics. I’m not sure that I’d consider that a cameo, just like I wouldn’t consider Daniel Craig’s appearance as a stormtrooper one, either, because there was no way that the audience could be expected to recognize them. I think that, in order to be a true cameo, there has to be the opportunity to spot the actor. Like, I wouldn’t consider Steven Colbert’s appearance in one of the _Hobbit/LotR_ films (I can’t remember which one), or Rob McElhenney’s (cut for time) appearance in _Deadpool and Wolverine_ a true cameo because you’d have to go out of your way to find them. But that could just be me. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464/40 "2024-10-10T22:16:55Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > A group of “E.T. The Extraterrestrial” aliens appear in the background in _Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace_. Would THAT count as a cameo? If that’s a cameo, how about a trick-or-treater costumed as Yoda showing up in _E.T._, much to the surprise of E.T. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-cameo/1008464.md?page=3)