# Special Guest Star ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724 "2009-10-05T20:47:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/41 "2009-10-06T19:56:43Z")
Are you only looking for one-shots? My favorite guest stars were recurring characters. I used to love watching **Batman** , but I was always disappointed if [Julie Newmar](http://scifipulse.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/cat-woman.jpg) wasn’t the “Special Guest Villainess.” She got _lots_ of work doing guest star turns in the '60s, including **The Twilight Zone** , **Star Trek** , **Bewitched** , and **Get Smart** , to name just a few. An episode of **Wild Wild West** without [Michael Dunn](http://www.wildwildwest.org/www/otherbio/md/md_arcade.jpg) is like a day without sunshine. I also like his work on **Star Trek** (“Plato’s Stepchildren”). ---
**Author:** ![Landshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/77aa72/32.png) [@Landshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Landshark)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/42 "2009-10-06T20:18:08Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > For Bab 5 cameos, I don’t think you can top Harlan Ellison as the voice of the station’s computer. I had a recollection of Ellison appearing on-screen in an episode of Babylon 5. He was a Psi-Cop in the episode “The Face of the Enemy”. Here’s the IMDB page for that episode, where he’s listed in the Cast section: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517701/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517701/) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/43 "2009-10-06T20:25:53Z")
Shelley Winters and George Clooney (separately) on _Roseanne_ Robert Redford as “Death” on _The Twilight Zone_ Martin Sheen on _Outer Limits_ Sammy Davis, Jr. on _All in the Family_ Robert Alda (Alan’s father) on _M_A_S_H\* Charles Durning and Jean Stapleton (separately) on _Everybody Loves Raymond_ Hilary Swank on _Evening Shade_ ---
**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:** [October 6, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/44 "2009-10-06T20:52:43Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Robert Alda (Alan’s father) on _M_A_S_H\* Along with Antony Alda (Alan’s half-brother) for one episode. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/45 "2009-10-06T22:43:32Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Vincent D’Onofrio in **Homicide** Oh my gosh, yes. Riveting episode. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/46 "2009-10-07T02:51:23Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In what was probably the most absurd guest star ever, Joe Piscopo on ST:TNG.\* > > \*Data wanted to learn how to be funny, so he had the holodeck manufacture a famous comedian. And of all the great comics in all of history, the one he chose was Joe Piscopo. :rolleyes: I thought it was great. It showed that Data really didn’t know what funny was. And Piscopo was willing to go along with the joke at his own expense. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2009, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/47 "2009-10-07T07:04:10Z")
Ashley Judd as Ensign Lefler in two TNG episodes, “Darmok” and “The Game.” Paul Reubens in an episode of Mork and Mindy. Though credited as Reubens, it was very definitely similar to his Pee Wee Herman character. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/48 "2009-10-07T07:50:51Z")
Elizabeth Taylor is a big fan of the soap General Hospital. She was cast as the first Helena Cassadine, matriarch of the Cassadine family. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/49 "2009-10-07T08:40:41Z")
Sarah Silverman on ST Voyager. I did a double take when I saw it in reruns. ---
**Author:** ![parthenokinesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/50 "2009-10-07T11:28:43Z")
Alex Trebec and Jesse Ventura on X-files. ---
**Author:** ![kirk1168](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@kirk1168](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk1168)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724/51 "2009-10-07T14:27:21Z")
Lloyd Bridges as Commander Cain, Battlestar Galactica (original). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-guest-star/512724.md?page=2)