# Strange actor cameos **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411 "2010-12-16T20:01:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/61 "2010-12-17T21:23:17Z")
> [@GildedLily](#): > > Jimmy Fallon was in **Band of Brothers** playing a supply officer or some such. Not sure if he was already in SNL at the time or not though, so it may not count. Ah man, I was looking forward to mentioning that one. Jamie Bamber (BSG’s Apollo) also had a minor role as a platoon Lt. in Easy Company. Odd role for Fallon though. I think it is probably his only serious role to date. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/62 "2010-12-17T21:30:40Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Brad Pitt also played a reformed nerd who hated the Jennifer Aniston (his wife at the time) character Rachel in a single episode of _Friends_. Not really all that strange… it was a popular show, he’s a popular actor,… and also.. they were married at the time.. so there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/63 "2010-12-17T21:41:49Z")
I was pleasantly surprised to see Jon Hamm at the end of the A-Team. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/64 "2010-12-17T22:03:32Z")
I think, but I’m not sure, that Moe Howard has a cameo in “The Best Years of Our Lives.” Brother Shemp has an real role in the film. Moe, if it is, pokes his head only halfway out of a car window and shouts at someone. You only see half his face, but with Moe, that was all you needed. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/65 "2010-12-17T22:21:50Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Brad Pitt also played a reformed nerd who hated the Jennifer Aniston (his wife at the time) character Rachel in a single episode of _Friends_. Except that was in no way a cameo appearance. It was a highly publicized guest starring role, like Julia Robert’s appearance on the show. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/66 "2010-12-17T22:28:47Z")
Brad Pitt in Being John Malkovich. What? ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/67 "2010-12-17T22:40:07Z")
Mel Gibson’s hands appear nailing Jesus to the cross in “The Passion of the Christ” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/68 "2010-12-18T20:58:54Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Mel Gibson’s hands appear nailing Jesus to the cross in “The Passion of the Christ” Not surprised – I’ve heard he doesn’t like Jews. And with Jesus doing magic tricks like that water-into-wine thing, I guess Mel would really hate him. He’d count as a “Jew Controlling The Entertainment Industry”! ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/69 "2010-12-18T21:29:09Z")
Jack Nicholson in the Streisand musical “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”. Nicholson plays Streisand’s brother. It is such a strange roll for him. He is credited, so it is not exactly a cameo, but he plays it as if it were a cameo. He is so out of place in it. In the movie of continuous cameos, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World,” my favoite cameo is Jerry Lewis as the motorist who drives over Spencer Tacy’s hat. Charlie Chaplin in his final directorial effort “The Countess from Shanghi” briefly plays a steward on a ship who gets seasick. (I could be a touch off on that title - I’m doing this from memory). ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/70 "2010-12-18T23:45:43Z")
Dick Cheney plays a cop in Die Hard with a Vengeance… > **[Dick Cheney](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0155515/)** > > Known for: Beyond 9/11: Portraits of Resilience, The Iraq War, The World According to Dick Cheney ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/71 "2010-12-19T19:33:42Z")
In Cameron Crowe’s **Singles** , Tim Burton shows up briefly as a guy named Brian and he has just one line: “Twenty.” ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/72 "2010-12-19T19:51:12Z")
Tom Cruise and Jon Bon Jovi both had cameos in Young Guns. Tom getting shot and killed in the ‘escape from the burning house’ scene. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/73 "2010-12-19T20:57:01Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > Dick Cheney plays a cop in Die Hard with a Vengeance… > > [Dick Cheney - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0155515/) I think that’s a hoax. No way is that Dick Cheney: [Photo Storage](http://media.photobucket.com/image/%22dick+cheney%22+%22die+hard%22+/Nem-Wan/dick-cheney-in-die-hard-with-a-vengeance.jpg) ---
**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:** [December 20, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/74 "2010-12-20T04:01:35Z")
Looks more like a younger Lee Iacocca. ---
**Author:** ![Flip\_Pancake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f1d935/32.png) [@Flip\_Pancake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flip_Pancake)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/75 "2010-12-20T18:23:03Z")
> [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](#): > > David Bowie had a cameo as the shark in _Yellowbeard_, an otherwise very forgettable movie. David Bowie shows up randomly in _Zoolander_ to judge a model “walk-off”. IIRC Billy Zane was in there too… ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/76 "2010-12-20T19:19:55Z")
> [@tingbudong](#): > > Ah man, I was looking forward to mentioning that one. Jamie Bamber (BSG’s Apollo) also had a minor role as a platoon Lt. in Easy Company. > > Odd role for Fallon though. I think it is probably his only serious role to date. Fallon was the bands manager in Almost Famous - regular role, credited, but he is almost unrecognizable. [That’s him up front with the steel briefcase.](http://thisweeksflixpix.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/almost-famous-stillwater_l.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/77 "2010-12-21T00:43:17Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > Jack Nicholson in the Streisand musical “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”. Nicholson plays Streisand’s brother. It is such a strange roll for him. He is credited, so it is not exactly a cameo, but he plays it as if it were a cameo. He is so out of place in it. The reason behind that is because the part was original much larger, including several songs, which were cut. It is not a cameo but was a legitimate role in the movie which was left on the cutting room floor to give Babs more screen time. Yves Montand had another song as well which was cut. Speaking of Montand, I watched\* Let’s Make Love \*with Marilyn Monroe over the weekend and it is peppered with cameos. Montand’s character – a Donald Trump-like billionaire – hires the likes of Milton Berle to teach him to be a comedian, Bing Crosby to teach him to sing, and Gene Kelley to teach him how to dance. All ironic considering that Montand was fairly good at all three of these disciplines. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/78 "2010-12-21T19:26:57Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I think that’s a hoax. No way is that Dick Cheney: ] According to some discussion on IMDB, this “credit” started because in the director’s commentary on the DVD, he identified him as Cheney. I haven’t heard it personally, so I don’t know that he actually said that. And if he did, then the question is “Is he pulling our leg or does he actually believe it?” ---
**Author:** ![Daniel\_Shug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Daniel\_Shug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel_Shug)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/79 "2010-12-23T15:06:57Z")
> [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](#): > > That is hardly a cameo. A cameo is a small bit by someone who is already famous. At this point, Ratzenberger was barely a bit actor. Then, by this definition, this is not a cameo, either, but I always look for him in the first Christopher Reeve “Superman.” He’s one of the military radar techs, tracking the missiles. ---
**Author:** ![Tess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Tess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411/80 "2010-12-25T00:04:19Z")
Alex Trebek showed up in The X-Files as (I think) a MIB with one line. Seemed kinda out of nowhere. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-actor-cameos/564411.md?page=5)