# Surprising cameos in movies or TV shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437 "2014-02-27T18:50:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/21 "2014-02-27T23:44:58Z")
When “Young Frankenstein” was first released, Gene Hackman’s role as the Old Hermit was uncredited. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/22 "2014-02-27T23:56:32Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > [Thread from several years ago.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=589556) (But obviously feel free to add more.) I’m sure that every issue brought up here on the Dope has already been addressed here somewhere! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/23 "2014-02-28T00:00:03Z")
In one Billy Crystal movie, Mel Gibson appeared as a pierced and swacked punk. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/24 "2014-02-28T01:07:08Z")
In the movie _Casper_, there were very brief cameos of Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson and Rodney Dangerfield (the ghosts made the father character see those reflections of himself in a mirror). There were also hilarious cameos by Father Guido Sarducci and Dr. Ray Stantz. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/25 "2014-02-28T01:40:51Z")
New York Philharmonic conductor Alan Gilbert on **30 Rock**. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/26 "2014-02-28T02:08:08Z")
Not sure if it’s suprising but Chuck Yeager getting a few lines in _The Right Stuff_ is fun. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/27 "2014-02-28T03:20:53Z")
Another cameo in _Annie Hall_ at 5:49 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/4PX9YS1aYKQ?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PL3781D7B9ED3602FE That’s Sigourney Weaver as Alvy Singer’s date, although you probably won’t be able to recognize her at this distance. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/28 "2014-02-28T04:16:36Z")
Bob Barker in _ **Happy Gilmore** _ “The price is wrong, bitch!” ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/29 "2014-02-28T04:52:35Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Another cameo in _Annie Hall_ at 5:49 in this video: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PX9YS1aYKQ&list=PL3781D7B9ED3602FE&index=11](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PX9YS1aYKQ&list=PL3781D7B9ED3602FE&index=11) > > That’s Sigourney Weaver as Alvy Singer’s date, although you probably won’t be able to recognize her at this distance. Wouldn’t that be more like “bit part by an actress in of her first movie roles who later went on to become a famous actress?” ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/30 "2014-02-28T05:33:48Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Wouldn’t that be more like “bit part by an actress in of her first movie roles who later went on to become a famous actress?” That’s the way I’m leaning. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/31 "2014-02-28T05:45:32Z")
I like all the cameo appearances of R2D2 and C-3PO in various films. Raiders and Close Encounters come to mind. I know there are more. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/32 "2014-02-28T10:52:53Z")
For what it’s worth, it was Weaver’s second role in a film. She appeared in _Serpico_ in a slightly longer bit role four years earlier. She was also known as a stage actress at the time. She had originally been cast in a larger role in _Annie Hall_ but decided not to take it because she had gotten a stage role that conflicted in time with it. Woody Allen then asked her to do a bit role in the film. He shot a longer scene with the two couples on dates meeting, but the scene was trimmed in editing to just that one long shot. I’m getting this from several books I own on Woody Allen, but there’s a little about this in this Wikipedia entry: > **[Sigourney Weaver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigourney_Weaver)** > > Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (/sɪˈɡɔːrni/; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2003, she was voted Number 20 in Channel 4's countdown of the 100 greatest movie stars of all time. > Weaver rose to fame for starri... ---
**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:** [February 28, 2014, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/33 "2014-02-28T11:09:26Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Do we maybe need a working definition of “cameo” here? Apparently, because Cruise’s character is a significant part of the movie. Apart from the McLuhan one already mentioned, my favorite cameo remains [this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eWsFFQP0gA). In fact, that may well be my favorite movie appearance by that actor. ---
**Author:** ![Bellhorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Bellhorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bellhorn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/34 "2014-02-28T11:14:47Z")
From the old TV show _Mannix,_ starring Mike Connors as a private detective working in the SF Bay area. He goes into a club in the Haight-Ashbury district, and the band playing at the club is _Buffalo Springfield_ He’s in the club long enough to hear two of the band’s hits (Bluebird and For What It’s Worth). In 1967 I was just getting into music and Buffalo Springfield was my first “personal discovery.” 45 years later they still might be at the top of all time. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/35 "2014-02-28T13:38:40Z")
In the movie **Kingpin** , a buddy of mine was hired to play an Amish dude. He was paid for two days of shooting. A bunch of us got together to watch the VHS tape, straining to catch his scene(s). Turns out he was only used in the closing credits, and by that point we were all too drunk/stoned to care much. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/36 "2014-03-02T20:17:50Z")
I had to do a double take watching the “extended” version of Buckaroo Banzai…in the opening sequence his mother is played by Jamie Lee Curtis. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/37 "2014-03-02T20:25:49Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I had to do a double take watching the “extended” version of Buckaroo Banzai…in the opening sequence his mother is played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Wait, what? I’m going to have to find my copy, I guess. I hadn’t noticed that. (Do I \*have \*the extended version?) ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/38 "2014-03-02T20:41:05Z")
Billy Idol in _The Wedding Singer_ comes to mind, but given the film’s '80s setting, maybe it’s not all that surprising. Also, how about Phoebe teaching Chrissie Hynde how to sing “Smelly Cat” on _Friends_? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/39 "2014-03-02T20:42:09Z")
[Buckaroo Banzai alternate opening.](http://youtu.be/uuIzYQnfdpI) Jamie Lee’s smile (to me, anyway) is unmistakable. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437/40 "2014-03-02T21:32:33Z")
Christian Slater has an uncredited cameo in _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country._ Wolverine in _X-Men: First Class._ Timothy Dalton playing what amounted to an aging 007 in _The Tourist._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-cameos-in-movies-or-tv-shows/682437.md?page=3)