Throughout cinema history, moviegoers have been treated to some seriously iconic and memorable cameos. From revered actors and brilliant directors, to sidesplitting comedians and iconic musicians, the big screen has featured highly-buzzed about appearances that have often proven everlasting. It can sometimes be cringe-inducing, but when done right, it creates an absolutely perfect moment. Seeing some of your favorite famous figures appear in unexpected cameos is downright delightful for audiences and can truly make the film that much more enjoyable.
Fans of the comedy genre have undoubtedly been spoiled with brilliant cameos by some of the industry’s most notable personalities, with everyone from Bob Barker, David Bowie and Tom Cruise making unexpected appearances in the farces. But comedies aren’t the only films serving up epic cameos, as demonstrated by director Martin Scorsese’s chilling role in his ‘70s masterpiece Taxi Driver and Quentin Tarantino’s eccentric bit in Robert Rodriguez’s neo-Western Desperado. These are some of the best cameos in movie history.
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13 Keith Richards (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End)
Buena Vista Pictures
After having famously based much of his beloved portrayal of the eccentric, off-kilter Jack Sparrow on legendary Rolling Stones member Keith Richards in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Johnny Depp shared the screen with the musician when he made a thrilling cameo in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
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Audiences across the world were blown away when the famed performer popped up in the film as Sparrow’s father Captain Teague, delighting viewers with their charming chemistry and uncanny resemblance in the short but memorable movie moment. Richards was supposed to appear in Dead Man’s Chest, but there was no room in the story; luckily, the stars aligned for him to cameo in the third film.
12 Dan Aykroyd (Casper)
Universal Pictures
In one of the cinema’s most charming crossover moments, the spirit-hunting, Ghostbusters great Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd) was called in to exterminate the Ghostly Trio in the 1995 supernatural dramedy Casper. Though his appearance in the Halloween staple was brief, Ray’s cameo was a delight for audiences to see, with the character running out of the haunted home after failing to eliminate the pesky ghosts and proclaiming, “Who ya gonna call? Someone else.” The blending of the Ghostbusters and Casper universes remains a fun, endearing occurrence that fans still treasure to this day.
11 Matt Damon (Thor: Ragnarok)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
In one of the most recent and highly-buzzed about movie cameos, Matt Damon caused Marvel fans to lose their minds when he briefly but hilariously appeared in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. The seasoned star was featured in the blockbuster hit donning a black wig and portraying the fake Loki in a theater play in Asgard for the real Loki, doing so alongside Chris Hemsworth’s real-life older brother Luke and actor Sam Neill.
The lightning-fast cameo was praised by moviegoers, and Damon himself revealed how much fun the appearance was, having said, “They pitched me the idea and I just thought it was hysterical, the idea of basically an intergalactic community theater actor kind of living out Tom Hiddleston’s character’s fantasy.”
10 Quentin Tarantino (Desperado)
Sony Pictures Releasing
The acclaimed Quentin Tarantino appeared in close friend and frequent collaborator director Robert Rodriguez’s 1995 neo-Western action flick Desperado, in a superb on-brand cameo perfect for the filmmaker. In the Antonio Banderas led picture about a man seeking revenge against a violent drug lord, Tarantino portrays “Pick-up Guy,” a visitor at a Tarasco bar who tells a dirty joke about urination between a patron and bartender. The character’s screen time is short-lived after he is abruptly shot in the head when Banderas’ El Mariachi arrives and starts taking out the henchmen of the ruthless crime boss.
9 David Bowie (Zoolander)
Paramount Pictures
Hallowed musician and pop culture icon David Bowie made a prominent and scene-stealing cameo in Ben Stiller’s epic 2001 comedy Zoolander, brilliantly appearing in the infamous catwalk showdown between Derek Zoolander and his foe-turned-friend Hansel. Bowie volunteers to oversee the walk-off between the dueling supermodels, serving up some hilariously fierce reactions to the uproarious fashion face-off. The late and great artist was undeniably the comedy’s biggest and most celebrated cameo, appearing in the film alongside fellow celebrities such as Billy Zane, Cuba Gooding Jr., Paris Hilton and Winona Ryder.
8 Mike Tyson (The Hangover)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Mike Tyson delivered a knockout performance when he famously appeared in Todd Phillips’ 2009 blockbuster comedy The Hangover, with the professional boxer playing himself as he searches for his beloved pet tiger stolen by the bumbling trio. After questioning the bachelor party celebrating friends, the athlete punches Zach Galifianakis’ character Alan and demands his cherished animal be returned to his mansion. Tyson agreed to cameo in the farce after initially turning it down, changing his mind after learning that Phillips had directed one of his favorite films, Old School. The boxer credits his involvement in the comedy with helping turn his life around and getting sober.
7 Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder)
DreamWorks Pictures
Tom Cruise did a complete 180 from his action star identity when he portrayed the fiery tempered, profane studio executive Les Grossman in the 2008 action comedy Tropic Thunder. For the memorable and crude cameo, Cruise donned a ‘fat suit,’ bald cap, and bulky prosthetic hands to embody the rage-fueled businessman, dropping jaw-dropping obscenities and uproarious lines and language in the surprise appearance. Cruise and his team took the cameo extremely seriously, with his legal team having threatened lawsuits if photos of the actor in costume were released to the public. It was revealed earlier this year that a spin-off centering on the foul-mouthed character is currently in development.
6 John Hurt (Spaceballs)
MGM/UA Communications Co.
Comedy legend Mel Brooks once again made hilarious movie magic when he managed to get John Hurt to reinact one of his most distinguishable cinema scenes in the 1987 space opera comedy Spaceballs. Parodying his Alien character’s death, Hurt appears in a space café where an extra-terrestrial bursts from his chest once again, this time breaking out in a song and dance and performing “Hello! Ma Baby” after its absurdly funny escape. Brooks convinced Hurt to make a cameo in the beloved comedy after having been a producer on the actor’s film The Elephant Man, and the rest is cinema history.
5 Neil Patrick Harris (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle)
New Line Cinema
Neil Patrick Harris shed his Doogie Howser persona when he delivered a bawdy, sidesplitting fictionalized version of himself in the celebrated 2004 comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. On their quest to the coveted burger restaurant, the stoner pals pick up a hitchhiker who just so happens to be the famed television star, and the duo are shocked to discover he’s high on ecstasy.
Harris showcases his comedic chops and willingness to be rude and crude when he appeared as the womanizing, lewd version of himself that completely catches Harold and Kumar by surprise. The cameo helped revitalize his career and would ultimately lead to Harris nabbing his most popular role, Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother.
4 Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction)
Miramax Films
The prolific and delightfully eccentric Christopher Walken made one of cinema’s most entertaining and hilarious cameos when he appeared as Vietnam War veteran Captain Koons in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 masterpiece Pulp Fiction. In the notorious scene, the actor presents his fallen comrade’s son with a cherished family heirloom that belonged to the boy’s father, describing in graphic and painstaking detail how it was smuggled multiple times via rectum to get it back home. Completely embracing his quirky and off-kilter humor, the cameo is downright iconic due to Walken’s delivery of the uproariously disturbing story.
3 Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver)
Columbia Pictures
Martin Scorsese firmly established himself as an acclaimed filmmaker when he directed the Oscar-nominated 1976 drama Taxi Driver, featuring frequent collaborator and cinema great Robert De Niro as the angry veteran-turned-vigilante Travis Bickle. Scorsese himself made not one but two cameos in the lauded picture, though his scene as the “Passenger Watching Silhouette” is without-a-doubt his most impactful and downright chilling. When Bickle picks up the vicious passenger, the stranger reveals his disturbing plans for his cheating wife involving his .44 Magnum; the encounter ultimately launches Bickle’s fixation with gun violence.
2 Bob Barker (Happy Gilmore)
Bob Barker had Adam Sandler “Come on down” for a good ole-fashioned whooping when they squared off on the golf course in the 1996 sports comedy Happy Gilmore. After Happy participates in a golf tournament with celebrity partner Barker and loses his cool due to an obnoxious heckler, the famed The Price is Right host unleashes his own fury on the hot-headed Happy, resulting in a spectacular fist fight. By the end of the scuffle, the titular character is left knocked out cold while Barker smoothly walks away fairly untouched. The game show legend only agreed to appear in the cameo if he came out the winner, a stipulation that led to a seriously funny movie moment.
1 Bill Murray (Zombieland)
National treasure Bill Murray is known for his deadpan delivery and for being a celebrated cinema star, and his infectious charm and wit was front-and-center when he appeared in the 2009 comedy Zombieland. When the undead-slaying foursome head to Hollywood in search of safety, the Bill Murray-loving Tallahassee directs the gang to the comedian’s mansion in hopes of seeking refuge.
An uninfected but grotesquely disguised Murray hilariously appears to Tallahassee and Wichita (Emma Stone), and the trio hangout before the actor is tragically shot by Columbus during an ironic screening of Ghostbusters. Murray delivers big laughs and naturally steals the show with his unexpected but spectacular cameo in the smash hit zombie comedy.
