View source for Cameo appearance

{{Short description|Brief appearance in performing art}}
{{other uses|Cameo (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{multi|
{{in popular culture|date=August 2023}}
{{original research|date=December 2023}}
}}
[[File:Alfred_Hitchcock_cameo_Spellbound.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The 1945 [[psychological drama]] film ''[[Spellbound (1945 film)|Spellbound]]'' features a cameo by [[Movie director|director]] [[Alfred Hitchcock]] in which he exits an [[elevator]]. Hitchcock is known for [[List of cameo appearances by Alfred Hitchcock|his small cameos in his films]].]]

A '''cameo appearance''', also called a '''cameo role''' and often shortened to just '''cameo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|æ|m|i|oʊ}}), is a brief [[guest appearance]] of a well-known person or character in a work of the [[performing arts]]. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly either appearances in a work in which they hold some special significance (such as actors from an original movie appearing in its remake) or renowned people making uncredited appearances. Short appearances by [[Celebrity|celebrities]], [[film director]]s, [[politician]]s, [[athlete]]s or [[musician]]s are common. A crew member of the movie or show playing a minor role can be referred to as a cameo role as well, such as director [[Alfred Hitchcock]] who made [[List of cameo appearances by Alfred Hitchcock|frequent cameo]] appearances in his films.

==Concept==
Originally, in the 1920s, a "cameo role" meant "a small character part that stands out from the other minor parts". The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' connects this with the meaning "a short literary sketch or portrait", which is based on the literal meaning of "[[Cameo (carving)|cameo]]", a miniature carving on a gemstone.<ref>''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', "Cameo".</ref> More recently, in the late 20th century, a "cameo" has come to refer to any short appearance as a character.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cameo in Film topic |url=http://www.ldoceonline.com/Film-topic/cameo |publisher=Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English |access-date=9 January 2017 |quote=a short appearance in a film or play by a well-known actor |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308004004/https://www.ldoceonline.com/Film-topic/cameo |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:10.14.11StanLeeByLuigiNovi9.jpg|thumb|[[Stan Lee]] was well known for his [[List of cameo appearances by Stan Lee|cameo appearances]] throughout most of the [[List of films based on Marvel Comics publications|Marvel films]].<ref name="techinsider">{{cite web |url=http://www.techinsider.io/every-stan-lee-cameo-2016-2 |title=Stan Lee has made 28 cameos in Marvel movies and shows — here they are |work=[[Tech Insider]] |access-date=18 February 2017 |date=16 February 2016 |first=Sidney |last=Fussell |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808150333/http://www.techinsider.io/every-stan-lee-cameo-2016-2 |archive-date=8 August 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Cameos are generally not credited because of their brevity, or a perceived mismatch between the celebrity's stature and the film or television series in which they are appearing. Many are [[publicity stunt]]s. Others are acknowledgements of an actor's contribution to an earlier work, as in the case of many [[film adaptation]]s of television series, or of [[remake]]s of earlier films. Others honour artists or celebrities known for work in a particular field, such as comic book writer [[Stan Lee]], who made [[List of cameo appearances by Stan Lee|appearances in every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie]] up to ''[[Avengers: Endgame]].''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Polo |first=Susana |date=2019-03-09 |title=Captain Marvel's Stan Lee cameo has bold implications for the MCU |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/9/18255151/captain-marvel-stan-lee-cameo |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030150309/https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/9/18255151/captain-marvel-stan-lee-cameo |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="techinsider" />

Cameos also occur in [[novel]]s and other literary works. "Literary cameos" usually involve an established character from another work who makes a brief appearance to establish a [[shared universe]] setting, to make a point, or to offer [[Homage (arts)|homage]]. [[Balzac]] often employed this practice, as in his ''[[La Comédie humaine|Comédie humaine]]''. Sometimes a cameo features a historical person who "drops in" on fictional characters in a [[historical novel]], as when [[Benjamin Franklin]] shares a [[beer]] with Phillipe Charboneau in ''[[The Bastard (novel)|The Bastard]]'' by [[John Jakes]].{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

A cameo appearance can be made by the author of a work to put a sort of personal "signature" on a story. [[Vladimir Nabokov]] often put himself in his novels, for instance as the very minor character Vivian Darkbloom (an anagram of his name) in ''[[Lolita]]''.<ref name="Straumann2008">{{cite book|last=Straumann|first=Barbara|title=Figurations of Exile in Hitchcock and Nabokov|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0AqrBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA114|year=2008|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=978-0-7486-3647-1|page=114}}</ref>
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Cameos are also a tradition of [[the Muppets]]' many projects over the years.{{how|date=November 2025}}{{cn|date=November 2025}}

== Notable examples ==

===Film directors===
[[Alfred Hitchcock]] is known for [[List of cameo appearances by Alfred Hitchcock|his frequent cameos in his movies]], as early as in his third film [[The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog|''The Lodger'']] (1927). In ''[[Lifeboat (1944 film)|Lifeboat]]'', as the action was restricted to the titular lifeboat, Hitchcock appeared in a newspaper ad.

[[Quentin Tarantino]] provides brief cameos or [[Bit part|small role]]s in all his movies.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Vincent|first1=Alice|last2=Saunders|first2=Tristram Fane|title=Quentin Tarantino: his 10 best cameo roles|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/hateful-eight/quentin-tarantino-best-cameo-roles/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/hateful-eight/quentin-tarantino-best-cameo-roles/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=15 September 2016|date=10 December 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Likewise, [[Peter Jackson]] has made brief [[List of cameo appearances by Peter Jackson|cameos]] in all of his movies, except for his first feature-length film ''[[Bad Taste]]'' in which he played a main character, as well as ''[[The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies|The Battle of the Five Armies]]'', though a portrait of him appears in the film. For example, he played a peasant eating a carrot in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' and ''[[The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug|The Desolation of Smaug]]'', a warrior of Rohan in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'', and a Corsair of Umbar boatswain in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]''. All four were non-speaking "blink and you miss him" appearances, although in the Extended Release version of ''The Return of the King'', his character was given more screen time and his reprise of the carrot eating peasant in ''The Desolation of Smaug'' was featured in the foreground in reference to ''The Fellowship of the Ring''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sumra|first1=Husain|date=14 December 2011|title=Did you know that Peter Jackson made cameos in the Lord of the Rings films?|url=http://www.swiftfilm.com/did-you-know-that-peter-jackson-made-cameos-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-films/|access-date=15 September 2016|publisher=Swiftfilm|archive-date=20 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920174355/http://www.swiftfilm.com/did-you-know-that-peter-jackson-made-cameos-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-films/|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, when he was directing ''Heavenly Creatures'' (1994), he appeared as a person bumping who is kissed by one the main characters, and in the ''Frighteners'', Jackson appeared as a man with piercings.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pryor|first=Ian|title=Peter Jackson : From Prince of Splatter to Lord of the Rings|publisher=1st U.S. ed., Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press|year=2004}}</ref>
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Director [[Tim Burton]] briefly appears in his films. He made a short appearance as a street thug who confronts Pee-wee in the back alley in ''[[Pee-wee's Big Adventure]]'', and a visitor at the fair in Blackpool who gets a skeleton thrown at him in ''[[Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (film)|Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Barkman|first1=Adam|last2=Sanna|first2=Antonio|title=A Critical Companion to Tim Burton|year=2017|publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-1-4985-5272-1|oclc=1038627977}}</ref>

Director [[Martin Scorsese]] appears in the background of his films as a bystander or an [[unseen character]]. In ''[[Who's That Knocking at My Door]]'' (1967), he played one of the gangsters; he was a lighting crewman in ''[[After Hours (film)|After Hours]]'' and a passenger in ''[[Taxi Driver]]''. He opened up his film ''[[The Color of Money]]'' with a monologue on the art of playing pool. In addition, he appeared with his wife and daughter as wealthy New Yorkers in ''[[Gangs of New York]]'', and as a theatre-goer and can be heard as a movie [[projectionist]] in ''[[The Aviator (2004 film)|The Aviator]]''. He also appeared in his 2023 work ''[[Killers of the Flower Moon (film)|Killers of the Flower Moon]]'', in a minor role as a [[radio drama]] narrator.

In a same way, [[Roman Polanski]] appeared as a hired hoodlum in his film ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'', slitting Jack Nicholson's nose with the blade of his clasp knife.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Clarke|first1=Roger|title=Story of the scene: 'Chinatown' Roman Polanski (1974)|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/story-of-the-scene-chinatown-roman-polanski-1974-819366.html|work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=15 September 2016|date=1 May 2008|archive-date=8 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808223224/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/story-of-the-scene-chinatown-roman-polanski-1974-819366.html|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- NOTE: Please do not add examples here, unless they illustrate something new; everything must be cited -->

[[F. Gary Gray]] has made many appearances in the films he has directed including ''[[Friday (1995 film)|Friday]]'', [[Set It Off (film)|''Set It Off'']], ''[[Law Abiding Citizen]]'', and [[Straight Outta Compton (film)|''Straight Outta Compton'']].<ref>{{Cite web |title=F. Gary Gray |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0336620/ |access-date=2023-03-01 |website=IMDb |language=en-US |archive-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301030918/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0336620/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition to [[George Lucas]]'s cameo in ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]'', his children were cast in a number of cameo roles across the ''[[Star Wars]]'' prequels. Amanda and Katie Lucas both had cameo roles as three different characters each across ''[[The Phantom Menace]]'', ''[[Attack of the Clones]]'' and ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]'' (in addition to Amanda's voicing a fourth character), and Jett Lucas has two cameo roles for different characters in ''[[Attack of the Clones]]'' and ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-prequel-cameos-george-lucas-son-daughters/ | title=Star Wars: Every Prequel Trilogy Cameo by George Lucas' Family | date=30 April 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://collider.com/george-lucas-star-wars-cameo/ | title=There's Only One Star Wars Character Played by George Lucas | website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] | date=5 October 2024 }}</ref>

===Actors and writers===
Directors sometimes cast well-known lead actors with whom they have worked in the past in other films. In ''[[Jane Eyre (1943 film)|Jane Eyre]]'' (1943), [[Elizabeth Taylor]] makes a cameo appearance as Helen Burns, Jane's friend from school who dies from a cold. [[Mike Todd]]'s film ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956) was filled with cameo roles: [[John Gielgud]] as an English butler, [[Frank Sinatra]] playing piano in a saloon, and others. The stars in cameo roles were pictured in oval insets in posters for the film, and gave the term wide circulation outside the theatrical profession.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963), an "epic comedy", also features cameos from nearly every popular American comedian alive at the time, including [[The Three Stooges]], [[Jerry Lewis]], [[Buster Keaton]] and a voice-only cameo by [[Selma Diamond]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Sobczynski |first=Peter |title="It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" Gets the Deluxe Treatment from Criterion |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world-gets-the-deluxe-treatment-from-criterion |work=[[RogerEbert.com]] |access-date=15 September 2016 |date=21 January 2014 |archive-date=4 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404120339/https://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world-gets-the-deluxe-treatment-from-criterion |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Anthony Daniels]] made a cameo appearance in ''[[Attack of the Clones]]'', despite already starring in the film. Daniels voiced the droid [[C-3PO]], but also made a brief appearance (revealing the actor's actual face and body) as a patron in the background of the Outlander Club.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-attack-clones-anthony-daniels-cameo-explained/ | title=C-3PO Actor Explains Origin of His Attack of the Clones Cameo | website=[[Screen Rant]] | date=30 May 2022 }}</ref>

"Murder on High C", a 1975 episode of the TV series ''[[Get Christie Love!]]'', which starred former ''[[Laugh-In]]'' cast member [[Teresa Graves]], featured a number of her former cast members, including the villain 
([[Arte Johnson]]), [[Johnny Brown (actor)|Johnny Brown]], [[Judy Carne]], [[Henry Gibson]], [[Gary Owens]] and [[Joanne Worley]].

''[[Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood]]'' (1976) features cameos by dozens of actors from Hollywood's golden age.

''[[The Player (1992 film)|The Player]]'' (1992) features cameos from 65 Hollywood actors.

''[[Run for Your Wife (2012 film)|Run for Your Wife]]'' (2012) is filled with cameos from 80 of Britain's film and TV stars from the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

[[Aaron Sorkin]] also had cameos in some works he wrote: as a bar customer speaking about the law in his debut film screenplay ''[[A Few Good Men]]'' (1992), as an advertising executive in ''[[The Social Network]]'', and as a guest at the inauguration of President [[Matt Santos]] in the final episode of ''[[The West Wing]]''.

[[Franco Nero]], the actor who portrayed the Django character in the original [[Django (1966 film)|1966 film]], appears in a bar scene of the Tarantino film ''[[Django Unchained]]''. There, he asks Django ([[Jamie Foxx]]) to spell his name, which led to the famous promotional tagline for the film - "The 'D' is silent". Franco's character responds simply, "I know."

Many cameos featured in ''[[Maverick (film)|Maverick]]'' (1994), directed by [[Richard Donner]]. Among them, [[Danny Glover]] &ndash; [[Mel Gibson]]'s co-star in the ''[[Lethal Weapon (film series)|Lethal Weapon]]'' franchise also directed by Donner &ndash; appears as the lead [[bank robber]]. He and Maverick (Gibson) share a scene where they look as if they knew each other, but then shake it off. As Glover makes his escape with the money, he mutters "I'm too old for this shit", his character's [[catchphrase]] in the ''Lethal Weapon'' films. In addition, a strain of the main [[Theme (music)|theme]] from ''Lethal Weapon'' plays in the [[Film score|score]] when Glover is revealed. Actress [[Margot Kidder]] made a cameo appearance in the same film as a robbed villager: she had previously starred as [[Lois Lane]] in Donner's ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman]]'' (1978).<ref name=RevEbert>{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940520/REVIEWS/405200302 |title=Maverick |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |publisher=[[Sun-Times Media Group]] |date=20 May 1994 |access-date=15 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511023955/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19940520%2FREVIEWS%2F405200302 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |author-link=Roger Ebert |via=[[rogerebert.com]] |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[J. Michael Straczynski]] makes an appearance in the [[science fiction]] television series ''[[Babylon 5]]''{{'}}s finale episode "[[Sleeping in Light]]" (1998) as a maintenance man turning off the lights for the last time.

[[Ben Stiller]], [[Vince Vaughn]], [[Owen Wilson]], [[Luke Wilson]] and [[Will Ferrell]] have made appearances in so many of the same films (whether as lead characters or cameos) that ''[[USA Today]]'' coined the term "[[Frat Pack]]" to name the group.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wloszczyna |first=Susan |title=Wilson and Vaughn: Leaders of the 'Frat Pack' |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-06-15-frat-pack_x.htm |date=15 June 2004 |access-date=23 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051013085711/http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-06-15-frat-pack_x.htm |archive-date=13 October 2005 |publisher=[[Gannett Co. Inc.]] |url-status=live }}</ref> Actor [[Adam Sandler]] is also known for frequently casting fellow ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' performers (including [[Rob Schneider]] and [[David Spade]]) in various roles in his films (as well as making cameo appearances of his own in theirs, most of which he co-produces). [[Sam Raimi]] frequently uses his brother [[Ted Raimi|Ted]] and [[Bruce Campbell]] in his films.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monsters-movies.com/sam_raimi.htm |work=Monsters-Movies.com |access-date=18 February 2017 |title=Sam Raimi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925114711/http://monsters-movies.com/sam_raimi.htm |archive-date=25 September 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The American singer/actress [[Cher]] had a couple of cameos. She had two cameos in ''[[Will & Grace]]'' and she even had a few in the 1990s.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

Actor [[Edward Norton]] appeared as himself in the satirical film ''[[The Dictator (2012 film)|The Dictator]]'' (2012) starring [[Sacha Baron Cohen]].

The mangaka [[Shotaro Ishinomori]] made many cameos in his ''[[Kamen Rider]]'' series.

The animated series ''[[The Adventures of Tintin (TV series)|The Adventures of Tintin]]'' featured its author [[Hergé]] in all the episodes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Talbot |first1=John |last2=Adams |first2=Edmund |last3=Winkels |first3=Rob |last4=Mar |first4=Irene |title=Hergé's Cameo Appearances |url=http://www.tintinologist.org/guides/lists/hergecameos.html |work=[[Tintinologist]] |access-date=15 September 2016 |date=27 March 2009 |publisher=Hergé/Moulinsart S.A. |archive-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830190752/http://www.tintinologist.org/guides/lists/hergecameos.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Stephen King]] is famous for making short cameo appearances in almost every movie based on his novels.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaye|first=Don|date=2019-09-21|title=Every Stephen King Movie Cameo: From Creepshow to It Chapter Two|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/every-stephen-king-movie-cameo/|access-date=2020-12-16|website=Den of Geek|language=en-US|archive-date=3 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503080330/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/every-stephen-king-movie-cameo/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[An Adventure in Space and Time]]'', a drama about how ''[[Doctor Who]]'' began, features many [[An Adventure in Space and Time#Cast|actors from the show's past]], including two past companions in a party scene, another as a mother calling her children in for dinner and a fourth in a car park at the BBC as a guard.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Dan |title=Doctor Who: 17 things for Who fans to spot in An Adventure in Space and Time by Mark Gatiss |url=http://metro.co.uk/2013/11/21/doctor-who-17-things-for-who-fans-to-spot-in-an-adventure-in-space-and-time-by-mark-gatiss-4191651/ |newspaper=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |access-date=15 September 2016 |date=21 November 2013 |archive-date=22 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222062615/https://metro.co.uk/2013/11/21/doctor-who-17-things-for-who-fans-to-spot-in-an-adventure-in-space-and-time-by-mark-gatiss-4191651/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the movie adaptation of ''[[Les Misérables (2012 film)|Les Miserables]]'', [[Colm Wilkinson]], who originated the role of Jean Valjean in the West End and on Broadway, made a cameo as the [[Bishop Myriel|Bishop of Digne]].<ref name="lati">{{cite news |last1=Ng |first1=David |title=Colm Wilkinson, original Jean Valjean, on 'Les Miserables' movie |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-xpm-2012-dec-31-la-et-cm-colm-wilkinson-original-jean-valjean-on-les-miserables-movie-20121230-story.html |access-date=28 July 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2012-12-31 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728165029/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-xpm-2012-dec-31-la-et-cm-colm-wilkinson-original-jean-valjean-on-les-miserables-movie-20121230-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 
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In the Soviet film ''[[Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears]]'', [[Innokenty Smoktunovsky]] appeared for a minute as himself.

In [[Percy Jackson and the Olympians (TV series)|''Percy Jackson and the Olympians'']], author [[Rick Riordan]] appeared as a teacher in the first episode.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lamadrid |first=Amanda |date=2023-12-23 |title=Percy Jackson Episode 1's Major Cameo Explained By Disney+ Show Star & Producer |url=https://screenrant.com/percy-jackson-episode-1-rick-riordan-cameo-explained/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref>

===Other===
Films based on actual events occasionally include cameo [[guest appearance]]s by the people portrayed in them. In ''[[The Pursuit of Happyness]]'', [[Chris Gardner]] made a cameo at the end. ''[[24 Hour Party People]]'', a film about [[Tony Wilson]], has a cameo by the real Tony Wilson and many other notable people. In the film ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]'', [[Jim Lovell|James Lovell]] (the real commander of that flight) and his wife Marilyn appeared next to the actors playing them ([[Tom Hanks]] and [[Kathleen Quinlan]] respectively), and [[Chuck Yeager]], whose story is told in the early part of the film, appears in a cameo in the airfield bar. [[Domino Harvey]] made a short appearance in the credits of ''[[Domino (2005 film)|Domino]]'', while the real [[Erin Brockovich]] had a cameo as a waitress named Julia in the [[Erin Brockovich (film)|eponymous movie]] (where her role is played by the actress [[Julia Roberts]]).{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} [[Sophie Wilson]] had a cameo as a barmaid in ''[[Micro Men]]'', which shows her work for [[Acorn Computers]]. In a [[Flashback (narrative)|flashback]] sequence in ''[[Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film)|Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]]'', Raoul Duke (played by [[Johnny Depp]]) runs into the real-life [[Hunter S. Thompson]], upon whom the character of Duke is based, leading him to remark "There I was...mother of God, there I am! Holy fuck."

[[Stephen Hawking in popular culture]] lists more than a dozen appearances of the scientist playing himself.

[[Maria Von Trapp]] made an uncredited brief cameo appearance in the film version of her life, ''[[The Sound of Music (film)|The Sound of Music]]''. She appeared in the background during the song "I Have Confidence" with her daughter [[Rosmarie Trapp|Rosmarie]] and stepson Werner Von Trapp. 

[[Jacqueline Susann]], author of the best-selling novel ''[[Valley of the Dolls (novel)|Valley of the Dolls]]'', appears as a TV reporter in a brief scene in [[Valley of the Dolls (film)|the film based upon her novel]]. Similarly, [[Peter Benchley]] would appear as a TV reporter in the [[Jaws (film)|Jaws movie]], based on his novel ''[[Jaws (novel)|of the same name]]''.

[[Tom Morello]], American guitarist and musician, made an appearance in the Marvel film ''[[Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man]]'' (2008), in which he also participated in the [[Iron Man (soundtrack)|soundtrack]].

[[Elon Musk]] and [[Larry Ellison]], both founders of large technology companies, were featured in cameos in ''[[Iron Man 2]]'' (2010).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/velocity/2010/04/29/elon-musk-larry-ellison-have-cameos-in-iron-man-2/ |magazine=[[Forbes]] |first=Andy |last=Greenberg |title=Elon Musk, Larry Ellison Appear In Iron Man 2 |date=29 April 2010 |access-date=23 February 2019 |archive-date=28 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628130311/http://www.forbes.com/sites/velocity/2010/04/29/elon-musk-larry-ellison-have-cameos-in-iron-man-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The king of Sweden, [[Carl XVI Gustaf]], was in the children's program ''Mika'' ({{lang|sv|Mika och renen Ossian på äventyr}}) when Mika was in [[Stockholm]] with his reindeer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://itssolastcentury.co.uk/truck/Mika |work=It's So Last Century |title=Mika |access-date=18 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220015454/http://itssolastcentury.co.uk/truck/Mika |archive-date=20 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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In ''[[The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film)|The Wolf of Wall Street]]'' (2013), the real [[Jordan Belfort]] appeared as an [[Master of ceremonies|emcee]] to introduce [[Leonardo DiCaprio]], who played Belfort, in the final scene.

Boxer [[Roberto Duran]] and his wife Felicidad made a cameo appearance towards the end of the film ''[[Hands of Stone]]'', about Duran's life.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hands_of_stone |title=Hands of Stone |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=10 July 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407185230/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hands_of_stone |archive-date=7 April 2016 }}</ref>

In ''[[The Big Short (film)|The Big Short]]'', the real investor [[Michael Burry]] appeared as an employee of his hedge fund "[[Scion Capital]]" while answering the phone saying "Doctor Burry's office".

An unusual example of a famous non-actor being given a small but speaking fictional role occurred in the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "[[Second Chances (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|Second Chances]]." Dr. [[Mae Jemison]], an [[astronaut]], the first Black woman in space, and a long-time fan of ''Star Trek'', was offered the opportunity to appear on the show. She was given the role of a Starfleet crewmember and a few lines, thus becoming the first real-life astronaut to appear on ''Star Trek''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nemecek |first1=Larry |title=Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion |date=1995 |publisher=Pocket Books |pages=249–250 |edition=2nd}}</ref> Somewhat likewise King [[Abdullah II of Jordan]] appeared briefly in a non-speaking role the ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' episode "[[Investigations (Voyager episode)|Investigations]]".<ref name="sts">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/277584.stm|publisher=BBC|title=The King of Star Trek|access-date=22 February 2017|date=11 February 1999|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311003922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/277584.stm|archive-date=11 March 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Television}}
* [[Allusion]]
* [[Bit part]]
* [[Extra (acting)|Extra]]
* [[Crossover (fiction)|Crossover fiction]]
* [[Self-insertion]]

{{Wiktionary|cameo}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{film crew}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Acting]]
[[Category:Performing arts]]
[[Category:Film and video terminology]]