15 Directors Who Made Unforgettable Cameos in Their Own Films

If you wrote or directed a movie, how would you make your mark? Although not super common, some directors and writers put themselves in the film as a cameo or Easter egg. Not only is it fun for the audience, but it also feels great for the creator.

Some directors, though, are more known for this than others. Here we've compiled a list of 15 directors who made unforgettable and brilliant cameos in their films.

For this slideshow, 24/7 Tempo consulted entertainment sources like IMDb and entertainment news articles for cameos. Did you notice any of these?

"Promising Young Woman" (2020)

Director: Emerald Fennell
Cameo: She cameos as a beauty vlogger giving a tutorial online.
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Chris Lowell, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, and Connie Britton
Release Date: December 25, 2020
Running Time: 114 minutes
Box Office: $18.9 million

"Reservoir Dogs" (1992)

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cameo: In this film, he plays Mr. Brown.
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Edward Bunker, Kirk Baltz, Randy Brooks, and Steven Wright
Release Date: October 9, 1992
Running Time: 99 minutes
Box Office: $2.9 million

Quentin Tarantino has also cameoed in other films like "Pulp Fiction," "Jackie Brown," "Kill Bill: Volume 1," and "Death Proof."

"Frozen" (2013)

Director: Jennifer Lee
Cameo: She voices Queen Iduna in the film.
Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, and Santino Fontana
Release Date: November 27, 2013
Running Time: 102 minutes
Box Office: $1.280 billion

"The Breakfast Club" (1985)

Director: John Hughes
Cameo: John Hughes cameos for a short while as Brian's dad. You can see him picking his son up from detention.
Cast: Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy
Release Date: February 15, 1985
Running Time: 97 minutes
Box Office: $51.5 million

"Taxi Driver" (1976)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Cameo: He plays a character who rides in the taxi.
Cast: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris and Albert Brooks
Release Date: February 8, 1976
Running Time: 114 minutes
Box Office: $28.6 million

"The Sixth Sense" (1999)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cameo: He plays Dr. Hill.
Cast: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Haley Joel Osment, Donnie Wahlberg, Glenn Fitzgerald, Mischa Barton, Trevor Morgan, and Bruce Norris
Release Date: August 6, 1999
Running Time: 107 minutes
Box Office: $672.8 million

"North by Northwest" (1959)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cameo: During this cameo, he plays a man who misses the bus. It's a short moment, but hilarious.
Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, Leo G. Carroll, Josephine Hutchinson, Philip Ober, Martin Landau, and Adam Williams
Release Date: July 1, 1959
Running Time: 136 minutes
Box Office: $9.8 million

Alfred Hitchcock is another director known to cameo is his work.

"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992)

Director: Chris Columbus
Cameo: He shows up for a short moment in a shopping scene holding a little girl.
Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker and Catherine O'Hara
Release Date: November 20, 1992
Running Time: 120 minutes
Box Office: $359 million

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001)

Director: Peter Jackson
Cameo: He plays a village person as a background character.
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, and Andy Serkis
Release Date: December 19, 2001
Running Time: 178 minutes
Box Office: $887.8 million

Peter Jackson also cameoed in the other Lord of the Rings films as different characters.

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cameo: He played a small role as a tourist.
Cast: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, and Ke Huy Quan
Release Date: May 23, 1984
Running Time: 118 minutes
Box Office: $333.1 million

Steven Spielberg has cameoed in multiple of his films, including "Jaws" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park."

"Before Sunrise" (1995)

Director: Richard Linklater
Cameo: He played a small role as a foosball player.
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert, and Hanno Pöschl
Release Date: January 27, 1995
Running Time: 101 minutes
Box Office: $22.5 million

"Armageddon" (1998)

Director: Michael Bay
Cameo: He played a NASA extra.
Cast: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Will Patton, Peter Stormare, Keith David, Owen Wilson, William Fichtner, and Steve Buscemi
Release Date: July 1, 1998
Running Time: 150 minutes
Box Office: $553.7 million

"The Hangover" (2009)

Director: Todd Phillips
Cameo: He played as Mr. Creepy.
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, and Jeffrey Tambor
Release Date: June 5, 2009
Running Time: 100 minutes
Box Office: $469.3 million

"Scream" (1996)

Director: Wes Craven
Cameo: His role was as Fred The Janitor.
Cast: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Barrymore
Release Date: December 20, 1996
Running Time: 111 minutes
Box Office: $173 million

"Addams Family Values" (1993)

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Cameo: In this film, he cameoed as Mr. Glicker.
Cast: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Christina Ricci, Carel Struycken, Jimmy Workman, Christopher Hart, Joan Cusack, and Carol Kane
Release Date: November 19, 1993
Running Time: 94 minutes
Box Office: $111 million