A cameo is a brief and unannounced appearance by an actor or celebrity in a movie or on television. The famous person making the surprise visit typically doesn’t figure prominently in the storyline. Sometimes, cameos are used to help boost the appeal of a sequel to a hit, whether it’s a comedy or an action film.
To determine the movies with the most cameos, 24/7 Tempo reviewed acting credit data from the film industry site The Numbers, a subsidiary of Nash Information Services. Films were ranked based on the total number of acting roles billed as cameos. Only movies that grossed at least $10 million inflation-adjusted dollars at the domestic box office were considered. Data on inflation-adjusted domestic box office is also from The Numbers. Supplemental data on IMDb ratings are current as of January 2024.
Half of the movies on our list with the most cameos are comedies, followed by action/adventure flicks (13) and dramas (8). Westerns and musicals make up the rest of the list.
Sequels to successful movies account for many of the films on our list with the most cameos, including comedies (“Pitch Perfect 2,” “Wayne’s World 2,” “Scary Movie 4,” and “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.”); action/adventure movies (“Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” “Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi,” and “Ocean’s 8”); and dramas (“Creed III”).
Sports figures, including former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski, ex-UFC boxer Ronda Rousey, retired NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip, and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, make frequent appearances in films, as do news and political commentators like Wolf Blitzer, Piers Morgan, and Bill Maher to lend an air of credibility to the content of the particular movie. (There are many sports movies based on real stories where these players take center stage — here are the 50 best sports movies based on true events.)
50. This is the End (2013)
> Cameo roles: 7 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (395,450 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $131.4 million
> Biggest cameos: Emma Watson, Michael Cera, Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
49. Black and White (2000)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (5,784 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $10.2 million
> Biggest cameos: Mike Tyson, Brett Ratner, Method Man, Inspector Deck, Ghostface Ghostface
48. Get Him to the Greek (2010)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (173,710 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $81.6 million
> Biggest cameos: Zoe Salmon, Lars Ulrich, Mario Lopez, Pink, Billy Bush
47. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (88,100 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $99.9 million
> Biggest cameos: Alessandra Ambrosio, Judith Hoag, Carmelo Anthony, Deandre Jordan, J.J. Redick
46. Goodfellas (1990)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,165,874 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $116.7 million
> Biggest cameos: Henny Youngman, Debi Mazar, Jerry Vale, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Imperioli
45. Creed II (2018)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (114,186 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $130.2 million
> Biggest cameos: Kenny Bayless, Robert Byrd, Michael Buffer, Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman
44. Creed (2015)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (258,408 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $136.8 million
> Biggest cameos: Liev Schreiber, Elvis Grant, Max Kellerman, Jim Lampley, Michael Buffer
43. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (340,132 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $142.7 million
> Biggest cameos: Adam McKay, Seth Rogen, Tim Robbins, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller
42. Tropic Thunder (2008)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (394,563 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $162.1 million
> Biggest cameos: Matt Levin, Tobey Maguire, Jeff Kahn, Tyra Banks, Jon Voight
41. A Star is Born (2018)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (355,833 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $248.8 million
> Biggest cameos: Alec Baldwin, Marlon Williams, Brandi Carlile, Chris Kelly, Don Roy King
40. Deadpool 2 (2018)
> Cameo roles: 8 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (517,779 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $375.2 million
> Biggest cameos: Brad Pitt, James McAvoy, Evan Peters, Tye Sheridan, Nicholas Hoult
39. Stuck On You (2003)
> Cameo roles: 9 credits
> IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (52,118 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $58.9 million
> Biggest cameos: Cher, Griffin Dunne, Jay Leno, Sergio Garcia, Jesper Parnevik
38. Ted 2 (2015)
> Cameo roles: 9 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (194,675 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $101.8 million
> Biggest cameos: Sam J. Jones, Tom Brady, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Kate McKinnon
37. The Longest Yard (2005)
> Cameo roles: 9 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (169,218 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $259.8 million
> Biggest cameos: Bill Romanowski, Bill Goldberg, Brian Bosworth, Kevin Nash, Steve Austin
36. Maverick (1994)
> Cameo roles: 9 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (106,878 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $262.3 million
> Biggest cameos: Art LaFleur, Danny Glover, Corey Feldman, Doug McClure, Margot Kidder
35. Charlie’s Angels (2019)
> Cameo roles: 10 credits
> IMDb user rating: 4.8/10 (64,334 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $20.5 million
> Biggest cameos: Michael Strahan, Jaclyn Smith, Danica Pantic, Ronda Rousey, Laverne Cox
34. Logan Lucky (2017)
> Cameo roles: 10 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (140,497 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $32.6 million
> Biggest cameos: Ryan Blaney, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip
33. Grudge Match (2013)
> Cameo roles: 10 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (59,273 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $38.6 million
> Biggest cameos: Jim Lampley, Steve Levy, John Buccigross, Mike Goldberg, Chael Sonnen
32. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
> Cameo roles: 10 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (26,110 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $884.5 million
> Biggest cameos: Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lorre, Charles Coburn, Buster Keaton
31. The Muppets (2011)
> Cameo roles: 11 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (89,881 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $117.7 million
> Biggest cameos: Emily Blunt, James Carville, Leslie Feist, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez
30. Wayne’s World 2 (1993)
> Cameo roles: 11 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (79,857 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $122.2 million
> Biggest cameos: Charlton Heston, Kevin Pollak, Drew Barrymore, James Hong, Rip Taylor
29. Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
> Cameo roles: 11 credits
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (124,966 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $176.0 million
> Biggest cameos: Bela Karolyi, Eve, Ricky Carmichael, Chris Gosselaar, Carey Hart
28. Evita (1996)
> Cameo roles: 12 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (34,924 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $115.0 million
> Biggest cameos: Maite Yerro, Gary Brooker, Peter Polycarpou, Andrea Corr, Servando Villamil
27. Tombstone (1993)
> Cameo roles: 12 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (151,870 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $144.6 million
> Biggest cameos: Charlton Heston, Harry Carey, Jr., Michael Rooker, Stephen Lang, Frank Stallone
26. Scary Movie 4 (2006)
> Cameo roles: 12 credits
> IMDb user rating: 5.1/10 (117,046 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $145.8 million
> Biggest cameos: Carmen Electra, Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony Anderson, Charlie Sheen, Dr. Phil
25. Cars 3 (2017)
> Cameo roles: 12 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (85,372 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $179.5 million
> Biggest cameos: Darrell Waltrip, Kyle Petty, Ray Evernham, Humpy Wheeler, Shannon Spake
24. Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
> Cameo roles: 12 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (148,719 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $230.2 million
> Biggest cameos: Snoop Dogg, Clay Matthews, Natalie Morales, Jimmy Kimmel, Rosie O’Donnell
23. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
> Cameo roles: 12 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (201,874 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $386.3 million
> Biggest cameos: Tom Cruise, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones
22. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
> Cameo roles: 12 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (403,169 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $588.5 million
> Biggest cameos: Andy Serkis, Jeff Garlin, Kevin Smith, James Earl Jones, Ewan McGregor
21. Play it to the Bone (1999)
> Cameo roles: 13 credits
> IMDb user rating: 5.5/10 (11,810 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $16.5 million
> Biggest cameos: Kevin Costner, George Foreman, Buddy Greco, Mitch Halpern, Chuck Hull
20. Beyond the Lights (2014)
> Cameo roles: 13 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (16,067 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $18.8 million
> Biggest cameos: Estelle, Sean Anderson, Rocsi Diaz, Debra Lee, Roland Martin
19. Zoolander 2 (2016)
> Cameo roles: 13 credits
> IMDb user rating: 4.7/10 (67,083 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $35.1 million
> Biggest cameos: Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Nicky Hilton, Billy Zane, Justin Bieber
18. Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
> Cameo roles: 13 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (588,845 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $726.2 million
> Biggest cameos: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Gary Barlow, Gareth Edwards, Edgar Wright
17. Creed III (2023)
> Cameo roles: 14 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (10,088 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $156.2 million
> Biggest cameos: Kenny Bayless, Todd Grisham, Jessica McCaskill, Jimmy Lennon, Jr., Russell Mora
16. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
> Cameo roles: 14 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (664,342 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $402.2 million
> Biggest cameos: Kent Shocknek, Tom Luginbill, Dave Pasch, Vikram Gandhi, Andrew Sullivan
15. The Disaster Artist (2017)
> Cameo roles: 15 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (155,851 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $24.7 million
> Biggest cameos: Bryan Cranston, Zach Braff, Judd Apatow, J.J. Abrams, David DeCoteau
14. Uncle Drew (2018)
> Cameo roles: 15 credits
> IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (13,068 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $49.1 million
> Biggest cameos: Sal Masekela, John Calipari, Joe Hammond, Scoop Jackson, Pee Wee Kirkland
13. Little Nicky (2000)
> Cameo roles: 15 credits
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (101,788 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $77.0 million
> Biggest cameos: Bill Walton, Carl Weathers, Henry Winkler, Robert Smigel, Mannie Jackson
12. The Muppet Movie (1979)
> Cameo roles: 15 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (34,449 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $321.6 million
> Biggest cameos: Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Dom DeLuise
11. The Campaign (2012)
> Cameo roles: 16 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (127,588 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $115.0 million
> Biggest cameos: Wolf Blitzer, Piers Morgan, Bill Maher, Chris Matthews, Dennis Miller
10. Point Break (2015)
> Cameo roles: 17 credits
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (60,573 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $35.5 million
> Biggest cameos: Mouloud Achour, Faris Al Sultan, Bob Burnquist, Kenny Glasgow, Sal Masekela
9. Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)
> Cameo roles: 19 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (100,887 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $131.7 million
> Biggest cameos: Raquel Welch, Bruce A. Young, James Earl Jones, Olympia Dukakis, Earl Boen
8. Contact (1997)
> Cameo roles: 19 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (263,630 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $231.5 million
> Biggest cameos: Larry King, Donna J. Kelley, Leon Harris, Claire Shipman, Tabitha Soren
7. She’s Having a Baby (1988)
> Cameo roles: 20 credits
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (12,456 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $41.1 million
> Biggest cameos: Dan Aykroyd, Woody Harrelson, Bill Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Matthew Broderick
6. Zoolander (2001)
> Cameo roles: 26 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (254,030 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $84.0 million
> Biggest cameos: Donald Trump, Christian Slater, Tom Ford, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Steve Kmetko
5. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
> Cameo roles: 28 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (58,188 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $11.6 million
> Biggest cameos: Questlove, Carrie Underwood, Nasir Jones, Usher, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
4. Jerry Maguire (1996)
> Cameo roles: 30 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (252,443 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $360.5 million
> Biggest cameos: Lucy Alexis Liu, Roy Firestone, Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Frank Gifford
3. The Player (1992)
> Cameo roles: 38 credits
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (57,404 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $55.1 million
> Biggest cameos: Jack Lemmon, Burt Reynolds, Patrick Swayze, Nick Nolte, Bruce Willis
2. Ocean’s 8 (2018)
> Cameo roles: 47 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (201,268 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $162.1 million
> Biggest cameos: Waris Ahluwalia, Lily Aldridge, Hailey Baldwin, Dennis Basso, Derek Blasberg
1. Entourage (2015)
> Cameo roles: 48 credits
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (78,280 votes)
> Domestic box office (inflation-adjusted): $40.4 million
> Biggest cameos: Ronda Rousey, Emily Ratajkowski, Nina Agdal, Piers Morgan, Rocky