The Most Surprising Cameo Roles in Movies

Published: March 2, 2024 by Colman Andrews

A cameo was originally a kind of jewelry consisting of a piece of dark-hued stone, usually oval in shape, with a portrait carved out of a lighter stone set into it. Around the mid-19th century, it took on its more familiar meaning, of a small part played by a noted figure (today usually in a TV show or film, but originally in books, stage plays, and operas) — probably because the part stands out from those of other minor characters, like the light portrait against a darker background.

Film historians consider the earliest movie cameos to have been those in René Clair’s silent Dada-era short, in which composer Erik Satie and artists Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and Francis Picabia duck into the frame to make brief appearances.

The concept took off, however, in the 1956 film version of Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days.” Among the countless celebrities of the time who popped up briefly were Frank Sinatra, Buster Keaton, Marlene Dietrich, Peter Lorre, Ronald Colman, Charles Boyer, Noël Coward, and John Gielgud.

A more recent example, Robert Altman’s Hollywood-themed 1992 film “The Player,” managed to find brief screen time for at least 60 celebrities, among them Jeff Goldblum, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Lily Tomlin, Bruce Willis, Peter Falk, Harry and Shari Belafonte, Gary Busey, John Cusack, Jack Lemmon, Andie MacDowell, and Nick Nolte. On TV, meanwhile, the cameo champ has got to be “The Simpsons,” whose guest appearances have included Jonah Hill, Neve Campbell, football’s Manning brothers, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Awkwafina, and even Rupert Murdoch — among several hundred others. (“The Simpsons” is clearly among the 23 classic sitcoms every American should watch at least once.)

And it’s not just actors who make cameos. Comic-book mogul Stan Lee — co-creator of some of the most indelible Marvel characters (among them Spider-Man, Thor, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men) — managed to slip into scenes in almost every Marvel movie, even into his 90s. Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock made cameo appearances in 39 of his more than 50 movies. In more recent times, director Quentin Tarantino has shown up briefly in most of his films — and if you look closely, you can usually spot author Stephen King in any movie based on one of his novels. (Then there are these 20 famous directors who acted in other people’s movies.)

Though cameos, by definition, usually involve speaking at least a few lines, some are silent and so brief that you might almost miss them. Sometimes, they’re not even credited, leading to a post-movie “Was that who I think it was?” conversation.

Some of the biggest names in movies are represented on the following list: Hugh Jackman, Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Keanu Reeves, and Emma Watson. They may not be starring in the films listed here, but they added to their texture — and in some cases, at least, were just plain fun to see.

To determine the most surprising cameo roles, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on actor billing, domestic box office receipts, and production budgets from the film industry site, The Numbers, a subsidiary of Nash Information Services. Acting roles billed as cameos were ranked based on the ratio of an actor’s career box contributions to the film’s production budget in which they have a cameo role.

Box office contributions were calculated by successively halving total numbers according to an actor’s billing order. Actors receiving top billing, for example, would be assigned half of the film’s box office receipts. Those with second billing were assigned one-fourth of the receipts, actors receiving third billing, one-eighth, and so on.

At the time of his cameo in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” in 2015, for example, Hugh Jackman had contributed $1.2 billion in box office value throughout his career, mostly through his portrayal of Wolverine in the X-Men franchise. Jackman’s $1.2 billion career box office contribution is 124.4 times the production budget of “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” in which he briefly appeared, the highest such ratio of any cameo role.

All box office and production budget figures are adjusted for inflation. Only cameo roles in movies that grossed at least $4 million inflation-adjusted dollars were considered.

50. Julia Roberts in “The Player” (1992)

Source: courtesy of New Line Cinema

Julia Roberts’s career box office contributions through 1992: $190.1 million
Film production budget, inflation-adjusted: $20.3 million

49. Al Pacino in “Jack and Jill” (2011)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Al Pacino’s career box office contributions through 2011: $1.0 billion
Film production budget, inflation-adjusted: $104.9 million

48. Arnold Schwarzenegger in “The Rundown” (2003)

Source: courtesy of Universal Pictures
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career box office contributions through 2003: $1.6 billion
Film production budget, inflation-adjusted: $148.4 million