No matter how much time is spent writing the perfect script, or assembling the perfect
cast, a single celebrity appearance can wind up being the only thing audiences talk about.
Whether it's adding to the story, delivering an unexpected gag, or just an incredible moment
that fans might not even catch, the right cameo can take a movie from good to great.
Here are Screen Rant's 10 Amazing Movie Cameos You've Never Seen.
Jurassic World (Universal)
Corporate branding was a major plot point in the Jurassic Park reboot, which meant the
bigger, better dinosaur park featured an IMAX theatre, and even Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville,
the chain of restaurants founded by the famous singer. When the customers are sent scrambling
by attacking pteradons, it's hard to miss one man who doesn't want to lose his margaritas
in the chaos. The best part: that's Jimmy Buffett himself, apparently more worried about
keeping his costs down than a pack of killer dinosaurs.
Star Trek Nemesis (Paramount)
Some directors like to keep their favorite TV shows and movie franchises to themselves,
but director Bryan Singer was an obvious Star Trek fan long before he helmed the big screen
reboot. He even included a nod to the original series in his X-Men universe, but it was Next
Generation star Patrick Stewart who scored him a cameo in Star Trek: Nemesis officially
making him an in-universe crew member of the USS Enterprise.
Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel/Disney)
From the moment James Gunn got the job of writing and directing Marvel's space adventure,
fans knew that actor Nathan Fillion would have to make an appearance, having starred
in Gunn's previous movies Slither and Super. Rumors spun out of control claiming the Firefly
star would play one of a dozen cosmic heroes, but in the end, most casual fans probably
missed his cameo altogether. The actor's sense of humor wasn't used to play an outlaw, Ravager,
or goon - just a prison inmate promising to put Star-Lord through a night he'd never forget.
It's a smaller role than fans hoped for, but you
can't say it's not a memorable one.
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (Paramount)
Raiders of the Lost Ark was a universal hit, but fans are a bit more divided on its prequel,
Temple of Doom. So some Indiana Jones fans may not have realized that Ghostbusters star
Dan Akroyd makes a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance sending Indy onto an airplane out of Shanghai.
The actor made the cameo since he was a close friend to director Steven Spielberg - who
can also be spotted, along with producers George Lucas, Frank Marshall and Kathleen
Kennedy dressed as missionaries in the same scene!
Ghostbusters (Columbia Pictures)
Ron Jeremy may be better known for his career in adult films, but he's made at least one
Hollywood appearance worth watching. When the containment unit at Ghostbusters headquarters
is turned off in the first movie, it releases every ghost, spectre or spirit the team has
caught. It sends the movie to its climax, and Ron Jeremy is there to see it firsthand,
in an uncredited cameo among the New Yorkers gathering to see the explosion.
Hot Fuzz (Universal/Rogue)
Seeing a famous actor or director in the background of a movie is a fun thing to watch out for,
but what about celebrities put right in the spotlight without fans ever noticing? Director
Edgar Wright packed too many cameo to count into his buddy-cop action comedy, but two
stand out for their eyes alone. The man dressed as Santa Clause putting a knife through
the hero's hand in flashback is Lord of the Rings mastermind Peter Jackson, and his masked
girlfriend--make that ex-girlfriend--is played by none other than Oscar-winning actress Cate
Blanchett.
Spaceballs (MGM)
The Star Wars parody from Mel Brooks is filled with inside jokes and slapstick humor, but
it wasn't just George Lucas's trilogy that got sent up in the movie. When the hero Lone
Starr and his partner Barf stop in at a space truckstop, they get a front row seat for a
horror show. Reenacting the chestburster scene from Alien would have been a good enough joke,
but actually having Oscar nominated actor John Hurt reprise his role as the alien's
victim is too good a cameo to believe.
Dumb & Dumber To (Universal)
The original Farrelly Brothers movie starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels was a hit from
the start, but the sequel released twenty years later... wasn't. Oscar winner Jennifer
Lawrence may have had her brief scene cut from the movie completely, but one incredible
cameo made it through. Most viewers will recognize that Harry's new roommate, Icepick, is a crystal
meth cooker torn right out of AMC's Breaking Bad - what they won't recognize is that it's
one of the directors' friends under the mask: Bill Murray.
Mallrats (Gramercy Pictures)
Today, every fan of X-Men, Spider-Man, or Marvel's Avengers universe knows Stan Lee,
the creator of some of the most famous superheroes in comic book history. That's thanks to his
almost mandatory cameos that fans know to watch out for. But long before his characters
were dominating the box office, it was director Kevin Smith who knew a brief appearance from
the Marvel icon in his second movie would send comic book nerds into a frenzy. Lee's
scene is probably the funniest, and most dramatic one he's ever turned in, playing along with
the movie's crude humor, and even delivering a heart-to-heart for the ages - even more
impressive since he made it all up.
Hook (TriStar Pictures)
This re-imagining of Peter Pan was meant to be a children's movie, but there were plenty
of kid who couldn't handle the infamous "Boo Box" - Captain Hook's punishment for men in
his crew who doubted his plan. But the pirate who wound up locked in the box with some scorpion
friends wasn't a man at all, but actress Glenn Close in disguise. Apparently it pays to have
Steven Spielberg as a director, since he also roped in George Lucas and Carrie fisher to
play the kissing couple accidentally sprinkled with fairy dust.
Those are the best celebrity cameos we noticed in our favorite films, but which ones do you
think we missed? Be sure to name them in the comments, and remember to subscribe to our
channel for more videos like this one.