10 Of The Best Movie Cameos, Ever

A movie cameo is a delicate thing. While the modern definition of the term seems to have evolved into ‘any short appearance’ by a well-known or recognizable person in a performed piece, a cameo was originally held to be “a small character part that stands out from the other minor parts.” Over a century of film, movie cameos have come to take many forms, with an early infamous example being the work of Alfred Hitchcock – who often made silent, walk-on appearances in his films. More recently, comic book icon Stan Lee has achieved cameo notoriety – being featured briefly in most productions of Marvel properties, as well as in the 1995 comedy Mallrats. Many films trade on a vast array of cameos – such as The Player, This Is The End, or the Anchorman movies – and, while this is entertaining when executed correctly (as in those examples), it can walk a fine line between relevance and pomposity. The very best cameos are those that contribute to the substance of the film. They occur at pivotal moments, and have a direct impact on the direction of the story. They serve a narrative purpose, rather than simply acting as window-dressing. They are notable, useful, and most importantly, enjoyable – and here are ten of the best. Ted Danson as Captain Hamill in Saving Private Ryan (1998) Several days after the traumatizing D-Day landings, Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and company are hot on the trail of a Private Ryan – known to be a member of the 101st Airborne Division, and the subject of the team’s mission, due to the deaths of his brothers. Reaching the small French town of Neuville, the team finds that their path crosses with that of Captain Hamill – a Paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division. A case of mistaken identity ensues, as Captain Hamill does indeed have a Private Ryan under his command, but the fact that it is the wrong one does not become clear until after Miller erroneously informs him of the deaths of his brothers. The appearance of Ted Danson in this small role is of vital importance to the film. While some suggest that it is distracting and is detrimental to the narrative structure, it actually serves to widen our view of the experience of these characters. Until this point in the film, Captain Miller cuts a lonely, isolated figure as the older, wiser leader of his unit. The men around him are all younger, inexperienced and very scared. When they come across Captain Hamill, the character serves as a counterpart to Miller, while his unit reflects the characters we are following in their pursuit of Ryan. The brief sequence therefore opens up what would otherwise be a very limited view of a global experience – the result of which is to change the tone of the film into something altogether more devastating. Jason Robards as Congressman Phil Hammersley in Enemy Of The State (1998) In a movie that rarely stops to take a breath amid non-stop action, the opening sequences are vitally important to give real momentum to that forward motion. It is in these early scenes that Jason Robards appears in an uncredited cameo, and the fate of his character is the event that sets off the chain reaction that constitutes the rest of the story. Congressman Phil Hammersley meets with NSA official Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight) to discuss Reynolds’ plan to push through an expansion of surveillance powers of the government under the murky blanket of counter-terrorism legislation. Hammersley refuses to be persuaded to support the measures, as he advocates the protections of privacy for U.S citizens. Angered at the opposition, Reynolds has a team murder Hammerley, and stage his death to look self-inflicted. However, it soon transpires that the entire event was captured on film by a wildlife photographer. A significant part of the impact of this scene is the fact that it is a confrontation between two immediately recognizable and legendary actors. Jason Robards and Jon Voight have built their careers upon heavy-weight roles in notable projects, and so opening Enemy Of The State with a violent meeting between the two brings all of that history and gravitas to bear right from the start. Martin Scorsese as Passenger Watching Silhouette in Taxi Driver (1976) Providing cameo appearances in his own movies has almost been one of Martin Scorsese’s directorial trademarks over his long and distinguished career. He pops up in various guises during Mean Streets, The King Of Comedy, The Age Of Innocence, Gangs Of New York, and Hugo, among many others, but it is his brief performance in Taxi Driver that stands out – not only in that film – but in over five decades of filmmaking. Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is the titular cabbie. During the movie, we see him begin to slowly unravel as he winds his way through the dark and dangerous streets of New York City. In a brief interlude, however, he picks up a smartly presented businessman and listens to him talk as he drives him to his destination. The destination is the street outside an apartment block, where the passenger urges Bickle to observe the silhouette of a woman in a window. The woman is his wife, and the apartment belongs to another man. As Bickle sits in silence, the passenger (Scorsese) unleashes a verbal cascade of racism and violent misogyny so chilling that he makes the obsessive Travis Bickle seem like a reasonable guy. Having listened to the upsetting torrent of hatred, Bickle performs the simple, wordless act of adjusting his rear-view mirror, which prompts the passenger to acknowledge Bickle’s judgement – repeating the phrase, “You must think I’m pretty sick,” again and again. Bickle remains silent, but is visibly disturbed. The power of this particular cameo is two-fold. Firstly, it serves the purpose of enhancing our understanding of Travis Bickle. He is reacting to what he hears in his taxi cab in a way that allows us to connect with him. He is not a monster – he is shaped by his past experience and his current days spent wading through the detritus of a damaged city. Secondly, having been utterly absorbed by this compelling scene, we suddenly realize that we have seen an acting masterclass from a director, who can more than hold his own in a scene with one of the greatest actors of his generation, performing one of his most iconic roles. Margot Kidder as Margaret Mary in Maverick (1994) There are a number of cameos in the underrated Richard Donner comedy, Maverick, including Danny Glover, Corey Feldman, and producer Lauren Shuler Donner. About halfway through this twisty story of a card player and a con woman trying to get to a poker tournament, however, a face arrives on screen that makes us sit up and ask, “Isn’t that Lois Lane?” Margot Kidder, whose most famous role remains playing the iconic journalist to Christopher Reeve’s Superman (twice directed by Richard Donner) does indeed feature as an Evangelist travelling in a caravan that is attacked by thieves masquerading as “hostile Indians.” Her few scenes are brief, and her character of Margaret Mary is one of an ensemble – but she plays a pivotal role in the story and provides some additional comic relief with an immediate infatuation with Marshal Zane Cooper (James Garner). The caravan of Evangelists spins the tale in a new direction – setting up a sequence in which Maverick (Mel Gibson) pretends to selflessly sacrifice himself to make more money. Christopher Walken as Vincenzo Coccotti in True Romance (1993) In this story of two young lovers trying to start a life together amid crime and violence, the legendary Christopher Walken arrives to provide a classic performance of a Tarantino-scripted scene. Its impact is increased by the fact that it is essentially a two-hander, also featuring the equally legendary Dennis Hopper. Clarence (Christian Slater) has fallen for Alabama (Patricia Arquette). He has married her and has mistakenly stolen a large amount of drugs while in the process of killing her pimp, Drexl (Gary Oldman). Planning a new life together, they visit Clarence’s father – a former police officer – Clifford (Dennis Hopper), and in discussing their situation, Clifford confirms that the drugs actually belong to an infamous mob boss. Clarence and Alabama are long gone when Don Vincenzo Coccotti (Walken) – an associate of the mob boss – arrives to interrogate Clifford in his own home. What follows is an electrifying scene. These two intimidating, heavy-weight actors demonstrate their formidable skills – one as a father, protecting his son, and one as a terrifying, cold-blooded killer. Walken imbues Coccotti with such arrogance and privilege that he seems to fill Clifford’s run-down trailer home with his enormous presence. In the space of just a few minutes, he swings from charm to menace to violence with fearsome precision. For Tarantino fans, it perhaps foreshadows an altogether more well-intentioned cameo that Walken provides in Pulp Fiction – but for True Romance, Coccotti is the perfect villain. Matt Damon as Donny in EuroTrip (2004) EuroTrip is an entirely forgettable entry into the “teen comedy” movie category – except for one, single, shining bright spot, in the shape of a Matt Damon cameo. The actor’s presence in this film is incongruous – perhaps even bizarre – but as the scene continues, it becomes an enjoyable comic moment, and the highlight of the entire endeavour. Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz) has been unceremoniously rejected by his High School girlfriend, Fiona (Kristin Kreuk). Sad and forlorn, he attends a graduation party, at which the crowd is entertained by a local band – led by the pumped-up, tattooed and pierced lead singer Donny (Matt Damon). Donny kicks off the set with a catchy rock tune titled ‘Scotty Doesn’t Know,’ during which he gyrates onstage with Fiona, while singing about the graphic, intimate details of their torrid affair. In and of itself, the scene is mildly amusing at best, but Matt Damon takes it to the next level with admirable commitment to the role. With a shaved head, and obvious delight in humiliating another person, the character of Donny instantly becomes a deliciously evil villain, thanks to the gravitas of Damon. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Iron Man (2008) Stan Lee cameos may have become standard features of Marvel movies, but more highly anticipated than those are the post-credits scenes. It has become virtually routine for audiences to remain rooted to their seats throughout the end-titles of each new Marvel movie, as they wait expectantly for an informative little addition that might give clues to the content of the next release. The grand-daddy of these scenes is that which occurs after the final credits of Iron Man – widely held to be the film that sparked the MCU as we know it into life. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has created Iron Man, saved his company and the world from a fate worse than Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), and cheesed-off his nearest and dearest by announcing his new secret identity to the world at an ill-advised press conference. As director Jon Favreau telegraphs to us, this is no ordinary superhero. The post-credits scene is no ordinary scene, either. Tony Stark returns to his impressive abode to find none other than Samuel L. Jackson already inside, waiting for him. As he steps forward and introduces himself as Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D, he explains to an incredulous Stark that Iron Man is, in fact, one of many superheroes in the world, and thus Fury needs to make him aware of the Avengers Initiative. So begins one of the biggest, most successful film franchises in motion picture history. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder (2008) There is nothing quite like watching an instantly recognizable performer toy with their image, and for that reason, the appearance of Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder is one of the highlights of an otherwise great movie. With a very small number of brief scenes, Cruise makes a lasting impact as Les Grossman – an intensely angry movie studio head, trying to get the titular Vietnam war film made from a distance. Wearing a bald-cap, a “fat-suit,” and a pair of weirdly large prosthetic hands, Cruise appears to relish the idea of hiding behind a disguise and actually lets loose on screen. The fact that he is best known for predictable and repetitive, but successful, fare - such as the Mission: Impossible franchise – makes the character of Les Grossman all the more hysterical, as we watch him berate staff and convulse with vitriol, before descending into the best dance scene on film in years. Billy Bob Thornton as Howard D. Doyle in Intolerable Cruelty (2003) As is to be expected from the Coen Brothers, Intolerable Cruelty is a brilliant tale full of twists and turns that takes the characters of divorce attorney Miles Massey (George Clooney) and gold-digger Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta Jones) on a rollercoaster of weddings, divorces, heart-attacks and attempted murders. The success of the complex plot rests on the audience never really knowing what to expect of Marilyn, as she tries to manipulate her way to financial independence. For this reason, it is a glorious moment when she arrives at the office of Miles Massey – who is already infatuated with her – with a new ‘husband-to-be’ in tow. The tension ramps up as Marilyn introduces Miles to Howard D. Doyle (Billy Bob Thornton) of Doyle Oil, under the pretext of executing a pre-nuptial agreement. While Thornton makes two more brief appearances in the movie, it is this scene that makes him stand-out, as he launches into lengthy monologue after lengthy monologue on subjects ranging from the health of his grandfather, the shopping habits of his bride-to-be and his strategies on the football field. The combination of Thornton’s monotonous Texan drawl, well-chosen vocabulary interspersed with occasional vulgarity, and the attempts of Clooney and Zeta Jones to interrupt him make this a hilarious and impressive cameo. Cate Blanchett as Janine in Hot Fuzz (2007) On the spectrum of cameos, the appearance of Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett in Hot Fuzz is at the very top end of the most brilliantly conceived and executed. Police Constable Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is having a rough time. In addition to being unwanted by his London colleagues – due to his tendency to be far too good at his job – he is also unwanted by his girlfriend, Janine. Janine is a crime scene investigator, and he learns of her desire to separate when he visits her at work. In a room filled with people wearing identical white suits, hoods, goggles and masks, Janine calmly explains that she is secretly seeing one of her colleagues, and wishes to end their relationship. The combination of the visual gag – in which Angel tries to identify his girlfriend’s new beau amid the sea of forensic attire - and the fact that the scene calls for world renowned actress Cate Blanchett to cover everything but her eyes (including her accent) makes this cameo a breathtaking thing of beauty.