Recognizable movie cameos always offer something different, especially if actors get a chance to play themselves. There aren’t many movies that can pull this off. The ones that work are almost exclusively comedies, and even these have to be the type which can accommodate a celebrity presence.
Comedy movie cameos usually give actors a chance to make fun of themselves, either by playing up their public personas or subverting them completely. This always proves that they’re in on the joke, which is why a cameo can often stand out as one of the funniest parts of a comedy.
10Bill Murray - Zombieland (2009)
Murray’s Cameo Is A Clear Highlight Of Zombieland
Bill Murray’s cameo inZombielandmight be the gold standard for celebrities playing themselves. His brief appearance is meaningful and doesn’t slow the story down, but it’s also filled with fun punch lines. Practically every line that comes out of Murray’s mouth is hilarious.
Murray’s deadpan delivery is just as funny as ever inZombieland.
Murray’s deadpan delivery is just as funny as ever inZombieland,showing that the actor hasn’t lost his comedic touch even in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. His shocking death scene delivers one final dark joke, and it suits the tone of the movie perfectly.
9Keanu Reeves - Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Reeves Puts His Hollywood Hunk Status To Good Use
Always Be My Maybeis an underrated rom-comabout two childhood friends with terrible timing and a lot of unresolved baggage. Just as they begin to reconnect in adulthood, one of them announces that they’re seeing someone new, and this happens to be Keanu Reeves.
The Keanu Reeves cameo would already be a stroke of comedic genius inAlways Be My Maybe,but it’s even funnier since Reeves commits to the bit with his full force. He leverages his considerable charms in his brief time on-screen, proving that he really is the absolute worst love rival possible.
8Tom Hanks - The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Hanks Gets An Animated Cameo In The Simpsons' Big-Screen Outing
The Simpsonsis famous for its guest stars, including many stars who play fictionalized versions of themselves. These appearances fit the comedic tone of the show, which is why actors like James Woods, Leonard Nimoy and Barry White can star inThe Simpsonswithout having their cameos look like meaningless name-drops.
The Simpsons Moviecontinued the show’s tradition of celebrity guest stars, with Tom Hanks appearing in a commercial for the new Grand Canyon, which is the blast crater that will follow Springfield’s destruction. Hanks' brief cameo is a great joke about how governments and politicians use celebrities to boost their popularity.
7David Bowie - Zoolander (2001)
The Fashion Icon Is The Perfect Judge For A Walk-Off
David Bowie is most famous as a musician, but he also had several unforgettable movie roles, like inLabyrinthandThe Prestige.Zoolanderuses his reputation as a sex symbol to enhance the film’s central joke that the world of male modeling is vitally important and deeply serious.
Bowie’s role as the judge for the walk-off between Derek and Hansel is played perfectly, with a freeze-frame introduction that highlights just how much of a coup his casting was. Unfortunately,Zoolander 2leaned too far into meaningless celebrity cameos, and none were nearly as impactful as Bowie’s.
6Bob Barker - Happy Gilmore (1996)
The TV Host Delivers One Of Happy Gilmore’s Biggest Laughs
Bob Barker’s cameo inHappy Gilmoreis one of the movie’s most memorable scenes, sinceBarker isn’t just there to show his face. His fist fight with Happy Gilmore in a pro-am golf tournament is a hilarious subversion of his public persona as one of America’s most beloved TV personalities.
Happy Gilmore 2is one of 2025’s most unexpected sequels, but the trailer and the cast suggest that it will continue the original movie’s love of cameos. As well as several golf greats like Jack Nicklaus, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, there are other cameos from celebrities of all different kinds. One to watch out for Ken Jennings, since the game show host could be there to echo Barker’s role in the first movie.
5Tom Cruise - Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002)
Cruise And Some Other Stars Make A Splash In The Opening Sequence
TheAustin Powersmoviesall open with a groovy dance number to immerse audiences in Austin’s style. These sequences are always packed with visual gags, but the third movie also adds some star power to give off the impression thatGoldmemberis the most lavish and extravagant sequel of all.
Tom Cruise makes a cameo as himself,playing Austin Powers in a movie-within-a-movie. With Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny DeVito and Kevin Spacey being directed by Steven Spielberg, it’s a shame that this movie doesn’t actually exist. Quincy Jones and Britney Spears bring some extra glamor to the opening sequence.
4Charlton Heston - Wayne’s World 2 (1993)
The Actor Lends Some Gravitas To Proceedings
Austin Powersisn’t the onlyMike Myers moviewith plenty of cameos. TheWayne’s Worldmovies have just as many famous faces popping in for a few seconds, like Alice Cooper’s unforgettable history lesson in the first movie or Robert Patrick’s cameo as the T-1000 inWayne’s World 2.
Charlton Heston’s cameo inWayne’s World 2is probably the funniest and most surprising of the lot.Getting one of the best actors of his generation to deliver a monologue lasting less than a minute is a hilarious waste of time, but it suits the irreverent, freewheeling style of theWayne’s Worldmovies, which are known for their rapid-fire humor and cultural references.
3Marcel Marceau - Silent Movie (1976)
The Famous Mime Was Known For His Silence
Marcel Marceau’s brief cameo inSilent Movieis a great meta joke. The Mel Brooks comedy isn’t one of the director’s most popular, but it’s still a creative and entertaining homage to a much older kind of comedy. As the title suggests, the movie has no dialogue, except for one line.
Having Marcel Marceau deliver the only line inSilent Movieis a hilarious subversion of his reputation as the most famous mime of the 20th century. The fact that he unequivocally turns down the chance to appear in a silent film with this line is another sly joke.
2Serena Williams - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Williams Is One Of Many Fun Cameos In Glass Onion
Serena Williams' cameo inGlass Onionis surprising for several reasons, especially becauseit doesn’t look like she’s anything more than a screensaver until she starts interacting with Benoit Blanc. As another indicator of Miles Bron’s obscene wealth, he appears to have the tennis legend on retainer as his personal trainer.
Glass Onionhas a few more unexpected cameos, starting with Benoit Blanc’s star-studded game ofAmong Uswith Stephen Sondheim, Natasha Lyonne, Angela Lansbury and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. WhileWake Up Dead Manhas announced another exciting cast, it seems likely that Rian Johnson might have a few celebrity surprises up his sleeve when the sequel is released.
1Tobey Maguire - Tropic Thunder (2008)
Maguire Shines In Tropic Thunder’s Phony Trailers
Tropic Thundergives its actors the opportunity to poke fun at themselves, starting with the fake trailers at the beginning. Jack Black’s character stars in a lowest common denominator gross-out comedy, and Ben Stiller lampoons his comedic persona by playing a tough-guy action hero. These actors are only playing fictional characters which exaggerate or subvert their work, but Tobey Maguire plays himself.
Maguire is most famous for playing Spider-Man, so pretending that he’s a critically-acclaimed dramatic actor like Daniel Day-Lewis is a great joke.
Maguire appears as the star of a fictional Oscar-bait period romance drama calledSatan’s Alley,so audiences get to see him suggestively fondling Robert Downey Jr’s rosary beads. Maguire is most famous for playing Spider-Man, so pretending that he’s a critically-acclaimed dramatic actor like Daniel Day-Lewis is a great joke.
