Lately I have been watching limited series shows. Every time I see a famous person make a cameo I start to think about some of the shows they have been in.  It is strange seeing a big star like Tom Hanks show up in one scene in one episode of 1883, or Darius Rucker make a couple of appearances in Big Sky.  I am used to seeing those stars as the headliners, not as part of the cast or extras. It got me to thinking about other shows that have had a host of “famous people” cameos.

Seinfeld is a prime example. The stars are Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards.  Wayne Knight is a regular on the show, so I don’t consider him in a cameo role.  Wayne had a big role in Jurassic Park as a scientist. The appearances that I consider as cameos were, Bryan Cranston who had the lead role in Breaking Bad as well as in Malcolm in the Middle. Patrick Warburton has a recurring role on the show but starred in a different comedy called Rules of Engagement which starred David Spade and Megyn Price.  Other notable stars were Courtney Cox, Denise Richards, Debra Messing, Sarah Silverman and James Spader (lead character in Blacklist). You can see the entire list here.

Another popular show that had a large host of actors that became famous was M*A*S*H.  The movie starred several big names including Robert Duval, Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould and Tom Skerritt. All four of these men had large roles later on.  The TV series starred Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Lorreta Swit and Gary Burghoff. As the show progressed new actors were brought on including Harry Morgan and David Ogden Stiers.  These characters all had lead roles.  The famous cameos were Brian Dennehy, Blythe Danner, Alex Karras, Andrew Dice Clay, Laurence Fishburne, Patrick Swayze, Jeffery Tambor, George Wendt, Barry Corbin, Shelley Long, Ed Begley Jr., Sorrel Booke, Leslie Nielsen, Ron Howard, John Ritter, Pat Morita, Ned Beatty and George Lindsey.  You can see the entire list here.

There are many shows that can be listed that contributed to the stardom of many people. I found the cameos in these two shows to have a large reaching circle of future and current stars.  Who would you had to the list?

If you have a story idea or something you want to learn more about, give Randy a call at 406-788-3003 or send me an email at randall.bogden@townsquaremedia.com

Here are a few more for you to see:

12 Actors Who Started As Extras In Movies And Television

These famous actors all began their on-screen careers with uncredited roles in movies and TV.

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