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We know cameos happen all the time -- celebrity buddies will pop up in each other's movies, or someone stopping by a film set will appear in a scene, or someone is just desperate for cash.

But there are also some next-level cameos that are objectively amazing. It's a famous person showing up in their own biopic. It's the director turning up to make a meta-reference about their career. Or a ridiculously famous celebrity trying to sneak in under the radar. The result is a brilliant cameo that can rightfully be called an Easter egg.

For example ...

Here Are 50 Cleverly-Disguised Actors & Killer Cameos

lggy Pop is a proto-punk rocker known for his antics. Not as well-known: His appearance on Star Trek. In 1998, Iggy played the Vorta Overseer on Star

Cate Blanchett plays Simon Pegg's ex-girlfriend in Hot Fuzz. She appears in one scene, wearing goggles and a surgical mask. Edgar Wright thought it wo

Jerry Orbach wasn't having any of your Dirty Dancing. Unless it was as a singing candleabra. Orbach played Baby's father - the one who wanted to keep

In Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Johnny Depp plays Raoul DukE, aka Hunter S. Thompson, and during a flashback scene at a Jefferson Airplane show, he

While Miles Teller plays David Packouz in the biographical comedy drama War Dogs ... .. the real Packouz makes a cameo appearance in a retirement home

William Daniels was a beloved teacher on Boy Meets World. And he schooled the Hoff as a talking car. Daniels, who played Mr. Feeny, was the voice of

In The Wire, Jay Landsman (played by Delaney Williams) is based on retired Baltimore County Police sergeant Jay Landsman Sr. ... ...who plays Dennis M

In the TV show A Series of Unfortunate Events, Patrick Warburton plays author Daniel Handler's pseudonym character, Lemony Snicket ... .. while the re

Fergie's voice is a big part of the Black-eyed Peas. And it used to be a big part of Peanuts. When she was nine, Fergie voiced Sally in two classic Pe

In Erin Brockovich, the title character is played by Julia Roberts ... ... while the real Erin Brockovich makes a cameo appearance as a waitress named

Carlos Alazraqui played an angry racist on Reno 911! But on Nickelodeon, he was an affable wallaby. Alazraqui is best known for his role as Deputy Jam

In Oliver Stone's 1991 thriller JFK, the real District Attorney and conspiracist Jim Garrison ... .s. plays Chief Justice Earl Warren, the man who pub

In The Wolf of Wall Street, the real Jordan Belfort gives a cameo performance at a conference ... elcc ... ultimately introducing his new and improved

George Clooney is a megastar, plain and simple. And he also starred as Sparky, on South Park. So why would Clooney take time away from doing star stuf

In Catch Me If You Can, real con artist Frank Abagnale Jr. plays a French COp... ... arresting his fictional self in a twist of irony. The biopic chro

Craig, Daniel Craig is one of the most recognized faces in film. Yet he appeared in one of the biggest films of the decade, without showing his face.

While Woody Harrelson plays Hustler creator Larry Flynt in The People VS. Larry Flynt... wisH WAS MORNISSEY the real Flynt plays the judge who sentenc

David Hyde Pierce spent 11 years out-Frasiering Kelsey Grammer. And he also played Hellboy's fussy counterpart. Pierce supplied the voice of Abe Sapie

Here Are 50 Cleverly-Disguised Actors & Killer Cameos

Oscar winner J.K. Simmons seems like a tough guy. m He's actually sweet. And chocolatey. Simmons, who played neo-Nazi prison leader Vern Schillinger i

In The Bank Job, Mick Jagger has a cameo as a bank employee. It shows him as he might look if the Rolling Stones didn't pan out he was a finance and a

Here Are 50 Cleverly-Disguised Actors & Killer Cameos

Gary Oldman played Harry Potter's godfather Sirius Black. He's also Spyro's mentor, lgnitus. Oldman has voiced many other video game characters includ

Marvel comic book artist Jack Kirby draws in an episode of The Incredible Hulk. Kirby helped create the Hulk, SO it only makes sense for him to be in

Vin Diesel is known for his speed, his fury, and his shiny head. Speaking of which, he was THE voice of the Iron Giant. The 1999 sci-fi comedy/drama a

In Zootopia, Kristen Bell voices Priscilla, the female sloth at the DMV. The crew Wanted her for the role once they saw the viral Ellen clip about her

In The Right Stuff, legendary pilot Chuck Yeager plays a barman at the Happy Bottom Riding Club... . offering whiskey to a NASA recruiter and an Air F

You might have heard of a cat movie called Keanu. The cat is actually voiced by Keanu Reeves. Reeves initially declined the role, but changed his mind

Jimmy Buffett, the Margaritaville singer, briefly appears in Jurassic World. As dinosaurs run wild through the resort and people flee, Buffett tries

Hugo Weaving has established himself as an icon of stoicism. But there was a time when he 8I was fabulous. Before his turns as Agent Smith and Elrond,

Slowen Lo, the Last Jedi alien who reports Rose and Finn, is voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The character is the same species as The Force Awakens' E

Howie Mandell went from stand-up goofball to game show host. And he was a gremlin along the way. Specifically, Howie was the voice of Gizmo, the adora

Thomas Brodie-Sangster, AKA Jojen Reed from Game of Thrones, plays a First Order officer in The Force Awakens. He jumped at the role, even though it h

James Avery was the Fresh Prince's Uncle Phil. But he also terrorized the turtles, as Shredder. Avery spent six years playing the straight man to Will

Lucy Lawless plays a punk rock girl in Spider-Man. As part of a news program about Spider-Man, a reporter asks what she thinks about him. Guy with ei

Liev Schreiber is incredibly macho as Victor Creed. But sometimes, he's decidedly less masculine. Liev Schreiber played Vetty von Vilma in Taking Wood

In Coyote Ugly, Michael Bay is a photographer for The Village Voice. He tries to take photos of the Coyotes during a stage performance, but he's stopp

You probably remember James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano. But he was also a Wild Thing. Gandolfini provided the voice of Carol, Max's monster friend in

Casino Royale features Sir Richard Branson as a traveller who gets stopped by airport security. TAYLO asS The filmmakers did it as a favor to Sir Rich

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Miley Cyrus voices Mainframe, a Ravager on stakar's team. James Gunn had the idea to cast Miley as the voice of the

Kiefer Sutherland was solid as hell, in 24. And now he's Solid Snake. Not only is Sutherland the voice of Snake in Metal Gear Solid V, he also wore fa

Here Are 50 Cleverly-Disguised Actors & Killer Cameos

Bill Lawrence brings Scrubs to an end, literally. GOODBYE JCY D. The creator of the hospital sitcom shows up at the very end of My Finale as a janit

Wes Craven references his other popular franchise in Scream. The horror director briefly appears in his own movie as the high school janitor wearing F

Samuel L. Jackson is a commanding presence on film. And in GTA, he's commandingly evil. Jackson voices Officer Tenpenny, the central villain in Grand

Stan Lee's cameo in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a nod to an old comic. During Reed Richards and Sue Storm's wedding, the Marvel comic

Peter Jackson secretly pays homage to the original King Kong. Jackson directed the 2005 remake of the classic monster movie, and chose to be one of th

The weirdest and most reclusive Simpsons writer is a patient at Calmwood Mental Hospital. John Swartzwelder, the writer responsible for some of the gr

James McAvoy plays young Charles Xavier, who forms the X-Men. But he was a different kind of mutant, in The Chronicles of Narnia. To be specific, he p
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