100 Greatest Director Cameos

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Caught on camera

Dune (1984)

Little Nicky (2000)

The Cameo: In a film littered with wacky cameos, Quentin Tarantino stands out as the crazed, blind preacher that appears several times throughout the film.

Why It's Cool: Its an unusually, overtly comic role for QT, who is more used to holding guns than crucifixes. Well, unless he's warding off vampires.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of the King (2003)

The Cameo: Peter Jackson concludes his run of LOTR cameos by playing a brutish warrior struck down by an arrow.

Why It's Cool: Jackson may have appeared briefly in his other Tolkien instalments, but this time he goes all out in the thick of the action.

1941 (1979)

The Cameo: John Landis plays a very dusty soldier who has his motorbike stolen from outside the cinema.

Why It's Cool: Just look at him! That's an awful lot of mess to get into for the sake of an in-joke.

Platoon (1986)

The Cameo: Oliver Stone appears as an officer in a bunker, before being blown up by a suicide bomber.

Why It's Cool: Seeing as the film is based on Stone's own Vietnam War experiences, it seems fitting to see him, even briefly, in the thick of the harrowing action.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007)

The Cameo: At the end of the film, director David Yates appears as one of the magical moving portraits hanging up in Hogwarts.

Why It’s Cool: As far as cameos go, that’s a very cool, subtle way to go about it. And it’s almost, almost like he has become part of the Hogwarts furniture. Y’know – if you want to read into it.

GoldenEye (1995)

The Cameo: As James Bond and Xenia Onatopp race past a group of cyclists, knocking them over, one of them is actually director Martin Campbell.

Why It’s Cool: It seems like a fairly dangerous cameo to give yourself, not to mention a lot of exercise and effort.

Elf (2003)

The Cameo: Jon Favreau plays the doctor who conducts the paternity test that confirms Buddy really is Walter's son.

Why It's Cool: There is never not a good time to see Favreau pop up onscreen, and seeing him deal with Ferrell's over-excited manchild is priceless.

Dawn Of The Dead (1978)

The Cameo: George Romero appears at the beginning of the film as the WGON TV studio director asking for a new list of rescue stations.

Why It’s Cool: It makes sense for Romero to play the part of the director, no?

Strangers On A Train (1951)

The Cameo: Alfred Hitchcock can be seen making his obligatory cameo as he boards the train carrying a big double bass.

Why It’s Cool: We love the idea of the horror maestro being part of an orchestra.