Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Edge
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • Home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Videos
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
    • G+RLS Podcast
  • Edge
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Your movies and TV digest from the team at GamesRadar+

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

100 Greatest Director Cameos

Features
By Matt Looker
Published 7 November 2013

Caught on camera

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Dune (1984)

The Cameo: When Paul and Duke take a group to see spice being harvested, they witness a worm attacking the harvester. Duke radios down to tell the workers to evacuate and the guy who answers the call is none other than David Lynch himself.

Why It's Cool: It's always a delight to see the wonderfully weird director onscreen, but never more so than in an epic sci-fi film that already feels a little out of everybody's comfort zone.

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.

Latest Videos FromGamesRadar+
Watch full video here:

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.

You may like
  • The 30 best horror movies of all time: pictures from The Wicker Man, The Shining, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Hereditary. The 30 best horror movies that will haunt you long after the credits roll
  • Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry in The Gray Man. The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now
  • Essie Davis as Amelia Vanek screaming during the horror movie, The Babadook. The 10 best Prime Video horror movies to watch right now

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.

Your movies and TV digest from the team at GamesRadar+

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

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.

You may like
  • The 30 best horror movies of all time: pictures from The Wicker Man, The Shining, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Hereditary. The 30 best horror movies that will haunt you long after the credits roll
  • Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry in The Gray Man. The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now
  • Essie Davis as Amelia Vanek screaming during the horror movie, The Babadook. The 10 best Prime Video horror movies to watch right now

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.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10

Current page: Page 1

Next Page Page 2
Matt Looker
Read more
The 30 best horror movies of all time: pictures from The Wicker Man, The Shining, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Hereditary.
Horror Movies The 30 best horror movies that will haunt you long after the credits roll
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry in The Gray Man.
Thriller Movies The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now
 
 
Essie Davis as Amelia Vanek screaming during the horror movie, The Babadook.
Amazon Prime Video The 10 best Prime Video horror movies to watch right now
 
 
Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later
Horror Movies The 25 best zombie movies of all time
 
 
reservoir dogs
Thriller Movies The Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan lost a role in Reservoir Dogs to Quentin Tarantino: "I still can't believe it"
 
 
Hideo Kojima
Live Action Movies Hideo Kojima teases future cameos in a "big live-action movie" and a "major anime title"
 
 
Latest in Movies
The Suicide Squad
DC Movies James Gunn confuses everyone by confirming The Suicide Squad is "the first canon film in the DCU"
 
 
Batman
DC Movies New DCU Batman "isn't very far away" from being cast and he'll be around the same age as Superman, James Gunn says
 
 
Bloodborne screenshot of The Hunter player-character with their back to us, wielding a bladed in their right hand and an a ranged weapon in their left
Animated Movies Bloodborne movie is "much" further along than a few months ago as mystery director and writer join
 
 
Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad
DC Movies James Gunn says he's going to "lay down the law" with new podcast on what is and isn't DCU canon in The Suicide Squad
 
 
Ralph Fiennes as President Snow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Action Movies Sunrise on the Reaping may end up as the biggest Hunger Games movie ever, as presales track a $100 million plus opening
 
 
Glenn Close in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Movies The best movies you need to watch in November 2026
 
 
Latest in Features
Phantom Blade Zero warriors
Action RPGs Phantom Blade Zero has the perfect solution to Elden Ring's biggest buzzkill
 
 
Ghost Rider holds Malekith by the throat and forces the Penance Stare upon him
Tabletop Gaming Marvel's newest character was born out of a shared need with Magic: The Gathering's Darkhold Destiny set
 
 
An in-game character model of a Skyborne - a sort of blue-skinned elf - in World of Warcraft: Forever, with the orange GamesRadar+ Big Preview branding
World of Warcraft After 22 years, World of Warcraft: Forever has finally sold me on Blizzard's undying MMO – now I never want to leave
 
 
(L-R): Saheli Khan as Pavi and Aishwarya "Aishu" Devan as Nisha in Avatar: Seven Havens, episode 2, season 1, streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo credit: Paramount+
Animated Shows Avatar: Seven Havens season 1 ending explained: What happened to Pavi and Nisha's parents? How does it set up season 2?
 
 
A collage of GTA Vice City screenshots including Tommy wielding guns and driving cars through the sunny location, with the Countdown to GTA 6 GamesRadar+ branding
Grand Theft Auto Over 20 years later, GTA Vice City is still a role model for the open-world genre
 
 
Grand Theft Auto 6 key art showing Jason and Lucia loading weapons
Grand Theft Auto Grand Theft Auto VI exclusive – The state that never sleeps
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Exclusive: Actor Saheli Khan and Avatar: Seven Havens co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino talk Pavi's big moment
    1
    Avatar: Seven Havens team on Pavi stepping up in the final episode and why Book One was "really Pavi's journey"
  2. 2
    Avatar: Seven Havens season 1 ending explained: What happened to Pavi and Nisha's parents? Did Korra cause the cataclysm? And how does it set up season 2?
  3. 3
    Phantom Blade Zero is the perfect action RPG for people tired of Soulslikes: Dev says "have fun, unwind," and let "those who seek a challenge" crank the difficulty up
  4. 4
    Star Trek and X-Men actor Patrick Stewart dies at 86
  5. 5
    Dev who copied a popular game on Steam complains another copycat "stole our code," and now it's apparently been kicked out by Valve

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...