Snakkle Takes A Look Back at Celebrities Who Play Themselves

Ben Stiller’s Zoolander features a host of celebrity cameos, but one of the best comes from Billy Zane. As Zoolander (Stiller) challenges his rival Hansel (Owen Wilson) to a walk-off on the runway, Zane steps in and urges his friend to reconsider.

Originally the writers of Zombieland went after smaller-name actors for the cameo role, but when none could be found, star Woody Harrelson convinced Bill Murray to take the part. The four main characters are on a road trip to find a zombie-free location and stumble upon Bill Murray’s home, where they find him still human but dressed as a zombie.

In the raunchy comedy Happy Gilmore, Bob Barker is paired with Adam Sandler, who plays semiprofessional golfer Happy Gilmore, in a pro-am tournament. With tensions running high because of Gilmore’s poor performance, the characters end up in a fistfight on the golf course. After landing a good punch, Gilmore declares, “The price is wrong, bitch.” Barker fights back, eventually knocking Gilmore down a grassy hill and declares, “Now you’ve had enough… bitch.”

In the sports comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Chuck Norris appears as himself as a judge at a national dodgeball tournament. After initially having to forfeit in the final game, the Average Joes find a loophole that allows for the judges to vote yes or no to overturning the forfeit. As the third judge, Chuck Norris gets the final vote and gives the Average Joes a thumbs-up to play.

Also starring in Zoolander, in a nonspeaking role, is Claudia Schiffer as herself. She appears along with other celebrities in the audience at a fashion show.

In the ABC comedy Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, James Van Der Beek played the neighbor and best friend of Chloe (the b---- in question). There was plenty of self-deprecating humor, including jabs at his Dawson’s Creek days and penchant for flannel shirts.

In Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jay and Bob are trying to stop the production of a movie about their comic book likenesses, Bluntman and Chronic. James Van Der Beek appears as himself, playing Jay’s character, alongside Jason Biggs (also as himself, playing Silent Bob’s character). Van Der Beek and Biggs have a hilarious, although very non-PG, scene in which they discuss the reality that Biggs will always be known as the kid with the pie.

Seinfeld, a decidedly different sitcom for its time, starred Jerry Seinfeld appearing as a slightly fictionalized version of himself. Seinfeld’s characters were loosely based on creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David’s real-life acquaintances. The show, which was based on “nothing” and had the mantra “no hugging, no learning,” was wildly popular during its nine seasons and continues to be popular in syndication.

Wil Wheaton appears in Big Bang Theory as Sheldon’s childhood icon, Star Trek: The Next Generation character Wesley Crusher. Sheldon was crushed as a young boy when Wheaton didn’t show up to a Star Trek convention. To exact his revenge, Sheldon enters a Mystic Warlords of Ka'a tournament in the hopes of crushing his nemesis. Wil Weaton has appeared in nine episodes so far.

In the movie Being John Malkovich, John Cusack and Catherine Keener star as coworkers who find a portal into the mind of John Malkovich. The majority of the movie is centered on various characters finding their way into, and taking control of, Malkovich’s mind. Writer Charlie Kaufman later wrote the movie Adaptation, based on his own life; in the film, John Malkovich appears briefly as himself during the filming of Being John Malkovich.

In the satirical comedy Airplane!, Abdul-Jabbar plays an incognito version of himself as copilot Roger Murdock. The movie is consistently ranked among the Top 10 in funniest movie lists. Abdul-Jabbar holds his own in the deadpan comedic dialogue.

Neil Patrick Harris learned that he was a character in Harold and Kumar from a friend of his who had been cast in the movie; he approached the writers and lobbied to have creative control concerning his character in exchange for playing himself. He enjoyed the part so much that he later starred in the sequel and the Christmas edition, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas.