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10 Of The Best Movie Cameos, Ever

A movie cameo is a delicate thing. While the modern definition of the term seems to have evolved into ‘any short appearance’ by a well-known or recognisable person in a performed piece, a cameo was originally held to be “a small character part that stands out from the other minor parts”. Over a century of film, movie cameos have come to take many forms, with an early infamous example being the work of Alfred Hitchcock – who often made silent, walk-on appearances in his films. More recently, comic book icon Stan Lee has achieved cameo notoriety – being featured briefly in most productions of Marvel properties, as well as in the 1995 comedy Mallrats.

Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder (2008)

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There is nothing quite like watching an instantly recognizable performer toy with their image, and for that reason, the appearance of Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder is one of the highlights of an otherwise great movie. With a very small number of brief scenes, Cruise makes a lasting impact as Les Grossman – an intensely angry movie studio head, trying to get the titular Vietnam war film made from a distance.

Wearing a bald-cap, a “fat-suit,” and a pair of weirdly large prosthetic hands, Cruise appears to relish the idea of hiding behind a disguise and actually lets loose on screen. The fact that he is best known for predictable and repetitive, but successful, fare – such as the Mission: Impossible franchise – makes the character of Les Grossman all the more hysterical, as we watch him berate staff and convulse with vitriol, before descending into the best dance scene on film in years.

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