I don't know, I just think it's cool to see when directors take on a small or supporting character in a movie that they're not directing. Werner Herzog in this, John Huston in Chinatown (Polanski), John Cassavetes in Rosemary's Baby (also Polanski), Cecil B. DeMille in Sunset Boulevard, Spike Jonze in Three Kings, Fritz Lang in Le Mepris (although I didn't see it). Anybody else?
shareJohn Cassavetes got started as an actor and is known to more people as an actor than as a director.
Nicholas Ray and Sam Fuller had cameos in Wenders' The American Friend and Fuller was also in Godard's Pierrot le fou briefly. Jean-Pierre Melville played an author in Breathless as well. And of course Fassbinder was in a good percentage of his own films.
Martin Scorsese in Shark Tale.
"What what nothin'. You said what first."
don't forget the excellent Sydney Pollack(Eyes Wide Shut, Death Becomes Her, and Changing Lanes)
shareI'm surprised to see how many acting credits he has. Listing only stuff I've seen, skipping television episodes:
Avenue Montaigne
The Interpreter
Changing Lanes
Eyes Wide Shut
A Civil Action
Husbands and Wives
Death Becomes Her
The Player
Tootsie
and lots as himself.
More details: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001628
And since this started with Herzog, his credits (acting in other directors' films only):
The Grand
Mister Lonely
Invincible
Der Letzte Dokumentarfilm
Julien Donkey-Boy
What Dreams May Come
Burning Heart
Hard to Be a God
Bride of the Orient
Man of Flowers
Geschichten vom Kübelkind
Lebenszeichen
(I left out appearances as himself, but I can't resist adding to the list one "himself" appearance: Werner Herzog Eats his Shoe.)
More details: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001348
Invincible was directed by Herzog.
Hard To Be A God is a great film! He was the reason I watched it, but he only appears in it in the first 20 minutes or so. But I still enjoyed the rest of the film. What Dreams May Come, not so much... Although I'm a fan of Robin Williams, I thought that movie stunk, and Herzog's appearance in that is only a few seconds. I still need to see Julien Donkey-Boy.
Do not click on this link without my permission: http://meonvarioustopics.blogspot.com
And MICHAEL CRIEGHTON
he was excellent in it though!
And Marty was in "Quiz Show" too.
shareTarantino in From Dusk 'Til Dawn (though I, as well as some others, may argue that it's best he simply stick to directing, though I love his films)
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"It's my head, Schwartz.
It's my head! I will see
you in court!"
Peter jackson gave a couple of memorable performances in his first two films- there's a fight scene between two characters in Bad Taste which is notable for the fact that Jackson played both characters.
www.monkeysmightpuke.com
Speaking of Russell's cameo in Adaptation., Curtis Hanson plays Olean's husband (?). I also love Ron Howard as the narrator of Arrested Development ("GOB *BEEP*ed Kitty"). And who could leave out Spielberg in Austin Powers in: Goldmember???
shareIt took until the second page for somebody to mention Tarantino?!?!?! His are some of the silliest examples of this.
But Herzog is crushing when he is being humorous. I could watch him all day parody himself.
Spielberg in the Blues Brothers!
John Landis in Into The Night
Paul Mazursky in Into The Night
Paul Bartel in Into The Night
Daniel Petrie in Into The Night
Lawrence Kasdan in Into The Night
Jim Henson in Into The Night
Don Siegel in Into The Night
David Cronenberg in Into The Night
Richard Franklin in Into The Night
Jonathan Lynn in Into The Night
among others...
Mel Brooks was in a lot of the movies he directed also
shareNo one mentioned M. Night Shyamalan in all his movies?
shareAnd no one mentioned Jay Chandrasekhar in all of his movies, also. Including Dukes of Hazzard, where he referenced Super Troopers.
shareAnd...Brett Ratner in the movie that started this thread - The Grand!!!
shareRatner's cameo was actually pretty well-executed. The "Sob Story" guy who tries to psyche people out by telling them his wife had cancer. I almost felt for him even though I knew he was full of crap.
I am Lord Newt Batchmonkey!
True, but then you have to count Woody Allen or Albert Brooks too, who direct themselves in their own movies. When directors play actors in another director's movie... I personally think that's cool. Jay Chandrasekhar appeared in a movie that he didn't direct: Jackass Number Two. That was an awesome prank he helped pull in that one.
Another one to add to the list: Kevin Smith in "Catch and Release" and soon, according to his online diary..."Live Free or Die Hard." Flippin' A!!
I just found out that Vittorio de Sica, "Bicycle Thieves" de Sica, THAT de Sica, was an actor in this film that showed at the Detroit Film Theatre called "The Earrings of Madame de..."
According to his mini-bio here, he acted in many films to finance his own productions.
No one mentioned it because they actually read the f_ucking first post which said "I don't know, I just think it's cool to see when directors take on a small or supporting character in a movie that they're not directing"
I'm going to shove coal so far up your stocking you'll be coughing up diamonds!
Frank Darabont in "John Carpenter's Vampires" as the man with the buick
Paul Thomas Anderson and Cameron Crowe are both in "Minority Report" as bus and trian passengers
Mark Pellington in "Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous"
David Cronenberg was in a lot of films he didn't direct.
they're all mostly cameos
David Cronenberg in Nightbreed. He plays the villian. Not the greatest movie, but he gave a great creepy performance.
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