Many directors and producers have their own trademark and permanent stamp they utilize in each of their films. From Stanley Kubrick's long interrupted shots and character stares to M. Night Shyamalan's twist endings and Sam Raimi's use of his old classic vehicle, the cinema landscape packs these hidden inside jokes and easter eggs for everyone's viewing pleasure. Some of these elements include a cameo appearance from a famous actor, which usually becomes the most memorable aspect of a film.
RELATED: 10 Most Unexpected Cameos In Movie History, Ranked
Cameos have been on the uprise over the past several years to add a little surprise and unique moments to each filmmaker's production. Some haven't worked out, but most conjure up a big smile and a hearty belly laugh. No matter if these unique cameos cause tears of joy or sadness, they're always welcome. Here are the 10 funniest cameos in film history.
Keanu Reeves in Always Be My Maybe
The recent Netflix romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe had a spectacularly funny cameo by action star Keanu Reeves, who played a version of himself in a similar vein to Neil Patrick Harris in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. His appearance was unexpected and one of the highlights of the film where he smugly pays for an intensely expensive dinner of over-the-top food, gloats on how amazing he is, and even has a small John Wick cat-fight with the main star in hilarious fashion that evokes the word, "Woah". The film even creates a song about him being punched in the face.
Martin Sheen in Hot Shots Part Deux
After The Naked Gun and Airplane successfully claimed the comedic box office, the tiger-blooded Charlie Sheen decided to win in the parody genre with Hot Shots that poked fun at action films like Top Gun and Rambo. The first film did so well that Hollywood made a sequel with Hot Shots Part Deux, bringing back Sheen and most of the original cast. There's a fantastic sequence where Sheen's character Topper Harley is sailing down a river and passes a friendly boat with none other than his actual father Martin Sheen waving at him. It's a brilliantly funny cameo as the two men acknowledge each other and say in unison, "I loved you in Wall Street". One can only hope that Oliver Stone watches this daily.
Mark Hamill in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Kevin Smith is notorious for having his real-life friends and family in his films. The more movies Smith made, the more actor-friends he collected, who all seem to make cameo appearances in each movie he directs. Perhaps the funniest cameo throughout the hundreds has in each picture is Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
RELATED: 10 Best Kevin Smith Movies, According To IMDB
Before there was any talk of new Star Wars films, Kevin Smith was an avid fan of the sci-fi franchise and had the Jedi of all Jedi make a surprise onscreen appearance as a villain who punched the heroes in their privates. Hamill defeated an entire empire and lost an arm for this wonderful role.
John Hurt in Spaceballs
Leave it to Mel Brooks to not only make one of the funniest films ever but also to have one of the funniest cameos. Spaceballs made fun of the science fiction realm with parodies of Star Wars, Star Trek, and even Alien. The Alien bit comes towards the end of the film where Barf and Lone Starr are dining at a space cafe where one customer is mid-way through eating and starts choking violently. A chest-bursting alien pops out of this poor guy's stomach into a song and dance. This unfortunate patron was none other than John Hurt from Alien who indeed had the same alien eat through his stomach. His final words say it best, "Oh no, not again."
Hulk Hogan in Gremlins 2: The New Batch
The Key and Peele sketch said it best when it comes to Gremlins 2: The New Batch - anything goes and will certainly be in the film. That's just what the filmmakers did with this sequel, which was throw in everything and the kitchen sink too. The film broke the fourth wall and went meta in one sequence with a surprisingly funny cameo, brother. The rowdy green gremlins have taken over a giant skyscraper in the big city and end up in a movie theater within this building.
RELATED: 10 Details You Might Not Know About The Gremlins Movies
The Gremlins end up disrupting the actual film reel in the movie, which causes the theater manager to grab Hulk Hogan in the audience to stop the Gremlins. Hulkamania runs wild as the Hulkster cuts a WWE promo, rips off his yellow shirt, shows his pythons, and scares the little green monsters into good behavior. It's a funny and strange cameo.
Matt Damon in Eurotrip
Eurotrip is a surprisingly hilarious comedy about a group of high school graduates who decide to backpack Europe. It had a small budget and a relatively unknown cast with the exception of one insanely funny cameo that only happened by accident. Matt Damon shows up for one quick scene as a bald-headed punk rock lead singer with piercings and tattoos who sings a song about cheating with the lead character's girlfriend. Scotty didn't know, nor did the audience with this A-list cameo that seemed to happen when the filmmakers ran into Damon at the airport after filming a Jason Bourne film.
Michael Jackson in Men in Black II
So far there have been four Men in Black films, all of which had their good moments. In Men in Black II, there was a wonderfully funny cameo by the biggest star in the universe, the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson. Zedd is conversing with someone on the large screen at headquarters, which is Michael Jackson. This character is pleading with Zedd to make him a part of the MIB team. Zedd tells him to "Beat It" and hangs up, but Jackson pleaded his case saying he can be Agent M alongside Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.
Mike Tyson in The Hangover
The Hangover ushered in a new wave of vulgar comedy about three men who wake up in Las Vegas after celebrating a bachelor party of which they have no memory. Strange babies, hospital visits, drugs, booze, marriage, and a tiger are a few of the elements that plague the three best friends that anyone can have. The hilarious cameo comes into play with the adult tiger, sitting in their penthouse suite on the Vegas strip that belongs to legendary boxing champion Mike Tyson. Iron Mike shows up, knocks out one of them and tells them to bring the tiger back to his house. Tyson is a naturally gifted comedian here, singing Phil Collins, taking part in some of the antics, and even shows up in the sequels.
Gene Hackman in Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein paid tribute to the Universal Monster genre as Mel Brooks directed this musically funny spoof of Frankenstein and his monster. The hilarious cameo appears with the serious actor Gene Hackman, who plays a blind man that invites the monster inside for tea, food, and company.
RELATED: The 10 Funniest Moments in Mel Brooks Movies, Ranked
Hackman can't see a thing and ends up inadvertently hurting the monster, leaving him a lonely blind man once again. Hackman didn't usually go the comedy route, but when he did, he got a gold star.
Gilbert Gottfried in Beverly Hills Cop II
The funniest cameo in cinema happened in an action-comedy sequel from 1987 called Beverly Hills Cop II. It had Eddie Murphy in the role of detective Axel Foley in Beverly Hills again investigating the shooting of his police chief friend. Hot on the case, Axel pays an unannounced visit to the bad guy's accountant, who is the iconic comedian Gilbert Gottfried playing a version of himself named Sidney Bernstein. The comedy improv between Murphy and Gottfried is one of the funniest things to ever be filmed in this short, but phenomenal cameo about parking tickets and bribes.