Quentin Tarantino is best known for his work as a director and writer, but he has also had various acting roles, both in his movies and projects by other directors, and here’s every role and cameo Tarantino has had outside his own movies. Quentin Tarantino’s career as a filmmaker properly began in 1992 with the crime movie Reservoir Dogs, which went on to become a cult movie as well as a classic of independent cinema, opening many doors for him in the film industry.
Reservoir Dogs counted on Tarantino’s acting skills too, although briefly, as his character, Mr. Brown, was killed after the iconic opening scene at a diner. Tarantino’s big break arrived two years later with Pulp Fiction, where he also had a minor role, and he has since explored a variety of genres in his movies, such as martial arts with both Kill Bill movies, western with Django Unchained, and alternate versions of historical events, as he did in Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Tarantino has had a minor role or cameo appearance in each of his movies (except Kill Bill: Volume 2), but his acting roles haven’t been limited to his own works.
Tarantino has had a variety of cameos and roles in different movies, and in some cases, his appearances were subtle or were just voice cameos, so they are very easy to miss, but they all add to his long list of acting credits. Here’s every Quentin Tarantino movie role and cameo outside his own movies.
Eddie Presley (1992) – Asylum Attendant
Quentin Tarantino’s first movie role outside his own projects was in the comedy-drama Eddie Presley. Directed by Jeff Burr, Eddie Presley follows the title character (played by Duane Whitaker), a former successful owner of a chain of pizza restaurants who, against his parents’ wishes, decides to sell his business to follow his dream of becoming an Elvis Presley impersonator. Tarantino has a minor role in Eddie Presley as an asylum attendant alongside Bruce Campbell.
Somebody To Love (1994) – Bartender
Somebody To Love is a romantic drama directed by Alexandre Rockwell and inspired by Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria. It follows Mercedes (Rosie Perez), a taxi dancer who wants to be an actress and is involved with a married man named Harry (Harvey Keitel), who considers himself to be a respected actor. Quentin Tarantino had a cameo role in Somebody To Love as a bartender, and it was his reunion with his Reservoir Dogs stars Keitel and Steve Buscemi.
Sleep With Me (1994) – Sid
Sleep With Me is a comedy-drama directed by Rory Kelly. It follows three friends (Meg Tilly, Eric Stoltz, and Craig Sheffer) who become involved in a love triangle, a relationship complicated by the marriage between two of them. Quentin Tarantino has a minor role as Sid, who expounds on the homoerotic subtext of Top Gun to Todd Field’s character.
Four Rooms (1995) – Chester Rush
Four Rooms is an anthology black comedy movie directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Tarantino, and it’s loosely based on the adult short fiction writings of Roald Dahl. Tarantino directed the segment “The Man From Hollywood” and starred as director Chester Rush, who had a strange challenge going on with his friends.
Desperado (1995) – Pick-Up Guy
It’s no secret that Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino have a close friendship, which has led to them working together on different occasions, one of those in Rodriguez’s neo-Western Desperado. It stars Antonio Banderas as El Mariachi, who is on a revenge mission against the drug lord who killed his lover. Tarantino’s role is a minor one, as he plays a pick-up guy.
Destiny Turns On The Radio (1995) – Johnny Destiny
Destiny Turns on the Radio is a comedy movie directed by Jack Baran. It follows Julian Goddard (Dylan McDermott), a bank robber who escapes from prison and is rescued in the desert by Johnny Destiny (Tarantino), a very bizarre and possibly supernatural character. Together, they get involved in a conflict with mob kingpin Tuerto (James Belushi) and Julian’s girlfriend, Lucille (Nancy Travis).
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) – Richie Gecko
From Dusk Till Dawn is an action horror movie written by Quentin Tarantino but directed by Robert Rodriguez. From Dusk Till Dawn follows brothers Seth (George Clooney) and Richie Gecko (Tarantino) who take a family as hostages in order to cross into México. However, they make a stop at a saloon that turns out to be frequented by vampires, so their mission to get to México changes to surviving the night without being turned into vampires.
Girl 6 (1996) – Director #1
Girl 6 is a comedy-drama directed by Spike Lee. It’s the story of Judy (Theresa Randle), a young, innocent, struggling actress in New York City who becomes a phone sex operator. Tarantino has a cameo role as “Director #1 NY” at the beginning of the movie, and he plays a fictionalized version of himself in a scene where Judy auditions for a role in his new movie, but he turns the audition into a nightmare for her when he asks her to undress.
Little Nicky (2000) – Deacon
Little Nicky is a fantasy comedy movie directed by Steven Brill and starring Adam Sandler. It centers on Nicky (Sandler), the son of Satan (Harvey Keitel), who tries to save his father and prevent his demonic brothers from taking over Earth. Tarantino has a cameo appearance as Deacon, a blind man and religious fanatic who senses Nicky’s ties with the devil and gets involved in all types of accidents when he’s around.
Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) – Piringo
Sukiyaki Western Django is an English-language Japanese Western movie directed by Takashi Miike. Sukiyaki Western Django is set “a few hundred years” after the Genpei War and sees the Genji and Heike gangs facing off in a town named Yuta when a nameless gunman arrives in town to help a prostitute get revenge on the gangs. Tarantino plays Piringo, a man with an important secret.
Planet Terror (2007) – Soldier/Zombie Eating Road Kill
Another collaboration between Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino arrived in 2007 with Planet Terror, Rodriguez’s entry in their Grindhouse project. Planet Terror follows the survivors of a biochemical outbreak as they battle zombie-like creatures and a rogue military unit while also looking for a safe place where they can settle. Tarantino has a cameo appearance as a soldier who attempts to rape Cherry (Rose McGowan), but he’s attacked and killed by Cherry and Dakota (Marley Shelton).
Diary of the Dead (2007) – Newsreader
Diary of the Dead is a horror movie directed by George A. Romero and the fifth entry in his Night of the Living Dead movie series. Diary of the Dead has voice cameos by some of the biggest names in the horror genre, as are Wes Craven, Guillermo del Toro, and Stephen King, along with Simon Pegg and Tarantino, all of them voicing newsreaders.
She’s Funny That Way (2014) – Himself
She’s Funny That Way is a screwball comedy movie directed by Peter Bogdanovich. It follows Arnold (Owen Wilson), a Broadway director who takes a liking for Izzy (Imogen Poots), a call girl, after using her services, but he’s soon involved in a bit of trouble when he casts Izzy next to his wife, Delta (Kathryn Hahn), in a play. Quentin Tarantino has a cameo appearance as himself at the end of the movie, as Izzy’s new love interest.