When George Lucas created Star Wars in the ‘70s, he couldn’t have known the effect it would have on pop culture. More than 40 years after the release of the original movies, Star Wars has continued to impact pop culture, and Star Wars is literally everywhere.
Whether it’s the movies, TV shows, books, or video games, Star Wars is often at the center of attention. Even those who aren’t a fan of Star Wars likely have trouble avoiding the series due to Disney’s marketing for the next movie and the way they can slap a Star Wars label on anything. Though there are certainly people who don’t like the Star Wars films, or even consider themselves more of a Star Trek fan, it’s rare to find someone who hasn’t even heard of the movies.
One of the many reasons for Star Wars’ success is because of the actors behind the iconic roles. Not all of the cast members have enjoyed their time in a galaxy far, far away, but many times people love the experience. Some famous actors even want to be in a Star Wars movie even if it’s just in a small cameo role. Now that Star Wars has become more popular than its ever been before, the newer movies have more of these cameo roles as compared to the original trilogy.
Some of these cameos were pulled off more seamlessly than others, but even the strangest cameos have made this list.
Here is Every Star Wars Cameo, Officially Ranked.
30. Justin Theroux In The Last Jedi
Justin Theroux has been in the acting business since the mid-'90s. Throughout his career, he has been in some notable titles such as American Psycho, The Girl on the Train, and Netflix’s recent mini-series called Maniac.
Theroux also made a brief appearance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi as the character named Master Codebreaker.
He can be seen when Rose and Finn go on their mission for the Resistance and end up at a casino. Theroux was only in the movie for a few seconds and had a pretty random role, which is why he’s ranked lower on this list.
29. Joel Edgerton In Attack Of The Clones
Joel Edgerton may be a veteran actor today, but back in 2002, he was still at the early stage of his acting career. Edgerton was cast in the 2002 movie Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones, as well as the third film in the prequel trilogy, Episode III- Revenge of the Sith.
Edgerton plays the role of young Owen Lars. As most Star Wars fans are aware, Owen is the uncle of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, which was played by Phil Brown in 1977.
28. Robert Watts In Return Of The Jedi
While the sequel trilogy has been full of celebrity cameos, the original trilogy also had a few as well. Robert Watts played Lieutenant Watts in Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi. While Watts may not be considered an A-lister, he had a hand in crafting the original trilogy as well as a role as an AT-ST driver in Return of the Jedi.
Watts was the production manager on A New Hope, an associate producer on The Empire Strikes Back, and co-producer on Return of the Jedi. He is also the half-brother of actor Jeremy Bulloch, who played Boba Fett.
27. Treat Williams In The Empire Strikes Back
Even though he was uncredited, actor Treat Williams can be seen in The Empire Strikes Back. Williams was a big Hollywood star in the ‘80s, especially after the success of the movie Hair.
Rumor has it that Williams visited the set of The Empire Strikes Back at Elstree Studios to see Carrie Fisher and ended up playing an extra for one of the scenes on Hoth.
He played an Echo Base Trooper in the movie, but he became friends with Harrison Ford and posed for some memorable photos with Fisher behind the scenes.
26. Tom Hardy In The Last Jedi
Tom Hardy had many hits prior to snagging a role in The Last Jedi. He played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and also led the newest entry of the Mad Max series titled Mad Max: Fury Road.
Many actors had cameo roles in The Last Jedi, but some of them were cut from the finished product. Hardy plays the role of a Stormtrooper, but the scene was left on the cutting room floor. In the deleted scene, Hardy can be heard talking to Finn, who is attempting to infiltrate the First Order. With a southern accent, Stormtrooper 926 congratulates Finn on his promotion before slapping him on the behind.
25. George Lucas’ Family In Revenge Of The Sith
People may not love all of George Lucas’ work today, but he is still the creator of Star Wars. This means that when he made the prequels, he could basically include anybody he wanted into the movies. That being said, it makes sense why three of Lucas’ children appeared in Episode III- Revenge of the Sith. Jett Lucas appeared as a Jedi Padawan named Zett Jukassa in Attack of the Clones as well as in Revenge of the Sith.
Amanda Lucas appeared in all three prequels but her role in Revenge of the Sith was given the name Terr Taneel. Katie Lucas also appeared in all three prequels and was given the name Chi Eekway Papanoida in Revenge of the Sith.
24. The Raid Cast In The Force Awakens
Unless viewers were familiar with The Raid movies, they probably didn’t recognize the members of the criminal organization called Kanjiklub. The actors Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, and Cecep Arif Rahman were all apart of the first two The Raid films, which are known for not only the incredible story, but for their impressive martial arts choreography.
The three actors appeared in J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens in the scene where the Rathtar is released on the Millennium Falcon.
The actors didn’t get to show off their martial arts skills, but it was cool to have them included in Star Wars none the less.
23. Rose Byrne In Attack Of The Clones
In 2002, Rose Byrne appeared in Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones. The actress played the small role of Dormé, who was a handmaiden for Senator Padmé Amidala. Rose Byrne has made a name for herself in Hollywood since her Star Wars days.
Since 2002, Byrne has starred in a number of projects including the X-Men series as Moira MacTaggert and the Insidious movies as Renai Lambert. Byrne has become a diverse actress starring in a number of genres including superhero movies, horror films, as well as comedies like Bridesmaids and Get Him to the Greek.
22. Sofia Coppola in The Phantom Menace
There are many great filmmakers in the world apart from George Lucas. Francis Ford Coppola is one of these filmmakers, as he has directed movies like The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now.
While he will always be known as a great filmmaker, his daughter Sofia has also become an incredible filmmaker. Before she started directing, however, she was an actress appearing in various movies, including Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace. Coppola may have a small role in the film, but she plays one of Padmé’s handmaidens named Saché.
21. Nathan Hamill In The Phantom Menace
While most Star Wars fans know who Mark Hamill is, not very many people know who Nathan Hamill is. Nathan is the son of Mark, though he hasn’t worked on very many movies in his life. He has dabbled in the writing, music, and art departments for movies, but nothing really stuck for him. That being said, Nathan did appear in The Phantom Menace.
Hamill appeared as a Pod Race spectator, as well as a Naboo Palace guard.
He also had a cameo in The Last Jedi as Saile Minnau alongside his brother Griffin and sister Chelsea.
20. Joseph Gordon Levitt In The Last Jedi
One of the many actors who was given a cameo in The Last Jedi happened to be Joseph Gordon Levitt. While some cameos in the movie were thrown in randomly, Levitt’s had a purpose.
Joseph Gordon Levitt had appeared in all of Rian Johnson’s movies prior to The Last Jedi, so even though the movie didn’t really have a big role for the actor, the director still snuck in a cameo appearance. Levitt appears as the character Slowen Lo, which also doubles as another Beastie Boys reference for the sequel trilogy.
19. Billie Lourd In The Force Awakens
One of the original Star Wars actresses who returned for the sequel trilogy was none other than the great Carrie Fisher. Fisher, of course, played Princess Leia Organa in the original trilogy as well as in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Despite her passing away at the end of 2016, she is also said to have a role in Episode IX.
While the world may have lost a great actress in 2016, her daughter Billie Lourd acted alongside her in Fisher's last appearance as Princess Leia. Lourd began her acting career in The Force Awakens as Lieutenant Connix and reprised the role for The Last Jedi.
18. Daniel Craig In The Force Awakens
While Daniel Craig has been acting since the ‘90s, he didn’t become known for a role until 2006 when he began playing James Bond. Even though his career has been filled up lately in the world of 007, he has made time to star in other movies such as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Logan Lucky.
Not very many fans caught it the first time watching The Force Awakens, but Craig actually appeared as a Stormtrooper in the movie.
He appeared as the Stormtrooper who Rey tests her Jedi mind-tricks on. He then takes her restraints off and drops his blaster.
17. Richard Marquand In Return Of The Jedi
It shouldn’t come as no surprise that many directors appear in cameo roles in the movies they direct. Since they have put so much effort into making a movie, it's only fair that they should be given a little role so that they can appear up on the big screen among the other actors.
This happened with Richard Marquand in Return of the Jedi. He appeared as an AT-ST driver alongside co-worker Robert Watts. It may have been a small role, but it’s a meaningful cameo since he is the director of the final film of the original trilogy.
16. John Ratzenberger In The Empire Strikes Back
John Ratzenberger may not be known for his Star Wars career, but the actor still appeared in The Empire Strikes Back. Today, Ratzenberger is mostly known for voicing characters in several Disney and Pixar movies.
The actor has a long list of acting credits going all the way back to 1977, but in 1980, Ratzenberger appeared in Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back as Rebel Force Major Derlin. Ratzenberger appeared in a few scenes of the movie, but only received a few lines. Ratzenberger wasn’t quite known for his voice talent yet, so his small cameo makes sense.
15. William And Harry In The Last Jedi
Whether it be famous actors, directors, or even a director’s children, Star Wars movies are the home of many cameos. That being said, not very many actors in the movies are considered are as famous as these two. William and Harry filmed scenes for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
William and Harry appear as Stormtroopers in a scene with Tom Hardy.
Even though the the scene was filmed, it ultimately didn’t make it into the final movie. People who picked up the Blu-ray for The Last Jedi can see the clip in the deleted scenes.
14. Edgar Wright In The Last Jedi
Director Edgar Wright might not have a long list of acting credits under his belt, but he did appear in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The director’s appearance came in the small role of a Resistance Trooper. Wright has cameoed in some of the movies that he has directed, but The Last Jedi is arguably the biggest movie that he has appeared in.
Wright has directed movies like Shaun of the Dead, The World’s End, and Baby Driver. While several cameos were cut from the final product, Edgar Wright’s managed to make it into the movie.
13. Gareth Edwards In The Last Jedi
The name Gareth Edwards might sound familiar for a couple of reasons. Edwards started his career in the film industry in visual effects, but his last visual effects credit was in 2010 for the movie Monsters, which he also directed.
Today, Edwards seems to be mostly focused on his directing career. He previously directed Godzilla as well as the first Star Wars spinoff movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Edwards gave himself a cameo in Rogue One, but Rian Johnson also gave him a cameo in The Last Jedi as a Resistance trench soldier.
12. Simon Pegg In The Force Awakens
Star Wars has an incredibly wide fan base. While many fans collect different types of Star Wars memorabilia, not very many people have the opportunity to act in one of the movies. Simon Pegg is one of the lucky few who grew up with Star Wars and then got the opportunity to act in the first movie of the sequel trilogy.
While there is no way of recognizing him, Pegg plays the role of Unkar Plutt- the junk boss on Jakkuu.
There may be layers upon layers of prosthetics on Pegg, but he still gets to say he got a role in The Force Awakens.
11. Clint Howard In Solo: A Star Wars Story
Solo: A Star Wars Story seemed to be having troubles from the get-go. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were originally hired as a directing duo to helm the second Star Wars story, but they were then replaced by Ron Howard. Howard is said to have reshot a lot of the movie, but that meant that he was able to give his brother a cameo role.
Clint has had several roles in his brother Ron’s movies and Solo was no exception. Clint plays the role of Ralakili, who was in charge of the droid fighting pits on Vandor.
10. Rian Johnson In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rian Johnson might have given Gareth Edwards a cameo in The Last Jedi, but Edwards gave Johnson a cameo first.
In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Rian Johnson and his assistant both got small roles as Death Star cannon operators. The cannon operators have become iconic Star Wars images, especially since they played a role in A New Hope. With Johnson having been announced to direct the next main Star Wars movie at the time, it only seemed natural to give him a cameo for the first Star Wars story.
9. *NSYNC In Attack Of The Clones
Star Wars fans aren’t generally fond of George Lucas’ prequels, but the second movie almost featured a cameo that would have irritated people even more. That’s right, the boy band *NSYNC almost had a cameo in Attack of the Clones.
Lance Bass and Justin Timberlake were apparently too tired from touring to film scenes, but Joey Fatone, his brother Steven, and the rest of the band dressed up as Jedi Knights and filmed two scenes.
The scenes ultimately didn’t make the final cut, but some people claim that they can spot members of the boy band fighting droids in the Battle on Geonosis.
8. Warwick Davis In The Phantom Menace
Warwick Davis’ first ever acting role was in Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi. Davis played the role of Wicket, the cute Ewok scout who befriends Princess Leia on Endor. When George Lucas made The Phantom Menace in 1999, Davis was brought back for a cameo role. In fact, Davis didn’t just get one cameo, but three.
He played Wald, one of Anakin’s playmates who is a Rodian like Greedo, a Pod Race spectator, as well as a Mos Espa citizen. While Lucas only gave him cameos in The Phantom Menace, he gave Davis enough in one movie to make up for not including him in the two sequels.
7. Jeremy Bulloch In Revenge Of The Sith
Jeremy Bulloch may not be recognizable to all Star Wars fans, but that’s because his face was usually covered up by a helmet in the original trilogy.
Bulloch played the iconic role of Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. While Boba Fett was played by a much younger actor in Attack of the Clones, Bulloch returned to Star Wars for Episode III- Revenge of the Sith. Bulloch didn’t reprise his famous role, but instead played a character named Captain Colton who piloted the Tantive III.
6. Kevin Smith In The Force Awakens
There’s no denying that Kevin Smith is a huge geek when it comes to superheroes and Star Wars. He isn’t shy to make his opinions known about the new movies and he even got a chance to be in Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens.
Like many other celebrity cameos, his role is hard to spot, but Smith voices a Stormtrooper.
Smith voices the Stormtrooper that says the line, “We have incoming at 28.6! Move!” when the battle on Takodana begins. It’s a small role, but must have been a cool moment for Smith none the less.
5. Anthony Daniels In Solo: A Star Wars Story
Anthony Daniels is most known for playing the lovable golden droid named C-3PO. C-3PO is one of the few characters to make appearances in all three of the original films as well as all three of the prequels.
C-3PO also returned for both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi as well as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While there wasn’t a C-3PO cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Daniels still had a role. Daniels didn’t play a Wookie, which was originally reported, but instead a con artist servant named Tak.
4. Joe Johnston In A New Hope
Some people are known for doubling as actors and directors, but Joe Johnston has primarily made a living from directing. Johnston has directed movies like Jumanji, Jurassic Park III, and Captain America: The First Avenger, but he also made a small appearance in A New Hope. Before he began his directing career, he was a Death Star Trooper.
Johnston would later change sides for The Empire Strikes Back, as he became a Hoth rebel named Captain Shawn Valdez. Johnston didn’t continue acting, but it’s crazy that a director this popular made his debut in Star Wars.
3. Ralph McQuarrie In The Empire Strikes Back
Some people may not know who Ralph McQuarrie is, but he was crucial to the development of the original trilogy. McQuarrie worked on the original Star Wars movies as a conceptual designer and illustrator and his work is simply stunning.
In The Empire Strikes Back, the illustrator can be seen quickly walking behind two people on Hoth, carrying what appears to be a sketchbook.
While he may have a blink and you’ll miss it role, his cameo is important. After all, without his artwork, Star Wars could have looked very different.
2. George Lucas In Revenge of the Sith
Even though the world of Star Wars has continued without George Lucas, the world will never forget how influential Lucas has been to the franchise. After all, there wouldn’t be anything Star Wars related if he wouldn’t have created the first move back in 1977.
While the director didn’t cameo in the first five Star Wars movies, he decided to give himself a cameo appearance in Revenge of the Sith. His character’s name was Baron Notluwiski Papanoida and he was a statesman and playwright. His character can be seen talking with Chi Eekway, played by his daughter, right before Anakin enters Palpatine’s private box at the Galaxies Opera House.
1. Gary The Dog In The Last Jedi
While all of the cameos on this list have been human, the greatest of them all turns out to be Carrie Fisher’s four-legged friend. Fisher adopted Gary in 2012 to help with her bipolar disorder, and the pair seemed to be the best of friends until Fisher’s passing in 2016.
Gary would often go to interviews with Fisher and he even got to act in the same movie as his mom. Gary made an appearance in The Last Jedi when Finn and Rose are having a conversation inside the casino. A space creature can be seen holding what appears to be a space dog, which is actually Gary.
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Are there any Star Wars cameos we missed? Let us know in the comments!