FTA-TV Writers With Guest/Extra Roles in their TV Shows

[emuboy]

Some creators/writers also star in their own TV shows. For example the 1980s comedy 'The Young Ones' was written by Rik Mayall, Ben Elton and Lise Meyer. Mayall starred in the show as Rick, but Elton and Meyer had occasional small guest roles. For example Elton appeared as a presenter on an awful TV show Rick and Neil are watching and as one of the snobby students from a rich university on "University Challenge", while Lise Meyer played one of the girls at a party in the 'Interesting' episode.

Colin Dexter, the creator of the popular 'Inspector Morse' TV series would appear in a non-speaking role in most episodes, such as a passing policeman at the station or a witness being interviewed after a crime. Seinfeld was the creation of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, and Larry David would make guest appearances in episodes playing a variety of roles such as a taxi driver.

One of the more memorable was Arthur Matthews, one of the creators and writers of 1990s Irish sitcom 'Father Ted'. Matthews played a couple of bit parts in his own show, often as an extra priest, but in one episode Father Ted is relaxing at a picnic sight when this dreadful man and his equally obnoxious wife turn up, shouting and swearing and carrying on about him being in their spot, despite the area being close to deserted. The man then summons the ranger by standing there and shouting 'Hey, hey, hey!' at the top of his voice, and even when Father Ted gives up and goes home the still furious man calls him a 'pedrophile'. The angry man was played by Arthur Matthews.

Which other TV shows or movies have you seen where the writer/creator makes a small appearance either in a speaking or non-speaking role?

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Tom Gleisner was the photo copier repairman in Frontline

 

[RolandF1]

Simpsons writers sometimes showed up in their drawn caricatures including John Swartzwelder.

 

[Lethality]

David Chase made very small appearances on The Sopranos, as an extra or a voice. This is probably his biggest part, in "Commendatori" as a disapproving Italian man.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Larry David was the man in a cape in Seinfeld (Frank Costanza's lawyer)

 

[BEaston]

Larry David was the man in a cape in Seinfeld (Frank Costanza's lawyer)

also steinbrenner

 

[Blue Arrow]

Stephen King is the king of this.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Irish sitcom 'Father Ted'

British. Made for Channel 4.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Pretty sure Bill Lawrence was in Scrubs a few times, including the finale as JD walks out of the hospital.

 

[raskolnikov]

Alfred Hitchcock makes an appearance in 40 of his 52 movies.

 

[RolandF1]

Alfred Hitchcock makes an appearance in 40 of his 52 movies.

I thought about mentioning him but then realised he's not the credited writer for most of his later, and famous, work.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Kurt Sutter who was a writer of the Shield played a feet loving Armenian hit man in the third season of the show.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

I recall David Simon (creator of The Wire) making a cameo as a reporter at some point during the series. Bill Zorzi was also a writer for The Wire (as well as a journalist) who played a fictionalised version of himself in season 5 (and popped up in one or two cameos in earlier seasons).

Not necessarily writers, but The Wire has a few interesting cast choices like that. The Deacon is played by former Baltimore drug kingpin Melvin Williams. Homicide detective Ed Norris is played by a former (corrupt) Baltimore police commissioner of the same name. Homicide sergeant Jay Landsman was based on a real police detective of the same name and in The Wire, the 'real' Jay Landsman played a lieutenant, Dennis Mello. I can't find the actor or character's name but when Mayor Royce and his advisers are discussing how to close down the free drug trade zone and perhaps the potential of quietly keeping it open, someone says to the mayor that if they keep it open "Pretty soon, you'll be the most dangerous man in America". That character was actually played by a politician who had advocated for designated free drug zones to lower violent crime and had been labelled 'the most dangerous man in America'. And so on, and so on.

As for Larry David/Seinfeld, I believe he also had a cameo (voice only) as a suicidal Newman in an early episode, as well as a vendor who doesn't accept George's defaced dollar notes in the episode where Lloyd Braun is recovering from his nervous breakdown.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

I recall David Simon (creator of The Wire) making a cameo as a reporter at some point during the series. Bill Zorzi was also a writer for The Wire (as well as a journalist) who played a fictionalised version of himself in season 5 (and popped up in one or two cameos in earlier seasons).

Not necessarily writers, but The Wire has a few interesting cast choices like that. The Deacon is played by former Baltimore drug kingpin Melvin Williams. Homicide detective Ed Norris is played by a former (corrupt) Baltimore police commissioner of the same name. Homicide sergeant Jay Landsman was based on a real police detective of the same name and in The Wire, the 'real' Jay Landsman played a lieutenant, Dennis Mello. I can't find the actor or character's name but when tha mayor and his advisers are discussing how to close down the free drug trade zone and perhaps the potential of quietly keeping it open, someone says to the mayor that if they keep it open "Pretty soon, you'll be the most dangerous man in America". That character was actually played by a politician who had advocated for designated free drug zones to lower violent crime and had been labelled 'the most dangerous man in America'. And so on, and so on.

As for Larry David/Seinfeld, I believe he also had a cameo (voice only) as a suicidal Newman in an early episode, as well as a vendor who doesn't accept George's defaced dollar notes in the episode where Lloyd Braun is recovering from his nervous breakdown.

Felicia Pearson aka Snoop was a convicted murderer too.