We’ve become used to seeing famous faces appear in films they’re not starring in for a fleeting moment.

The celebrity cameo has become an in-joke or Easter egg for fans – or maybe just a chance for a star to appear in something they love.

But what about when non-actors are given the chance to appear on screen?

BBC Bitesize explores some of the least likely cameos in film and TV history.

Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer in Deadpool & Wolverine

The story of Wrexham’s assent through the English Football League is the stuff of a scriptwriter’s dream.

The North Wales side was taken over by Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac in 2021. Since they, they've had back-to-back-to-back promotions while chasing a fourth. Even a film studio might have thought their recent success was a little far-fetched to believe.

Every moment of their journey has been captured for a documentary, making global stars of the players, club staff and supporters. But for two of the players, Welcome to Wrexham isn’t their only appearance on a Disney production.

Strikers Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer both made non-speaking cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, joining the cast of Deadpool & Wolverine.

Palmer appeared in a bar scene while Mullin donned an iconic red Deadpool suit to play the Cymru version of the antihero known as Welshpool.

Spare a thought for one of the club’s actual owners though. While Reynolds – who plays the actual Deadpool – was obviously on screen alongside his star strikers, co-owner Mac ended up on the cutting room floor as his cameo was axed.

Donald Trump in Home Alone 2

There’s a long list of actors who turned politician in the United States.

Arnold Schwarzenegger became Governor of California, Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel, California and Ronald Reagan – the 40th President of the United States – was a Hollywood actor long before he entered the Oval Office.

But it’s another US President who is responsible for perhaps the most notorious cameo by a non-actor in history.

Donald Trump’s seven second appearance in Home Alone 2 sees the businessman give directions to Kevin McAllister in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel in New York.

The hotel was owned by Trump – and the film’s director Chris Columbus has said Trump insisted on appearing in the film in exchange for using the Plaza.

However, the 45th and 47th US President Trump tells a different story, claiming that the filmmakers begged him to appear against his initial wishes.

The cameo made headlines in 2019 when it was revealed that Trump’s brief scene was axed from a Canadian television edit of the film – but the channel confirmed the scene had been cut several years before Trump came into office, alongside around eight minutes of other footage.

Tony Blair in The Simpsons

While President Trump hit the big screen in Home Alone 2, it was the small screen for then Prime Minister Tony Blair.

But unlike the president, Blair made his appearance on The Simpsons while in office.

Blair cameos as himself in an episode where the Simpson family visit London. Homer naturally mistakes the prime minister for Mr Bean.

His appearance followed months of negotiations between show producers, the US television network Fox and Downing Street. Blair insisted he would only appear if he could promote British tourism within his lines – which his animated version does as soon as the Simpsons get off the plane, assisted by a jet pack to allow him to traverse the airport with ease.

His lines were actually recorded in Downing Street with producers granted a short period of time to capture them. Blair remains the only head of government to appear as themselves in the show’s long history.

David Beckham in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

If you weren’t aware that David Beckham appeared in the 2017 film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, you’re not alone.

The former Manchester United and England player only appears on screen for two minutes, is wearing prosthetics to hide his recognisable looks – and of course, barely anyone actually watched the film in cinemas to spot him in the first place.

Beckham got the part of Trigger, a guard who oversees prisoners attempts to pull Excalibur from the stone – a role he secured through his long-term friendship with the film’s director Guy Ritchie.

The film flopped at the box office making an overall loss, and as a result, plans for sequels were canned – but the movie went on to be popular once it hit streaming services.

It’s not the only time that Beckham has tried his hand at acting. Ritchie also gave Beckham a small part as a Russian cinema projectionist in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in 2015. He also cameo’d in football films Goal! and Goal II as himself and appeared in an episode of Modern Family as well as multiple adverts.

This article was published in March 2026