Warning: contains major spoilers for the included films on this list.
A beloved staple of popular culture, thebestsci-fimoviesof all time have featured some of cinema’s most prominent and acclaimed actors. The genre has featured the work of some of the most successful performers of all time, from legends of the screen like Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver to modern sci-fi icons in the vein of Zoe Saldaña and Pedro Pascal. However, the genre also plays host to a number of cameos featuring major actors that many fans may have forgotten or missed altogether, given the fleeting nature of their appearance.
Whether it takes the form of an uncredited blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo or a supporting character who is swiftly relegated to little more than a footnote, a number of science fiction’s foremost outings feature some of Hollywood’s more famous faces in exceedingly minor roles. From movies that effortlesslyblend horror and sci-fito the bestR-rated futuristicgenre offerings, cinema features a veritable laundry list ofmajor actors that many viewers will have forgotten were in sci-fi movies.
Prometheus
Cast
Prometheus, released in 2012, is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. It follows a team of explorers as they uncover clues about humanity’s origins, embarking on a perilous interstellar expedition where they confront formidable challenges to secure the future of mankind.
An accomplished character actor with an instantly recognizable voice, Sean Harris is best known to mainstream audiences for his role as Solomon Lane in theMission: Impossiblemovies. Renowned for his work in prominent historical dramas likeThe King,Macbeth, andThe Green Knight, the Englishman also features in Ridley Scott’sAlienfranchise, playing a minor role in prequel outingPrometheus.
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Harris plays Fifield in the 2012 sci-fi horror movie, a temperamental geologist brought along on the mission to obtain rock samples from the Engineers' purported home world. Boasting a red mohawk haircut to complement an array of futuristic facial tattoos,Harris is virtually unrecognizable in his role as Fifield. It’s a state of affairs that decidedly doesn’t improve after his character is duly infected, turned into a feral monstrosity, and incinerated with a flamethrower.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
A prequel and reboot to the Planet of the Apes franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes stars James Franco as pharmaceutical chemist Will Rodman. While working with apes, Rodman befriends Caesar (Andy Serkis), a particularly intelligent chimpanzee. Not all humans are as gentle with the apes as Rodman, however, and Caesar is destined to start the line of super-intelligent apes that will one day inherit the Earth.
A reboot of thePlanet of the Apesmovie series, 2011’sRise of the Planet of the Apessought to modernize the franchise by depicting the origins of Andy Serkis' Caesar, a genetically enhanced chimpanzee who eventually goes on to lead an ape uprising against humanity. Featuring James Franco in the leading role, the film also boasts an unlikely cameo appearance from one of the stars of the wildly popularHarry Potterfranchise.
Landon’s surname is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the astronaut of the same name from 1968’s original outing,Planet of the Apes.
Tom Felton, the man charged with bringing the live action depiction of Draco Malfoy to life, appears in the movie as Dodge Landon. Much like his wizarding counterpart, Felton’s dramatic charge isn’t any more pleasant this time around;the Englishman’s character is a sadistic caretaker who amuses himself by cruelly abusing the animals he is responsible for. Landon meets his end at Caesar’s hands after he is electrocuted trying to prevent the chimp’s escape.
Blade Runner 2049
Set thirty years after the original film, Blade Runner 2049 is a sci-fi neo-noir film by the director of Dune, Denis Villeneuve. The film follows LAPD replicant officer K, who discovers a devastating secret that could throw society into total chaos. To stop a potential war between replicants and humans, he’ll need to locate missing former blade runner Rick Deckard and uncover the truth.
Introducing the Somali-American performer to a global audience, Barkhad Abdi’s Academy Award nominated bow as the pirate Abduwali Muse in 2013’s biographical action dramaCaptain Phillipsserved as the actor’s breakout role. Propelled into the mainstream by his superb performance, Abdi went from a completely unknown commodity to an instantly recognizable Hollywood face virtually overnight.
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Blade Runner 2049(2017)
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The actor’s celebrated work inCaptain Phillipsled to a number of roles in standout Hollywood offerings, including a brief appearance in the acclaimedBlade Runnersequel, 2017’ssci-fi masterpieceBlade Runner 2049. Abdi can be seen fleetingly in an electric cameo as Doc Badger,a black-market pawn shop operator who can allegedly obtain anything for the right price. Ryan Gosling’s K encounters Badger while attempting to analyze the origins of a mysterious wooden horse.
Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two continues the epic saga of Paul Atreides as he allies with Chani and the Fremen. Pursuing retribution for his family’s devastation, Paul grapples with a significant decision impacting his personal desires and the universe’s future, attempting to avert a dire destiny that only he anticipates.
Instantly marking herself out as a name to watch with a mesmerizing turn in Robert Eggers' 2015 folk horror outingThe Witch, Anya Taylor-Joy has swiftly become one of Hollywood’s most prominent and sought after young performers. Still only just twenty-eight, the actress is best known for her acclaimed bow as chess prodigy Beth Harmon in Netflix’s 2020 miniseriesThe Queen’s Gambit, in addition to her lauded performances in the likes ofEmma,The Menu, andFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Apparently unsatisfied with her lengthy and enviable list of credits, the British-American Emmy nominee also boasts an uncredited cameo appearance in 2024’s smash hitDune: Part Two.Taylor-Joy appears as Alia Atreides,the unborn sister to Timothée Chalamet’s lead protagonist Paul,and a significant character who goes on to play a prominent role inDune’s future canon.
Inception
Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, features a skilled thief who uses dream-sharing technology to steal corporate secrets. He is tasked with planting an idea into a CEO’s mind, while confronting his troubled past, which threatens the mission and his team.
Best known for his Oscar-nominated bow in 1986’sPlatoon, actor Tom Berenger is renowned for breathing life into one of thebest war movie villainsof all time in the terrifying Sergeant Robert “Bob” Barnes. While Berenger is also known for his work in the likes ofTraining Dayand theSniperfranchise, the American’s acclaimed work in Oliver Stone’s seminal war offering remains his most celebrated and widely recognized role to this day.
Berenger plays Peter Browning in Christopher Nolan’sInception, a father figure to Cillian Murphy’s Robert Fischer who is used as a patsy by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dom Cobb to gain the billionaire’s trust.
WhilePlatoonmay be the film that Berenger finds his name inextricably linked with, the actor also features in a minor role in one of the finest sci-fi movies of all time. Berenger plays Peter Browning in Christopher Nolan’sInception,a father figure to Cillian Murphy’s Robert Fischerwho is used as a patsy by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dom Cobb in an effort to gain the billionaire’s trust.
Alien: Covenant
Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott, follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant as they discover an uncharted planet. Initially seeming like a paradise, the planet soon reveals dark secrets. Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, and Billy Crudup lead the cast in this science fiction horror film, which serves as a direct sequel to Prometheus and continues to explore the origins of the Alien species.
While James Franco has somewhat faded from the public eye following a string of disturbing controversies and allegations, the127 Hoursstar remains one of Hollywood’s most famous and instantly recognizable faces. The Academy Award-nominated actor usually receives top billing in the majority of his roles, meaning that a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in one of cinema’s most storied sci-fi franchises often goes overlooked.
Franco features briefly in 2017’sAlien: Covenant, the follow-up outing to 2012’sPrometheusand the second film in Ridley Scott’sAlienmovie prequel series. Franco plays Jacob"Jake"Branson,the Covenant’s original captain and partner to Katherine Waterson’s lead protagonist, Daniels. Branson tragically perishes in a fiery blaze during the film’s opening sequences after his pod malfunctions during a solar burst. Franco can also be seen as Branson in a short promotional prologue released in the lead-up to the film’s debut.
Predators
The third movie in the Predator franchise, Predators follows a group of humans who find themselves stranded in a mysterious jungle and hunted by a powerful race of technologically-advanced aliens. Mercenary Royce (Adrien Brody) is a former member of a Special Ops unit, and he finds himself leading the group through the jungle and protecting them from the Predators hunting them. Lawrence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, Walton Goggins, and Alice Braga all star alongside Brody in supporting roles.
The firstmovie in thePredatorfranchiseto take the action off world, 2010’sPredatorsplays host to an enviable ensemble cast tasked with bringing the movie’s rag-tag group of elite soldiers, mercenaries, and general savages to life. Starring Adrien Brody in the leading role, the film’s cast also features the big-name likes of Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne, and Danny Trejo.
Ali will star in the next installment of theJurassic Parkfranchise,Jurassic World: Rebirth.
In addition to arguably being the most underrated film in thePredatorfranchise,Predatorsalso happens to boast a cameo from a multiple Academy Award-winning actor during the story’s early stages.MoonlightandGreen Bookstar Mahershela Ali plays the minor role of Mombasa,a Revolutionary United Front death squad soldier from Sierra Leonewho features briefly before being brutally killed during the group’s first confrontation with the Predators in the movie’s early goings.
Back to the Future Part II
Taking up where the first movie left off, Back to the Future Part II sees Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel to the year 2015, where their efforts to fix the future end up causing even bigger problems as Biff Tannen wreaks havoc across the timeline with the help of a stolen sports almanac. Martin J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd return in Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s second installment of their iconic trilogy.
The follow up to 1985’s seminal sci-fi offeringBack to the Future, 1989’sfeel-good sci-fi outingBack to the Future Part IIis widely regarded as one of the finest sequels ever made. Chronicling Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett"Doc"Brown’s attempts to undo the damage done to the timeline by the oafish Biff Tannen, the second film in the trilogy introduced new faces to the franchise in the vein of Elisabeth Shue and Jeffrey Weisman.
Back to the Future(1985)
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Back to the Future Part III(1990)
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Back to the Future Part IIalso features a cameo from an eight-year-old actor making his first career film appearance. The young actor would go on to have a starring role in another one of cinema’s most successful and celebrated film trilogies with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings. Elijah Wood, the man tasked with bringing the hobbit Frodo Baggins to life, playsone of the young boys that Marty encounters playing video games in the dinerwhen he travels to 2015.
Life
A six-member crew is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life.
Hiroyuki Sanada found himself the toast of the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards following his lauded bow as Yoshii Toronaga, the titular character of FX’s critically acclaimed historical dramaShōgun. A character actor credited with a diverse range of roles across different genres,Sanada’s best moviesinclude bows in the blockbuster likes ofThe Wolverine,Army of the Dead, andBullet Train.
The actor plays Sho Murakami, a systems engineer aboard the International Space Station, with Sanada forming part of an ensemble cast that boasts the big-name likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds.
The Japanese thespian’s extensive filmography also features a fleeting appearance in 2017’s sci-fi horrorLife.The actor plays Sho Murakami,a systems engineer aboard the International Space Station, with Sanada forming part of an ensemble cast that boasts the big-name likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds. Remarkably,Lifeisn’t Sanada’s only obscure sci-fi appearance, with the actor also featuring in a supporting role in Danny Boyle’s 2007 offering,Sunshine.
Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation is set in post-apocalyptic 2018, where John Connor leads the human resistance against powerful machines. The arrival of Marcus Wright introduces uncertainty, as Connor seeks to uncover Wright’s origins—be it future or past—and establish if he is an ally or enemy.
Renowned for her film collaborations with her former husband, Tim Burton, Academy Award-nominated actress Helena Bonham Carter is one of cinema’s most instantly recognizable faces. As well as her frequentappearances in Burton movies, the English film star has featured in some of the most acclaimed and celebrated films in recent memory, with prominent roles in the likes ofFight Club,The King’s Speech, and theHarry Potterfranchise.
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Bonham Carter’s lengthy list of credits even includes the storiedTerminatorfranchise, with the actress playinga minor role in 2009’sTerminator Salvation. TheLes Misérablesstar plays Serena Kogan, a terminally ill doctor who persuades Sam Worthington’s Marcus Wright to sign over his body for medical research following his execution during the movie’s opening scenes. Bonham Carter’s charge also appears during the film’s climactic sequences, with the Skynet computer using Kogan’s likeness to communicate with Wright.
