Top 10 Friends Celebrity Guest Stars

Top 10 Friends Celebrity Guest Stars

Also in:

Top 10 Celebrity Friends

Could these stars be any funnier? Join MsMojo as we count down our picks for the Top 10 Friends Celebrity Guest Stars. For this list, we’re taking a look at those standout performances by famous actors in the American sitcom that left us pleasantly surprised when they stepped out of their comfort zones. We have to draw the line somewhere, so we won’t be including actors whose characters appeared in more than 3 episodes, so sorry to those of you who are fans of people like Jon Favreau, Tom Selleck, and Paul Rudd.

#10: Ben Stiller as Tommy

Also in:

Top 10 Child Stars Who Died Too Soon

Soon after Ross and Rachel break up - and break our hearts! - Rachel brings Tommy to Joey's play. On the surface, things seem well, but in reality, Tommy’s got a real and not so secret rage that only Ross can see – at first. Eventually though, Ross is proven right when Tommy loses his mind on some unsuspecting victims. Stiller is no stranger to comedy, and his ability to take his energy from zero to 100 and back down again with only Ross as a witness is just what we like to see. All we know is that no one can yell like Ben Stiller.

We knew “Friends” was a heavy hitter when only midway through its second season, it aired a two-parter episode that featured not just one, but six guest stars and scored 52.9 million viewers. While Brooke Shields and Jean-Claude Van Damme do bring the laughs- to say nothing of Chris Isaak, Fred Willard, and Dan Castellaneta- the standout for us is Julia Roberts. She plays Susie Moss, a girl from Chandler’s past who ends up playing a part in his present. Roberts was dating “Friends” star Matthew Perry when this episode was filmed, and their chemistry was visibly electric.

Chandler Bing is a complex fellow, and he comes from a broken home thanks in part to his dad’s affair with the pool boy. Well, that sounds like a character we’d love to meet, and the brilliant minds behind “Friends” nailed the casting. In the role of the senior Bing is the sultry-voiced Kathleen Turner, who picks up on her real-life status as a gay icon to play Chandler’s drag queen dad. We can certainly see where the younger Bing gets his wonderful singing voice. We're not sure what’s better: that Charles Bing’s stage name is Helena Handbasket, that her burlesque show is called Viva Las Gay-gas or that Chandler still calls Turner “dad”.

For “The One in Massapequa,” “Friends” brought in a native… Massapequan, Alec Baldwin to portray Parker, Phoebe’s annoyingly positive boyfriend. Parker is one of those people who can see the silver lining in a hailstorm, but one you might want to lightly… punch in the face. It was really Baldwin’s first chance since “SNL” to show off his comedic chops, and he proved he knew how to time a line perfectly here. His signature blend of sarcasm is traded in for a sincerity that only a kid on a sugar rush would have. He’s like Santa Claus on Prozac at Disneyland… getting laid. Now there's a mental picture!

Who’s good at slapping, throwing drinks in people’s faces, and owning a room? Susan Sarandon. In this episode, she portrays legendary “Days of Our Lives” actress Cecilia Monroe, whose character Jessica Lockhart is killed off in order to bring Joey’s Dr. Drake Ramoray out of his coma – thanks to a brain transplant. We totally get why Matt LeBlanc would be nervous about acting alongside a pro like Sarandon, but he definitely rises to the occasion in this supersized episode, in which Cecilia helps bring out his inner Jessica-inside-of-Drake’s body. And guess what: she nabbed an Emmy nomination for her efforts.

If you’re gonna get spit on, it may as well be by someone famous. As questionable as Joey Tribbiani’s acting talents may be, he’s had some impressive co-stars, including greats like Charlton Heston. But perhaps Joey’s best work came next to Shakespearean ac-tor, Richard Crosby, as played by the chameleonic Gary Oldman, who teaches Tribbiani the mark of good actor. Oldman and Matt LeBlanc’s work together here was much more successful than their previous efforts in “Lost in Space” – at least Oldman earned an Emmy nod for “Friends.” It may not be an Academy Award, but it’s something! Well, at least Oldman’s got a sense of humor.

When we met Rachel’s youngest sister Jill back in season 6, we didn’t think there was room for any more personality in her family, but man, were we wrong. Amy – as played by Christina Applegate – is Rachel’s younger, intensely honest sister, and a true Erin Brockovich – at least according to her. Originally, the writers wanted to bring Reese Witherspoon back for another appearance, but when she was unavailable, they turned to longtime sitcom actress Applegate to fill out the Green family tree. The result gave us a character we love to hate, and gave Applegate a Primetime Emmy Award.

Who ya gonna call when your best friend demands a stripper… fast? Danny DeVito, obviously. The second we hear that goofy baritone voice on the other side of that door, we are excited - for all the wrong reasons. Not only did DeVito and his expert comedy chops completely steal the spotlight from a well-established cast, he earned an Emmy nod in the process. Officer Goodbody has got the moves and wears his heart on his tear-away sleeve, so we couldn’t be happier that Phoebe demanded pee-pees flying about at her bachelorette party. “Tainted Love” will never sound the same.

For how much the friends say they love Die Hard, it's all too hilarious to bring in John McClane himself. He’s still a macho man, but his performance is an absolute roller coaster of emotions -- from a neat guy to… Chicken Boy? How'd they pull that off? On the set of The Whole Nine Yards, Willis bet against co-star Matthew Perry that the film wouldn't do too well at the box office. When the film opened at #1, Willis made good with the bet and gave his “Friends” salary to charity. We guess he’ll just have to settle for the Emmy he got. Not half-bad, you love machine. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - Robin Williams as Tomas & Billy Crystal as Tim - Winona Ryder as Melissa Warburton - Freddie Prinze Jr. as Sandy - Greg Kinnear as Dr. Benjamin Hobart - Sean Penn as Eric - George Clooney as Dr. Michael Mitchell & Noah Wyle as Dr. Jeffrey Rosen

When it comes to our top pick, we’ll just let the studio audience do the screaming for us. Brad Pitt’s character Will was Ross’ fat pal in high school, who helped co-found the “I-hate-Rachel” club and started a persistent rumor about his [cheerleading?] nemesis. Pitt was on the show to plug his flick “Spy Game,” but that was overshadowed pretty quickly by his onscreen chemistry with his wife at the time, Jennifer Aniston. His blind hatred of Rachel is definitely worthy of his Emmy nomination, but we do kinda wish we’d gotten to see him don a fat suit in a flashback… We’re with Phoebe on how good he looks though. Do you agree with our list? Who’s your favorite “Friends” celebrity guest star? For more binge-worthy Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.