Top 20 Hidden Celebrity Voice Roles Cameos

“The Mandalorian” (2019-)
Cast your minds back to 2019, and how do you briefly turn a well known comedian into public enemy number one? Of course, you get him to punch a defenseless Grogu. Briefly showing up as one of two bike scout troopers during the season one finale of “The Mandalorian”, Sudeikis is tasked with ferrying the series’ star, who’s unceremoniously bundled inside his bag. A little movement, though, a slight noise, and our cameo hits out… and for a few hours at least, the internet did not like it. Special mention to Adam Pally, too, who also lays into the little guy, much to the ire of fans.

“Panic Room” (2002)
David Fincher’s “Panic Room” was very nearly a very different movie. Original casting saw Nicole Kidman as Meg Altman and Hayden Panettiere as her daughter, Sarah. However, Panettiere left just before filming began, and was replaced by Kristen Stewart. Then Kidman withdrew after she suffered a knee injury, and was replaced by Jodie Foster. And that might’ve been that… except, eagle eyed (or, eagle eared) viewers noticed that, actually, Kidman wasn’t entirely absent from the final film. It’s her voice on the end of the line in one scene, when Foster’s character dials out of the titular panic room.

“Free Guy” (2021)
In truth, there are a number of A-listers who we might’ve gone for with this movie - including Hugh Jackman as the masked avatar in the alleway. And John Krasinski, who voices a silhouetted gamer documentary-style. But Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson just really kills it as ‘bank robber #2’. Although Johnson didn’t physically portray the role, he did lend his voice to the part. And, no surprise, it was the perfect fit to leave Ryan Reynolds’ character pretty shaken up.

“Paul” (2011)
Written by and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, “Paul” was always meant to pay homage to all the classic science fiction movies there ever has been. But arguably no scene does this better than the brief flashback in which Paul doubles up as essentially an advisor to one Steven Spielberg. And yes, the voice on the other end of the phone is the real deal. Spielberg reportedly suggested the scene to Pegg and Frost as a joke… but they went ahead and made it happen. And we’re glad they did.

“King of the Hill” (1997-2009; 2010)
She’s a multiple Oscar winner, has delivered countless classic roles, and her colleagues almost universally rate her as one of the finest there’s ever been. So, when Meryl Streep rocked up on “King of the Hill”, it took many fans a few watch-throughs to finally twig that it was her. And that’s nothing against “King of the Hill” either, it’s just a somewhat surprising entry on the Streep filmography. Nevertheless, in the show she plays Bill’s Aunt Esme. Complete with a southern drawl that’s dripping with glorious disdain.

“Knives Out” (2019)
Rian Johnson’s whodunit caper is certainly celebrated for its many, many layers of sleight and nuance. But even the most dedicated sleuth may have missed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in the film. Sure, he’s not actually on the bill, but that’s because he provides the voice for a detective character (called Detective Hardrock) on a show that’s watched by some of the characters in the movie. What’s possibly even better, though, is that Gordon-Levitt also gives his voice to the follow-up, “Glass Onion”, as well… where’s he’s the voice of the Hourly Dong.

“A Single Man” (2009)
When Jon Hamm speaks, you listen. Not least when he’s chaotically cruising through the triumphs and disasters of advertising in ‘60s New York, as Don Draper in “Mad Men”. But here, his uniquely enigmatic tone may well have been missed altogether - given the drama of the scene he’s in. Colin Firth takes the lead in “A Single Man”, much of which is built around a life-changing phone call. Shortly after his lover, Jim, has died, Firth’s George Falconer answers a call from a member of Jim’s family. Jon Hamm provides the voice for a devastating moment.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017)
The Marvel mid and post-credit scenes have served up their fair share of classic moments in the past, and “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2” was suitably stacked. Probably the most out-there element, however, was the introduction of Mainframe. An advanced AI, green-eyed robot head, and a key figure for the Ravagers, in Mainframe’s first outing the voice was provided by Miley Cyrus. Her fleeting, one-line role may have been lost to time, however, as the character was later played by the voice work veteran, Tara Strong.

“Her” (2013)
Naturally, the main voice to associate with Spike Jonze’s near-future love story is Scarlett Johansson’s - who plays Samantha, the AI that Joaquin Phoenix’s character, Theodore, falls for. However, there are a couple of quickfire cameos in amongst all of the other tech-driven relationship drama. There’s Bill Hader, who’s credited as a “Chat Room Friend #2”, and is a man pretending to be a woman. But then there’s Kristen Wiig as “SexyKitten”. Another of Theodore's late-night chat partners, it’s an interaction that’s short but memorable, thanks to Wiig's off-the-wall approach.

“The Nice Guys” (2016)
While typically known as a standup comic, it takes a special kinda actor to pull-off the lesser-practiced role of hallucinated talking bumble bee. Hannibal Buress's voice cameo as exactly that has, as a result, earned its own particular spot in the hearts and minds of moviegoers everywhere. Or, at least for those who clocked him. Amidst everything else that this Ryan Gosling/Russell Crowe buddy comedy throws our way, a human-size bug just chilling on the backseat actually does make sense. And Buress’s deadpan delivery is spot on.

“Gravity” (2013)
Hands up if the kind of cameos you most enjoy are those that are made solely to show the filmmakers’ appreciation for the movies that came before them? If your hand’s up, then put it down… people will stare. But, Ed Harris in “Gravity” is right up your street. In Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi thriller, Harris voices mission control. And that’s cool because Harris is perhaps most famous for his Oscar-nominated role as Apollo Flight Director Gene Kranz in 1995’s “Apollo 13”. The circle completes and it feels good!

“Trolls World Tour” (2020)
As is often the way with big budget animated franchises, the cast list for “Trolls” is long and seriously creaking with celeb talent. But does it really get better than Metal icon Ozzy Osbourne as the bumbling, mumbling and unknowably ancient Thrash? We think not. A retired rocker with a rebellious spirit, Thrash isn’t far off from Osbourne’s own persona. But still, when this troll raises the devil horns, you know he’s doing it from the heart.

“Bluey” (2018-)
There’s just no getting away from the “Bluey” phenomenon, loved (as it is) by kids and adults alike. And, unsurprisingly, there’s now a growing list of famous voices that appear in the show. But Natalie Portman’s is easily the easiest to miss. In the season three episode “Whale Watching”, Portman provides the narration for a TV documentary about whales that Bluey and co. watch. It’s another case of a celeb voice that’s used on a show within a show, and if you noticed it right away then, seriously, how did you do that?

“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” (2005)
What do you get when you cross Morpheus from “The Matrix” with an in-movie commercial from a mid-2000s dark comedy? Only one of the most bizarre A-list cameos of all time! In Shane Black’s “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, Michelle Monaghan’s character, Harmony, once starred in a strange beer commercial during which a talking bear delivers the punchline. And, while the role goes uncredited, Laurence Fishburne is that bear.

“Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2” (2013)
While Conan enjoys more than one link to the Caped Crusader - having also voiced the Riddler in “The Lego Batman Movie” - he seamlessly snuck into another Batman tale, playing a role a little closer to home. In this two-part, straight-to-video, animated adaptation of Frank Miller's classic comic book, an aging Batman is forced out of retirement to fight crime once again. O’Brien’s bit in the story is as David Endochrine, a late-night talk show host who (in the show) is quite the lookalike. Endochrine’s part is short-lived, however, as he meets his fate at the hands of Joker.

“Keanu” (2016)
Celebrities cameo-ing as themselves is hardly new news. “The Simpsons” made it an artform. But playing the part of a live action cat who’s named after you? For Keanu Reeves, it’s just another day in the office. In this frankly absurd but also kinda brilliant movie, Keanu is a lost kitten who gets his finder (Rell, played by Jordan Peele) wrapped up in all sorts of… unsavory business. But, the highlight is surely when Keanu speaks, during a drug-addled dream sequence. Reeve’s was reportedly dubious about actually playing his cat-self, but in the end it was purrfect.

“Black Panther” (2018)
Here we have a cameo that literally made headlines in some quarters, purely because so many fans missed it. In fairness, there is quite a lot happening in “Black Panther”, so nailing down the voice of Griot possibly wasn’t your number one priority. But, even so, take yourself back to the final battle on Wakanda, and we see Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross in full flow. That AI guide that’s in his ear? That’s Trevor Noah. From the Daily Show to the MCU; it’s not exactly a well-trodden path, but he makes it work!

“The Simpsons” (1989-)
On the one hand, this is perhaps one of the most famous guest appearances on “The Simpsons” ever. But, on the other, Michael Jackson neither plays himself directly, nor is he credited as Michael Jackson for the role. Instead, his character is called Leon Kompowsky, and MJ’s in the credits as John Jay Smith. The singer was reportedly very particular about exactly the role he would play, and his involvement even lead to “The Simpsons” rewriting their own rules about guest voices from thereon out. Ultimately, Jackson is only on the speaking parts and not on the singing scenes, which are performed by soundalike Kipp Lennon.

“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974)
You may not immediately suspect that an actor who’d go on to make his living in sitcoms will have also started out narrating one of the most famous horror movies of all time… but that’s the career path taken by John Larroquette. In 1974, when he was just starting out, it’s his tones you can hear atmospherically setting the scene for one of the bloodiest movies of a generation. He got his break as the narrator on “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”. Lighthearted projects like “Night Court” and “The John Larroquette Show” would follow, but before all of that it was guts, gore and Leatherface.

“South Park” (1997-)
George Clooney is well known for being a big fan of “South Park”. So, you might expect that when he dropped by the studio to cut a cameo, Trey Parker and Matt Stone would grant him a prominent part. Especially as he appears in just the fourth episode of the first season. But, of course, no. Instead, Clooney provides the panting for Stan’s dog, Sparky. No dialogue, just panting. We should note that Jay Leno has also once voiced the meows of a cat on “South Park”, with the show seemingly turning animal noises into a rite of passage. And, while not quite so unexpected, Clooney did lead his voice to another role, a doctor in “Bigger, Longer and Uncut”.

Which was your favorite cameo? Which did you spot or miss? Be sure to let us know in the comments!