13 Times Directors Snuck A Cameo Into Their Own Movies

Wes Craven is undoubtedly one of horror's most legendary filmmakers. He created not only one, but two of the most iconic franchises in horror history: A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream.

In Scream, Craven turns to his other major horror classic for inspiration in his brief cameo appearance that is severely understated and effective. Right before Henry Winkler's demise in Scream, Craven shows up as a high school janitor who looks a lot like Nightmare on Elm Street villain Freddy Krueger. 

Alfred Hitchcock is known as the master of suspense, as well as for always sneaking cameos into his films. Usually his cameos are extremely brief, but you are bound to catch a glimpse of Hitchcock if you tune in to any film of his. 

Hitchcock can be seen just two minutes into The Birds. In his cameo, Hitchcock walks out of a pet store with two terriers while the lead character walks in.

The Zucker brothers are two of three directors of the hit parody film, Airplane! The film is one of the most beloved farces of all time, leaving a lasting impact on pop culture and inspiring the Scary Movie franchise.

While Airplane! may have a legacy, many of its fans may not realize that both Zucker brothers have a cameo in the film. The brothers appear in the beginning of the disaster-comedy as the ground crew and end up being the reason why the disastrous events of the film occur. 

Martin Scorsese is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of all time. Whether it's a gangster film or an epic biopic, Scorsese's talents never cease to amaze. What some fans may not realize about Scorsese is the fact he is also an actor, often appearing in cameos in his own films. One of Scorsese's most memorable cameo appearances comes from his beloved 1976 thriller, Taxi Driver. Around the 40-minute mark, Scorsese appears as a sinister passenger in the cab of Robert De Niro's Travis Bickle. Scorsese's character has Travis drive him to a spot outside of an apartment and explains to him how he intends to terminate his adulterous wife.

Unbeknownst to many, Scorsese actually has two cameos in Taxi Driver - the other appearance is at the beginning of the film when the director appears as a passerby sitting and watching Betsy walk by in the middle of New York City.

2005's Sin City was one of the most impactful and inventive comic book movies ever made. Even though it was nine years in the making, director Robert Rodriguez and writer Frank Miller followed up their ultra-violent classic with Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

In the sequel, Rodriguez managed to sneak in cameos for himself and Miller. Rodriguez and Miller are both featured in a faux-gangster movie Nancy Callahan is watching on TV. The duo appears to have survived some sort of standoff in the movie within the movie.

George Lucas is known around the world as the creator of the Star Wars franchise. Although he is recognized as the director of many films in the Star Wars universe, not many fans realize Lucas actually appeared in Revenge of the Sith. 

Lucas makes a seven-second-long cameo in Revenge of the Sith as Baron Papanoida, a man from Pantora. Lucas dons blue skin in a brief scene in which Anakin goes to an opera house in order to speak with Sheev Palpatine.