10 Actors You Forgot Had Minor Roles In War Movies

Saving Private Ryan must have had a keen-eyed casting director since Steven Spielberg's war epic is teeming with pre-fame actors. Many viewers will remember the ensemble cast consists of Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Giovanni Ribishi, and Matt Damon. Because the action follows this group tightly, it's easy to miss all the other familiar faces that show up.

Vin Diesel plays the rifleman who's shot by a sniper after he tries to rescue a little girl. Even though Paul Giamatti has a very distinctive face, it's hard to recognise him as Sergeant Hill since his scenes are often accompanied with darkness or heavy rain. Near the beginning, Bryan Cranston can be seen playing an unnamed colonel. In the iconic beach sequence, Andrew Scott pops up as one of the soldiers. Before he made the best Uncharted adaptation ever (sorry, Tom Holland), Nathan Fillion played James Ryan, the bewildered soldier that Captain Miller's squad mistake for the title character.

Because there are a staggering amount of pre-famers hidden throughout this Oscar-winning masterpiece, it's very possible there's still a few more we haven't noticed yet!