10 Incredibly Sneaky Film Director Cameos You Totally Missed

by Danny Meegan

1. Steven Spielberg In Gremlins

In this May 25, 2013 file photo, jury president, director Steven Spielberg, arrives for the screening of the film Venus in Fur at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France. Spielbergs next two films have been slated for October 2015
Joel Ryan/AP

Steven Spielberg has over 150 producer credits to his name, and given that he's had his hand in so many different projects, it's no surprise to learn that he's physically popped up in a few of them.

One of his earlier roles as a producer was on 1984's Gremlins, which was helmed by Joe Dante. Spielberg actually had quite a bit of creative input here, including saving Gizmo from the chop, since earlier versions of the film saw the character being killed off.

The legendary director also appeared in the film too - he can be seen sat in a high-tech wheelchair that rolls past the camera, while watching Poltergeist on a television mounted on the front of the vehicle.

Steven Spielberg Gremlins Cameo
Warner Bros.

Spielberg wrote Poltergeist so it's clear that this cameo was done for a good ol' laugh, and it's great to see that one of the most talented minds in film history also has a great sense of humour about his work.

Any other sneaky director cameos that we missed? Let us know in the comments section!

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!