Every Cameo In Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood You Missed
The long-awaited 9th film by Quentin Tarantino is here. It’s got a long runtime (over 2 1/2 hours) with a long list of cast members. You can’t miss Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, or Leonardo DiCaprio but you might have overlooked a few of the guest stars in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Here’s a list of every cameo in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
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Every Cameo In Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood You Missed
I love it when Hollywood movies & TV shows tuck in surprise cameos. It’s those little Easter eggs that make being a Hollywood fangirl so much fun.
For example, Veronica Mars has a million cameos and guest appearances.
And that in part makes it one of my favorites of all-time!
A new favorite is Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (review) and it has a ton of awesome cameos as well. I put together a full list of cameos in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood for you to look for when you watch the movie.
Or to say—oooh, that’s who that was? That was around in the 60s? I know that movie! after you watch the movie.
About Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore.
The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.
What Defines a Cameo in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood?
There are movies, TV shows, locations, characters and stars that I’m including in this list of every cameo in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
Sure, it might be a bit of a stretch to include all of this under the term cameo. I get it.
But part of what makes this incredible movie so brilliant is the love letter to Hollywood that Tarantino writes. I can’t get enough of being a tourist in LA and just adore trying to fit in as many Hollywood touristy things as I can in one day.
So here’s a list of cameos in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood including places, people, characters, and actors that are referenced in the movie.
Actor/Character Cameos in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
This is a list of the Hollywood stars and personalities in the movie and the actors who played them.
- The real Sharon Tate makes an appearance on screen in her movie with Dean Martin. But she’s played by Margot Robbie- who’s watching the movie in the theater in Hollywood. Kinda meta
- Roman Polanski played by Rafal Zawierucha
- Dean Martin (on-screen with Sharon Tate)
- Rachel Redleaf as Cass Elliot (The Mamas and the Papas)
- Rebecca Rittenhouse as Michelle Phillips (The Mamas and the Papas)
- Zoe Bell- Uma Thurman’s one-time stunt double
- Bruce Lee played by actor and martial artist Mike Moh. Side note: Polanski blamed Bruce Lee at one point for Tate’s death.
- Damian Lewis looks exactly like Steve McQueen in the scene at the Playboy Mansion
- Julia Butters as Trudi/Millicent
- Kurt Russell – stunt coordinator (Randy) and narrator
- Luke Perry as Wayne Maunder- was a star of CBS’ late-1960s Western series “Lancer”
- Timothy Olyphant as James Stacy. He was an actor who starred as the brother of Maunder’s character.
- Rebecca Gayheart as Booth’s late wife, Billie
- Michael Madsen as the Sheriff on Bounty Law
- Al Pacino as Marvin Schwarz- with a super over the top performance, but hey, it’s Hollywood!
- Rumer Willis as Joanna Pettet- a British actress who appeared in movies like “The Group” — and who also lunched with Sharon Tate on the day of her murder.
- Dreama Walker as Connie Stevens
- Jay Sebring, a Manson Family victim, and Sharon Tate’s ex-fiance is played by Emile Hirsch
- Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich in “The Sound of Music,” plays actor turned TV director Sam Wanamaker
Manson Family & Spahn Ranch Cameos in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Bruce Dern as George Spahn, owner of the ranch
- Margaret Qualley as Pussycat: Based loosely on Kathryn Lutesinger who had the nickname “Kitty”.
- Damon Herriman as Charles Manson
- Lena Dunham as Gypsy Share. She’s the worst- I really didn’t think she added anything to this character or this role.
- Dakota Fanning as Squeaky Fromme
- Austin Butler is Tex Watson
- Mikey Madison plays Susan Atkins
- Madisen Beaty plays Patricia Krenwinkel
- Maya Hawke from Stranger Things as Linda Kasabian, the Manson Family member who changed her mind before the killings.
- Harley Quinn Smith as Froggie
Hollywood Landmarks & Locations as Cameos in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Musso & Frank Grill Located on Hollywood Boulevard, Musso & Frank’s first opened in 1919 under the name “Francois” and changed to the current name in 1923. It’s still a hot spot you can visit today.
- El Coyote originally opened in 1931 on La Brea but moved to the current location on Beverly Boulevard in 1951. On Aug. 8, 1969, the victims of the Tate murders ate their final meal here.
- Hollywood landmark Capitol Records can be seen in the background
- Van Nuys Drive-In Theatre was torn down in 1998
- Casa Vega is a favorite of the Kardashians. Dalton and Booth eat here in the movie
- Cinerama Dome
- The Bruin Theatre is located in Westwood Village near the UCLA campus. In “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” Robbie’s Sharon Tate watches herself act in the film “The Wrecking Crew,” which also starred Dean Martin
- The Pantages Theatre
- The Playboy Mansion- but it was not owned by Heffner until 1971, so this isn’t totally accurate.
- 10050 Cielo Drive- the address and home where Sharon Tate was killed. She lived here with her husband, Roman Polanski, but other stars who once lived there include Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Candice Bergen. The house was torn down in 1994 and a new house on that site, with a new address.
- Spahn Ranch is where the Manson “family” lived at the time of the Tate murders in 1969.(Associated Press) The Outlaw and Bonanza were filmed here.
Movies and Show Cameos in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Three in the Attic
- The Man From UNCLE
- The FBI
- The Great Escape
- The Wrecking Crew
- Lancer
- Bounty Law is based on Steve McQueen in “Wanted: Dead or Alive”
- “Tanner” based on Tab Hunter in “Gunman’s Walk”
- “Kill Me Now Ringo, Said the Gringo” was a movie based on Giuliano Gemma in “A Pistol for Ringo”
- “Red Blood, Red Skin” is modeled after George Maharis in “Land Raiders”
- “The 14 Fists of McCluskey” I mean, the flamethrower gives this one away: “Inglourious Basterds”
- “Nebraska Jim” is a spaghetti western directed by Sergio Corbucci, who Al Pacino’s character in the film refers to as “the second-best director” of the genre.
- “Operazione Dyn-o-Mite!” Dalton is based on Ty Hardin in “Moving Target” (a.k.a. “Death on the Run”)
- Hullabaloo TV show
If I missed something, let me know!
And check out the Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood spoilers without context. It’s a fun post!
Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.
By the way, I think there was an UmaThurman cameo. Rick and al Pacino were having lunch and she was in the background in a wig eating lunch!
Wow! Nice catch!
Antonio Marghereti is the same name as the fake name that one of the basterds used to cover his real identity up in front of hanz landa during the movie premiere scene in inglorious basterds.
I know he passed in 1998, but the man in the bookstore (where Sharon Tate went to pick up a book for her husband) looks JUST LIKE an older Lloyd Bridges. Is it possible his image was superimposed on another actor there?
It REALLY looks like him.
Who was at the movie theater where sharon goes to watch the movie
Who asked for her picture? And who is the man who walked her into the show?