11 Famous Faces You've Forgotten Had A Cameo In The Twilight Zone
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The Twilight Zone ran for five seasons and was truly ground-breaking, a mix of sci-fi and horror, it was the first of its kind and paved the way for Doctor Who and Star Trek, by showing the networks that there was an appetite for space shows with darker themes. The Twilight Zone’s constant rotation of cast gave many actors their big break and set them on a path to stardom. There are some big names hidden in the series if you have an eagle eye, enjoy this list…..submitted for your approval.
11. Elizabeth Montgomery
Image Source: Biography.com
Before Elizabeth Montgomery was the nose-wiggling Samantha from Bewitched she starred in a dystopian episode of The Twilight Zone. In Two, Montgomery and a male companion were trying to survive after a war devastated the earth. It’s a novelty to see Elizabeth as a brunette, and there are some good acting performances in this episode.
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10. Robert Redford
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Hollywood royalty Robert Redford plays Harold in an extremely creepy episode called Nothing In The Dark. It was filmed a full seven years before Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. An elderly woman sits huddled in the dark, waiting for death, before Harold enters. As expected from Redford, the acting is top-shelf.
9. Carol Burnett
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Cavender is Coming is a ‘marmite’ episode that fans either love or hate vehemently. Carol Burnett is the clumsy Agnes Grep who is helped to see the sweeter side of life Harmon Cavender, so he can earn his wings. Think It’s A Wonderful Life Carol Burnett style!
8. Mickey Rooney
Image Source: ABC7
Mickey Rooney spends the entirety of The Night of The Jockey talking to himself, it’s a testament to his acting ability that he can carry an entire episode by himself. Grady is a corrupt jockey who has been banned for race fixing, his alter ego grants him one wish, which he wastes by growing ridiculously tall.
7. Julie Newmar
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Famous for playing Catwoman in the original Batman series, the statuesque Newmar plays a very charismatic devil in Of Late I Think of Cliffordville. She gives a rich tycoon with a taste for the kill, the chance to go back in time and acquire his wealth all over again. Newmar says she doesn’t need his soul, as they got their hands on that a long time ago. It’s a fun morality tale.
6. Burt Reynolds
Image Source: NYTimes
The Bard is not the best Twilight Zone episode, and it’s generally slated online. The concept is rather bizarre, a frustrated writer uses the dark arts to summon William Shakespeare. The thespian gets very upset about how his work is portrayed in television and film. There’s a lot of ham acting, but Burt Reynolds, (aka Magnum P.I) shows up as Rocky Rhodes about halfway through the episode and it’s a trip to see him without his signature moustache. You’ll barely recognise him.
5. Buster Keaton
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The episode Once Upon A Time was made only five years before the famous silent movie star died. His heyday was in the 1920s when movies such as The Navigator and Cops were in theatres. Buster Keaton is a cleaner from the year 1890 who uses his employer's time travel devise to jump forward to the 1960s. He expects to find a utopia and is disappointed with modern life.
4. Ron Howard
Image Source: NYTimes
In the popular Walking Distance Ron Howard in his days as a child actor. This is only the fifth episode of the first series and was filmed way back in 1959, so is a good example of what made the Twilight Zone so popular. The main character, Martin Sloane (Gig Young) finds himself back in his hometown and is transported back in time to his eleven-year-old self. Ron Howard is more famous as a director and producer rather now than an actor, so it's hard to imagine that small child as the genius behind Arrested Development and Willow.
3. Dean Stockwell
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Famous for playing Al in Quantum Leap, Stockwell was nearly cast as a World War Two Soldier in The Purple Testament but had to drop out due to the busy filming schedule of Sons and Lovers. However, two years later he landed the part of Lieutenant Katell in A Quality of Mercy.
2. William Shatner
Image Source: CinemaBlend
Shatner had the honor of appearing in two episodes, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet and Nick of Time, both popular with fans of the show. His appearances in The Twilight Zone were three years before he stepped onto the bridge of the Enterprise.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet involved a man recovering from mental health issues catching glimpses of a monster on his flight, attempting to destroy the plane. However, Shatner is not sure if he is there or not. In The Nick of Time Shatner’s role is very different. He plays a newlywed who discovers a fortune-telling device that predicts his future.
1. Leonard Nimoy
Image Source: NYTimes
Nimoy has a small role in A Quality of Mercy, alongside Dean Stockwell. The episode looks at the war from the perspective of a Japanese soldier and has a strong anti-war message. Filmed in 1961, five years before he found fame with Star Trek, it is strange that this was Nimoy’s only cameo in the series considering he appeared in The Outer Limits twice.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, there are more to spot if you pay close attention to the credits. The Twilight Zone is one of the most influential series of all time when you consider the careers it started and the shows that it inspired. Without it, we would have no Bewitched, no Outer Limits, no Star Trek, and no Solo: A Star Wars Story. Many of the episodes still hold up to modern-day standards, even though they are in black and white. It’s an example of the effect of strong writing and casting can have on the industry.
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