Notable Author Cameos in the Film Adaptations of Their Books
‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’
When Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) window-shops at Tiffany’s in the film’s opening scene, a nattily dressed little man with a high, squeaky voice approaches her and remarks, “Lovely day for a breakfast at Tiffany’s, huh?” That’s Truman Capote, who wrote the short story upon which the film was based.
‘Gone With the Wind’
Margaret Mitchell appears in the picnic scene. The camera briefly pushes in on Mitchell as she lowers her sunglasses and winks at the camera while the “chicka-chicka” song from ‘Ferris Bueller’ plays for a few seconds.
‘The Godfather’
Remember during the baptism sequence, when that guy grabs Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) by the shoulder and says, “Hey, you kids have fun!”? That’s ‘Godfather’ author Mario Puzo.
‘Jurassic Park’
Of the two raptors that break into the kitchen where Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim (Joseph Mazzello) are hiding, one is CGI, but the other is ‘Jurassic Park’ author Michael Crichton. He’s the one wearing a ‘Congo’ T-shirt.
‘The Color Purple’
Author Alice Walker wouldn’t give Steven Spielberg the film rights to her book unless she was allowed to portray every purple object in the film. Spielberg granted her request.
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’
He’s hard to recognize under several layers of Jack Nicholson makeup, but that’s author Ken Kesey as Randle McMurphy.
‘Congo’
Of the two gorillas that escape from Dr. Ross (Laura Linney) and Dr. Elliott (Dylan Walsh), one is CGI, but the other is ‘Congo’ author Michael Crichton. He’s the one wearing a ‘Jurassic Park’ T-shirt.
‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’
The ghost of C.S. Lewis appears in the opening credits of the third ‘Narnia’ film, screaming in agony and reciting the words “Solvo mihi ex abyssus!” which translates roughly to, “Release me from Hell!”
‘White Noise’
Who’s that dressed in a silver suit doing the Robot in the film’s big, surreal dance sequence? Why, it’s ‘White Noise’ author Don DeLillo, of course.
‘The Joy Luck Club’ and ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’
Hunter S. Thompson appears as a party guest in a scene in the film version of Amy Tan’s ‘The Joy Luck Club,’ and Tan is visible as a casino gambler in the film version of Thompson’s ‘Fear and Loathing.’ Why they appeared in the movies made from each other’s books is a secret both authors took to their graves.
‘Misery’, ‘Pet Semetary’, ‘Christine’, ‘The Running Man’, ‘The Shawshank Redemption’…
In every adaptation of one of his books, Stephen King’s smiling face is visible in the lower left corner of the screen at all times.
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Brian Boone is a contributor to Funny or Die, Someecards, Splitsider, The Chive, and Looper, and his work has appeared on McSweeney’s, StarWipe, and many other fine humor and pop culture destinations. He’s the author of several delightful books, wrote a musical about pirates, and came in third on Jeopardy! once. He will clog your Twitter timeline with dad jokes.
