Richard branson casino royale

Daniel Craig took up the baton of the James Bond series from Pierce Brosnan in 2006. Craig was first seen as the MI6 special agent in the blockbuster Casino Royale. The film went on to earn $616.5 million, proving that both the new Bond performer and the new direction for the series were a hit with fans.

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Being James Bond earns one a lot of perks, and Craig decided to cash in some of that well-earned clout by appearing as a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It's only fair, as the 007 franchise itself has seen a history of cameos from famous faces, both already-established celebrities and up-and-coming actors who had yet to appear in their big breakout roles.

10 Richard Branson in Casino Royale

Eccentric entrepreneur Richard Branson essentially paid for his own cameo in the 2006 pseudo-reboot Casino Royale. Branson, a die-hard fan of the Bond films, got a cameo not only for himself but for his son in Daniel Craig's 007 debut. Branson played the role of a passenger going through an airport security checkpoint in the film, fitting given that one of Branson's most well-known endeavors is the founding of Virgin Atlantic airlines.

He got the role in exchange for a Virgin aircraft that he provided to the production team at the very last minute. Reportedly, the business tycoon helped the filmmakers save a lot of money as he didn't bill the producers for the plane in return for the cameo.

9 Madonna In Die Another Day

Die Another Day starring Pierce Brosnan was one of the few Bond films that left fans amused rather than impressed— and this extended to the much-maligned cameo by pop icon Madonna, who also provided the titular song for the movie.

The 2002 film saw Madonna play a fencing instructor to Miranda Frost, another MI6 agent. If nothing else, Madonna's cameo is noteworthy because Die Another Day is the only film in which a performer of a Bond theme also appears in that same film.

8 Dolph Lundgren in A View To Kill

Dolph Lundgren really benefitted from scoring a small part as a KGB thug in 1985's A View To Kill. The cameo helped Lundgren bag the part of the villain in Rocky IV, which would prove to be his breakthrough role.

Though it was almost a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance, Dolph's casting was a mere coincidence. The Swedish actor, who was dating Grace Jones— one of the movie's villains— at the time, was visiting her on the set when the production was short an extra. Director John Glen asked Lundgren if he wanted to step in, and the rest is history.

7 Wolf Blitzer In Skyfall

Wolf Blitzer is synonymous with CNN as his association with the international news network dates back to 1990. The award-winning journalist agreed to play himself in the 2012 blockbuster, Skyfall, considered to be among the all-time best Bond films.

In a longstanding Hollywood tradition of real journalists appearing as themselves to deliver expositional news broadcasts within films— often via a television screen within the movie itself— Wolf Blitzer was seen in Skyfall presenting a piece on the MI6 terror attack.

6 Minnie Driver in Goldeneye

Minnie Driver took on the role of Irina in 1995's Goldeneye starring Pierce Brosnan in his debut as James Bond. Irina was a mistress to Valentin Zukovsky and was spotted when James Bond meets Valentin for the first time. Driver wore a bedazzled cowgirl outfit and sang a terrible rendition of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" in a heavy Russian accent.

After her uncredited Bond cameo, Driver has been a very successful English/American actress, singer, and songwriter, starring in films like Good Will Hunting and The Phantom Of The Opera as well as the TV series The Riches and Speechless.

5 Oliver Skeete In Die Another Day

Oliver Skeete had spent years in the field of jumping show horses before trying his luck at a TV reality show. He then tried hard to get an acting career off the ground, and it seemed to finally happen with a movie called Clubbing To Death— but the film was unfortunately never finished. The actor, however, did have a cameo in Die Another Day, his sole film credit.

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In his brief cameo, Skeete can be seen delivering a key to James Bond to the underground offices of MI6, after which he leaves the fencing club— and acting, period— behind.

4 Wayne Newton In Licence To Kill

Famed Las Vegas crooner Wayne Newton had a cameo in 1989's Licence To Kill as Joe Butcher, a televangelist and a front man for drug lord Franz Sanchez. Butcher's job was to transmit coded messages from Sanchez to his international drug distributors.

Apart from being known as The Midnight Idol, Wayne Newton also had nicknames like Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainer, and appeared in small parts in other movies including Vegas Vacation.

3 Deborah Moore In Die Another Day

Deborah Moore's cameo in Die Another Day is special not because she is an acclaimed actress but because her father, Roger Moore, was a former Bond himself.

Moore played the British special agent for 12 years with seven films to his credit. The younger Moore was seen in the role of an air hostess who gives Bond his "shaken not stirred" martini.

2 Daphne Deckers In Tomorrow Never Dies

A Dutch model and actress, Daphne Deckers appeared in Tomorrow Never Dies as a PR agent. Her guest appearance also made it to the adapted book version of the film. Deckers' character is an employee of the wealthy media baron and criminal Elliot Carver.

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While at a party at Carver's Hamburg media center, Deckers' character introduces James Bond to her patron, as Bond poses as a banker to get into the inner circle.

1 Maud Adams In A View To Kill

Maud Adams has been a Bond girl in two 007 films. First, The Man With The Golden Gun, and then in Octopussy. But Adams also got a chance for a special appearance in the 1985 film, A View To Kill, in a cameo that was brief and sadly uncredited.

Adams, who plays a woman in a crowd at the Fisherman's Wharf scene, had just dropped by on the set during the filming of the movie. She became an extra on a streetcar as James Bond enters the neighborhood. She can be seen as the woman standing, wearing white shades and holding a tan bag.

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