Balzac often employed this practice, as in his Comédie humaine. 'Literary cameos' usually involve an established character from another work who makes a brief appearance to establish a shared universe setting, to make a point, or to offer homage. Ĭameos also occur in novels and other literary works. One of the best-known series of cameos was by Stan Lee, who made very brief appearances in most of the Marvel movies. Others honour artists or celebrities known for work in a particular field. Others are acknowledgements of an actor's contribution to an earlier work, as in the case of many film adaptations of television series, or of remakes of earlier films. Ĭameos are generally not credited because of their brevity, or a perceived mismatch between the celebrity's stature and the film or television series in which they are appearing. More recently, in the late 20th century, a 'cameo' has come to refer to any short appearance as a character, such as the examples below. The Oxford English Dictionary connects this with the meaning 'a short literary sketch or portrait', which is based on the literal meaning of ' cameo', a miniature carving on a gemstone. Originally, in the 1920s, a 'cameo role' meant 'a small character part that stands out from the other minor parts'.

A crew member of the movie or show playing a minor role can be referred to as a cameo role as well, such as Alfred Hitchcock's frequent cameos.

Short appearances by celebrities, film directors, politicians, athletes or musicians are common. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly either appearances in a work in which they hold some special significance (such as actors from an original movie appearing in its remake) or renowned people making uncredited appearances. A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo ( / ˈ k æ m i oʊ/), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts.

Appetence by C.C. Burns