To mark Oscar-winning actor Sam Rockwell's eye-popping surprise appearance in the new season of Mike White's acclaimed series The White Lotus, we've rounded up some of the most memorable celebrity cameos in TV history.
The Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri star unexpectedly showed up in Full-Moon Party, the fifth episode of The White Lotus' third season, as Frank, an old friend of Walton Goggins' irascible character Rick.
Rockwell, the real-life partner of The White Lotus star Leslie Bibb, who plays Kate in the current season, delivers an astonishing monologue about his reasons for becoming sober in a scene where Goggins' Rick looks on, mouth agape, mirroring the audience at home's reaction.
It's a tour-de-force performance that will undoubtedly go down in TV history.
Here are some other celebrity appearances in TV series which will stand the test of time - for good or for bad.
Ed Sheeran - Game of Thrones (2017)
Music maestro Ed Sheeran made an appearance in the first episode of the penultimate series of HBO's fantasy series Game of Thrones in 2017.
In a cameo that was panned by many fans of the show, Sheeran played a soldier from King's Landing, who was singing around a campfire when he caught the attention of Maisie Williams' Arya Stark as she rode through a forest on horseback.
As she came closer, the camera closed in on Sheeran's face as he uttered his big line: "It's a new one."
Rather distractingly, the chart-topper remained in the background of the entire three-and-a-half-minute scene, variously nodding, passing food and drink around and mumbling.
David Bowie - Extras (2006)
The late, great David Bowie made his last TV appearance in Ricky Gervais' comedy Extras in 2006, playing an antithetical version of himself.
In the episode, Gervais' Andy Millman had a crisis of confidence at a celebrity bar and tried to cosy up with Bowie, who went on to make up a song ridiculing him.
The episode showed off the music great's deadpan sense of humour to great effect.
Brad Pitt - Friends (2001)
Brad Pitt famously made a cameo on the eighth season of the sitcom Friends back in 2001 when he was one-half of Hollywood golden couple alongside the show's star, Jennifer Aniston.
He played Will Colbert, a former classmate of Aniston's character Rachel Greene, and the co-founder of the 'I Hate Rachel Greene' club.
In the episode, Will revealed that he and Ross (David Schwimmer) were part of a club in high school that spread a rumour that Rachel was a hermaphrodite.
The plot point drew criticism from the intersex community, but Pitt went on to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance.
Jon Bon Jovi - Sex and the City (1999)
Jon Bon Jovi played Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) brief love interest in one episode of Sex and the City's second season.
In the episode, titled Games People Play, the American rocker played Seth Robinson, a photographer who Carrie meets in the waiting room at her therapist's office.
Jon Bon Jovi's Seth is effortlessly charming but soon reveals himself to be a bit of a jerk.
Conan O'Brien - Ros na Rún (2024)
Irish American TV host Conan O'Brien delighted fans across the island when he popped up in TG4's Ros na Rún last year and the segment was featured in an episode of his HBO Max travel show, Conan O'Brien Must Go.
The episode, which revolves around O'Brien's quest to trace his family's roots, went on to win a Creative Arts Emmy in the Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program category.
O'Brien learned his handful of lines phonetically for the brief cameo, in which he played a hard-pressed balloon delivery man who clashes with publican Tadhg Ó Direáin.
"Getting to work with the cast and crew of Ros Na Rún was a delightful highlight of my trip to Ireland and I apologise in advance for inadvertently butchering my mother tongue," he said of the cameo.
Liam Neeson - Derry Girls (2022)
Liam Neeson put his gravelly tones to good use with a hilarious cameo as Chief Inspector Byers, a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), in Derry Girls.
In a pitch-perfect scene, Byers interrogated Erin, Michelle, Clare, Orla and James after they were caught up to no good on the school grounds at night.
Are the #DerryGirls Liam Neeson's toughest challenge yet? 😅 @nicolacoughlan @Djllewellyn @SaoirseJackson @louisa_harland @JamieLeeOD @LisaMMcGee pic.twitter.com/3QbQiDjCos
— Channel 4 (@Channel4) April 12, 2022
The Oscar-nominated Hollywood star also reprised the role briefly for the Derry Girls finale in which his character is shown looking visibly emotional as he voted in the Good Friday Agreement referendum.
Prince - New Girl (2014)
The legendary Prince made a cameo in the sitcom New Girl in 2014. The music icon was a fan of the Zooey Deschanel-starring comedy and enquired about making a guest appearance on the show, which Deschanel initially thought was a joke.
The episode sees Jess (Deschanel) and Cece (Hannah Simone) being invited to a party at Prince's house, where he ends up giving Jess advice on life and love. Prince's intervention leads to Nick (Jake Johnson) and Jess coming clean about their feelings.
Deschanel later described working alongside Prince as the "highlight of my whole life".
Jon Hamm - Parks and Recreation (2017)
Mad Men star Jon Hamm had a brief turn in the Amy Poehler-led comedy Parks and Recreation as Ed, the only Parks employee more incompetent than Jerry (Jim O'Heir).
The amusing cameo saw Poehler's Leslie Knope fire Ed within moments of him appearing onscreen.
The eternally good-humoured Ed was unperturbed and cheerfully thanked her for the many opportunities. Hamm's Ed also utters the great line: "If anybody wants to hang, I'll be at Subway!"
