Here Are 20 Famous Actors Who Guest-Starred On 'Friends'

#20. Paul Rudd

Mike, the guy who won Phoebe's heart was a lawyer who had given up his career to pursue his true passion: playing the piano. In that sense, he shared his musical spirit with Phoebe, who has given us wonderful songs like Smelly Cat.

In The One With The Pediatrician, we meet Mike as a result of a failed blind date that Joey and Phoebe agree to go on. The problem is that Joey completely forgets about the blind date. So right before the date, he goes to Central Perk and begins to shout out the name “Mike” to the four winds, hoping that someone would reply. Mike Hannigan happened to be at the coffee shop, and… well, you know the rest!

#19. Robin Williams and Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal and Robin Williams’s appearance wasn’t in the original script. They were, by coincidence, in the same building, or the one across the street from where the TV comedy was being filmed, and the writers asked if they wanted to make a guest appearance. This all happened on the same day of the shooting so it was just quickly thrown in.

Only these two would dare burst into Central Perk and ask the six friends to move over on the couch. If you’ve seen this episode, you probably remember the awkward moment.

#18. Charlie Sheen

Way back in season 2, Charlie Sheen played Ryan. He’s a military man who, after spending months inside a submarine, comes back to Earth and shows up at Phoebe’s apartment.

We then learn that Ryan was Phoebe’s former lover, and they go on a romantic date, but a huge obstacle comes in their way. Phoebe gets chickenpox, which is obviously super contagious, but Ryan decides to take the risk and kisses her anyway, thus contracting the disease.

#17. Julia Roberts

Friends fans only had to wait one season to enjoy the show’s first great cameo. At the beginning of season 2, Julia Roberts appeared, playing the role of Chandler’s former schoolmate.

Apparently, she was bullied by Chandler when they were at school together, so she decides to seek revenge and play a prank of her own.The One After the Superbowl happened to be the most-watched episode of the first five seasons.

#25. Dakota Fanning

In the episode The One With Princess Consuela she played Mackenzie, a girl who lived in the house that Monica and Chandler wanted to buy in the suburbs. She and Joey establish a close bond since she didn’t want to leave her home and he didn’t want his friends to leave Manhattan.

Dakota Fanning was only 10 years old when she appeared in season 10. Before that, she had several guest roles in television series such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Ally McBeal

#15. Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman played Richard Crosby, a veteran alcoholic actor who shares the scene with Joey in a First World War movie. It’s funny to see such a world-renowned actor play such a strange role on the show, isn’t it?

Joey had lots of trouble when shooting his scenes with the veteran actor because he wouldn't stop spitting him in the face each time he recited his lines. When Joey confronts him, Crosby replies that spitting is a great way to emphasize words. Joey follows his advice, and the two start spitting each other during their scenes.

#14. Danny Devito

Phoebe Buffay was always portrayed as the odd one out, so it was obvious that her bachelorette party would end up being bizarre and out of the ordinary. Well, Phoebe was extremely disappointed when she discovered that Rachel and Monica hadn’t hired a stripper, so they had to look a stripper up in the yellow pages and called the first number they found...

So believe it or not, the stripper, named Officer Goodboy, was played by Danny DeVito. If you’ve seen the episode, I’m sure you vividly remember Danny DeVito’s erotic costume and sexy dance!

#13. Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum plays the role of a legendary director named Leonard Hayes, who isn't convinced with Joey’s performance in the audition, but gives him a second chance. When Joey auditions for a second time, he is given the role. But do any of you remember what helped Joey get the role?

Joey was told that he had to be more passionate in his acting, so he went to great lengths in order to impress Leonard. And he succeeded in his second audition… due to his dire need to visit the bathroom! But when Leonard tells Joey that he got the role, they hug, and Joey can’t help but pee his pants right in front of him.

#12. Christina Applegate

Christina won an Emmy for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy for her role as Amy Green, which she played Rachel’s older sister, but she’s definitely less lovely and way more careless.

When Amy meets her niece, Emma, for the first time, she can’t even manage to call the baby by the right name, calling her from Emmett to Emily. Then, when Rachel introduces her to Phoebe, she doesn’t believe that Phoebe is a real name.

#11. George Clooney and Noah Wyle

The protagonists of the successful medical drama ER appear in this Friends episode, and they happen to play the role of two young doctors. Rachel hurts her ankle, but she switches identities with Monica so she can use her health insurance.

When they meet these two doctors in the hospital, the four of them agree to go on a double date, but Rachel must pretend she’s Monica, and Monica must pretend she’s Rachel. I won’t spoil the rest of the chapter in case you haven’t seen it yet!

#10. Jennifer Coolidge

Amanda, played by talented actress Jennifer Coolidge, is a friend of Phoebe and Monica, but neither of them can stand her. The best scene is when she tries to seduce Chandler with her horrendous dance.

Before her appearance on Friends, the experimental comedian worked as a permanent actress on the show She TV, a short-lived TV comedy starring Nick Bakay, Elon Gold, Simbi Khali, and Linda Kash.

#9. Bruce Willis

When Ross gets involved with one of his university students, he expects his father to like him. To his surprise, her father, played by Bruce Willis, doesn't like Ross one bit. After Rachel hits it off with Paul, Ross sets up a double date between the four of them with the hope that Rachel would speak well of him, but as you may imagine, it ended up being super awkward.

Seeing Willis play the role of an evil father-in-law is something you just can’t miss. And Rachel does her part too because she keeps on mentioning anecdotes that make Ross look like a horrible guy, such as the time he said the wrong name on the day of his wedding.

#8. Brad Pitt

Yes, when Brad Pitt appeared on Friends, he and Jennifer Anniston were still together! What makes the episode even funnier is that Brad plays the role of Will Colbert, Ross’s former best friend from high school, who hates Rachel with all his heart.

The famous actor wasn’t the only one of Aniston’s couples who made a small appearance in the production. Another of his boyfriends, Tate Donovan, also appeared in several episodes, playing the role of the attractive Joshua, a client she intended to conquer at all costs.

#7. Reese Witherspoon

In Season 6, her younger sister Jill comes along, and we learn that she’s even more spoiled than Rachel. And who could’ve done a better job than the iconic Reese Witherspoon?

Jill shows up unexpectedly at Rachel’s apartment after putting up a fight with his father Leonard. She attempts to start a new life, just like Rachel did years before, but Jill ends up breaking the rules: she buys a whole bunch of clothes with her dad’s credit card, and then he dates Ross to spite Rachel.

#6. Hugh Laurie

Hugh Laurie catapulted to fame during the 1980s, appearing in popular TV shows such as The Young Ones and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. But a few years before he began starring in the TV medical drama House, he appeared onFriends Season 5.

In The One With Ross’ Wedding II, Laurie played the man on the plane sitting next to Rachel. He just couldn’t stand Rachel, considering how extremely anxious she was at the thought of declaring her love to Ross.

#5. Alec Baldwin

In The One with the Tea Leaves, Alec Baldwin played the role of Parker, an overly enthusiastic man who briefly dated Phoebe. His irrationally optimistic outlook on life eventually annoyed all of Phoebe’s friends.

So, as they always do with each other’s dates, they start making fun of him behind Phoebe’s back. Phoebe happens to overhear their chat and she gets pissed, but a few hours later she realizes that her friends were right: Parker was just too much to take!

#4. Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon played Cecilia Monroe in The One With Joey’s New Brain. The actress excelled in her performance and received an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy.

Sarandon played a drama actress who was going to be dismissed from Joey’s soap opera, Days of Our Lives. As always, Joey's show makes us laugh because of how bad it is. Sarandon's character in the soap opera is killed after she gets electrocuted, and then, doctors transplant her brain into Joey’s character, Dr. Drake Ramoray. How could that even be possible?

#3. Anna Faris

Anna Faris appears in the episode The One With the Birth Mother. When Monica and Chandler realize they are unable to conceive, they contact an adoption agency, and they eventually travel to Ohio to meet Erica, hoping she would choose them as her baby’s adoptive parents.

Faris told Media Village that on her first day, she was really intimidated. "It was also a big thrill to be a part of something so iconic, but mostly I was really terrified".

#2. Selma Blair

When Chandler moves to Tulsa, Oklahoma in season 9, his coworker Wendy – played by Selma Blair – is more than happy to flirt with him while Monica is stuck back in New York.

Just when Wendy was about to give Chandler a kiss, Monica gives him a call, but gets pissed and hangs up. Chandler impulsively decides to quit his job and travel back to Manhattan, and he takes all his friends by surprise when he shows up moments before Christmas Eve.

#1. Winona Ryder

The One with Rachel's Big Kiss is a chapter that fans won’t forget. In this chapter, Winona Ryder plays the role of Melissa, Rachel's old college friend. We eventually learn that the two of them had kissed. However, Phoebe doesn't believe that Rachel and Melissa kissed, claiming that Rachel was "too vanilla" to do something of the sort.

Apart from that, Melissa denies that the kiss ever happened, making Phoebe feel even more suspicious. Rachel is furious with Melissa’s denial and Phoebe’s mistrust, so she kisses Melissa to remind her of what had happened that night