14 Movie Cameos by the Authors of the Original Books

Keep your eyes peeled for these writer cameos the next time you’re enjoying one of their movies.

1. Stephenie Meyer, Twilight. It’s a very subtle cameo. See if your eagle eyes can spot it.

2. Michael Morpurgo in War Horse. Michael and his wife, Clare, both filmed a cameo for the movie. This isn’t the first time Morpurgo has popped up for a bit part in War Horse, though. He’s also made small appearances when the play adaptations of his books have been performed in London and New York.

3. Stephen King cameos in many of his movies. Thinner, Rose Red, The Storm of the Century, The Stand, The Shining, The Langoliers and Sleepwalker, just to name a few. But I like the one in Pet Sematary:

4. Louis Sachar in Holes. The famous children’s and YA author plays a character named Mr. Collingwood in a flashback scene.

5. Sara Gruen in Water for Elephants. In a scene that will make Edward Cullen fans green with envy, Robert Pattinson brushes by an “astonished woman” watching Rosie the elephant steal produce. That woman is Gruen. Many of her family members also appear in the scene.

6. S.E. Hinton in The Outsiders. Hinton – whose real name is Susan Eloise – appears as the nurse in Dally’s hospital room. Check out her extremely brief appearance at the beginning of this clip:

7. Kathryn Stockett in The Help. The author of one of this year’s Best Picture nominees has a bouffanted cameo as part of a scene involving the Junior League. Her mother, sister and some friends also appear.

8. John Irving in The World According to Garp. Anyone familiar with Irving’s love of wrestling won’t be surprised that he chose to appear as a wrestling referee in the movie adaptation of The World According to Garp, a role that required a fair amount of scuttling around on the floor:

9. Peter Benchley in Jaws. The author who made millions of people question their summer vacation plans plays a reporter in a brief scene in the 1975 film adaptation, which Benchley co-wrote.

10. William Peter Blatty in The Exorcist. Early in the movie, before the pea soup really hits the fan, Reagan’s actress mother is working on a movie. Blatty plays the producer of the film in a short on-set scene.

11. John le Carré in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. He plays a guest at the MI6 Christmas party and apparently even does a little singing

12. V.C. Andrews in Flowers in the Attic. You can see her about 6:00 in this clip, but it’s literally a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. She died shortly thereafter, missing the movie’s 1987 premiere.

13. Fannie Flagg in Fried Green Tomatoes. Flagg plays the workshop leader of a women’s seminar that Evelyn attends (before she's empowered by Towanda, of course).

14. Sapphire in Precious. You can spot the mono-named author as a woman at a day care center near the end of the movie.

Be sure to leave a comment if I’ve missed one of your favorites.