Cameo appearances In addition to Landis, the film's director, appearing as one of the SAVAK agents, he invited numerous filmmakers, actors and musicians to make cameo appearances in the film: •
Jack Arnold, director of
science-fiction films, including
It Came from Outer Space (1953) and
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), as the man with the nice dog in the elevator •
Rick Baker,
Academy Award-winning make-up artist on
An American Werewolf in London (1981), as the drug dealer •
Paul Bartel, director of low-budget films, including
Eating Raoul (1982), as
Beverly Wilshire Hotel doorman •
David Cronenberg, as Ed Okin's group supervisor. •
Jonathan Demme, who at the time had directed a number of lower-budget and exploitation films, as the thin federal agent with glasses •
Richard Franklin,
Australian director of
Roadgames (1981), as the aerospace engineer sitting next to Herb in the cafeteria •
Carl Gottlieb, who co-wrote
Jaws (1975), as the large federal agent with moustache. •
Amy Heckerling, director of
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), as Amy, the clumsy waitress. •
Jim Henson, creator of
The Muppets, as the man on the phone talking to Bernie (likely a reference to Henson's manager
Bernie Brillstein, who had also executive-produced
The Blues Brothers and
Spies Like Us for Landis). •
Colin Higgins, who wrote
Harold and Maude (1971) and directed
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), as the actor in the hostage film •
Lawrence Kasdan, writer and director of
Body Heat (1981), as the police detective who interrogates Bud •
Jonathan Lynn, co-writer of
Yes Minister and director of the Landis-produced
Clue, as the tailor who fits the SAVAK agents • "Blue"
Lou Marini, saxophonist, as a member of the airport crowd •
Andrew Marton, film director, as a freeway driver •
Paul Mazursky, director of
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice as studio executive Bud Herman •
Carl Perkins, guitarist and songwriter
Blue Suede Shoes as Hamid's henchman Mr. Williams •
Daniel Petrie, director of
A Raisin in the Sun (1961), as the director of the hostage film •
Dedee Pfeiffer, actress and sister of Michelle Pfeiffer, as the hooker •
Waldo Salt, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of
Midnight Cowboy (1969) and
Coming Home (1978), as the derelict who informs Ed of his car having been towed •
Don Siegel, director of
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and
Dirty Harry (1971), as the man caught with a girl in the hotel bathroom •
Roger Vadim, writer and film director
...And God Created Woman as Monsieur Melville Members of the production crew also had cameos: • Wes Dawn, makeup artist, and Christopher Dunn George, camera operator, appear as
LAPD cops who remind Ed of the green light on his way to the airport • Eddy Donno, stunt coordinator, as LAPD officer • Sue Dugan, costumer, as a freeway driver •
William B. Kaplan, sound mixer, David Sosna, assistant director, Saul Kahan, unit publicist, as grip, assistant director and publicist of the hostage film •
Robert Paynter, director of photography, as a security guard ==Production==