24 Stars You Forgot Appeared on “Friends”

Everyone from Ellen Pompeo to Jeff Goldblum joined the sitcom's all-star cast

The list of actors who guest-starred on Friends is as famous as the cast themselves!

The hit NBC sitcom drew some of the biggest names in Hollywood throughout its 10-season run from September 1994 to May 2004, including Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, who was married to Friends star Jennifer Aniston at the time of his appearance.

While many actors had already established themselves before their cameos, several current A-listers were still up-and-coming when they stopped by Central Perk, including Rebecca Romijn — who made her on-screen debut on the show — and Ellen Pompeo, whose hit medical drama Grey's Anatomy premiered just a year after her single-episode stint on the sitcom.

Take a look back at some of the most familiar faces you might not remember appearing on Friends.

01 of 24

Susan Sarandon

On the season 7 episode "The One with Joey's New Brain," Susan Sarandon plays Cecilia Monroe, one of Joey Tribbiani's (Matt LeBlanc) fellow soap stars, whom he hooks up with during rehearsals. Though brief, Sarandon's cameo alongside LeBlanc earned her an Emmy nomination in 2001 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

02 of 24

Sean Penn

Already a Hollywood veteran, Sean Penn plays Eric, the fiancé of Phoebe Buffay's (Lisa Kudrow) twin sister Ursula (also played by Kudrow), for two episodes during season 8 in 2001. Though Eric ends up falling for Phoebe after Ursula's lies come to light, the similarities between the twins are, understandably, too much for him.

03 of 24

Winona Ryder

Ryder drops by Central Perk on season 7 as Melissa Warburton, one of Rachel Green's (Aniston) old sorority sisters. On "The One with Rachel's Big Kiss," the Stranger Things actress and Aniston's characters lock lips — a gesture Melissa misunderstands as romantic, since she had long held a flame for Rachel after a drunken smooch in college.

04 of 24

Jennifer Coolidge

The White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge plays Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) and Phoebe's obnoxious old roommate, Amanda Buffamonteezi, on a season 10 episode of Friends in 2003. Originally from New York, Amanda had moved to England, and her attempts to speak with a British accent during her visit back to the Big Apple were iconic. She does, after all, "feel like a perfect arse."

05 of 24

Mae Whitman

Mae Whitman appears on the season 3 episode "The One Where Rachel Quits" as Sarah Tuttle, a Girl Scout who gets injured by Ross Geller (David Schwimmer).

A grown-up Whitman reunited with Aniston during a 2023 episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan (now Live with Kelly and Mark), where the duo met up backstage and shared a hug.

"I just wanted to say 'hi' because you were so kind to me," Whitman told Aniston. "It was my favorite show, and you really made me feel like I was a part of the cast. And you were so kind, and you hugged me. Thank you. It's always stayed with me."

06 of 24

Brad Pitt

Pitt and Aniston were still married when he joined the Friends posse for their season 8 Thanksgiving dinner. Ironically, on the 2001 episode, the F1 star plays Will Colbert, a former classmate who had a vendetta against Aniston's character, Rachel, back in high school.

07 of 24

Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller makes a cameo as Rachel's unexpectedly loud and aggressive date during season 3 of the hit show, on the appropriately titled 1997 episode "The One with the Screamer."

Fun fact: Stiller's then-girlfriend (now wife) Christine Taylor guest-stars on Friends later that same season as Bonnie, Phoebe's friend who shaves her head and briefly dates Ross.

08 of 24

Freddie Prinze Jr.

On the season 9 episode "The One with the Male Nanny," Freddie Prinze Jr. plays the overly sensitive Sandy, the male nanny whom Rachel and Ross hire — then quickly fire — to care for their baby girl Emma.

09 of 24

Brooke Shields

During season 2, Brooke Shields plays Erika Ford, an obsessed fan who believes Joey and his fictional Days of Our Lives character Dr. Drake Ramoray are the same person.

10 of 24

Gary Oldman

Harry Potter franchise alum Gary Oldman plays actor Richard Crosby on the two-part season 7 episode "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding," where, well, Monica and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) get married. Crosby's antics delay Joey's attendance at the nuptials, which he's officiating.

11 of 24

Charlie Sheen

On season 2's "The One with the Chicken Pox," Phoebe and her "submarine guy" Ryan, played by Charlie Sheen, come down with the itchy illness while spending time together during his brief leave from the U.S. Navy.

12 of 24

Dakota Fanning

Dakota Fanning had already established herself as a major star when she appeared on a season 10 episode of Friends in 2004 as a girl living in the house Monica and Chandler bought.

Years later, Dakota's little sister Elle Fanning revealed that she "refused to watch" her sister's single-episode stint, having lost a cameo role herself.

13 of 24

Rebecca Romijn

Romijn appears on-screen for the very first time as Ross' questionable new girlfriend, Cheryl, to whom the season 4 episode title, "The One with the Dirty Girl," refers. We'll never know if Cheryl found her hamster, Mitzi.

14 of 24

Jane Lynch

Before winning her first Emmy in 2010 for her performance as Sue Sylvester on Glee, Jane Lynch pops up as Chandler and Monica's realtor, Ellen, on season 10's "The One Where Estelle Dies."

15 of 24

Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum portrays legendary theater director Leonard Hayes on season 9's "The One with the Mugging," who gets a bit of a surprise after Joey lands a part in his play after an urgent audition.

16 of 24

Greg Kinnear

Greg Kinnear's character, Nobel Prize-winning Dr. Benjamin Hobart, was first mentioned in season 9. However, Friends fans didn't place a face to the name until season 10.

On "The One with Ross' Grant," professional and personal matters get muddled when Ross appeals to Dr. Hobart, his girlfriend Charlie Wheeler's (Aisha Tyler) ex, for a grant.

17 of 24

Julia Roberts

Roberts makes a stellar turn on the show's second season as Susie "Underpants" Moss, an old classmate of Chandler's whom he taunted during grade school. When she reappears in his life decades later, the two start dating until Susie enacts her revenge and humiliates Chandler.

18 of 24

Richard Branson

British businessman Richard Branson can add acting to his résumé thanks to a season 4 cameo as a London street vendor on the two-part episode "The One With Ross' Wedding."

19 of 24

Sherri Shepherd

While briefly working at Ross' museum, Joey makes a friend in Rhonda, the brash tour guide played by Sherri Shepherd on the season 4 episode "The One with Phoebe's Uterus."

20 of 24

Selma Blair

Selma Blair appears on the single episode "The One with Christmas in Tulsa" from Friends' ninth season. The Cruel Intentions star plays Wendy, one of Chandler's coworkers at his company's office in Tulsa, Okla., who attempts to seduce him while he's stuck in the Midwest over the holidays.

21 of 24

Craig Robinson

Before he shot to fame on The Office, Craig Robinson's office clerk helps Kudrow's character change her name on season 10's "The One with Princess Consuela." However, instead of changing her last name to match her new husband, Mike (Paul Rudd), Phoebe takes on the moniker Princess Consuela Banana Hammock.

22 of 24

Ellen Pompeo

During season 10's "The One Where the Stripper Cries," Pompeo stirs up trouble between Chandler and Ross as their former college classmate Missy Goldberg, whom both had a crush on. After her appearance in February 2004, Pompeo made her debut as Meredith Grey when Grey's Anatomy premiered in March 2005.

23 of 24

Gabrielle Union

Gabrielle Union was fresh off her breakout role in 2000's Bring It On when she starred on the season 7 episode "The One with the Cheap Wedding Dress." She plays new neighbor Kristen Lang, whom both Ross and Joey ask out on a date, but it doesn't end well for either of them.

24 of 24

George Clooney and Noah Wyle

Nodding to their ER roles, Clooney and Noah Wyle appear as doctors treating Rachel for an injury on season 1. Later, Monica and Rachel take the medical duo on a double date that goes from bad to worse, though the Jay Kelly actor is as charming as ever through each mishap.

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