Celebrities You Forgot Appeared On Roseanne

Published on February 27, 2018. Updated October 2, 2019

Throughout Roseanne’s nine-season run, many celebrities made guest appearances. From those just getting their start in the industry to some of the biggest stars of the decade, take a look back at 12 popular celebrities you forgot made an appearance on Roseanne!

12. Bruce Willis

There were many memorable famous faces on Roseanne over the years, but even the most passionate fans might not remember Bruce Willis’ very brief cameo. The popular star made a seemingly random appearance during the end credits of the season one episode “Dear Mom and Dad.” Willis appeared during the end credits when Roseanne calls for her husband in bed, and Willis shows up instead of John Goodman. The cameo was so small and he had absolutely no role in the show and, since many viewers don’t pay attention to the end credits anyway, it was mostly missed when it aired. While it might have seemed completely random, Roseanne Barr and Bruce Willis had lent their voices to the film Looks Who’s Talking Too and with Roseanne still in its first season, having star power like Bruce Willis come on set definitely didn’t hurt its popularity.

2

11. Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio has been a star for most of his life, and had no problem making it big even as a child actor, but before his roles in Parenthood, Growing Pains, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and well before Titanic, he was in Roseanne. At the time that he appeared on the show in the season three episode “Home-Ec,” it was only his fifth acting role and he was credited simply as “Darlene’s Classmate.” In the episode, DiCaprio had no lines and was simply seated beside Darlene for the home-ec class led by her mother, Roseanne, which leaves Darlene very embarrassed. That very same year of his Roseanne appearance, DiCaprio began his run as Garry Buckman in Parenthood as well as Luke Brower in Growing Pains and it didn’t take long for him to become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after young stars.

3

10. Alyson Hannigan

Alyson Hannigan’s fame took off after her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and now she is best known for not only that role but also for her starring roles in American Pie and How I Met Your Mother, but before it all, she appeared on Roseanne. Hannigan appeared in season three’s “Like, a New Job” as Jan, a good friend of Becky’s. In the episode, Becky is horrified that her mom got a job at the mall diner where Becky hangs out with her friends, but Jan is there to reassure Becky that they don’t care her mom works at the diner and even think Roseanne is “cool.” The role was only the third role for the actress and it would still be seven years before she landed her big break as Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

4

9. Tobey Maguire

When they were starting out in their careers as young actors, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire seemed to always be up for the same roles and embarked on a friendship and rivalry that has lasted through their careers. Much like DiCaprio, a young Tobey Maguire also appeared in Roseanne in 1991. It was only the actor’s sixth role when he appeared in the season three episode “Valentine’s Day.” Maguire appeared as Jeff, the friend to a boy that both Becky and Darlene had a crush on. Following his small role in the series, he landed the part of Scott Melrod in the short-lived series Great Scott! and continued to build his resume before landing bigger and bigger roles by the late ’90s.

5

8. Florence Henderson

The late, great Florence Henderson will always be remembered for her iconic role as Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch, but there are many others to remember — including her small appearance on Roseanne! Henderson appeared in the season six episode “Suck Up or Shut Up” as Flo Anderson, a member on the committee of the Lanford Women’s Association who Roseanne’s boss wants her to suck up to in order to draw customers to The Lanford Lunchbox. Henderson went on to make many other cameos and guest appearances in popular series including Ellen, Hercules, and Ally McBeal in the ’90s to early 2000s.

6

7. Stephen Dorff

Stephen Dorff has very much slipped under the radar despite his numerous roles in many popular films and series including Blade, Immortals, and True Detective which makes his small part in Roseanne even more forgettable. The actor appeared in three episodes of the sitcom as one of Becky’s very first boyfriends, Jimmy Meltrigger, a young jock from school. After appearing intermittently through the first nine episodes of season two, Jimmy Meltrigger wasn’t heard from again and Stephen Dorff went on to many bigger roles including starring in the music video for Aerosmith’s “Cryin’.”

7

6. Tim Curry

With over 200 acting credits to his name, Tim Curry is one of the most respected actors in the industry and has had numerous memorable roles, which means it is easy to forget he was ever in Roseanne. Back in 1993, Curry appeared in the series in two episodes, “Promises, Promises” and “Glengarry, Glen Rosey.” Curry appeared as Roger, the business partner of Dan Conner, who ends up taking off on the Conners and leaving them in a financial mess that almost leaves them homeless. As with everything he does, Curry was an excellent guest star for the two episodes and added an additional layer of comedy to the already hilarious sitcom.

8

5. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been charming audiences for years, going all the way back to 1993 when he first appeared in Roseanne. He first appeared in the season five episode “Daughters and Other Strangers” as George, a friend of DJ’s. The young actor went on to appear in the role in three other episodes between seasons five to seven. By the mid-90s Gordon-Levitt was becoming more and more in demand as he starred in Angels in the Outfield and The Juror before becoming known for his role as Tommy Solomon in 3rd Rock from the Sun from 1996-2001. Now along with 3rd Rock from the Sun, he is best known for his roles in 10 Things I Hate About You, Stop-Loss, 500 Days of Summer, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises and Snowden.

9

4. Neil Patrick Harris

For many, Neil Patrick Harris reemerged into the spotlight when he stole the show as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother and thanks to that role many forget he was one of the biggest child actors in TV back in the ’90s. After landing the lead as kid genius in Doogie Howser, M.D. in 1989, Harris made a special cameo on Roseanne in 1992 in the episode “Less Is More” as his famous doctor character. In the episode, Roseanne considers breast reduction surgery when she throws her back out, but when she is put under for the surgery she has a dream in which she awakes from surgery to discover her breasts have been doubled in size and when she asks to see the doctor who did it, it is none other than Dr. Doogie Howser. The brief cameo went uncredited for Harris, but his appearance still remains one of the best guest star moments of the show’s history.

10

3. Johnny Galecki

It is not news to anyone that Johnny Galecki starred as David Healy on Roseanne from 1992-1997, but there are still many who are shocked when they realize it is the same actor who now stars as Leonard Hofstadter on The Big Bang Theory. Nearly 20 years separate Galecki’s major TV roles, meaning many had forgotten all about his past when The Big Bang Theory became a smash hit following its premiere season in 2006. Now, Galecki has agreed to appear in the Roseanne revival but could only be in one episode as a guest star because of his contract obligations to Big Bang.

11

2. Ellen DeGeneres

Roseanne was a groundbreaking sitcom for several reasons, but one of the biggest was its inclusion of gay characters which was rarely if ever seen on TV in the early ’90s. Roseanne attracted a lot of attention because of the issues it wasn’t afraid to tackle and drew the attention of Ellen DeGeneres who went on to appear on the show in 1995. She appeared in season seven’s “The Battling of the Shrew” as Dr. Whitman, a marriage counselor for Jackie and Fred, and at the time wasn’t that well-known aside from her stand-up comedy and her self-titled sitcom, Ellen, which had only been launched a year before. Despite Roseanne‘s inclusion of gay characters, her role had nothing to do with being gay and DeGeneres actually didn’t publicly come out until two years later in 1997. Now, she is one of the most widely beloved stars out there with an incredible amount of success behind her, which includes a small spot on Roseanne.

12

1. George Clooney

It seems that George Clooney has been on top of the Hollywood A-list forever, but there was a time where he was just trying to make a name for himself in the industry and before all of his huge blockbuster roles, and even before he starred on ER, he was on Roseanne. The handsome actor appeared in 11 episodes as Booker Brooks, Roseanne’s boss and friend and Jackie’s former boyfriend. He made his first appearance in the role in the very first episode and made his last appearance in season four’s “Trick Me Up, Trick Me Down” in which Jackie flirts with someone at the Lodge costume party only to discover that he is her ex, Booker. Three years after his last scene in Roseanne, Clooney landed the role of Doug Ross on ER and his career changed forever. Now, he has three Golden Globes, two Oscars and his time on Roseanne is a long-forgotten piece of his resume before he was one of the most important men in Hollywood.