Gerard Butler & 17 people you forgot were in James Bond movies

No one would blame you if it slipped your mind that the Queen of Pop appeared opposite Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day.

People you forgot were in James Bond movies. EVERETT COLLECTION; KEITH HAMSHERE/MGM; MGM

It’s been six decades and 25 movies since the inception of the James Bond movie franchise, and many actors and celebrities have graced the screen in that time.

But, especially after this past year, which proved time is indeed a flat circle (as Matthew McConaughey’s Rustin Cohle says on True Detective), no one would blame you if you didn’t remember that Madonna, the Queen of Pop, made an appearance in the films—which she did (in addition to singing the theme song) in Die Another Day. So, we look back on some of those stars you might’ve forgotten about who contributed to the franchise’s legacy.

Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lumley appears in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’. EVERETT COLLECTION

The absolutely fabulous Joanna Lumley of Absolutely Fabulous fame made her film debut in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as an Angel of Death, one of 12 women from around the world brainwashed by Blofeld (Telly Savalas).

Sammy Davis Jr.

Sammy Davis Jr. appears in ‘Diamonds Are Forever’. MGM

Diamonds Are Forever and so is Sammy Davis Jr. The legendary singer appears in that 1971 Bond film and makes a remark about how you couldn’t make a cake big enough to put under Sean Connery’s 007, who was suited like a wedding cake topper.

Charles Dance

Charles Dance appears in ‘For Your Eyes Only’. DANJAQ/EON/UA/KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCK

Iconic English actor Charles Dance acted opposite Roger Moore in the Bond film For Your Eyes Only (1981), in which he played the mercenary and assassin named Claus. Dance would later appear on screen in Game of Thrones with the late Diana Rigg, noted Bond Girl from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Dolph Lundgren

Dolph Lundgren appears in ‘A View to a Kill’. MGM

Look at baby Dolph Lundgren! The hulking Swedish actor would eventually become a world-renowned action movie star, but first he performed the a small role in A View to a Kill (1985) as Venz, a bodyguard for the head of the KGB.

Barbara Broccoli

Barbara Broccoli poses with James Bond actor Timothy Dalton. SCOTT MYERS/SHUTTERSTOCK

Along with Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli has led the charge on the Bond franchise as a lead producer since the era of Pierce Brosnan, being instrumental in shaping the direction of these films. But she also made an appearance in a Bond movie. In 1987’s The Living Daylights, she appeared as a background actor in the opera sequence.

Minnie Driver

Minnie Driver appears in ‘GoldenEye’. MGM

Ladies and gentlemen, the incomparable Irina! Good Will Hunting and Sleepers actress Minnie Driver portrayed this nightclub singer and mistress of crime boss Valentin Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane) in 1995’s GoldenEye.

Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler appears in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’. MGM

One of the first big movie gigs for Gerard Butler, known these days for Olympus Has Fallen and 300, was in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies. He showed up briefly aboard the British Royal Navy’s HMS Devonshire frigate.

Hugh Bonneville

Hugh Bonneville appears in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’. MGM

Between Downton Abbey and Paddington, Hugh Bonneville is the embodiment of British niceness, even though Ted Lasso has a monopoly on that brand these days. Booneville appeared in the gentlemanly British movie series with Tomorrow Never Dies, as an unnamed member of the British Royal Navy.

Goldie

Goldie (a.k.a. Clifford Price) appears in ‘The World Is Not Enough’. MGM

British musician and DJ Goldie, born Clifford Price, played the gold-toothed bodyguard Mister Bullion in 1999’s The World Is Not Enough.

Madonna

Madonna appears in ‘Die Another Day’. KEITH HAMSHERE/MGM

Madonna pulled double duty for 2002’s Die Another Day, performing the film’s theme song and appearing opposite Brosnan and Rosamund Pike as mistress of fencing Verity.

Tobias Menzies

Tobias Menzies appears in ‘Casino Royale’. MGM

The Crown Emmy winner Tobias Menzies shows up in 2006’s Casino Royale as M’s assistant Villiers, who gets to pal around with a double-0 for a day.

Richard Branson

Richard Branson appears in ‘Casino Royale’. MGM

The founder of Virgin Group, which owns Virgin Airlines, wouldn’t be the kind of person frisked at a Miami airport before boarding. But in Casino Royale, that’s exactly what happens to Richard Branson.

Michael G. Wilson

Michael G. Wilson appears in ‘Casino Royale’. MGM

Broccoli isn’t the only Bond gatekeeper to make an appearance in the films themselves. Wilson made a cameo in Casino Royale, but it was the latest in a long line of cameos that began all the way back in 1964’s Goldfinger.

Alessandra Ambrosio

Alessandra Ambrosio appears in ‘Casino Royale’. MGM

Bond rolls up to a luxurious country club in Casino Royale where he catches the eye of two women in tennis outfits. One of them is supermodel and Victoria’s Secret angel Alessandra Ambrosio.

David Harbour

David Harbour appears in ‘Quantum of Solace’. EVERETT COLLECTION

Before Chief Hopper on Stranger Things and Alexi in Black Widow, and Hellboy in… well, Hellboy, David Harbour was the nefarious CIA section chief Gregg Beam, who had ties to Quantum operative Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) in the 2008 movie Quantum of Solace.

Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro

Filmmakers Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro. CHARLEY GALLAY/GETTY IMAGES

Marc Forster, the director of Quantum of Solace, asked his Oscar-winning filmmaker buddies to appear in small capacities in the franchise’s 22nd movie. Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) voiced various roles, while Alfonso Cuarón (Roma) appeared as a helicopter pilot.

Wolf Blitzer

Wolf Blitzer appears in ‘Skyfall’. MGM

In Hollywood’s long history of tapping real-life newsmen and women to portray reporters on screen, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer appeared briefly in 2012’s Skyfall to share some news that incites Bond to action.