Released Feb. 14, 1992, Wayne’s World ultimately became the tenth highest-grossing movie of the year, raking in almost $190 million dollars.
Spawned from hugely popular Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name, the film was packed with a litany of quotable lines that have mostly stood the test of time. Wayne’s World remains a cultural touchpoint for many people, and marks a significant piece of work in the respective careers of its stars — Mike Myers and Dana Carvey — as well as director Penelope Spheeris.
Beyond that, though, Wayne’s World is also a movie packed with cameos and quasi-cameos: Rock stars playing riffs on themselves, big time actors popping up in roles before (and after) they were incredibly famous, and “hey, it’s that guy!” character players that you may not remember were in the film. Here’s our guide to some of the best cameos and guest roles from Wayne’s World.
Lara Flynn Boyle as Stacy, Wayne’s “Psycho Hose Beast” Ex-Girlfriend
Fresh off her turn in Twin Peaks, Lara Flynn Boyle plays Stacy, Wayne’s gun rack-gifting ex-girlfriend. Though she had a successful acting career throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, Flynn Boyle has taken a step back from Hollywood in recent years, with her last role coming in 2020’s Death In Texas. She did make a point of showing up for Wayne’s World reunions in 2013 and 2020, though.
Ed O’Neill as Glen, the dark and foreboding manager of Stan Mikita’s Donuts
Long before Modern Family, Ed O’Neill played a working class shoe salesman in Married With Children. Still, he managed to take some time off that gig to show up for his scenes in Wayne’s World, in which he plays Glen, the manager of Stan Mikita’s Donuts that Wayne insists works “24 hours a day.” Glen’s backstory is only alluded to in his on-camera asides (“You know, if you stab a man in the dead of winter, steam will rise up from the wounds…”), but as far as we know, he never really emerges from behind that counter.
Brian Doyle-Murray as Noah Vanderhoff, the arcade owner who writes his own raps
Bill Murray’s real life older brother, Brian Doyle-Murray has actually appeared with his lil bro in a number of films, including Caddyshack, Scrooged and Groundhog Day. Doyle-Murray was also a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live in the late ’70s and early ’80s, which may explain his appearance in Wayne’s World. As Vanderhoff, the first corporate sponsor for Wayne’s cable access show, he invites kids to “come bust a move where the games are played” down at Noah’s Arcade. Sadly, Doyle-Murray didn’t make the 2020 Wayne’s reunion, though he did pop up at the in-person one in 2013.
Chris Farley as a well-informed security guard
Though he was already in the process of becoming a star on Saturday Night Live, Chris Farley actually made his first movie appearance ever as Wayne’s World’s enthusiastic security guard. He would go on to star in a few other SNL movies, like Coneheads and, of course, Wayne’s World 2, in which he plays an entirely different character. Then came 1995’s Tommy Boy, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Kurt Fuller as Russell Finley, Benjamin’s right hand man
Kurt Fuller is one of those everyman character actors who you swear you know but you can’t quite put your finger on how. He plays Russell Finley, the good-natured right hand man who Garth schools about “pralines and dick” in Wayne’s World, but he’s also been in about 200 other productions, including Ghostbusters II, Anger Management and Psych.
Meat Loaf as Tiny, the bouncer at Gasworks
The late, great Meat Loaf was no stranger to the limelight when he agreed to play the role of Gasworks bouncer Tiny in Wayne’s World. He’d already been in Rocky Horror Picture Show and released numerous chart-topping albums by the time he was asked. Still, as Tiny, Meat Loaf delivers a pretty solid performance, bringing some wit to the brawny bouncer who’s always hip to the scene. Just don’t ask him about The Shitty Beatles.
Frank Di Leo as Frankie “Mr. Big” Sharp, the record executive who drives everywhere
Equal parts actor and music manager, Frank Di Leo was something of a renaissance man. He played Tuddy Cicero in Goodfellas, but also managed Michael Jackson from 1984 to 1989, and then again right before Jackson’s death in 2009. Interestingly enough, while Di Leo was a VP at Epic Records in the ‘80s, the label signed his Wayne’s World co-star Meat Loaf.
Michael DeLuise as Alan, a member of the ‘Wayne’s World’ production crew
Another character actor in the vein of Kurt Fuller, Michael DeLuise is perhaps best known as Gilmore Girls’ doofy T.J., brother-in-law to diner owner Luke. He’s been in a number of other projects, including Encino Man and NYPD Blue, but was last seen on screen in a 2013 episode of Bunheads.
Lee Tergesen as Terry, another member of the ‘Wayne’s World’ crew
Yet another journeyman, Lee Tergesen is Wayne’s World’s most visible crew member, mostly because he’s so often professing his platonic love for his male friends and coworkers. Tergesen has had a very robust career since Wayne’s, playing creepy bad guys in episodes of Law & Order: SVU and doing a major stint on Oz as inmate Tobias Beecher.
Ione Skye as Elyse, the woman who introduces Benjamin to ‘Wayne’s World’
Say Anything’s Diane Court, Ione Skye was coming off a run of a few good projects when she agreed to play the role of Elyse, the Shakey’s waitress who, while channel surfing, introduces Rob Lowe’s Benjamin to Wayne’s World. It’s not exactly the type of banner role Skye could have really sunk her teeth into, but she got to pretend to make out with Lowe, so perhaps it was worth it.
Alice Cooper as a Milwaukee-loving version of himself
One of Wayne’s World’s most notable cameos is, of course, Alice Cooper playing a cool and wordy version of himself. It is he, for instance, who informs Wayne that Milwaukee is Algonquin for “the good land.” It’s a bit of a gag, considering we’d just seen Cooper tear through “Feed My Frankenstein” on stage, but given Cooper’s fairly laid back and cerebral nature off-stage, it’s a role that fits.
Alice Cooper’s band (Pete Friesen, Derek Sherinian, Stef Burns, and Jimmy DeGrasso) as a Milwaukee-questioning version of itself
It should come as no surprise that Cooper’s band in Wayne’s World is, in fact, played by his actual band. The one who gets the most screen time is guitarist Pete Friesen, who poses the Milwaukee question, but Derek Sherinian, Stef Burns, and Jimmy DeGrasso are all there, too. Unfortunately, none of the quartet still tours with Cooper.
Paramount Pictures
Robert Patrick as T-1000
As T-1000, Robert Patrick gets a brief but funny cameo spot in Wayne’s World, stomping up to the car and demanding, “Have you seen this boy?” Interestingly, that wasn’t even supposed to be Patrick’s line: It was changed on the day of shooting.
Robin Ruzan as a waitress at Mikita’s Donuts
In 1992 Robin Ruzan was still Mike Myers’ girlfriend when she played a non-speaking waitress working the counters at Mikita’s Donuts. They’d marry in 1993 then divorce in 2006, but not before Ruzan’s mother, Linda Richman, inspired Myers’ beloved “Coffee Talk” character.
Donna Dixon as Garth’s dream woman
It’s not really clear how Donna Dixon ended up playing another Mikita’s waitress, but one thing’s for sure: She really did knock Garth’s socks off. Dixon was named Miss Virginia USA in 1976 and did roles on Bosom Buddies and The Love Boat before marrying Dan Aykroyd in 1983. They’re still together, and have three children.
Charles Noland as the inventor of the Suck Kut, which certainly does suck
Another well-traveled character actor, Charles Noland is far more than just Ron Paxton, inventor of the Suck Kut. He played a member of the White House press corps on The West Wing for seven seasons, did two years as a supporting character on ER, and has popped up in movies like Blow and Old School, where he played Beav.
Carmen Filpi as Old Man Withers, the owner of the amusement park
Carmen Filpi was no stranger to playing old men before or after he was cast as Wayne’s World’s Old Man Withers—a character that would really only pay off in the movie’s second alternate ending. Of his 106 credits on IMDb, a shocking number of his characters have names like “The Old Geezer,” “Old Crusty Man,” and “Ancient Guy.” He’s also played a number of bums and drunks, including as “Old Man In Bar” in The Wedding Singer.
Mike Hagerty as Davy, a TV 10 employee
When Mike Hagerty was cast as TV 10 employee Davy in Wayne’s World, he had yet to come into his own in Hollywood. He’d played bit parts on Murphy Brown and Family Ties and even popped up as a doorman in Dick Tracy, but you could argue that Hagerty didn’t really get his Hollywood due until 1994, when he played a store owner in the “Raincoats” episode of Seinfeld. That led to him being cast on George Carlin’s sitcom, where he’d stay for 23 episodes. Friends fans will also recognize him as building superintendent Mr. Treeger. He’s continued bouncing around the TV world for decades and has recently been tearing it up as Bridget Everett’s on-screen dad in Somebody Somewhere.
Penelope Spheeris as a control room worker
Wayne’s World director Penelope Spheeris managed to get out from behind the camera long enough to make an appearance in Wayne’s World herself. She can be seen in the big control room during the cable access show’s ill-fated network taping. Though she’d made movies before Wayne’s World—notably The Decline of Western Civilization in 1991 and Suburbia, a punk masterpiece featuring a young Flea, in 1983—the success of the movie really launched her into a more commercial Hollywood sphere. She’d go on to direct The Little Rascals, The Beverly Hillbillies and Black Sheep.
Colleen Camp as Mrs. Vanderhoff, who knows the studio is where the magic happens
A character actor with over 150 credits to her name as of 2021, Colleen Camp made her film debut in 1973’s Battle For The Planet of the Apes. She’d go on to roles in Happy Days, Valley Girl and Police Academy 2 and 4 before taking on the role of Mrs. Vanderhoff. (She also played Yvette in Clue, another movie with multiple endings.) Since then, she’s been spotted in The Baby-Sitters Club movie, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Election, Material Girls, Factory Girl, House and Entourage.