Top Celebrity Guest Appearances On ‘Dallas’

James Cromwell is a fantastic actor and a perfect to start to this list of the best Dallas guest stars. Cromwell has appeared in a ton of movies and TV shows over the years. In recent years, his role in American Horror Story: Asylum is incredible, and he’s one of the best villains in that show. However, before that, in the 80s, James Cromwell appeared in many popular shows such as Magnum, P.I., Night Court, Knight Rider, Hardcastle and McCormick, Family Ties, and more.

What makes his role as Gerald Kane in Dallas interesting is that all those other shows I just mentioned were one-off appearances, but in Dallas, he would actually get three episodes during Season 8. He is one of those actors like a few others on this list, whose name you may not recognize at first, but when you see his face or even hear his voice, you will recognize him instantly. A fun bit of trivia is that he was actually the voice of the villain in Disney’s criminally underrated Big Hero 6!

When you look at the career of John Larroquette there is no denying that this guy is pure TV royalty. From a major role in Night Court to his very own The John Larroquette Show to The Practice and Boston Legal, John Larroquette has been a major fixture on TV for decades!

John Larroquette would appear in two episodes of Dallas: Season 6’s “Hit and Run,” and “The Ewing Touch.” He would actually play a pretty important part in these two episodes as he was the divorce lawyer for Lucy Ewing. One of the most interesting aspects of John Larroquette having this two episode run is that just a couple of years later after a few other bit-part roles in other shows and a few TV movies, he would get that huge break with Night Court in 1984 where he would star for over 190 episodes!

Dennis Haysbert is another one of those actors whose name may not ring a bell, but as soon as you see his face or hear his voice, you will recognize him. He is a very talented actor who has appeared in the Major League movies and as David Palmer from the series 24.

On Dallas, he would play a doctor in the Season 8 episode, “Killer At Large.” In addition to his one-episode appearance in Dallas, he also appeared in The Fall Guy, Quincy, The Incredible Hulk, The A-Team, and many more! Due to him being in so many awesome and iconic 80s TV shows, Dennis Haysbert is one of the most fun inclusions on this entire list!

Here we have someone that had to be on this best guest stars on Dallas list! John Ashton is a man who has appeared in tons of movies and TV shows. For me and many others, he will always be John Taggart from Beverly Hills Cop.

His appearance on this list is very timely as Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has come out this year and Ashton once again played John Taggart. Anyway, back to Dallas. John Ashton would play the role of Willie Joe Garr during the first two seasons, appearing in six episodes. Think of him as JR’s goon and you pretty much know what to expect from him. While he was only in the show during the early days, his role is quite memorable as he was tied so close to JR. Although, watching it back and seeing John Ashton without that iconic Beverly Hills Cop mustache is a little strange!

Now this is a story all about how Uncle Phil got turned upside down and ended up in Dallas… just kidding. The best guest appearances are ones that make you smile because you’re familiar with the actor’s work elsewhere.

James Avery is best known for being Uncle Phil in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as well as the voice of Shredder in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. On Dallas, he would appear as a judge during the big custody case for little Christopher!

Ray Wise is one of those actors whose name may not immediately spring to mind, unless you’re a fan of Twin Peaks or Robocop. Ray Wise would actually have an eight episode run on Dallas in Seasons 5 and 6. He would play a character called Blair Sullivan and he would actually be in a few episodes, playing an actual role, rather than a small bit part. The fact that Ray Wise is so memorable is why I feel like he needs to be on this list of the best Dallas guest stars, he is one of those actors that everyone has seen in at least one thing!

Ok, this is a real personal one and one of the most fun celebrity appearances on Dallas. Lou Diamond Phillips was a big star in the ’80s and early ’90s. He shot to fame thanks to the iconic 80s movie La Bamba, but I fondly remember him for his role in the two Young Guns movies which I adore.

Anyway, Lou Diamond Phillips doesn’t even get a character name on Dallas, he is just referred to as “Sidewalk Thug”. We see him in the background in the Season 9 episode called “Rock Bottom.” However, what makes this such a great and fun cameo is that this is actually a major episode of Dallas: Sue Ellen has literally hit rock bottom and the visual of her drinking with the crazy drunk lady she once judged is very hard hitting and a very iconic scene from the show. However, not many people realize that a pre-La Bamba Lou Diamond Phillips was hanging out in the background as Sue Ellen was making her way to that powerful visual!

The biggest movie star that can say they were in Dallas has to be Brad Pitt. He wasn’t just a one-time appearance either. Brad Pitt would play the role of a guy called Randy for a handful of episodes at the end of 1987 and the beginning of 1998.

It was quite a fun – or at the very least interesting – time for Brad Pitt. He would end up having a love scene and most famously of all, he would also get thrown into a pool. When you watch the footage of Brad Pitt in Dallas now, it is crazy how young he looks. No doubt at the time he was thrilled to be in the huge hit of a show and had no idea that he would within ten years become one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.