15 Before-They-Were-Famous Celebrity Cameos In Music Videos

From starring roles to blink-or-you'll-miss-them cameos, some really big stars who got their first big breaks in music videos.

1. Zooey Deschanel appeared as the lead character in The Offspring's "She's got Issues."

The video was one of Zooey's first acting credits.

2. Jennifer Lopez was a backup dancer in Janet Jackson's "That's the Way Love Goes."

3. Jason Lee appeared as a skateboarder in Sonic Youth's "100%."

Jason was actually a prominent professional skateboarder throughout the '80s and early '90s. He even appeared in Video Days, a skateboarding video that was directed by Spike Jonze (who also directed "100%").

4. Angelina Jolie appeared as a stripper in The Rolling Stones' "Anybody Seen My Baby?"

Angelina was still a relatively unknown actress when she made the video in 1997. Her big break would be the following year in HBO’s Gia.

5. Christina Hendricks was in Everclear's "One Hit Wonder."

Christina appeared in this video four years before she was cast on Firefly and nine years before her breakthrough role on Mad Men. Then-upcoming music video director McG also directed the video.

6. Jack Black was in Beck's "Sexx Laws."

Jack was still an unknown (even though he had already been in more than a dozen movies) when he appeared in this video in 1999. His big breakthrough role would be the following year in High Fidelity.

7. Courteney Cox was the adoring fan in Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark."

Courteney actually got her big break thanks to being cast as the fan in the front row who gets to dance with Bruce. She landed a role on Family Ties soon after.

8. Sofia Coppola was one of Madonna's friends in her video for "Deeper and Deeper."

The ‘70s-inspired video not only features Sofia but also cameos by gay-porn director Chi Chi LaRue and Madonna's longtime friend Debi Mazar.

9. Hugh Laurie was in Annie Lennox's "Walking on Broken Glass."

Hugh Laurie was not well known to American audiences when he appeared in this 1992 music video. (He did, however, have huge success in the U.K. with his comedy duo, Fry and Laurie, and his TV show, A Bit of Fry & Laurie.) The video is based in part on the 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons and also features one of its stars, John Malkovich.

10. Naomi Campbell was a dancer in Culture Club's "I'll Tumble 4 Ya."

Naomi was 12 when she appeared in the video.

11. Benicio del Toro was an extra in Madonna's "Isla Bonita."

12. Patrick Swayze was one of the dancers in Toto's "Rosanna."

Patrick was still a year away from being cast in his first big role in The Outsiders when he appeared in the video.

13. Jeremy Renner was the bad-boy sheriff in Pink's "Trouble."

14. Matt LeBlanc was the lead in Jon Bon Jovi's "Miracle."

The music video features Jeff Beck as well.

15. Alicia Silverstone was the lead in Aerosmith's "Cryin'."

The first of Alicia’s video trilogy for Aerosmith, the video also features Stephen Dorff and Josh Holloway. The video was a smash success on MTV and went on to win the 1994 MTV VMA for Video of the Year.