24 was an incredibly successful TV show that ran from 2001 until 2010. A revival season was released in 2014 and a spinoff, 24: Legacy, aired in 2017. The Fox show was led by Kiefer Sutherland, who played CTU agent Jack Bauer. The adventures of Jack Bauer and the Counter Terrorist Unit are responsible for most of the show's success, but the multiple celebrity cameos have certainly helped to give the show another exciting attribute.
Made up of several actors and even a politician, the celebrity cameos featured on 24 are fun ways that the show gives fans an opportunity to witness unexpected guest stars from other shows and movies.
10 Michael Cudlitz Was An FBI Agent After His Time On Band Of Brothers
After his time on Band of Brothers and before his appearances on The Walking Dead, Michael Cudlitz guest-starred on 24 as FBI Agent Rick Phillips during season 2. Agent Phillips had orders to tag along with Jack Bauer as he and Nina Myers went to meet an informant.
After meeting with the informant and traveling via airplane, they crashed and only himself, Jack, and Nina survived the accident. However, a mysterious military team known as the Coral Snake group discovered the crash site and killed Agent Phillips.
9 Jon Gries Appeared On 24 Before He Became Known As Uncle Rico
Before starring as Uncle Rico in the hit comedy film, Napoleon Dynamite, Jon Gries appeared in a season 2 episode of 24. Gries played the character of Joseph Wald, an American terrorist who was hired by Nina Myers, the woman responsible for the death of Jack's wife, to blow up the CTU Los Angeles building.
Jack was able to infiltrate Wald's crew and track him down, but before Jack was able to arrest him, Wald decided to kill himself instead of going back to prison.
8 Dean Norris Briefly Portrayed A General On 24 Before Breaking Bad
Dean Norris is best known for his role as Walter White's brother-in-law, Hank Schrader, on AMC's Breaking Bad. On Breaking Bad, Hank is a DEA agent who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. However, Norris played a character on 24 a few years earlier during season 2 of the show.
Norris' character, U.S. General Bowden, interacted directly with President David Palmer regarding the potential preparations needed to go to war. While both characters that Norris played worked in a government capacity, they had a few distinct differences.
7 John McCain Made A Blink-&-You'll-Miss It Cameo
The late American politician had a very small cameo as himself on the Fox show during its 5th season. McCain appeared as a CTU staffer who hands Audrey Raines a folder. Even the most observant of viewers could have missed this particular cameo as McCain was only onscreen for a few seconds and he did not have any speaking lines.
McCain was a fan of the show, before and after his appearance. He also made comedic-based cameos on Parks and Recreation and Wedding Crashers.
6 Stana Katic Appeared In The Show Before Her Role On Castle
Stana Katic and her costar, Nathan Fillion, headlined the ABC crime series Castle for 8 seasons, beginning in 2009. 3 years before the debut of Castle, season 5 of 24 saw Katic portray a character known as Collette Stenger, an information broker working for Christopher Henderson.
Stenger claimed that Audrey Raines was involved with Vladimir Bierko's terrorist operation, however, with the help of Chloe O'Brian, Jack found out that Stenger was lying. It was later revealed that she was instructed by Henderson to frame Audrey.
5 Oscar Nuñez Was A Pilot Before He Was On The Office
Before joining the iconic sitcom, The Office, Oscar Nuñez was featured in season 3 of 24 as a pilot. The Office sees him as Oscar Martinez, an accountant working at the Scranton location of Dunder Mifflin, alongside Steve Carell's Michael Scott.
In 24, Nuñez's character was responsible for flying Ramon Salazar's private plane after Ramon was broken out of prison by Jack Bauer. The character was unnamed and had very few lines in the episode, making his cameo in the season 3 episode quite concise.
4 Nick Offerman Was A Violent Thief Before Joining Parks & Recreation
Nick Offerman rose to comedic fame in NBC's Parks and Recreation as Ron Swanson. However, Offerman played a more serious character named Marcus during season 2 of 24. After violently attacking and killing an intelligence agent known as Yusuf Auda, Marcus and his two friends stole a computer chip from Kate Warner, which had information to prove that the infamous Cyprus recording was a forgery.
Kate convinced the group to go back to her house in order to exchange the chip for money from her safe. Jack ultimately found and apprehended Marcus, but the computer chip was damaged in the process.
3 John Boyega Was A Drone Pilot Before Joining The Star Wars Franchise
John Boyega became a global star with his role as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. In 24: Live Another Day, airing a year prior to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Boyega appeared as First Lieutenant Chris Tanner, a U.S. drone pilot.
Tanner's drone was hacked by a terrorist organization led by Margot Al-Harazi and was used to destroy a military convoy in Afghanistan. While it appeared as though Tanner was responsible for the attack, Jack Bauer was eventually able to clear his name.
2 Kate Mara Was A CTU Analyst Before Becoming A Superhero
Prior to her role as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, in 2015's Fantastic Four, Kate Mara briefly appeared during season 5 of 24 as Shari Rothenberg. Mara's time as a superhero was short-lived as a sequel to Fantastic Four was never made. Rothenberg was a CTU analyst who worked closely with Chloe O'Brian following the death of Edgar Stiles.
After Chloe was taken into custody for helping Jack, Chloe attempted to make her escape, but Shari ended up catching her. Shari eventually let her go after Chloe threatened her job.
1 Rami Malek Played A Terrorist On 24 Before Winning An Academy Award
Rami Malek has become a household name within the past few years with his roles as Elliot Alderson on Mr. Robot, Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, and Safin in the upcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die. In season 8 of 24, Malek played Marcos Al-Zacar, a member of Samir Mehran's splinter cell.
Marcos was tasked with killing Farhad Hassan, the brother of President Omar Hassan of Kamistan. Unbeknownst to Marcos, Farhad was already dead and the whole situation was a trap orchestrated by CTU, which was designed to capture Marcos.