History Main / CastTheExpert

* ''Film/LoveLiesBleeding'': Creator/KatyOBrian is a bodybuilder like her character Jackie in ''Film/LoveLiesBleeding''.

** Creator/BillNye's casting on itself is an example. While not a full blown physicist like his fictional-counterpart, he is a mechanical engineer so he has legitimately great understanding of physics.

** An ''accidental'' case also cropped up. When they were blocking out the scene for Saruman's death where he's stabbed in the back, Creator/ChristopherLee interrupted, going, ''"No, that's ''not'' the sound a man makes when stabbed in the back, it's more like '''this'''..."'' Jackson hadn't realized that Lee served in the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare]] (yes, it was actually called that) during WWII and probably did some things best left classified.

* [[http://www.myfoxdfw.com KDFW-TV]] news anchor Clarice Tinsley has played a TV reporter on ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'', ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'', and ''Series/TheGoodGuys'', all shows set and/or filmed in the UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex.

* ''VideoGame/JurassicParkSegaCD'' has dinosaur information kiosks strewn around the park; activating one gives you some information courtesy of palentologist Dr. Robert T. Bakker. An ironic example considering both the original film and its sequel poked fun at Bakker.

** Darth Maul was portrayed by stuntman Creator/RayPark, purely due to his skill in acrobatics and swordsmanship. The fact that Park was a stuntman rather than an actor is a large reason why Maul doesn't talk much in the film and Park's few lines were dubbed by Creator/PeterSerafinowicz.

** Darth Maul was portrayed by stuntman Creator/RayPark, purely due to his acrobatics and swordsmanship. The fact that Park wasn't an actor is a large part of the reason why Maul doesn't talk much and Park's few lines were dubbed by Creator/PeterSerafinowicz.

* ''Literature/SamHolt'': Sam was an actual cop before he got a job playing a detective.

* ''Series/FamilyMatters'': In "A Ham Is Born", Carl Winslow moonlights as a security guard at a movie studio where a police drama is being filmed. The movie director is annoyed at Carl's opinion of a film scene until Carl mentions his 20-year experience as a Chicago police officer. After Carl demonstrates the actual procedure for arresting criminals, the impressed director decides to cast Carl Winslow as the new leading protagonist of the film. Ultimately, Carl quits his career as a film star because he, as a married man, refuses to kiss the leading actress, even if it was only part of the movie storyline.
* On ''Series/{{Bones}}'' one of the actors in the FilmOfTheBook of one of Dr. Brennan's novels studied to be a scientist and was hired because the TechnoBabble didn't scare him off. This becomes useful when it turns out a real murder had taken place on set, and they needed additional help examining the body.

* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance'': Leo Kelly's bio mentions that between jobs as a globe-trotting mercenary, the good colonel also works as a technical consultant for various film producers.

* Creator/AudieMurphy, a World War II hero and movie star, played ''himself'' in the movie of his autobiography ''To Hell and Back''. He also played a Civil War soldier in ''Red Badge of Courage''.

* In ''Film/{{Knockout}}'', the antagonist is the women's world lightweight boxing champion, and was played by real world champion boxer, kickboxer, and martial artist Fredia Gibbs. Real-life pro boxer Dora Webber also plays a lower-level boxer the protagonist fights early on.

* In ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace'', the only remotely convincing performance was the minister who gives the eulogy for the policeman-turned-zombie (played by Tor Johnson). The minister was played by a minister Ed Wood knew.
* Several films by Creator/RobertRodriguez, including ''Film/PlanetTerror'' and ''Film/{{Machete}}'', feature minor doctor characters played by Rodriguez's own real-life physician, Dr. Felix Sabates.

* ''Franchise/StarWars

* ''Film/TopGun'' had real-life fighter pilots (wearing darkened visors) as enemy [=MiG=] pilots.

* ''Film/TheKilling'': The thug Maurice, whose job during the heist is to brawl with the police as a distraction, is played by Kola Kwariani, a professional wrestler.

* ''Series/LawAndOrder'': Attorney and politician Fred Thompson played the district attorney for several years, though it should be noted that he also had prior acting experience playing the roles of senior government officials, so this would be a cross between this and TypeCasting.

* ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'': Gary D'Addario, a retired police commander, inspired the character Al Giardello, and played a recurring role as QRT head Lt. Jasper.
* ''Series/TheXFiles'':
** The episode "The Amazing Maleeni" features two stage magicians, both played by actual stage magicians.
** Likewise, all the circus performers in "Humbug" are played by actual sideshow performers; the guy who pounds a nail into his nose ''is actually pounding a nail into his nose''.

* ''Series/NYPDBlue'' consultant and former New York detective Bill Clark was seen a few times as a cop.
* Creator/AndyBuckley, who plays former-CFO David Wallace on the US version of ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'', is a RealLife stock-broker.
* Pauley Perrette studied sociology and criminal science before becoming an actress and playing forensic specialist Abby Sciuto on ''Series/{{NCIS}}''. Similarly, Creator/DavidMcCallum spent so much time studying for his role as CreepyMortician "Ducky" Mallard that the producers were tempted to pay him a consultant's fee.
* ''Series/JohnFromCincinnati'': A TV show set in the surfing community. Keala Kennelly, who plays Kai, is a well-known professional surfer who set the record for riding the largest tow-in wave by a woman. Greyson Fletcher, who plays Shaun Yost, is a fourth-generation surfer whose drug-addicted father revolutionized the sport in the 80s with "aerial"-type tricks and whose grandfather was a defining legend of the previous-generation surf community. Greyson's character Shaun is a third-generation surfer whose drug-addicted father revolutionized the sport in the 80s with "aerial"-type tricks and whose grandfather was a defining legend of the previous-generation surf community.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'':
** The show often had actual members of the military on screen, including two Air Force Chiefs of Staff playing themselves.
** The reason [[MauveShirt Sgt. Siler]] spends most of his appearances being [[ButtMonkey electrocuted, blown up and hurled around]] is because he's played by the show's stunt coordinator.
** The show cast actual capoeira practitioners as extras when they needed an exotic martial art for the Jaffa in "The Warrior".
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' regularly casts martial artists, dancers, and gymnasts as the main heroes, people who know how to use their bodies for fight scenes. It sometimes goes in the opposite direction as well, [[TheCastShowOff tailoring the character to the performer]]. Creator/AmyJoJohnson is a gymnast, so was Kimberly; Walter Emanuel Jones is a dancer, so was Zach; Nakia Burrise is a singer, so was Tanya; and so on.
* ''Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy'':
** A few episodes of ''Series/{{Numb3rs}}'' have Bill Nye play a scientist.
** He also does this in an episode of ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', playing a key part in saving the day.
* [[http://www.myfoxdfw.com KDFW-TV]] news anchor Clarice Tinsley has played a TV reporter on ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'', ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'', and ''Series/TheGoodGuys'', all shows set and/or filmed in the UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex.

* Creator/MayimBialik, who plays neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience.

* On ''Series/{{CSI}}'', assistant coroner David "Superdave" Phillips is played by [[TheDanza David]] Berman, who worked as a coroner for a time in real life. Berman is also a consultant on the series.
* The villainous magician in the ''Series/LoisAndClark'' episode "Illusions of Grandeur" is played by Penn Jillette, of Creator/PennAndTeller.
* In most of the large-scale incidents on ''Series/{{Emergency}}'' where units other than Engine/Squad 51 appear, the other firefighters are actually firefighters. Similarly, Engine 51's driver Mike Stoker was played by Los Angeles County firefighter Mike Stoker, the captain in the first season was an [=LACoFD=] captain, and the uncredited dispatcher was really a county dispatcher.
* The low-budget '80s action film ''Killpoint'' is mostly memorable for using real police officers in several scenes, including a S.W.A.T. team.
* Creator/RLeeErmey played another drill instructor in the sci-fi series ''Series/SpaceAboveAndBeyond.''
* Retired Marine Captain Dale Dye has played a number of soldiers, including Colonel Sink in ''Series/BandOfBrothers'', Colonel Wood in ''Series/TheRoughRiders'', a Marine officer in ''Series/SpaceAboveAndBeyond'' and a Resistance officer in ''Series/FallingSkies''. He also ran the boot camp for the actors in ''Band of Brothers'', ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'', and ''Series/ThePacific''. He also reprised the role of Colonel Sink for ''VideoGame/BrothersInArms: Hell's Highway''.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' that called for a musician in a major part, they came close to casting the series composer Music/BearMcCreary. They went with someone else after the audition, but it came very close to fulfilling this trope. Bear had a cameo later on as a piano player in the background.
* Creator/SummerGlau was actually discovered this way. Glau, who is a trained dancer, was originally cast as a ballerina in an episode of ''Series/{{Angel}}''.
* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode [[MusicalEpisode "Once More with Feeling"]], Hinton Battle (Broadway performer and choreographer) was cast as the dancing demon Sweet.
* In the children's TV series ''Series/{{Brum}}'', Mike Cavanagh played the role of the motoring museum owner. In real life, he wasn't an actor but the actual owner of the museum. He didn't have to do much acting as for the most part he only appeared in the opening and closing of each episode, and in the 2001 {{revival}} the footage was cut so he was barely even seen at all.
* The PBS educational series ''Series/TheVoyageOfTheMimi'' gave the role of crusty Captain Granville to Peter Marston, who was a crusty MIT professor and the actual owner of the boat used in the show. Not to mention likely the first and only nuclear physicist with an Actor's Equity card.

* ''Series/MrSelfridge'' cast Natalia Kremen, a former artist with the Bolshoi Ballet and English National Ballet, as famed ballerina Anna Pavlova.
* Similarly, ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' cast New Zealand soprano Dame Tiri Te Kanawa to play Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba.
* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' speculated about this in the episode ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S06E09TheSkydivers Skydivers]]'', supplying the page quote.
* In the ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' episode ''The Two Live Crew Job'', rival thief [[TheDanza Apollo]] is played by former pickpocket and series consultant Apollo Robbins.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "If Wishes Were Horses" featured the appearance of large alien birds called "Gunji jackdaws." These were obviously played by emus. In the background of the shots containing these Gunji jackdaws, there are two Bajoran monks standing in the background watching. These men were the emu trainers; they were kept on stage to be as close as possible to their birds. To that end, they were given makeup and costumes to blend them in as extras.
* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. In Season 3 the ''Enterprise'' starts taking a regular hammering during the Xindi arc, so featured a lot of scenes where the main characters would walk down a corridor in the midst of being repaired. As this involved BuildingIsWelding, the Paramount set constructors (who were familiar with using welding equipment safely) were put in Starfleet uniforms as background extras.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** Most of the prostitutes throughout the series are played by porn actresses, since they're well-versed in having sex on camera and obviously didn't have a problem with the show's [[{{Sexposition}} notorious excessive nudity]]. Creator/EsmeBianco, who played Ros, one of the few prostitutes given characterization, is a burlesque performer.
** WorldsStrongestMan Gregor Clegane was played ([[TheOtherDarrin in his third iteration]]) by Creator/HafthorJuliusBjornsson, the top contender for the real-life strongest man in the world. Hafþór was also a former professional basketball player before a career-ending injury lead to him taking up powerlifting, meaning he had the perfect combination of being outlandishly tall ''and'' strong. Before Hafþór took the role, Clegane was played by Conan Stevens, who before becoming an actor was a professional wrestler.
** In "The Lion and the Rose" Icelandic band Music/SigurRos make a brief cameo as minstrels performing a cover of the groom's family anthem and reprise it for the credits.
** Professional singers Gary Lightbody (of Music/SnowPatrol) and Music/EdSheeran both had cameo roles that involved singing.

* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' had a weird example, where a one-episode agent named Agent Ray was being played by the real-life SECNAV, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Mabus Ray Mabus]].
* Some of the extras in ''Series/InvasionEarth'' in the scenes involving weapons were actually service personnel from RAF Leuchars, which served as the show's set for the air base.
* On one episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', Stabler's pregnant wife was involved in an automobile accident and a good portion of the episode involved her being extracted from the wrecked car. The FDNY firefighters who responded were real and, aside from minor variations for drama purposes (such as allowing Benson to go into the car to assist instead of a firefighter or paramedic), did exactly what they would do in a real vehicle extraction.
* ''Series/MiamiVice'' cast their technical advisor, marksman Jim Zubiena, as a TriggerHappy hitman in "The Hit List".
* Both ''Series/{{Scandal}}'' and ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' utilize Jay Jackson as a newscaster, as he was a news reporter for 20 years. [[TypeCasting This happens to be true for every role of his]].
* A short scene in the third episode of ''Series/BandOfBrothers'' features a soldier on horseback played by the series assistant military adviser Freddie Joe Farnsworth, the only person on the set who knew how to ride a horse and had an American accent.
* "The Tower Is Tall but the Fall Is Short", an episode of ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', features a fight scene between Cameron and another female Terminator in which Cameron literally ties her adversary in a knot before killing her. The Terminator was played by Bonnie Morgan, a professional contortionist who could actually undergo that without special effects and survive.
* ''Series/{{Vikings}}'': Creator/KatherynWinnick, the actress who plays the ActionGirl shieldmaiden Lagertha, has studied martial arts since childhood and started her own schools.

* James Michael Tyler's role on ''Series/{{Friends}}'' began as that of a background extra often seen working behind the counter at Central Perk. The fact that he was the only extra who actually knew how to run the coffee machine led to his AscendedExtra status starting in Season 2, with the character of Gunther becoming the face of the coffee shop.
* In the short-lived series ''Toma'', the real David Toma is an extra or bit player in each episode. (The more successful series ''Series/{{Baretta}}'' was also based on David Toma.)
* ''Series/{{GLOW|2017}}'', a VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory show about [[Wrestling/{{GLOW}} the now-defunct all-female wrestling promotion]], has plenty of actual wrestlers in the cast, most notably multi-time Women's Champion Wrestling/KiaStevens.
* ''Series/{{Billions}}'': Chuck's wise, well-spoken jiu-jitsu trainer is played by John Danaher, who is well-known in the martial arts world as a wise, well-spoken jiu-jitsu trainer.
* ''Series/ILoveLucy'' did this at least twice:
** In "Job Switching" (aka the famous candy factory episode), the candy-dipper that Lucy gets into a [[FoodFight chocolate fight]] with was played by real-life candymaker Amanda Milligan. (When she was cast, she told the producers that she had actually never seen the show; on Monday nights, when ''I Love Lucy'' aired, she always watched wrestling.)
** In "Visitor From Italy", the pizza chef in the restaurant where Lucy works was played by chef and restaurant owner Aldo Formica, who also taught Lucille Ball to twirl pizza dough so she could do it in the episode. Nineteen years later, he played a similar role in an episode of ''Series/{{Maude}}''.
* ''Series/Adam12'': The police dispatcher in the series, whose voice can be heard in every episode, was played by an uncredited real-life LAPD dispatcher, Shaaron (sic) Claridge.
* ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'': The episodes "Must Kill TV" and "Trash TV", both about the cut-throat business of TV production, feature a mega-TV producer, Jackson Burley, played by real-life mega-TV producer Creator/StephenJCannell.
* ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'': Jazz/pop singer Nancy Wilson played a jazz singer addicted to heroin in the episode "Trouble In Mind". A couple of years later, she played a self-centered jazz singer whose daughter is kidnapped by her vengeful ex-manager (Hal Linden) in an episode of ''Series/TheFBI'', "The Confession".
* ''Series/TimAndEricAwesomeShowGreatJob'' has "Whoopsie Goldberg," an obvious NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of Creator/WhoopiGoldberg. She's played by Shon Vaughn, a professional Whoopi Goldberg impersonator.
* ''Series/MortalKombatConquest'' had Siro and Shang Tsung portrayed by real-life martial artists, Daniel Bernhardt and Bruce Locke respectively.
* Opera singer Patrice Munsel played operatic (and [[ThePrimaDonna very temperamental]]) sopranos in the ''Checkmate'' episode "The Gift" and ''Series/TheWildWildWest'' episode "The Night of the Diva".
* ''Series/TheInbetweeners'' has Mr. Gilbert, the cynical and world-weary Head of Sixth Form who alternates between ApatheticTeacher and SadistTeacher depending on how badly the main characters have ticked him off, played by former secondary drama and English teacher Creator/GregDavies. As Davies has made numerous public comments implying-to-outright-stating that teaching was not an enjoyable, fulfilling or rewarding career choice for him, Gilbert's sheer joy in tormenting his students appears to be Davies channeling many long pent-up frustrations.
* ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'', a show about the eponymous (fictional) outlaw motorcycle club, had cast Creator/SonnyBarger, a real-life Hells Angel and a co-founder of the Angels' Oakland charter, as Lenny "The Pimp" Janowitz, a founding member of the title club.
* One episode of ''Series/MurderMostHorrid'' is set in and around a hospital; one of Creator/DawnFrench's rival surgeons is played by Peter Wingfield, who dropped out of medical school [[note]]And has since resumed his medical career[[/note]] to become a full-time actor.

* ''Series/{{Betty}}'': All of the protagonists are real skate boarders, playing fictional versions of themselves and doing their own stunts.
* After the death of Creator/AlexTrebek in 2020, ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'' brought on Ken Jennings as one of the new hosts. Jennings also happens to be one of the best ''Jeopardy'' players of all time, with a 74-game winning streak from his original 2004 run that still stands as the longest ever and multiple tournament wins under his belt. He'd earlier been hired as a consulting producer for the show.
** One of the interim hosts while the show was still making its decision was Buzzy Cohen, the winner of the 2019 Tournament of Champions.
* Former SAS member Chris Ryan co-created military drama ''Series/UltimateForce'' and also appeared in it as the leader of Blue Troop.

* Many major league sports telecasts recruit former players in that sport to be color analysts. Special mention goes to CBS Sports' pickup of former Dallas Cowboys player Tony Romo, who spent years under center for the team, and as such, brought explanations for some of the seemingly-pointless pre-snap motion calls, and is known to correctly predict plays before they happen, leading to him getting the nickname Romostradamus.
** Likewise the crew of Series/RanNFL is almost entirely former players and coaches who sometimes [[NoodleIncident allude to something that happened]] in their playing days.
* UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} broadcasting teams have typically been composed of a commentator, and former crew chiefs or drivers for color analysts. The NASCAR on Fox broadcast team for Cup races is comprised of Mike Joy and former drivers Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip. The NASCAR on NBC broadcast team for Cup races is comprised of Rick Allen, Jeff Burton (former driver), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (former driver), and Steve Letarte (Dale Jr.'s crew chief from 2011 to 2014 and who took him to his second Daytona 500 win).
** NASCAR on Fox took this up to eleven with their coverage of the June 2017 Xfinity race at Pocono, and the 2018 Xfinity race at Talladega, where the broadcasting team was entirely comprised of active Cup drivers.
* Pro wrestling often does this as well, also bringing in current wrestlers as guest commentators (especially if they've recently been involved with someone in the match, giving them an extra opportunity to praise and/or trash-talk them).

* The character of Janet in ''Theatre/TheDrowsyChaperone" is a (presumably) Broadway actress in the ShowWithinAShow, "The Drowsy Chaperone". Therefore, Creator/SuttonFoster, who played Janet on Broadway, was a well-known Broadway actress, playing a Broadway actress, who was playing a well-known actress.

* The ''VideoGame/ColinMcRaeRally'' series had both the man himself and his teammates Nicky Grist and Derek Ringer in a dual role as technical advisors and voice actors.
* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': The character Yun Jin is a performer of Chinese opera (or [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Liyue opera]], as it's known in game). Her normal speaking voice is done by regular voice actors in each of the four voiceover languages, but her singing is done by [[NonSingingVoice Chinese opera singer Yang Yang,]] and Yang's singing is always heard regardless of which language you've set your audio to.

* ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' cast Robin Shou and Creator/LindenAshby as Liu Kang and Johnny Cage respectively. Both actors were real life martial artists.

** Darth Maul was portrayed by stuntman Creator/Ray Park, purely due to his acrobatics and swordsmanship. The fact that Park wasn't an actor is a large part of the reason why Maul doesn't talk much and Park's few lines were dubbed by Creator/PeterSerafinowicz.

* Most of the Rebel soldiers at the Battle of Hoth in ''Franchise/StarWars Episode V: Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' were Norwegian soldiers.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "If Wishes Were Horses" featured the appearance of large alien birds called "Gunji jackdaws." These were obviously played by emus. In the background of the shots containing these Gunji jackdaws, there are two Bajoran monks standing in the background watching. These men were the emu trainers; they were kept on stage to be as close as possible to their birds. To that end, they were given makeup and costumes to blend them in as extras.

* An {{uncredited|Role}} taxi driver in ''Film/DoctorInTheHouse1954'' is played by Creator/FredGriffiths, who was a taxi driver in real life before becoming an actor.