5 Celebs Who Made Cameos In Michael Jackson Music Videos

Michael Jackson loved to have celebrities make cameos in his music videos, or short films as he sometimes referred to them. Because of his power, prestige, and charisma, Jackson was able to wrangle some of Hollywood's biggest stars to perform in his videos. Here is a list of 5 stars to have taken part.

Joe Peschi

When Michael set out to film the music videos for his album Bad, he made a unique decision. He created one long narrative film of interconnected short films. Perhaps the most popular of these is the segment Smooth Criminal. The plot of the short film involves Jackson rescuing three homeless kids from an evil drug dealer, played by Peschi. The drug dealer intends on hooking the entire city on narcotics. Much like his early short film Bad, which tended to be shown in a shortened version, Smooth Criminal is often shown in an abbreviated segment. This isolated segment is normally played as a stand-alone music video. This segment features Jackson dressed in a white suit with white fedora while dancing in a smoky, gangster infested 50s style nightclub. The longer video shows the confrontation between Jackson and Peschi wherein Jackson transforms into a huge robot and battles Peschi's henchman and frees the children.

Eddie Murphy and Iman

When it came time to film his music video for Remember the Time, Jackson wanted to have a scene set in Ancient Egypt where he danced for the Pharaoh and the Pharaohs queen. He sought out Eddie Murphy, one of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time to play the pharaoh. For the queen, he cast Iman, one of the most beautiful models of all time. The video was a directed by Boyz in the Hood director John Singleton and was a huge success for Jackson.

Marlon Brando And Chris Tucker

You Rock My World is one of Michael's last music videos. More correctly, it is one of the last ones that he personally acted in. Subsequent music videos would all be created using archival footage and concert footage. You Rock My World belongs with some of his great work. It is long and should properly be called a short film like Bad, Thriller, and Smooth Criminal. It features Michael and Chris Tucker playing mobsters competing for a beautiful model. They both try to impress her and follow her to a Cuban themed nightclub where a battle ensues between Michael and another gangster (played by Reservoir Dogs alum Michael Madsen). Finally the boss of the club shows up to squash the beef, and it's none other than the Godfather himself, Marlon Brando.

For more information, read a book like Michael Jackson American Master.


Share