From Stephenie Meyer to Stephen King | Top 10 Authors Who Made Cameos In The Movie Adaptations of Their Books

Authors Who Appeared In The Movie Adaptations of Their Books 

Penning a story, getting it published, and landing on a best-selling list is all that an author dreams of when it comes to their brainchild. Some of the authors then get the chance to see the world that they built in their minds come to reality in the form of book-to-screen adaptations. Fans have been treated to various great book adaptations starting from "Harry Potter" to "The Shining", over the years, but did you know that the masterminds behind the story have made cameos in these films? Today, we are looking at ten authors who appeared in the movie adaptation of their books.

1. Peter Benchley – "Jaws"

"Jaws", the 1975 thriller film directed by legendary Steven Spielberg was based on a novel written in 1974 by Peter Benchley. The hype in the 70s surrounding this movie and book was extremely prevalent and somewhat unexplainable. In the movie, Benchley appears as a news reporter on a crowded beach and talks about the "dark cloud" that is upon them. "The cloud in the shape of a killer shark," states Benchley as the reporter. Everyone from young to old has watched this movie, but this here is a lesser-known fact.

2. Kathryn Stockett – "The Help"

"The Help" is a 2011 period drama based in the 1960s that follows the lives of many black women who work for the bourgeois class. The movie is based on a novel of the same name written by Kathryn Stockett which was first published in the year 2009. Both the movie and the novel were critically acclaimed and widely popular. The film went on to receive four Academy Award nominations. Octavia Spencer, who played the lead role, bagged the Best Supporting Actress in the category. The author, Kathryn Stockett made a brief cameo as one of the women at the Junior League meeting in one of the scenes. 

3. Michael Morpurgo – "War Horse"

The 2011 heart-wrenching war movie directed and produced by legendary director Steven Speilberg was based on the eponymous novel written by Michael Morpurgo in the year 1981. The foot follows Albert Narracott, daughter of Jeremy Irvine's character during the rough times of the First World War. The film focuses on the bond between Albert and his horse Joey. The author made a brief appearance as the countryfolk in Wilshire village. He was seen standing next to David Thewlis during the auction scene in the movie. 

4.  Louis Sachar – "Holes"

"Holes", the Disney Film that came out in the year 2003 stars Shia LeBeouf as Stanley Yelnats. Stanley blames his family for the curse and ends up in a juvenile detention camp in the desert for a crime he had no connection with. The admins in the camp are obsessed with finding a treasure that is buried somewhere on the campgrounds. The film is based on the 1998 novel of the same name that is written by Louis Sachar who won the 1999 Newberry Medal. The author briefly appears in the movie with his wife and his daughter in a scene where the character named Sam is selling onion juice. 

5. Jonathan Safran Foer – "Everything Is Illuminated" 

The 2002 book by Jonathan Safran Foer was adapted into a 2005 film starring Elijah Woods is about the journey of Jonathan Safran Foer to find a woman named Augustine as she saved his grandfather during the Holocaust in Trachimbrod which is a small Ukrainian village that was destroyed by the Nazis. The author Safran Foer makes a small cameo as a leaf-blower during the scene when Wood's character goes to visit his grandfather's cemetery. The author is also known for his post-9/11 novel, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close."

6. S.E. Hinton – "The Outsiders"

The 1967 novel, "The Outsiders" was written by Susan Eloise Hinton in her high school years. The book was later developed into a film in the year 1983 and stars big names like, Ralph Macchio in one of his earlier roles, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, and more. Hinton makes a brief cameo in the film as a nurse in Dally's hospital room. The coming-of-age drama was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and received mostly positive reviews from critics at the time. Over the years, the film has also earned a cult following. 

7. Lee Child – "Jack Reacher"

"Jack Reacher" is a 2012 movie that stars Tom Cruise as the titular character. "Jack Reacher" is based on the novel titled, "One Shot" written by Lee Child. The movie also has a sequel titled, "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back", which is based on Child's novel of the same name. In this sequel, "Never Go Back", Lee Child makes a cameo as an airport agent. The author also appeared in the first movie as a policeman. The story follows the titular character, a Former U.S. Army MP who is called upon to aid in a homicide investigation involving a mass shooting by a sniper. 

8. Stephen King – Various cameo roles

Stephen King is now a household name after giving the world so many notoriously horrifying tales. Stephen King has made many cameos over the years. He first appeared in the 1982 film, "Creepshow," His most recent cameo was in the movie, "It Chapter Two" where he appears as a shopkeeper from whom Bill buys his bike back. The man appeared six times in movies based on his works, so far. The movies where he was seen in brief roles are, "Sleepwalkers" (1992), "Creepshow", "Storm of the Century", "Pet Sematary", " The Stand" and "It: Chapter Two."

9. John Green – "The Fault In Our Stars"

The YA novels were a huge thing, post-twilight success that happened in the mid-2000s. John Green's book "The Fault in Our Stars" became a raging hit and was later turned into a film. Green made a cameo in a now-deleted scene in the movie. He reportedly appears in his other film adaptation though! He made a small voice cameo playing the father of the girl Margo's ex-boyfriend cheats on her. He appears as a shadowy figure wielding a gun. The cameo is brief and easy to miss. 

10. Stephenie Meyer – "Twilight"

The Twilight Craze is responsible for the surge in vampire and werewolf stories in recent years. The author makes two brief cameos in two different installments in the movie adaptation series of her book, "Twilight". Her first appearance happened in the first installment for a split second when Bella meets her dad for dinner in a small bistro. Her second cameo was in the second last installment of the series, titled, "Breaking Dawn Part 1", where she appears as one of the guests at Bella and Edward's wedding.