From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thirty-seven of director Alfred Hitchcock's 53 surviving major films (the second is lost) contain a cameo appearance by Hitchcock himself. The director would be seen for a brief moment boarding a bus, crossing in front of a building, standing in an apartment across the courtyard, or even appearing in a newspaper photograph (required for the film Lifeboat which otherwise provided no other opportunity for him to appear). This playful gesture became one of Hitchcock's signatures and fans would make sport of trying to spot his cameos. As a recurring theme he would carry a musical instrument - especially memorable was the double bass case that he wrestles onto the train at the beginning of Strangers on a Train. In his earliest appearances he filled in as obscure extras, in a crowd or walking through a scene in a long camera shot. His later appearances became more prominent, such as when he turns to see Jane Wyman's disguise as she passes him in Stage Fright, and in stark silhouette in his final film Family Plot. His appearances became so popular that he began to make them earlier in his films, so as not to distract the audience from the plot.

Hitchcock indisputably appears in all 30 features from Rebecca (his first American film) onward; before his move to Hollywood, his appearances were sporadic.

Here is a list of Hitchcock's appearances, listed alphabetically by title:

This article or section contains a list of works that does not follow the Manual of Style for lists of works (often, but not always, due to being in reverse-chronological order) and may need cleanup. See also other articles contravening the Manual of Style for lists of works.

• In The Simpsons fourth-season episode "A Streetcar Named Marge," Homer picks up Maggie from day care in a scene reminiscent of The Birds. As Homer leaves, an animated Hitchcock is seen outside walking a dog.

• Hitchcock's silhouette appears in the opening titles for The Pink Panther Strikes Again, although this is shown to be a cardboard cutout held by the animated Pink Panther.

• List of directors who appear in their own films