History Main / CharacterAsHimself

* Not really the series itself, but Amazon.com's [[https://www.amazon.com/Seiyus-Life-Complete-SUB-Only/dp/B01LZJMY3Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483365928&sr=8-1&keywords=seiyu%27s+life listing]] for ''Manga/SoreGaSeiyuu'' (or ''Seiyuu's Life'' in America) lists the characters Futaba Ichinose and Rin Kohana as actors.

* In one episode of ''Series/TheGames'', fitting the name of this trope, but with none of the entities involved really fictional: John Howard (the character) played by John Howard (the actor) in order to be mistaken for John Howard (the then Prime Minister of Australia).

** played with in a recent appearance on ''Series/AllRoundToMrsBrowns''

* At the end of the Sega Master System game ''Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap'', instead of the closing credits, the word "Cast" appears, followed by the names of every single variety of monster the hero gets to fight through the game.

** The opening to ''Film/TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial'' credits R2-D2 as R2-D2, as does the ''WesternAnimation/{{Droids}}'' animated series.

* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'' has Goat listed in the end credits as being voiced by himself, when the first season actually credited his voice actor Scot Rienecker.

* ''Disney/TheFoxAndTheHound'' had "and Squeeks the Caterpillar."

* ''Series/OutOfThisWorld'' credited Evie's father Troy "as Himself". Troy, an alien who only "appeared" as a disembodied voice from a communication device, was actually voiced by Creator/BurtReynolds.
* "PeeWeeHerman as Himself".

When a TV show gives a fictional character billing in the credits as himself. Frequently done [[CreditsGag as a joke]] or [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis to give additional verisimilitude to a "based on a/an (un)true story"]], although it can also be used to hide a spoilerific cast change. Another reason this is done is if the "character" in question is an inanimate object, animal, or otherwise not actually played by an actor.

* Done in every {{Supermarionation}} production. ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'', ''Series/CaptainScarletAndTheMysterons'', ''Series/{{Stingray 1964}}'', ''Series/{{Joe 90}}''... you get the idea.

* ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'' credited "Rizzo the Rat as Himself," partially because most of the other Muppets were playing characters in [[Literature/AChristmasCarol the story]], while Rizzo just happened to be hanging around.

* Haruhi Suzumiya is credited as the ''director'' of the ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' anime. And not just director, but '''[[SMallNameBigEgo Ultra]]''' Director, as in her ShowWithinAShow.
** The series compoosition of the anime is also credited to "Haruhi and her friends". In "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI", that credit shows ''right before'' [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Kyon wonders if Haruhi "wrote this scenario"]].

When a TV show gives a fictional character billing in the credits as himself. Frequently done [[CreditsGag as a joke]] or [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis to give additional verisimilitude to a "based on a/an (un)true story"]], although it can also be used to hide a spoilerific cast change. Another reason this is done is if the "character" in question is an inanimate object or an animal.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E6LastOneOutOfBeachCity "Last One Out of Beach City"]] ends with fake credits listing the main characters with nicknames ("[[TheSmartGuy Pearl]] as Repressed Nerd", etc.) The [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] girl whom Pearl was crushing on is listed as "Mystery Girl as Herself".

''Series/FatherTed'' plays with this is a complex inversion involving Richard Wilson, who is NOT Victor Meldrew...

** played with in a recent appearance on ''Series/AllRoundToMrsBrown’s''

* In the first ''Film/MortalKombat'' movie, Goro is credited as playing himself.

** Same thing was done in ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', where the opening sequence credits ended with "The Great Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat as Themselves". Same reason--all other [[Franchise/TheMuppets Muppets]] (except Beaker) played the characters from the original story, while Gonzo and Rizzo were... well, themselves.

* ''Film/GhostbustersII'' had "and Slimer" in the credits, which was a nod to the cartoon, where he got his name.

* The end credits of ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' state "The Wizard... Himself". The Wizard's actual actor is credited, however.
** Also "Toto.....Toto".

* In the utterly {{narm}} intensive, low-budget horror film The Eyes Know, the credits list Mr. Nibbles the mouse as playing himself. He's the director's pet mouse and was filmed running around the dirty hotel the film takes place in because they couldn't afford multiple rats or mice. His biggest scene is when he grooms himself for a minute and a half... And he gets top billing over the human stars anyway.

* In the sound test section of ''VideoGame/BlazblueContinuumShift'''s Gallery, the lyricist of Shinsou is credited as Tsubaki Yayoi [[SubvertedTrope followed by the name of her Japanese voice actor in brackets]].

[[folder:Theater]]
* A young Scottish actor named Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith began his career in a show called "Ken Campbells Roadshow". Here, he starred in a play about a circus-stuntman by the unlikely name of Creator/SylvesterMcCoy. As a joke, the programs proclaimed "Sylvester [=McCoy=] played by himself". The critics missed the joke and assumed that was his name, and Kent-Smith decided to make it his stagename.

* ''WesternAnimation/WhateverHappenedToRobotJones?'' listed Robot Jones as himself for the episodes where he was [[SyntheticVoiceActor voiced by a computer program]]. His credit changed to the human actor Bobby Block upon recasting (or, in this case, casting).

* On ''Series/SeventhHeaven''..."Happy the Dog as Happy".

* InUniverse in ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw''--the opening of ''[[ShowWithinAShow The Doctor Zone Files]]'' has "[[HalfDressedCartoonAnimal Time Ape]] as Himself."

** Chopper, the ''Ghost'' crew's irascible astromech droid, is credited like this. No other astromech droid in any canon ''Franchise/StarWars'' media has been given such an honour. Then again, he ''was'' {{defictionaliz|ation}}ed later on, so the trope seems to be more literal.
*** Averted. Per the GrandFinale, [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS4E13FamilyReunionAndFarewell "Family Reunion]] [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS4E14FamilyReunionAndFarewellPartII — and Farewell"]], Chopper was actually voiced by [[spoiler:Dave Filoni]].

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E6LastOneOutOfBeachCity "Last One Out of Beach City"]] ends with fake credits listing the main characters with nicknames ("[[TheSmartGuy Pearl]] as Repressed Nerd," etc.) The [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] girl whom Pearl was crushing on is listed as "Mystery Girl as Herself".

* On ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'' Goat is listed in the end credits as being voiced by himself.

* ''WesternAnimation/WhateverHappenedToRobotJones?'' listed Robot Jones as himself for the episodes where he was [[SyntheticVoiceActor voiced by a computer program]]. His credit changed to the human actor upon recasting (or, in this case, casting).