History Main / OneSceneWonder

If the movie is particularly bad, the One Scene Wonder may be AllThereIsToKnowAboutTheCryingGame. When a minor character in a musical does this through the use of one fantastic song, it's MinorCharacterMajorSong.

-->-- Creator/OrsonWelles, explaining this trope and his own success in Film/TheThirdMan

-->-- "All About Me", ''CommentaryTheMusical''

->''"Mister Wu is a classic example...All the other actors boil around the stage for about an hour shrieking, 'What will happen when Mr. Wu arrives?,' 'What is he like, this Mr. Wu?,'...Finally a great gong is beaten and slowly, over a Chinese bridge, comes Mr. Wu himself in full mandarin robes... The curtain comes down, the audience goes wild, and everybody says, 'Isn't that guy playing Mr. Wu a great actor!' That's a star part for you! What matters in that kind of role is not how many lines you have, but how few. What counts is how much the other characters talk about you. Such a star vehicle really is a vehicle. All you have to do is ride."''

->''"ItsAllAboutMe, it's all about me,''\\
''It doesn't matter where I'm listed on Website/{{IMDb}}''\\
''And if I had the screentime I deserved, you'd see--''\\
''It's all about me!"''
-->-- "All About Me", ''CommentaryTheMusical''

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Abel Nightroad is the ''main character'' of ''TrinityBlood'', but his superpowered form, the Crusnik, has so few appearances that it counts.
* ''GiantRobo'' has the remaining members of the BigBad ruling council, the Magnificent Ten. Plenty of people were disappointed at how they only got a few minutes between them to strut their stuff, but damn it was cool.
** They even have the established star thing going for them, as the cast of ''Giant Robo'' are all characters from previous anime & manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. This was most definitely intentional, as they were ''supposed to'' be the main antagonist (as indicated by the SequelHook) for the GrandFinale before it got cut short.
** Their boss, Big Fire himself, had even less screentime, [[spoiler:most of which was actually an impostor]], but is just as well-remembered.
* A common surprise for anyone that gets into ''[[SuzumiyaHaruhi Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' via the hype around it is that [[MemeticMutation Internet meme]] EnsembleDarkHorse Tsuruya has a very small role in the show, with only one or two memorable scenes; her actual CharacterFocus comes a while later in the books on which the series is based.
** Emiri Kimidori, who appeared ''once'' in ''one episode'', but got her own ImageSong album before some other main characters. She, too, gets fleshed out a little later on in the books, but she's still a very minor character... so far.
** Ryoko Asakura could count as well. Sure, she had a few scenes in the first few episodes, and she gets good screen time in TheMovie [[spoiler: and the tenth novel]], but the only scene where she really gets much characterization or interaction with anyone else is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHkM6Ru3xhc a doozy.]]
* Kazuhiko Amagasaki from ''TenchiMuyo'' who appeared briefly in the first episode of the original {{OVA}} series, but ended up with his own {{Omake}} comics and a much larger role in ''Tenchi in Tokyo''.
* [[Creator/ShinichiWatanabe Nabeshin]] and Kumi-Kumi in PuniPuniPoemy. They only appear at the beginning of the first episode, and are subsequently StuffedInTheFridge. [[AuthorAvatar Nabeshin]] and Kumi-Kumi (who married in Anime/ExcelSaga) are the most interesting characters for many people. [[spoiler: They do come back for the last episode, though]].
* Many fans of ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' consider a character who only appears in one episode as one of their favorites. Femio, an outlandish, beauty-obsessed, [[SuckMyRose rose-wielding]] ballet student shows up as a victim for the DarkMagicalGirl, and he's so hilarious that he's become a hugely popular character to the fandom, showing up in fanart, fanfic, cosplay and roleplaying nearly as much as the actual main characters of the show, probably because he defeats the powers of darkness through sheer narcissism and stupidity.
** Oh yeah, and he's also voiced by VicMignogna. Keep in mind that this was years before Ouran.
* [[spoiler:Noriko and Kazumi]]'s appearance at the end of ''{{Diebuster}}'' stole the climax of the show. They were only in it for about 30 seconds had no lines and ''weren't even seen'' yet they managed to turn a BitterSweetEnding into a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming.
* Gustav St. Germain from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}!'' fits this trope like a glove. He's in the series for a grand total of ten minutes, barely makes an impact on the plot, and yet he's probably just as memorable as some as the biggest {{Badass}}es in the series. Why? [[NorioWakamoto Well...]]
** It's also because he's essentially the narrator of the show's FramingDevice.
* Chiyo's Dad in ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' has a [[NorioWakamoto speaking]] part in about five skits, but is one of the mascots of the series.
* Kaworu appeared for only one episode in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' (and the climactic parts of ''End of Evangelion''), yet he is in the most memorable scene in the entire series and the results of that scene trigger the end of the series (whichever one you go by). It may be interesting to note that he is getting a bigger role in TheRemake ''Rebuild of Evangelion''.
* Lord Raptor in the ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' OVA, his depiction is often considered to be incredibly awesome (and is also one of Creator/ScottMcNeil's coolest performances). Only problem? He was only in the 1st episode for about 10 minutes...
* Several one-shot characters in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' apply, even though many of them usually appear in only one episode they are often deemed as some of the show's most memorable characters. Whether its characters whom are actually from the games such as [[EagleLand Lt. Surge]] and Sabrina, or Anime only characters such as [[WhipItGood A.J]] and [[{{Joshikousei}} Giselle]].
** In the TPCI dub, any character-of-the-day voiced by [[DanGreen DAN GREEN]] is likely to be this. Especially Gym Leader [[LargeHam Byron]].
* ''Anime/YugiohGX'' gives us Dimitri, played by MarcThompson. His [[NarmCharm ridiculously silly and awesome]] impression of DanGreen's LargeHam Yami Yugi from the original series makes Dimitri one of the most memorable side-characters in the series, and he only shows up for two episodes. It helps that as he stole Yugi's deck to copy his dueling styles, those two episodes were spent busting out fan favorites like [[StageMagician Dark Magician]], [[MsFanservice Dark Magician Girl]], and [[BlackKnight Black Luster Soldier]].
* ''Manga/DeathNote'': Barring one cameo appearance a few episodes earlier, Matt only shows up for the kidnapping scene [[spoiler: before getting riddled with bullets]]. Hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the fans' favourite characters.
** He appears a bit more in the manga before that scene, though his appearances are so sporadic that they all amount to 16 panels [[note]]someone counted them[[/note]] maximum.
** Then there's the random TV reporter, who shows up for about one minute to denounce Kira, giving his full name at the end and establishing himself as one of the most courageous characters in the entire series.
* Jinpei Matsuda of ''Manga/DetectiveConan''. He appeared in exactly ''one'' {{backstory}} arc of this LongRunner and its effects to the canon is arguably minor ([[ThatOneCase except for Inspector Sato]]), but he ''still'' listed as one of the main characters on the show's official website.
** The series' [[Characters/DetectiveConan character sheet]] has a whole section devoted to OneSceneWonder charcaters.
* DeadmanWonderland has Rokuro who only appeared for four episode and yet his insane actions earned him a huge following.
* Sano the HospitalHottie whom was only in the 22nd episode of the ''GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' series but lets just say some folks remember her for her... [[GirlOnGirlIsHot potential]] -- she was a fairly blatant MsFanservice LipstickLesbian whom was [[LesYay blatantly trying to hit on the Major]]. However the only reason why that episode didn't become a softcore lesbian porno was because she was actually a assassin that Motoko had to stop and beat. (Besides Sano would most likely be a part of Motoko's little harem if she turned out to be good anyways.)
* Burger-kun's five minutes of screentime in ''DarkerThanBlack'' Season 2 somehow managed to net him an internet fandom, for God knows what reason.
** Most likely due to his nonchalant attitude and his complaining about having to eat burgers for his remuneration. And he doesn't have the RequiredSecondaryPowers for his SuperSpeed.
* [[FanNickname Bruce Ironstaunch]] from ''GurrenLagann''. He's just some nameless member of a cheering crowd who makes a BicepPolishingGesture while Rossiu is announcing that [[spoiler: Simon will be executed]]. Since that gesture means "up yours" elsewhere, Western fans saw him as the one good man standing up for the heroes, and he became a [[MemeticMutation legend]].
* The Farmer with Shotgun from the first episode of ''Manga/DragonBall Z''.
* ''OjamajoDoremi Naisho'' has a character named Faami, who only appeared in the last episode but is particularly memorable, mainly because she's [[spoiler:[[LukeYouAreMyFather Doremi's granddaughter from the future]]]].
* In-Universe example. In ''OnlyYesterday Taeko'' recalls how as a child, she had a one-line part in her school play. Determined to get as much use of this role as possible, she puts significantly more effort into this single line than the rest of the performers, resulting in her [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome stealing the show and being offered a role in a completely different play]]. [[spoiler: However, her father forbids her from accepting the role.]]
* In ''[[TigerAndBunny Tiger & Bunny]]'', Origami Cyclone is a "superhero" who does very little by way of actual crimefighting, and the ranking system that the city uses places him even lower than the ButtMonkey, Wild Tiger. Nevertheless, his corporate sponsors are very happy with him, because he's good at his ''real'' job of inserting himself anywhere there's a camera as living advertisement.
* In Episode 1 of ''GundamUnicorn'', when the Kshatriya is generally fucking things up, one nameless {{Mook}} in a [[EliteMook Stark Jegan]] decides to ''[[MomentOfAwesome take it on by himself]]'', putting up a very good fight before being sliced in half. He is known only as [[FanNickname godspeed.]]
** In Episode 4, [[spoiler: a [[AceCustom Byalant Custom]] turns the Zeon Remnants' siege of [[{{Gundam0083}} Torrington Base]] into a CurbStompBattle, singlehandedly turning the tides and handing the Zeeks' asses back to them. ]]
* ''Manga/SoulEater'': Excalibur has a tendency to do this, especially in the Wrath Chapter of Eibon.
* [[MadScientist Shou Tucker]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' is a rather strange example. Even though he's only in one chapter before he's killed off by Scar, he was the first truly intimidating antagonist encountered by the Elric brothers, and still stands out as one of the series' most horrific villains.
* An [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] one-''panel'' character in ''MahouSenseiNegima'' managed to get her own entry in [[Characters/NegimaMagicWorld the character sheet]] for the impressive feat of [[FetishFuelStationAttendant cramming]] '''''[[FetishFuelStationAttendant twelve]]''''' [[{{Fanservice}} Fanservice Tropes]] into said appearance.
* In ''OutlawStar'', Shimi/[[spoiler: Leilong]] is perhaps the biggest bad ass of the series, [[spoiler: defeating the entire crew in open combat]], but only appears in one episode, and [[spoiler: he doesn't even die like almost every other one-off villian.]]
* Inuyama, the "cowardly" samurai/firefly enthusiast/[[spoiler: assassin]] from ''SamuraiChamploo'' only gets one episode and he [[spoiler: nearly beats Jin, stopping only when he discovers his employer's death and decides to walk away.]] And what's worse, [[spoiler: he promises that they'll meet again.]]
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has Mao. He was only in a few episodes in a row towards the middle of the first season, but is remembered for being CrazyAwesome, and at the very least foreshadowed [[spoiler: Lelouch's PowerIncontinence]].
* Yuna from ''{{Inuyasha}}''. She only had two episodes but the amount of fan art you would think she was a reoccurring villain. It helps that she has EvilIsSexy, VaporWare, AbsoluteCleavage and ToplessnessFromTheBack.
* ''{{Robotech}}'': The {{Macross}} character on which Dr. Emil Lang was based on was just an unnamed chief engineer in the original Japanese version. The character design already had cool looking all black eyes. Robotech went further gave Dr. Lang a memorable German accent (courtesy of actor Greg Snegoff). All this for a character that had only appeared in two episodes with three minutes total of screen time. He would become a major supporting character in the aborted ''Sentinels'' production and the rest of the ExpandedUniverse.
* Charlotte the Dessert Witch, of ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', got less than two minutes of screentime in a twelve-episode series. Danbooru currently list her as having over two thousand different fanarts, more than all the other [[MonsterOfTheWeek witches]], all the supporting cast, and all the spinoff characters put together. Being the KnightOfCerebus and deliverer of the show's first WhamEpisode help, as does generally being [[CuteIsEvil cute.]] In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'', she's an AscendedExtra, although the characters call her "[[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Bebe]]". [[spoiler:She even changes back into her human form, new character Nagisa Momoe]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ComicBook/SpiderMan's uncle, Ben Parker. He only appeared in person in ''Amazing Fantasy #15'' (and spoke only two lines in the entire comic), and died the same issue (although he has appeared in many {{Flashback}} stories and non-canonical stories involving [[AlternateReality Alternate Realities]].) Despite his brief appearance, very few supporting characters in Spider-Man's life have had as much of an impact on him as a character, due to tragic way that he became a hero; his refusal to apprehend a criminal when he had the chance was what caused his uncle to be murdered. (Contrary to popular belief, the phrase "With great power comes great responsibility" [[BeamMeUpScotty cannot truly be attributed to Ben]]; the phrase first appeared as a narrative in the final panel of the comic.)
** The same could be said for the nameless burglar who committed the crime. He did appear in a later story (where the motive for the burglary was revealed), but it didn't change the fact that he was nothing more than a common thug. Still, given the impact that this common thug had on Spider-Man's life, he could well be considered the greatest enemy the hero ever faced.
* Edgar Vargus from ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac appeared in only one strip in volume four, yet he's still popular in fanart and fanfiction to this day.
* Anytime {{Franchise/Batman}} cameos in someone else's book, especially since, away from home, he gets to [[TheComicallySerious be hilarious.]]
** For that matter, anytime Batman shows up in a story [[VillainProtagonist primarily focused on one of his villains]].
* Nazi dinosaur [[http://www.comicvine.com/tyrannosaurus-reich/29-70678/ Tyrannosaurus Reich]]. Only appears in two issues of ''Major Bummer'' and his concept is as awesomely cool as it is utterly ridiculous.
* NeilGaiman specifically mentions that he didn't have Death appear more often in ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' because he didn't want to water down the effect and specialness of her appearances. He still found a way for her to show up in all of the trade paperbacks, however, even if sometimes it's just in a silent cameo.
* ''{{Nextwave}}'' made a single-page appearance, complete with NW-style info box pointing it out as a superfluous cameo, in ''MarvelZombies [[CapcomVsWhatever VS]] [[Franchise/EvilDead Army of Darkness.]]''
* [[http://www.cracked.com/funny-5066-snowflame/ SNOWFLAME,]] [[AGodAmI god]] [[EnsembleDarkHorse of]] [[Pantheon/{{Otherness}} Cocaine?]] Dude appeared in only one issue of the NewGuardians comic, but boy did he steal it.
* Tif from ''ComicBook/{{Ironwood}}'' is a definite fan favourite, despite making only one appearance (and dying at the end of it). Bill Willingham has said that he has had more requests for sketches of Tif than any other character from the series (probably due to interesting physical appearance).
* ''Transformers More Than Meets The Eye'' gives us Nautilator and Blip, [[ThoseTwoGuys two goofy Decepticons]] who come off as hilarious and lovable and are loved by fans. They appear for about a grand total of two pages in a single issue, and they're sole role is seeing some Autobots coming towards them and than getting killed by Whirl and Cyclonus during a big fight.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* The Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon:
** [[MsFanservice Miss Kitty]] from Disney's ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective''. She's in the show for only one song, but... well, it's [[http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=e2IctxaCPqw a very memorable]] one, and judging by the amount of [[http://blackrozepetal.deviantart.com/art/Let-me-be-good-to-you-91337723 fan]] [[http://tabbykat.deviantart.com/art/Let-me-Be-Good-To-You-80676729 material]] about her, [[BestKnownForTheFanservice quite a few people remembered]] as the most exciting part of the movie. Also, she has the ever-sexy voice of Melissa Manchester.
** Peggy Lee as Peg the dog in ''Disney/LadyAndTheTramp''. Peg has just the one song, ''He's a Tramp''. But what a song! As Lee co-wrote all the songs and also voiced the Siamese Cats and Darling (Lady's owner) - and they get songs too despite little screen time - it's like several Wonders for the price of one.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gwZC5s2IU0 A-THIIIIIIIS IS THE NIIIIIGHT! IT'S A BEAUUUUUUUUTIFUL A-NIIIIIIIIGHT!]]
** Another example from Disney is the snake Kaa from ''Disney/TheJungleBook'' who tries to hypnotize Mowgli and fails. He is only in the film for two scenes (he was actually going to be in just one in development, but his popularity with some test audiences gained him another one.) The voice is by Sterling Holloway, of all people. He did the voice of ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'', which is part of the reason why he's so funny.
*** Also, King Louie, who has just one scene (and musical number), but is very fondly remembered as a highlight of the movie.
*** [[RuleOfThree Also from the same movie]], Shere Khan, who despite being the BigBad, is only onscreen for about 10 minutes and doesn't appear till about 3 quarters of the way in, but he's remembered as fondly as other Disney villains that have more screen time than he does.
** Mama Odie appears only very briefly in ''ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', but ''man'' does she steal the show.
** The Backson in ''Disney/WinnieThePooh'' (the 2011 movie) literally has [[TheStinger one scene]] lasting under a minute, but it's a very memorable one.
** Princess Aurora herself in ''Disney/SleepingBeauty''. She remains silent for most of the movie, with very few dialogue whatsoever, and the only time she ever opened her mouth completely is when she sang "I Wonder" and "Once Upon A Dream", respectively.
** Mrs. Jumbo from ''Disney/{{Dumbo}}''. Like her son, she actually remains silent throughout the entire film, only saying Dumbo's real name after he's been delivered to her by a stork.
*** Actually, Mrs Jumbo speaks at least one full line at the start of the movie, and it's "Jumbo; Jumbo Junior" to which the other elephants respond "more like Dumbo" derisively due to the baby elephant's huge ears.
** In ''Disney/ChickenLittle'' one of the most popular characters is Morkubine Porcupine he only has five minutes of screen time and he only says three words.
*** Mr. Woolensworth, probably due to being voiced by PatrickStewart.
** Madame Mim in Disney's ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'' appears just long enough to engage in a [[ShapeShifterShowdown wizard's duel]] with Merlin. Also the female squirrel [[TearJerker who falls for]] [[AttractiveBentSpecies a transformed Arthur.]]
* The seagulls in ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' appear in two scenes with less than two minutes of screen time between them, yet a mere mention of them can still crack up most ''adults'' who saw the movie.
** "Mine? Mine? Minemineminemine?"
* Scrat from ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'', particularly in the first movie. provides more than one CrowningMomentOfFunny despite having no lines and about five minutes of screentime. He got spin-offs.
* The flower from ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'', if the comments on youtube videos are anything to judge by.
** Oh, and THE CLOWN.
** Speaking of Nightmare Fuel, [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath the Air Conditioner]].
* Bigfoot in ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'' has what is commonly considered the funniest part of the entire movie, especially when he puts on the Walkman and starts dancing to [[Music/TheBeeGees "Stayin' Alive"]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Creator/ChristopherWalken has a habit of appearing in small roles in just about anything. A good solid chunk of his roles are him just showing up in the middle of the movie, stealing a scene, and going on his merry way, as aptly illustrated by the poster atop this page. Walken is firmly on record as never turning down a gig, as long as he has the time in his schedule. It doesn't matter how good or bad your movie is, or how large or small the part is; [[MoneyDearBoy you give him some money]] (and it doesn't have to be very much money, either), and Christopher Walken will show up and ''act''.
** In ''PenniesFromHeaven'', he plays a pimp, who does a ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54iR0xFkEfQ striptease]]''.
** He has a single scene in ''Film/PulpFiction'' in which he tells an inappropriately graphic story to young Butch about the [[AssShove journey of his father's watch.]]
** ''Romance and Cigarettes''. He turns up, sings "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEH5zmAtLks Delilah]]," sings "Red Headed Woman," fucks off again, and the best part of the movie is over.
** ''Film/MouseHunt'' sees Walken playing a hammy and delightfully over the top exterminator who completely steals the scene and ends up blowing up a large portion of the house in his efforts to kill a single mouse.
** Walken is also the centerpiece of probably the only good scene from ''{{Gigli}}''.
** Christopher Walken shares credit with Dennis Hopper for completely stealing the entire film when both appear together for a single scene in ''Film/TrueRomance''.
** Likewise, his appearance as Clem the Janitor in the otherwise forgettable ''JoeDirt'', where he threatens to stab KidRock in the face with a soldering iron.
** Although he might have had a bit too much screentime to count as one in ''Film/TheRundown'' it still follows the same general pattern.
** Does a similar thing as the Headless Horseman in ''Film/SleepyHollow'', this time even without dialogue.
** Again in AbelFerrara's philosophical vampire film ''The Addiction'', where he shows up just to deliver a five-minute monologue on Sartre and vampirism.
** An early example is his turn as Annie's disturbed brother in ''Film/AnnieHall''.
* Al Pacino in ''Film/{{Gigli}}''.
* JeanReno as "the cleaner" has one scene in ''[[Film/{{Nikita}} La femme Nikita]]'', but it is probably what viewers remember best about the whole movie. In fact the scene was so memorable that director Luc Besson decided to make a similar character the protagonist of his [[Film/TheProfessional next film]], with the role specifically written for Reno.
* BillBailey as the Whale in the film of ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''.
* SeanConnery has a cameo appearance as King Richard at the end of ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves''.
* ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'', has Sir PatrickStewart turn up as King Richard in a parody of ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves''.
* Creator/OrsonWelles's role as Cardinal Wolsey in the 1966 film version of ''AManForAllSeasons''. He's in two scenes, and is probably the best thing about this very excellent film. In a later version of the film, John Gielgud did a pretty decent, though less remarkable, job in the role as well.
* Diedrich Bader in ''Film/NapoleonDynamite'' as Rex the patriotic martial arts instructor with the bodybuilder wife.
* Diedrich Bader as a mugger in ''EuroTrip'' who robs Jamie while he's being orally pleased, though he's unaware of it and confused by Jaimie's remarks.
* Orson Welles as Father Mapple in the 1956 version of ''MobyDick'', which also can boast Gregory Peck and John Huston as stars, with a screenplay by RayBradbury.
* Alec Baldwin is in ''Film/GlengarryGlenRoss'' for exactly one scene, in which he delivers a monologue that establishes the atmosphere of menace that overhangs the rest of the film. It's one of the more famous monologues of cinema. Interestingly, the character and his speech were created exclusively for the film, [[ExecutiveMeddling due to studio executives]] feeling that the original play lacked the necessary exposition needed to establish the premise.
* In ''Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story'', the main character and his band meet famous musicians of the 60s during the height of their fame. Scene-stealers include Jack White as a conceited, drugged-out, mumbling Elvis with kung-fu skills and Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long and Jason Schwartzman as the Beatles.
* RickMoranis as a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qsnSLDEqMc high-strung businessman]] in the forgettable 1986 comedy ''HeadOffice''.
* Rick Moranis's appearance in ''Film/LAStory'' as a British gravedigger, an homage to ''Hamlet''.
* {{Music/Madonna}} had a rather memorable cameo appearance in ''Film/DieAnotherDay''. (She also sang the theme to the movie.)
* VincentPrice in ''EdwardScissorhands'', who almost steals the film from Johnny Depp. In fact the film created him a whole new following, his mannerisms and deep character acting captivating a lot of new fans.
* ''TheAviator'' has Jude Law star in one scene as ErrolFlynn. He steals the scene completely.
* ''Film/SinginInTheRain''
** Cyd Charisse in . The entire "Broadway Melody" sequence is [[{{Padding}} completely superfluous to the plot]], and done entirely to try to recapture the glory of ''AnAmericanInParis'', but Charisse's silent performance as an icy gangster moll is still one of the most memorable things in the film. The screaming fanboy who shows up at the movie premiere in the opening sequence is also surprisingly memorable.
** [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0849582/ Julius Tannen]], who will forever be known as the "Talking Picture Man". Especially his ''feigned humility'' anticipating applause at the end.
* Music/DavidBowie has been this more than once:
** Vendice Partners in ''Absolute Beginners''. This character is one of several antagonists in on an evil scheme, and he convinces the idealistic photographer hero to join his advertising agency and become a sellout. He gets one big sequence, a brief appearance beforehand, and a wordless bit prior to the climax. But that's enough time for the spectacular VillainRecruitmentSong / DisneyAcidSequence "That's Motivation", and between that and performing the movie's TitleThemeTune (he wrote both songs too, and there was a music video for the latter on top of that), Bowie was billed ''third'' in the credits, behind only the young lovers at the story's heart.
** Pontius Pilate in ''Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist''
** Heavily {{lampshaded}} in ''Film/{{Zoolander}}'', where they give his brief appearance as the Walk-Off judge a ludicrous amount of fanfare -- to the point of plastering his name on the screen and starting up the song, "Let's Dance."
* ''[[TheViewAskewniverse Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back]]'' does something similar to ''Zoolander'' for Mark Hamill's cameo, but ratcheted up the cheesiness. George Carlin's cameo as a hitchhiker is also very much an example, as is Chris Rock as the director of ''Bluntman and Chronic'', and Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as themselves on the set of ''GoodWillHunting 2: Hunting Season''. And Gus Van Sant as himself. And Tracy Morgan essentially playing a black version of Jay.
* Jay and Silent Bob turn up in ''Film/{{Scream 3}}'' for all of ten seconds.
* The MouthOfSauron in the movie version of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King]]'', played by Bruce Spence (not that you'll notice), who was cut in the theatrical release. He appears only briefly to negotiate on behalf of his master before Aragon [[ShootTheMessenger cuts his head off]], but his unique character design and mannerisms makes him hard to forget.
* In the movie ''RobotechTheShadowChronicles'' Mark Hamill was [[AdvertisedExtra cast]] as [[AFatherToHisMen Daryl Taylor]] [[spoiler:only to be killed off within about three lines.]] All of these previously-mentioned tropes are later subverted when, later on, [[spoiler:he provides the voice for one of the Haydonite villains]].
* Cary Elwes gets one in ''The Chase'', as a smarmy newscaster who has to apologize to his viewers due to Charlie Sheen's flipping off the camera.
* ''Film/ThePrincessBride'': Creator/BillyCrystal and Carol Kane as Miracle Max and his wife Valerie, a bickering old couple. There's also Peter Cook's role as the aptly titled Impressive Clergyman with the ridiculous speech impediment.
* ''Film/FourWeddingsAndAFuneral'' has Rowan Atkinson in a minor role as Gerald, the priest who keeps screwing up his lines in Wedding Number Two. He gets the names of both parties wrong, mentions the Holy Goat and the Holy Spigot, and utters the classic line "awful wedded wife". He gets [[AndStarring the coveted ''and'']].
* Rowan Atkinson is in all of two scenes in ''LoveActually,'' one of which has him on-screen for maybe 10 seconds, and they're both absolutely hilarious.
* John Hurt as Jellon Lamb, the BountyHunter who believes in neither God nor evolution, but ''is'' a big racist, in ''Film/TheProposition''. Only in two scenes, but completely owns both of them, and is billed as one of the film's stars. In the Making Of featurette on the DVD, he mentions that many of the other actors had originally wanted his role, even though it would mean less screen time than some of them actually got.
* William Hurt, in ''Film/AHistoryOfViolence'', has a single scene as Joey Cusack's brother. It's about five to ten minutes long. He was nominated for an Oscar.
* William H. Macy has one scene as a CIA agent in ''Film/WagTheDog'' and is absolutely brilliant. The man keeps up with Robert De Niro.
* ''Film/TrueRomance'' is filled with Wonders (though a few manage to split their appearances in two scenes), including Gary Oldman as the menacing pimp, Christopher Walken as the formidable gangster, Dennis Hopper as the sacrificial father, Brad Pitt as the clueless stoner, James Gandolfini as a hitman who suffers a RasputinianDeath, Creator/SaulRubinek as a coked-out movie producer, and Val Kilmer as the ghost of Elvis.
* Pontius Pilate in ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'' is one of the most memowable aspects of the film.
* The foolhardy Black Knight ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''. "[[OnlyAFleshWound 'Tis but a scratch!]]"
* Steven Ford in ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' has an epic pre-drop speech prior to the assault on Klendathu. Of course, he's horribly killed during the actual fighting.
* Powers Boothe and Rutger Hauer in ''Film/SinCity'' are completely captivating in their one scene each.
* Creator/PatrickStewart has quite a few of these:
** His cameo in the final scene of ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'', which he steals in classic LargeHam fashion. Appropriately enough, the same role (King Richard the Lionhearted) was played in ''Prince of Thieves'' by an uncredited SeanConnery who also stole that scene merely by showing up.
** His role as Mr. Perdue in ''Film/LAStory.''. "You think with a financial statement like this you can have the ''duck''?"
--->'''Mr. Perdue:''' Your usual table, Mr. Christopher?
--->'''Carlo:''' ''(played by ChevyChase)'' No, I'd like a good one this time.
--->'''Mr. Perdue:''' I'm sorry, that is impossible.
--->'''Carlo:''' Part of the new cruelty?
--->'''Mr. Perdue:''' I'm afraid so.
** His cameo near the end of ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' elicited applause from some theater audiences.
** His role in ''TinkerTailorSoldierSpy'' and its sequel ''Smileys People'', oddly enough, as the BigBad. These being spy shows, the Russian superspy [[TheVoiceless who refuses to talk]] only appears in one scene of each.
* ''Smiley's People'' also features a memorable role from Michael Gough, better known as [[Film/{{Batman}} Alfred Pennyworth]], who plays an Estonian refugee.
* Creator/ChristopherLee
** Essentially as himself, in ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''. The twist is that he takes all of the {{Dracula}} and [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Saruman]] mannerisms and transposes them onto a dentist. Just imagine Christopher Lee throwing his resonant ''basso'' into the word "Lollipops."
** Dracula in ''TheMagicChristian''
** His portrayal of the Burgomaster in ''Film/SleepyHollow''.
** And as the voice of the Jabberwocky in ''Film/AliceInWonderland''. Apparently Creator/TimBurton likes to put him in roles like these.
* Kathy Bates as Queen Victoria in the Creator/JackieChan flick ''AroundTheWorldInEightyDays'' (Not to mention Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger in a very funny cameo!!!)
* [[Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] started out as one of these in ''Manhunter'', back when he was Brian Cox. Three scenes, owns the movie. He doesn't even do much except sit there with his jaw hanging out, [[HannibalLecture taunt the hero]], and talk on the telephone, and yet... and yet... (In fact, he only has eighteen minutes of screen time in ''Film/SilenceOfTheLambs'', less than ''any'' other (leading) character that an actor has won a Oscar for portraying in a movie.)
* Sir Alec Guiness often did this, and the smaller his role, the more memorable it often is. He managed to upstage both Peter O'Toole (in ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'') and Omar Sharif (''DrZhivago'') playing roles which, while crucial to the films, had relatively little screen time. He has a memorable role as Pope Innocent in ''Brother Sun, Sister Moon''. He was so mesmerizing as Jacob Marley in the musical ''Scrooge'' that he earned [[AdaptationExpansion an additional scene]] that appears in longer versions of the film.
* ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy''
** All three Raimi films featured Creator/BruceCampbell in a different {{Cameo}} role each time, but it wasn't until the third that he became a OneSceneWonder with his [[FunnyForeigner amusing French]] maitre'd.
** "Macho Man" Randy Savage's role in the first movie as "Bonesaw Mcgraw", a crazy wrestler who wouldn't look out of place on something like ECW.
** And Hal Sparks' hilariously awkward [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuKqQ6plZ_I elevator scene]] in the second movie.
* Tap dancing duo The Nicholas Brothers were very much this, as they were usually only in all of their films for a dance number - all of those dance numbers being so amazing many people can't remember anything else about the films. Such as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBb9hTyLjfM this]] scene from ''Stormy Weather''.
* Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, a troupe pulled from the dance floors of Harlem, would show up in movies like ''Film/{{Hellzapoppin}}'' or ''Film/ADayAtTheRaces'', go through some jaw-dropping gravity-defying moves, and exit.
* Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'', as, respectively, the conniving Guillermo Ugarte and the scheming restaurateur Mr. Ferrari.
* Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet also appear in [[http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=iwRNYZs_I88 this scene]] in ''Hollywood Canteen''.
* ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' features several:
** Tarantino himself has a memorable cameo in ''Planet Terror'' as a soldier who attempts to rape the heroine as his zombified genitals decompose in front of her.
** In one the fake trailers, for ''Werewolf Women of the SS'', features NicolasCage as FuManchu [[CrowningMomentOfFunny for no apparent reason.]] It's almost enough to wash the bad taste from ''Film/TheWickerMan'' right out of your mouth.
** The FakeTrailer for ''Hobo With A Shotgun'' is ''made'' of this trope.
* It's hard to see a ''Film/TheLittleShopOfHorrors'' poster that doesn't advertise JackNicholson's appearance as "dentist patient number one". In fact, the whole dentist subplot became so memorable, in [[Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors the Broadway adaptation]], it was enlarged to make the dentist a RomanticFalseLead. Bill Murray played Nicholson's old part in [[Film/LittleShopOfHorrors the film adaptation of the musical]].
* Viggo Mortensen has a small part playing {{Satan}} in ''Film/TheProphecy''. He only has three scenes, two of which are fairly short, but they're the best part of the movie and and very, very chilling, particularly the first scene. Considering the main villain is Christopher Walken as an evil angel, that's a tall order.
* Mortensen has a memorable one scene as the wheelchair-bound Lalin in ''CarlitosWay''.
* In ''[[TransformersFilmSeries Transformers]]'',
** Bernie Mac plays a memorable used car salesman in only one scene.
** Sideswipe is shown being absolutely {{Badass}} in the opening scene or ''Revenge Of the Fallen'', but barely appears in the rest of the movie.
** Jetfire is one of the most beloved characters in the movie, even though he only appears twice: the first to teleport the main characters and leave, the second to die. Being a CoolOldGuy who is also an [[CoolPlane SR-71]] probably does it.
** In the third movie, we have (Ken Jeong as) Jerry Wang, a crazy ConspiracyTheorist who works at Sam's office. What did he do that made him so memorable? [[spoiler: Faced with immediate termination at the hands of Laserbeak, he decides to forego pleading for his life in favor of suddenly pulling out two ''very'' large pistols [[GangstaStyle (which he holds gangsta-style)]] and pointing them right at Laserbeak's face.]]
--> '''Jerry Wang:''' ''You messed with the wrong Wang, bitch!''
* John Houseman started acting in movies (rather than producing them) when he was over sixty years old, and so, his example of this trope in ''Literature/SevenDaysInMay'' as one of the military coup-plotters was in fact his first appearence on screen. And then twenty years later, he did the same with his last role, as the hilariously unflappable driving instructor in ''Film/TheNakedGun''.
* Crispin Glover again in Creator/DavidLynch's ''WildAtHeart''. His role as Christmas-obsessed, sandwich-making cousin Dell, who enjoys putting cockroaches in his underpants and has a terrible fear of black gloves - in lasts for about three minutes and is probably the weirdest damn thing he's ever done, which is saying a lot.
* The ''Film/HarryPotter'' [[Film/HarryPotter film series]] has a few:
** Creator/DavidTennant, while not the best thing about ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire,'' certainly puts in a show-stopping performance as Barty Crouch Jr.
** Jeff Rawle's tragic scene as Amos Diggory crying over Cedric's body.
** Julie Christie as Madame Rosmerta in ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban''.
** Emma Thompson, as Sybil Trelawny in ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' and ''Order of the Phoenix''.
** John Hurt as Ollivander in the first movie. If you'll pardon the pun, [[IncrediblyLamePun spellbinding]].
** Nick Moran made a short but impressive appearance as the leader of a gang of snatchers in ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows part 1''
** Also in ''Hallows'', Bill Nighy ''is'' Rufus Scrimgeour, inexplicably Welsh Minister for Magic, symbol of strength, beacon of hope to the Wizarding World! Gets maybe two minutes.
* In ''Film/{{Network}}'', NedBeatty as ominous CEO Arthur Jensen. The guy's onscreen probably five minutes, but [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BVqIjKyJh0 his speech]] is utterly fantastic. "You have ''meddled with the primal forces of nature'', Mr. Beale, and ''I WON'T HAVE IT! IS THAT CLEAR??''"
** And then there's Beatrice Straight in the same film, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for what is the shortest amount of time an Oscar-winning role had been onscreen. (five minutes and forty seconds) Beatty was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
* Thomas Haden Church as the CEO of Brawndo in ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}''. Two minutes of pure hilarity. "The computer's doing that auto-layoff thingy!"
* Bryan Forbes' comic period piece ''The Wrong Box'', from 1966, has a big cast of British stars including Michael Caine, Ralph Richardson, John Mills, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Nanette Newman, and Tony Hancock. But it's PeterSellers as a [[CrazyCatLady pathetic, old, deranged, cat-loving doctor]] called on to provide a death certificate who steals the movie with two scenes totaling less than 10 minutes screen time.
* William Fichtner, being one of the great Hollywood character actors, has more than his share of these.
** He's the ice-hearted, millionaire stage dad in ''BladesOfGlory'', disappearing shortly after the opening credits.
** He plays the shotgun-toting mob banker in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.
* Yet another man of the cloth, Peter Vaughan as a hardassed Bishop of Digne in ''Film/LesMiserables1998''.
* GeneHackman's blind hermit character in ''Film/YoungFrankenstein''. He evidently took the role because Creator/MelBrooks dared him to.
* ''NotesOnAScandal''. Bill Nighy. He is in two scenes. The first introduces his character, the second is an argument with his wife, (Cate Blanchett) when he discovers that she's been having an affair with one of her fifteen year-old students. The movie stars two excellent actors in JudiDench and the aforementioned Blanchett, both at the top of their respective games. The subject matter is titillating, and the script is well written. It would take one heck of an actor to draw attention, even momentarily, away from all of that to show the real human cost of such a scandal. Bill Nighy is such an actor.
* RobinWilliams
** As a Russian gynecologist in ''Nine Months''. He only shows up twice, but you'll remember him (of course you will, he's RobinWilliams).
** He has two brief scenes in Kenneth Branagh's ''DeadAgain'' as a former psychiatrist that are quite memorable. It's officially [[TheCameo a cameo]] too, as Williams didn't want to be credited or appear in promotional material [[ViewersAreMorons lest people assume the film a comedy]].
** As the King Of The Moon in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' (credited as [[StageNames Ray D. Tutto]]).
* King Osric in ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' is exactly this: he's played by Max Von Sydow, appears in only one scene and does his monologue in an incredibly humane and intriguing way.
* WillFerrell...
** As Mustafa in the first ''Film/AustinPowers''. Short scene, infinitely memorable. He even returned in the second.
** His role as Big Earl in ''Film/StarskyAndHutch''.
** His role as [[spoiler:Chazz Reinhold]] in ''WeddingCrashers''.
* Creator/AlfredMolina as strung-out drug kingpin Rahad Jackson in ''BoogieNights''. You will never be able to listen to "Jessie's Girl" or "Sister Christian" the same way again.
* In ''Film/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'', Molina steals every scene he appears as Sheik Amar.
* Ben Stein in, of course, ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''. "Bueller? Bueller?" Also, CharlieSheen as the hoodlum in the scene in the police station with Jeannie near the end. "You wear too much makeup. My sister wears too much makeup. She looks like a whore."
* Ben Stein gets a scene in ''Film/TheMask'' when [[Creator/JimCarrey Stanley Ipkiss]] tries to make sense of his zany newfound artifact, and the beginning of ''Film/SonOfTheMask'', where his face gets separated from his head and put on display by Loki.
* Marissa Jaret Winokur's sullen fast-food server, Janine ("You are ''so busted!''"), in ''Film/AmericanBeauty''. At a screening of the film, the character's smug little smirk at AnnetteBening not only elicited laughs from the audience, but actual ''applause''.
* Both the lemur king (SachaBaronCohen) and the penguins in ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}''. Both had extended roles in the sequel, and remain the funniest things in both movies, to the point where some reviews are lamenting the fact that the main cast has to appear ''at all''. [[WhenEldersAttack Nana]] as well. She had fewer than five lines in the first movie, but proved so popular that she was brought back for the sequel as a DesignatedVillain.
** To drive the point home, when they RecycledTheSeries, it was solely the penguins and the lemur they focused on.
* In the classic, star-studded movie version of Creator/AgathaChristie's ''MurderOnTheOrientExpress'' from 1974, Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for her role as the half-crazy Swedish missionary Greta Ohlsson, who is practically only seen onscreen during a 7 minute near-monologue. Bergman herself, however, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/oscars?blend=1&ob=4#p/search/2/ky5sW4no_cg said]] that Valentina Cortese should've won. This trope applies to nearly everyone in the film; with the exception of Hercule Poirot and the director of the train, who interrogate each passenger, no one has more than three scenes. Just the same, every actor gives a full movie's performance in their 7 minutes on-screen.
* Dame JudiDench as Queen Elizabeth I needed only nine minutes of screen time to run away with ''ShakespeareInLove'' and an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
-->"Have her then, but you're a lordly fool. She's been plucked since I saw her last, and not by you... it takes a woman to know it."
* ''Film/{{Airplane}}''
** Barbara Billingsley, even though she's only in one scene, has one of the greatest comedic moments in movie history:
-->"Pardon me, stewardess, I speak jive."
** There's also Ethel Merman as the soldier who thinks he's Ethel Merman.
* Sammy Davis, Jr, in ''SweetCharity''. He shows up, blows the rest of the cast right off the screen with a stunning rendition of the movie's best song ("Rhythm of Life"), then vanishes, his hipster-preacher character and the sequence in which he appears having absolutely nothing to do with the storyline. Classic Wonder.
* In ''WhenHarryMetSally'', Estelle Reiner brings down the house with her one and only line, which is the most memorable line in the film: "I'll have what she's having!" (She's director Rob Reiner's mother.)
* Justin Long as a matter-of-fact gay porn star in ''Film/ZackAndMiriMakeAPorno'', and Brandon Routh as his boyfriend.
-->"I will be your sherpa up the mountain of gayness."
* Christopher Plummer showed up at Nic Cage's grandfather at the beginning of ''NationalTreasure'' (one of his earlier roles in his 21st-century comeback, and it was pretty awesome).
* The Street Preacher, DolphLundgren's Jesus-obsessed cyborg hitman, is easily the best part of ''JohnnyMnemonic''. Admittedly, that's not saying much, but he easily outshines the film's other attempts at {{One Scene Wonder}}s (Ice-T playing... Ice-T the urban revolutionary, and HenryRollins playing... Henry Rollins the cyborg medic).
-->'''Street Preacher:''' Do you want him brought to Jesus, or to you?
* ''StarWars''
** Darth Maul. Speaks about fifteen words over the course of maybe a half dozen scenes, but is arguably the single coolest thing in the entire prequel trilogy.
** From the original ''StarWars'' trilogy, Boba Fett had only a handful of speaking lines and appeared for a total of ten minutes throughout, but was so popular he was written in to the prequel and even has books focused on him. It's probably the outfit.
** For ''ANewHope'', this also applies to none other than who would become ''the'' central character of the Star Wars saga, BigBad Darth Vader. He has ''nine minutes'' of screentime in the entire movie, yet became the most popular and iconic of all the Star Wars characters, and one of the most infamous villains of all time!
** Even more so with his appearance in ''RevengeOfTheSith'' (in the suit, that is); the film was built up and marketed to lead to that scene; in the final film, Vader is shown in the suit for less than ''three minutes''.
** Also from the original trilogy, the reaction from the owner of The Rancor after Luke is forced to kill it.
** Similar to the Boba Fett example, Greedo only gets one scene where he gets shot by Han Solo. He's since become so popular and well known (most likely due to the whole "Han shot first" thing) that a number of comics and cartoons have been written exploring upon him as a character. The most notable example would be the ''Underworld'' comic which reveals why Greedo took the job to kill Han (he was trying to become a well-known bounty hunter but was failing miserably) and why he wanted to kill Han (he was very jealous of Solo, who was kind of a dick to him).
* Chris Sarandon's outstanding turn as AlPacino's pre-op transgendered girlfriend in the classic ''DogDayAfternoon'' garnered him an Oscar nomination and made his career, despite his appearing in only two scenes.
* NeilPatrickHarris' much-loved cameo in ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle'' as well as Nurse RyanReynolds.
* John Vernon in ''Killer Klowns from Outer Space''. "Killer clowns, from outer space. Holy shit!"
* Super-obscure example: Danny Glover in ''Out'' (aka ''[[JustForFun/LousyAlternateTitles Deadly Drifter]]''). Granted, he made it before rising to stardom with ''Film/LethalWeapon''.
* Charles Durning as the Governor of Texas in ''TheBestLittleWhorehouseInTexas'', which got him nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar. It helps that he has one of the funniest musical numbers in the movie, "Sidestep", where he celebrates his ability to dodge questions put to him by the press.
* Pinhead's brief yet ultimately memorable appearances in the first ''Film/{{Hellraiser}}'' film counts as this. So much so that he went on to define the entire series. The original plan was to have Julia as the recurring villain, thus turning her into a rare female slasher villain. However, Pinhead's popularity caused the whole thing to be reworked.
* Graeme Garden has two scenes in the 1986 film version of ''Whoops Apocalypse'', both as different (but identical) creaky old servants limping hurriedly down different (but identical) corridors to get to a telephone and complete a call (which they fail to do). It's one of the more memorable sequences in the film.
* Telly Savalas turns up close to the end of ''HorrorExpress'' and stops the story cold with his portrayal of swaggering, vodka-swilling Tsarist Captain Kazan. An aristocrat threatens to send him to Siberia, his reply is a bemused "I am ''in'' Siberia."
* Parodied in ''WaynesWorld 2''. When Wayne stops at a gas station to ask for directions to Gordon Street, the attendant starts to give a monologue about a "girl who lived on Gordon Street." A disgusted Wayne asks "[[WhoWritesThisCrap Do we have to put up with this? I mean, I know it's a small part, but I think we can do better than this.]]" The gas station attendant is led away and replaced by CharltonHeston, whose monologue reduces Wayne to tears.
* JohnWayne as a Roman centurion at the end of ''Film/TheGreatestStoryEverTold'', where, after Jesus is crucified, he says only one line: "Truly this man was the son of God."
** ...although this was for all the wrong reasons, as his intonation of that line, which wouldn't be out of place in a Western, are fantastically {{Narm}}tastic.
* In ''MidnightCowboy'', Sylvia Miles' Cass has less than five minutes of screen time, but it was enough for Miles to win an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. John [=McGiver=] (Mr. O'Daniel) and Bernard Hughes (Towny) arguably fit this as well.
* CedricTheEntertainer does an excellent job of this in the first ''{{Barbershop}}'' movie.
* MeatLoaf and RonnieJamesDio, and Dave Grohl in ''Film/TenaciousDInThePickOfDestiny'', each get a scene dedicated to them; the former as Jack Black's father, who tears down all his posters while singing about how rock & roll is the Devil's music, and the latter as a poster of himself that comes to life afterward. Grohl provides the BigBad. Tim Robbins also plays a crazy homeless man trying to rob the characters, but can't walk, and demands they come to him so he can stab them.
* The Wienie King in ''The Palm Beach Story''. "[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Cold are the hands of time that creep along relentlessly, destroying slowly but without pity that which yesterday was young... That's hard to say with false teeth]]!"
* The movie ''The Loved One'' is basically a whole string of these, including scenes with James Coburn, Roddy [=McDowall=], Milton Berle, and, most memorable by far, Liberace playing a coffin salesman.
* If '30s actress Mae Clarke is remembered today at all, it's for that one scene in ''The Public Enemy'' where JamesCagney smashes the grapefruit in her face.
* Silent Bob's speech in ''Film/ChasingAmy'' is so memorable, it's easy to forget that he and his hetero life mate Jay are only in one scene.
* Richard Harris as English Bob in ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'', who just "shoots some pheasants, defends monarchy, gets beaten by Gene Hackman, gets arrested and then goes away" in across maybe 10 minutes of screentime. But it's a remarkable performance enough for "The Duck of Death" to be in the poster.
* Viola Davis in ''Theatre/{{Doubt}}''. A single scene, about ten minutes of screen time, and while she's onscreen she overshadows ''MerylStreep''. It got her nominated for an Oscar, and many believed she should have won it.
* ''ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld'' has a few busloads of well-known comic actors all loudly turned up to eleven...then in one scene, the camera pans past three firemen - ''Film/TheThreeStooges'', standing still in quiet dignity.
* ''InTheLoop'' is not short of great performances or funny material. Steve Coogan is in the movie for what must be a grand total of five minutes all up, and interacts with few of the main characters and none of the main plot. However, in those five minutes he easily manages to steal the movie as Paul, the easily frustrated constituent who just wants the U.K. Minister for International Development to do something about the wall of his constituency office (which is collapsing into Paul's mum's back garden) whilst said Minister is self-importantly but foolishly involving himself in grand matters of geo-political diplomacy.
* Pyramid Head in the ''Film/SilentHill'' movie. Two scenes, each lasting approximately thirty seconds, not a single line, and he's still one of the best parts.
* ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'' features DonaldPleasence as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. He's got a white cat, a bald head, and a scar. He's also one of the most memorable Film/JamesBond villains, parodied and referenced ad nauseam. Total screen time: Approximately ten minutes.
* ''WhollyMoses'' has a few of these, but the one that really stands out is John Ritter's one-and-half-minute appearance as {{Satan}}.
* JackPalance had a film career of 50 years and over 70 movies, but when he died in 2006, one film role consistently stood out in all the obituaries and tributes dedicated to him: the role of the taunting, [[SlasherSmile smiling]] [[TheDragon hired gun]] Jack Wilson in ''{{Shane}}''. Palance's Wilson is widely regarded as '''the''' definitive [[TheWestern Western]] bad guy. Total screen time: eight minutes. Total words spoken by Wilson: less than fifty, but he makes the most out of two of them: "Prove it."
* Holly Palance (Jack's daughter) had one memorable scene in the original ''TheOmen'' as Damien's first nanny who is compelled by Satan to hang herself at Damien's birthday party. "Look at me, Damien! I'm doing it all for you!"
* Matthew Atherton, A.K.A Feedback, of ''WhoWantsToBeASuperhero'', with a total of two memorable minutes in the utterly forgettable monster movie ''Mega-Snake''.
* Figwit, short for "Frodo is grea... who is ''that?''" in ''[[TheLordOfTheRings The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. ''Three seconds'' of screen time, but [[FlightOfTheConchords Bret McKenzie]] had such a large cult following that they even gave his character lines in ''Return of the King.''
** If you were to talk to a casual fan who has trouble telling the films apart, you can usually hit gold by telling them "Return of the King is the one with the GiantSpider". Shelob turned up twice for less than ten minutes, total, but she's always remembered.
* In ''AmericanPie'', then-unknown John Cho's one-scene appearance as the MILF guy. Not only did this scene popularize the term "MILF," Cho arguably went on to have the best career out of all the young actors in the film. It resulted in a movie roll being written just for him - the part of Harold in ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle.''
** He even returns to the fourth movie with a more expanded role - but still credited as only MILF guy.
** And now he's [[Film/StarTrek Sulu]]:
--> '''Sulu''': Attention: John Harrison. This is Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Enterprise. A shuttle of highly trained officers is on its way to your location. If you do not surrender to them immediately, I will unleash the entire payload of advanced long-range torpedoes currently locked on to your location. You have two minutes to confirm your compliance. Refusal to do so will result in your obliteration. And If you test me, you will fail.
* ''Judgment At Nuremberg'' features SpencerTracy, Creator/BurtLancaster, RichardWidmark, Creator/MarleneDietrich, JudyGarland, and WilliamShatner. Every single one of them is at the top of their game... and then MontgomeryClift blows them all out of the water with a seven and a half minute performance that got him a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
* The Thor-Axine team (a trio of Viking themed drivers) during the first half of the Casa Cristo rally in ''Film/SpeedRacer''. They fire a beehive out of a catapault. ''From a speeding racecar''.
* Creator/MelBrooks' ''Film/HighAnxiety'' has future big time director BarryLevinson as a high-strung bellboy who gets progressively more irritated with Brooks' requests for a newspaper until...no, it's too good to spoil.
* Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie in ''NationalLampoonsVacation'' was only in the movie for a fairly small amount of time (they go to his house, have a BBQ, spend the night, then leave), but he was so funny and so popular they brought him back into a much bigger part for ''Christmas Vacation''.
* [[spoiler: Hector Barbossa]] managed to steal ''the final scene'' in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest''. Fortunately [[spoiler: he got a lot more screentime in the next film.]]
** In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides'', [[EnigmaticMinion the Spaniard]] is teased throughout the movie, but only has one substantial scene at the climax. During that scene, however, he pretty much dominates everything with his blend of AntiVillain, WickedCultured, and WellIntentionedExtremist.
** Both in that and ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'', Keith Richards as Jack Sparrow's father Teague.
* ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'' [[spoiler:Bill Murray]] makes a completely out of left field cameo as himself that is one of the most memorable scenes in the movie. Amber Heard, also, as "406", Columbus' hot, blonde neighbor who unfortunately turns into a zombie and tries to kill him.
* A deleted scene in ''FunWithDickAndJane'' features James Whitmore as an elderly ex-Marine, now employed as a security guard in a toy store in the profession of "kicking JimCarrey's butt". It's quite possibly the funniest, most memorable scene not in the movie.
* Glen Coco in ''Film/MeanGirls'' has gone memetic. He does not even have a line, but is mentioned in one of the most quoted lines of the film.
* Bronson Pinchot as Serge in the first ''Film/BeverlyHillsCop'' movie.
** He returns for the awful third film as an all-in-one gun salesman.
* Gilbert Gottfried's character in ''BeverlyHillsCopII''.
** As well as Chris Rock (in his film debut) making a brief appearance as a parking valet.
* James Roday and Maggie Lawson in their 30-second cameo as news anchors in ''{{Gamer}}''.
* Forest Whitaker as the genial pool hustler in ''TheColorOfMoney''.
* DenisLeary has a few brief scenes in ''Film/DemolitionMan'' as Edgar Friendly, where he basically does his own act for 5 minutes.
* It isn't her only scene, but Ann Miller's dance solo in ''EasterParade'' steals the movie right out from under FredAstaire and JudyGarland.
* Creator/ClaudeRains as the slightly creepy, elderly millionaire Frederick Lannington in the 1950 film noir thriller ''WhereDangerLives''. He can't be on screen for any more than five or ten minutes, but you'll remember him. He receives top billing alongside Robert Mitchum and Faith Domergue.
* In ''Film/RevolutionaryRoad'', Creator/MichaelShannon has two scenes, in both of which he's able to out-act LeonardoDiCaprio, KateWinslet, ''and'' Kathy Bates completely by himself... earning a Best Supporting Actor nomination in the process.
* EddieIzzard as Mr. Kite in ''Film/AcrossTheUniverse''. His LargeHam performance is definitely memorable, and provides some of the funniest lines in the movie ("Have you seen it? It's great. They've got stuff.").
* The nameless cigar-smoking mobster from ''NinjaAssassin''. When your response to getting stabbed in the neck is to hold it with one and do a ''spinning close-fisted backhand'' to your would-be killer with the other, well, you will be memorable. The rest is just icing on the cake.
* Creator/ChristopherEccleston as a truth-spouting tramp in ''24 Hour Party People''.
* The three-breasted mutant chick from the original ''Film/TotalRecall1990''. Johnny-cab, as well. 'cab is on screen for a total of two minutes. In this time, he spouts chirpy nonsense, gets torn apart by Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, starts screaming and glowing, tries to kill Arnie by driving at full speed into him, misses him, and hits a wall and explodes. ''"Fasten your seatbelt!"''
** The three-breasted mutant chick was indeed so popular that they were forced to include her in the remake and to make sure fans know it was added to one of the trailers.
* Chevy Chase as the [[AlmightyJanitor jacuzzi repairman]] in ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine''. Appears four or five times throughout the movie, but never for more than a couple minutes [[StealthHiBye before disappearing as suddenly as he came]], and is easily one of the best parts.
* By all accounts, Emily Hampshire's role as the chatty, eccentric Vivienne at the beginning of ''Snow Cake'' is one of these moments.
* {{Eminem}} and RayRomano (how about that for unlikely team-ups) completely steal the one scene of ''FunnyPeople'' that they're in together.
* ''Film/PulpFiction'': Creator/HarveyKeitel has a small amount of screen-time, but a particularly memorable speech (the "'Please' would be nice" rant).
--> "Pretty please, with sugar on top, clean the fucking car."
* ''Film/ToKillAMockingbird''
** A young RobertDuvall as the reclusive Arthur "Boo" Radley, his first movie role. He doesn't even so much as speak, but his appearance stays with you.
** A lesser known, but still powerful example, is Brock Peters as Tom Robinson, his one scene being the courtroom scene. He cried when filming the scene, something he had not rehearsed up to that point, which nearly caused Gregory Peck to cry as well.
** Another example from the courtroom scene: Collin Wilcox Paxton as Mayella Ewell. Her closing words when she breaks down in front of Atticus also leaves quite an impact.
* Carla Perez's thirty-second cameo as Rita Repulsa in ''[[Series/PowerRangersTurbo Turbo]]: A PowerRangers [[TheMovie Movie]]'', with all the [[LargeHam ham]] her presence implies, may be the best thing about it.
* Mathieu Amalric appears in the first and last scenes of ''Les Aventures Extraordinaires D'Adèle Blanc-Sec'' as the titular heroine's revolting arch-nemesis Dieuleveult, dressed entirely in a black trenchcoat, hat and sunglasses like a Gestapo officer, completely unrecognizable under a thick layer of makeup with rotten-looking false teeth and speaking with a wheezy voice, all in all resembling Toht from ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''. After stealing the scene with a wonderfully [[LargeHam over-the-top]] creepy performance, his character is mummified alive and only seen at the end of the movie, observing Adèle embarking on the [[spoiler:Titanic]] and ominously wishing her "bon voyage". This is made even more infuriating due to the fact that Dieuleveult is, as previously indicated, her arch-nemesis in the comics and yet has no other role in the plot other than failing to prevent her from stealing a mummy she hopes will bring her sister back to life. Needless to stay, the fans of the original comic were not pleased.
* ''AmericanGangster'' has Ruby Dee in an Academy Award nominated role as Frank Lucas' mother. She had less than 10 minutes of screen time.
* JackieEarleHaley in ''Film/ShutterIsland''. His one scene lasts maybe five minutes and he owns every second of it.
* JackieEarleHaley as the "particularly dirty hippie" Dukes in ''Semi-Pro''.
* MarlonBrando as Jor-El in ''Film/{{Superman}}'' .
* Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger appeared in ''Film/TheRundown'' for about five seconds of screentime, enough to say exactly two words. His appearance is mentioned in just about every professional review of the movie listed on IMDb.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', Mr. Pricklepants fits this trope perfectly. He doesn't really have much bearing on the plot and has very limited screen time, but regardless he sticks out as one of the best characters in the film. You can add all of Bonnie's toys, Buttercup, Trixie, Dolly, '''Chuckles'''! Chatter Telephone, if only for the fact he's a ''toy telephone'' MysteriousInformant with a FilmNoir voice.
* Mr. Shark from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''. "Look, I'm Woody! Howdy howdy howdy!"
* Bruce [=McGill=] in ''TheInsider'', as the lawyer who deposes Russell Crowe. "WIPE THAT SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE!"
* PeterStormare. So. Many. Times. ''Film/{{Constantine}}'' and ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'' stand out, though in the latter case, he's a OneSceneWonder stretched out over a significant part of the film and he is awesome every step of the way.
* JohnnyDepp has two [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wuMt_3Asqg very brief scenes]] in the French film ''Ils se marient et eurent beaucoup des enfants'' (also known as ''Happily Ever After''), one of which contains no dialogue (only some cute eye-flirting to the sounds of "Creep"), and then another scene at the end in which he--get this, ladies--speaks French, and then [[spoiler:kisses the female lead in a dreamy, [[StairwayToHeaven magical elevator ride]], implying that her romantic life will turn all right after all.]]
* KlausKinski as the shackled forced labor prisoner in the train car in ''DoctorZhivago''.
* ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''.
** Mike Myers as an English general!
** Hitler is only in the movie for about three minutes, but every moment of it is hilarious, from the first moment you see him [[BlatantLies calmly]] giving [[BigNo his opinion]] on the Basterds.
** Though his scene is quite long, Denis Menochet's character, Mr Lapadite, in the opening scene of the movie is never seen again.
* [[SignificantAnagram Navckid Keyd]] as Elder Mr. Dawes in ''Film/MaryPoppins'', once you realise who he is.
* JonLovitz has exactly one scene in ''TheWeddingSinger'' as a rival wedding singer to the main character, but thanks to a single line of dialogue and a facial expression, it's a scene you'll remember:
--> He's losing his mind... ''and I'm reaping all the benefits''!
* BruceWillis and Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger in ''TheExpendables''. They're in the movie for all of a few minutes, yet their presence is mentioned constantly in the advertising campaign - for good reason, as those two and SylvesterStallone haven't worked together in movies before, and likely never will again. (at least, until the sequel)
* The Vegan Police, played by Thomas Jane and Clifton Collins Jr., in ''ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld''. They have some truly hilarious lines, and make their exit with a slow-motion leaping high five.
--> '''Todd:''' "Gelato isn't vegan?"
--> '''Vegan Police:''' "[[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch Milk and eggs, bitch.]]"
* JohnTurturro in ''Film/TheBigLebowski''. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1SfzV67Bqw Nobody fucks with the Jesus]].
* Noah Cross does not appear in ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'' until the movie is over halfway through. And he doesn't appear again until near the very end of the film. However, he is remembered as one of the most despicable villains in cinematic history. Roman Polanski's appearance as the man who cuts Jack Nicholson's nose with a knife also deserves a mention. It's probably the scene most people remember.
* Ralph Fiennes in ''NannyMcPhee and the Big Bang''. In his only scene, he helps set up the film's climax and in the process patches up things with his children and relatives.
* [[LargeHam Peter Ustinov]] ''will'' steal any scene(s) he appears in:
** As [[TheCaligula Nero]] in ''QuoVadis''.
** As Lentulus Batiatus in ''Film/{{Spartacus}}''
** As Kaptah in ''TheEgyptian''
*** Also in ''TheEgyptian'', Judith Evelyn as Queen Mother Taia.
--> And now I'll give you some advice, young man. Never tell the truth to an old woman -- especially if she asks for it.
* Gary Busey tends to do this in any film he isn't headlining.
** As a crazy psycho VietnamWar vet in ''Film/BlackSheep'' opposite Creator/ChrisFarley and Creator/DavidSpade (although it's two and not just one), and his 'stint' as a Heavy-like demon hunter in ''Succubus: Hell Bent'', in which he gives quite possibly the least rousing morale boosting speech ever submitted to celluloid (he basically tells the kid he has no hope of winning and he should just let the succubus do what she wants because he'll only manage to piss her off worse), dumps a load of weird junk that actually seems to work on the hero, and then drives off to leave him to his fate.
** There's also his cameo as a very lonely highway patrolman in ''Film/FearAndLoathingInLasVegas''.
* Speaking of ''Fear and Loathing'', there's also Ellen Barkin's moving cameo as a waitress in a depressing café who gets terrorized by the main characters.
* [[spoiler:Jon Hamm]]'s appearance in ''Film/TheATeam'' is technically TheCameo, but may also fall under this because he comes out of nowhere (he wasn't mentioned in any of the promotional material) and is pretty darn awesome, despite being onscreen for only about two or three minutes.
* MeatLoaf turns up for a single song, arguably one of the best, in ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', sings it, and then [[spoiler:gets brutally hacked to death by Tim bloody Curry]].
* The alien opera diva with the ''[[CrowningMusicOfAwesome insane]]'' musical number in ''Film/TheFifthElement''.
* The Pale Man in ''PansLabyrinth'' is probably ''the'' most talked about part of the film.
* JohnBarrowman appears in ''Film/TheProducers'' remake, as the lead tenor on "Springtime For Hitler". The results are amazing.
* Liam Dunn made a specialty of these roles in comedies in the early 1970's. He's probably best known for playing the besieged minister Rev. Johnson in ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' and as the abused patient Mr. Hilltop at the beginning of ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'', but his crowing moment has to be as Judge Maxwell, who has to legally sort out the problems created by his daughter Judy (Barbra Streisand) in ''WhatsUpDoc'' He has less than ten minutes on screen, but his reactions to the story being told to him are priceless. Buck Henry's wonderful dialogue was a big help.
* ''Film/TronLegacy''
** Michael Sheen as Castor/Zuse
** Same scene, Music/DaftPunk (who wrote the soundtrack) as [[strike: themselves]] an MP3(DJ) Program.
* Michael Sheen steals his scenes in ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} New Moon]]'', due to extensive use of HamAndCheese.
* Grandpa Chapman in ''Film/SilentNightDeadlyNight''.
-->"You see Santa Claus tonight you better run boy, you better run for ya life!"
** And the ScaryBlackMan from the sequel. He doesn't even speak, yet he is remembered almost as much as the film's star.
* Joan [=McCracken=], who performs the show-stopping number ("Pass That Peace Pipe") in the [[GoldenAgeOfHollywood Golden Age]] musical ''Good News'', and has basically no other role in the rest of the movie. [=McCracken=], who was a terrific dancer but only a moderately good singer, and who was quite plain-looking, [[HollywoodHomely especially by Hollywood standards]], specialized in these kinds of roles.
* Creator/GarySinise as the reporter in ''Film/TheGreenMile''. The scene is a powerful one in the book, illustrating perfectly why John Coffey was convicted, even through doubts that he actually did the crime, and Sinise certainly put his stamp on it. Despite being in that one scene, his obvious connections with Creator/TomHanks gave him a spot in the movie's trailer.
* About half the cast of ''BartonFink'', though most of them have about two scenes.
** Tony Shaloub as Ben Geisler. About two scenes and five minutes and he owns every second of them. "Well, tell Lipnick he can kiss my dimpled ass."
** SteveBuscemi as Chet, the wormy bellhop at the hotel.
** Mastrionotti and Deutch, the detectives that question Barton.
** Pete, the elevator operator who Barton asks if he's read the Bible. "Holy Bible? Yeah I think so. Anyway I've heard about it."
* Also from the Coen brothers' oeuvre, Shaloub's turn as Billy Bob Thornton's existentialist lawyer is arguably the single most memorable scene in ''TheManWhoWasntThere''.
* Roscoe Lee Browne's enigmatic appearance as the cyborg Box in sci-fi thriller ''Film/LogansRun'' deserves mention here even though it might be more of a BigLippedAlligatorMoment.
* Scorsese's under-appreciated mid-'80s gem ''Film/AfterHours'' is rife with one-off appearances and small recurring ones, but none more lustrous (or self-contained) than Teri Garr and Verna Bloom.
* The psychotic neo-Nazi from ''Film/FallingDown'' has one scene, and if it's not the best one in the movie, it's the one that caused the most laughter. Every line he spouts is caustic and vitriolic, and usually loaded with at least [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain one slur]], and five [[ClusterFBomb curses]]. The role could have been played spooky and subtle, but the actor instead decided that [[ChewingTheScenery no scenery would go unchewed]] in his performance. If anyone quotes the movie, chances are good it'll be from that scene.
* [[Creator/CheechAndChong Tommy Chong's]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFboGsIkj9Y only scene]] in ''Evil Bong'' is easily the best part of the movie, something the filmmakers seem to be aware of, considering that he's on ''[[http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511QBR9ZS1L.jpg the DVD box cover art]]''.
* ''CharliesAngels: Full Throttle'' has Jacklyn Smith reprising her role as Kelly Garret from the series.
* Adrien Brody as Creator/SalvadorDali in ''MidnightInParis''. His only scene turns out to be one of the funniest scenes in the film and he even got above-title billing on the posters with Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard.
* {{Wolverine}} shows up in one scene of ''Film/XMenFirstClass''. His appearance lasts twelve seconds, in which he says a [[PrecisionFStrike grand total of three words.]] It is possibly one of the most hilarious moments of the film. Rebecca Romijn, who equally cameos as a CallForward, admitted she wanted his line.
* Eric in ''MysteryTeam''. He has three rather short scenes, but steals every single one he's in. Jamie too, to a lesser extent.
* [[Creator/BruceCampbell Rod "Torque" Redline]] from ''{{Cars 2}}''. Too bad they blow him up.
* Dennis in ''CabinFever''. He's in it for one scene, and that's the SignatureScene of the moment. He ''really'' wants pancakes, he [[DudeLooksLikeALady can be mistaken for a girl]], and he has some kickass fighting moves.
* The Pterodactyl who takes Aladar's egg to Lemur Island in ''{{Dinosaur}}''.
* Rajat Barmecha as Shomu in an [[DarkerAndEdgier unusual]] {{Bollywood}} movie Shaitaan.
* Tiny Lister as the ScaryBlackMan convict on the ferry in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. He has less than three minutes of screentime, and just one brief monologue delivered in a hushed whisper...and does more to thwart the Joker than Batman and the entire Gotham City police force combined.
** The HangingJudge ([[spoiler:Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow]]) in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' is extremely entertaining even if you don't recognize TheCameo.
-->Exile or death? (...) Alright. Death... [[MortonsFork by exile]].
* Susan Backlinie deciding to go swimming at an unfortunate moment in the opening scenes of ''Film/{{Jaws}}''. Not only is the scene itself one of the most memorable in cinema, but the bit-player actress gives us one of the most heartstoppingly real depictions of terror and pain seen on screen.
* [[PixarRegulars John Ratzenberger]] as the swashbuckling repairman in ''House II: The Second Story''.
** So much so that he's even featured on one of the posters.
* David Carradine as the hilarious DirtyOldMan Poon Dong in ''CrankHighVoltage''.
* Alan C. Peterson as the Mayor in ''Film/SuckerPunch''. In his brief appearance, he steals the scene with his utterly badass pimpin' entrance and {{Leitmotif}}: a mash-up of [[Music/{{Queen}} "I Want It All" and "We Will Rock You"]].
* RodSteiger's appearance as TheJudge toward the end of ''TheHurricane'' definitely qualifies. [[spoiler: "You assumed ... wrong."]]
* Creator/LiamNeeson as the writer who instructs RussellCrowe on prison escapes in ''Film/TheNextThreeDays''. So much they had to put him on the trailer.
* In ''Film/FiveHundredDaysOfSummer'', Creator/ChloeMoretz is this as Tom's little sister.
* ''Film/{{Braindead}}'': The priest who has had only a few unremarkable appearances shows up in the graveyard once the zombies start appearing and goes to town on the zombies in the most epic scene of the movie, ripping/kicking off limbs, throwing and beating up zombies with lines like "This calls for divine intervention" and "I kick ass for The Lord!"
* JamesCagney reprising his role as George M. Cohan (which won him the Best Actor Oscar for ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'') for the BobHope vehicle ''The Seven Little Foys''. Cagney and Hope trade hilarious barbs for a couple minutes, then do an epic tap dance number together.
* Jim Jarmusch's ''Film/DeadMan'' has almost an entire cast of them. Crispin Glover as the philosophical but illiterate train fireman, Robert Mitchum (in his final role) as the shotgun-toting town boss, Iggy Pop as a crossdressing, bible-thumping psychopath, Billy Bob Thornton as a creepy mountain man, and Alfred Molina as the racist missionary.
* KennethBranagh's ''MuchAdoAboutNothing'' movie, despite having a genuinely good, if rather [[LargeHam hammy]], cast (even Keanu Reeves is passable) is clearly dominated by Michael Keaton's Constable Dogberry.
* If you want a film that's utterly ''loaded'' with these, just watch Branagh's full-length version of ''{{Hamlet}}''. The supporting cast (and roles) include Billy Crystal (Gravedigger), RobinWilliams (Osric), Gerard Depardieu (Reynaldo), Charlton Heston (Player King), Rufus Sewell (Fortinbras), Richard Attenborough (English Ambassador) and Creator/BrianBlessed (King Hamlet's Ghost) all in absolutely perfect roles! There's also a cameo by John Gielgud and Judi Dench, and Creator/DerekJacobi reprising his role as [[Series/IClaudius Clau-Clau-Claudius]]. Though he does get a rather prominent billing.
* The punk on the bus with the ghetto blaster in ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome''.
** Robert Picardo has one scene in ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' as the Enterprise's Emergency Medical Hologram and comes close to stealing the entire film.
* The 1933 film ''Dinner at Eight'' alludes to this trope in-universe. One of the characters is a washed-up, alcoholic actor who learns he's been demoted from the lead in an upcoming play to a minor one-scene role. His agent persuades him to accept the smaller part on the grounds that he can make a bigger impression on the audience with his single scene.
* ''Film/{{Prometheus}}'' has a pretty huge one in the last minute of the film. [[spoiler:It's the first Xenomorph, which pops out of the BigBad.]] It's particularly creepy.
* StanLee, one of the masterminds of Marvel comics, makes a {{Cameo}} in just about every single live-action movie adaptation of the heroes. Sometimes he's a plain old man, sometimes he gets a few speaking lines, or sometimes he even does some LeaningOnTheFourthWall by playing himself.
* DrewCarey gets a brief scene when his cab ride gets delayed in ''{{Coneheads}}'', addressing himself as a decorated star to make sure all know this snafu is SeriousBusiness.
* ''FullMetalJacket'' has two: the [[AsianHookerStereotype Da Nang prostitute]] ("Me love you long time"), and the [[SociopathicSoldier door gunner]] who shoots Vietnamese civilians from a helicopter ("Get some, get some!)"
* the ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' film has a [[http://fanlistings.dreame.net/worm/ Worm with its own fanlisting]].
* Film/TheHungerGames has Clove, who, despite while showing up in other scenes, has one scene dedicated to her almost sadistically killing Katniss.
** Thresh only gets to speak in one scene, in which [[spoiler: he shows up out of nowhere, rescues Katniss from Clove by smashing Clove into a wall until she dies, and then spares Katniss' life because of what she did for Rue.]]
* In the remake of ''TheManchurianCandidate'', there's JeffreyWright as the deeply troubled Cpl. Al Melvin, who has a scene near the beginning of the film and doesn't show up much afterwards, but casts such a haunting shadow over the proceedings of the whole film.
* Jerry the CIA agent in ''ApocalypseNow'' - "Terminate with extreme predudice."
* [[Film/TheMummyTrilogy Kevin J. O'Connor]] in ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' as Dr. Mindbender in [[spoiler:Rex]][=/=]The Doctor's FlashBack.
** Walton Goggins in ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' as the Warden of Cobra Commander and Destro's prison, who utilizes every second of his screentime.
* In ''Film/{{Flight}}'', protagonists Whitaker and Nicole meet in the hospital stairwell as they wanted a smoke. Then comes a cancer patient from Utah that only appears in that scene, but provides some insightful dialogue.
* Stark's fire extinguisher robot and [[spoiler:NickFury]] in''Film/IronMan1'' . [[BreakoutCharacter Both have larger roles in the second film]].
** ''Film/IronMan2'':
*** Bill O'Reilly, who makes a surprising cameo as himself, commenting on his show about [[spoiler:Pepper Potts becoming CEO of Stark Industries]]. It's much like the segments on his show in real life, but the fact that he's in ''Iron Man 2'' makes it hilarious.
*** The Suitcase Armor. It's used for just three minutes and has the living crap beaten out of it, but the activation was so cool that the armor was used on the DVD cover instead of the Mark VI upgrade. Elements of it were also adapted into the Mark VII of ''The Avengers''.
* Harry Dean Stanton's unnamed security guard in ''TheAvengers''. Not only does he take witnessing a giant green rage monster fall out of the sky in stride, but is also considerate enough to bring a change of clothes for the human that the monster changes into. His scene-closing line is one of the movie's most memorable.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'' Pitbull's character, Bufo, only appears in two scenes and was never mentioned or seen again.
* [[TheHumanCentipede Dieter Laser]] in the german drama film ''Big Girls Don't Cry''. He is in it for less than 10 minutes and scares the living ***t out of the viewer as a pedophile.
* There are quite a few cameos in ''Film/HotFuzz'' and every actor is hilarious. But special mention must go to Bill Nighy as Kenneth, the chief inspector and Martin Freeman and Steve Coogan in the opening scene.
** Did you know that Peter Jackson is in the movie, uncredited? He's in for all of 2 seconds, ''stabbing Nicholas in the hand dressed as Father Christmas.''
* Iain Glen as Uncle Ralph in ''Film/KickAss2''.
* ''Film/PacificRim'': Onibaba is rather popular even though it only appears once and its fight is off-screen, mostly remembered for its non-alien/dinosaur design (it looks like a GiantEnemyCrab).
** Otachi Jr.
* PeterStormare in ''Film/PainAndGain'' as what may be the most awkward oncologist in recent memory.
* The black truck driver from the end of ''Film/{{The Texas Chainsaw Massacre|1974}}''; nameless, no lines, one minute of screen-time, but he's one of the funniest parts of the movie.
* Creator/WaltonGoggins, Creator/CubaGoodingJr, Music/LadyGaga, and Creator/AntonioBanderas as "The Chameleon" in ''Film/MacheteKills''.
* Slightly in the 2003 live action ''Film/PeterPan''. The actor only ever did that film and eight years later put up a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY5hoCz_GaA Youtube video]] expressing his shock at having so many fans for such a small role.
* Donald Sutherland as X in JFK. An unusual example though. It's played straight in that He's in one scene, it amounts to about fifteen minutes of screen time of a three hour movie, and it's arguably the most memeroable scene in the movie. However since it's essentially a monologue it's probably the second biggest speaking part in the movie.
* Taken to a shocking degree in the 1951 film ''Scrooge''. Towards the end of the film, Scrooge arrives at his nephew's house and hesitates before going into the party. He is comforted by the door maid who nods for him to go in. She has no lines but it is a very warm and tender scene. For years there was a massive discussion online about the actress's identity as she was uncredited in the film. Eventually a relative of hers surfaced online and [[http://dickensblog.typepad.com/dickensblog/2013/05/meet-the-maid-an-interview-with-theresa-derrington-cozens-hardy.html this blog post]] identifies her as Theresa Derrington.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Steven Erikson's ''MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' has several underused-and-awesome characters. One of the more notable examples is Hood, the god of death.
** How awesome is he? The first time Hood actually does anything personally, he [[spoiler: pushes Chaos several leagues back from the wagon in Draginpur, just by showing up.]] The next time, he rips the face off of a [[spoiler:Forkrul Assail Pure.]] With his teeth. And then, he tears another one apart with his bare hands.
* There is usually at least one scene in every ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' book featuring [[TheGrimReaper Death]] (''The Wee Free Men'' is one of the few books where he doesn't appear). Except in the book where he stars, these definitely count.
* Voldemort in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', especially the film. Less so in other entries of the series, as he starts getting more time.
** Also Aunt Marge at the beginning of the third book.
* ''ASongOfIceAndFire''
** Oberyn Martell quickly gained a legion of fans during his limited time in the series with his many witticisms and exotic background story. He continues to appear in flashbacks, perhaps as a result of this trope.
** Syrio Forel is also quite popular despite his limited time in the series, to the point that some fans [[spoiler:still claim that he might still be alive, despite all signs pointing to the contrary.]] Just so.
** Archmaester Marwyn shows up in one scene (though he is mentioned a few times previously) [[spoiler: to drop the bombshell that the maesters had a hand in the Targaryen dragons dying out, then he promptly hops on a ship heading east, to join up with Daenerys.]]
** Cortnay Penrose's only scene was also pretty awesome.
** Wylla Manderly's only scene gained her legions of fans for calling out the Freys on their bullshit, and sticking up for the Starks when no-one else would.
* OlderThanPrint: Mi Heng only appears in one chapter of the 2000+ page ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', but is still one of the most memorable characters for his sheer balls in insulting every single person he meets, no matter how powerful they are. He ends up throwing out insults until the second his head is cut off.
** He was originally protected by his public reputation as a scholar, so the first target of his ire [[AssInAmbassador made him an envoy in hopes that he'd get killed by the recipient]]. The recipient, regional lord Liu Biao, figured out what was going on and instead passed Mi Heng off to a subordinate who had Mi Heng executed.
* In Bruce Sterling's ''Literature/{{Schismatrix}}'', Nikolai Leng's Mechanist wife shows up in three of the tiny (around ten lines each) chapters of ''Twenty Evocations'', a short story included in later editions.
* In the original book version of ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', the Wicked Witch of the West appears in only one chapter. Nonetheless, that one chapter led her becoming one of the most iconic villains in film history.
* Merlin in ''TheWarlordChronicles''. Doesn't have a lot of time directly interacting with the protagonist in the story, but every bit where he is doing so, it's ''damn'' memorable.
* Irene Adler only appears in ''one'' of Creator/ArthurConanDoyle's ''SherlockHolmes'' stories, but is considered almost as essential a character to include in adaptations as Holmes and Watson. Moriarty is also the quintessential nemesis for Holmes, despite only appearing in two stories.
** Technically, Moriarty never appears in the stories, since Watson never actually sees him (except possibly once through a train's window). All that Watson knows about Moriarty is what Holmes has told him in passing.
* Laurent in the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' saga had a considerable following in the early years of the fandom, even though he appeared only briefly in the first two novels. There was a ridiculous internet backdraft when the "olive" skinned French Laurent was [[RaceLift portrayed by a black guy]] who was most definitely not French.
* Tom Bombadil in J.R.R. Tolkien's ''Literature/LordOfTheRings''. He enters the story for a brief and memorable episode and is then never seen again.
* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', Mapleshade has all of three scenes during her first appearance, and one in her second. She does nothing important, but fans still remember her for her epic and creepy lines and [[spoiler: trying to drown Ivypool all while reminding Ivypool of [[TastesLikeDiabetes Daisy]].]]
* In ''TheDresdenFiles'' novel ''Small favor'', [[PintsizedPowerhouse Eldest Gruff]] at the very end of the book. He teleports in, stomps around the island and shaking the earth with every step, one-shots a FallenAngel, chats up Harry, and then goes to get a donut.
** In ''Changes'' there's Donnar Vadderung, otherwise known as ''Odin''. he gets a single chapter with dialogue [[spoiler: and briefly appears at the end]] but he effectively comes off as [[WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}} a divine David Xanatos]].
** [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Ferrovax]], thus far.
* ''Percy Jackson and the Olympians'' Apollo and Artemis. Two gods with the least book appearances....least important children slash divine lackies.....and guess who are the most popular gods on Fanfiction.net?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* [[TheAce Lord Flashheart]] in ''{{Blackadder}}'', especially in the second series where he appears out of nowhere, goes through his monologue, and disappears again in less than two minutes of screen time, and totally runs away with the episode.[[spoiler:And the girl]]. [[spoiler:"Woof!"]]
** [[WordOfGod In an interview]] Creator/RikMayall said he only agreed to play Flashheart if he got more laughs than the main character in that episode.
*** Peter Cook as Richard III in the first ever episode of ''{{Blackadder}}''.
*** StephenFry too, in ''Blackadder the Third'' as Wellington, to the point that his mannerisms were carried over to General Melchet's character in ''Blackadder Goes Forth''.
--->"The men had a whip-round and got you this... well, what I mean is that I had the men roundly whipped until they got you this. It's a cigarillo case engraved with the regimental crest of two crossed dead Frenchmen, emblazoned on a mound-of-dead-Frenchmen motif."
*** Creator/TomBaker as Captain Rum. ''Arr...' (Although in the last two cases it's more of a One Episode Wonder.)
*** Denis Lill as Sir Talbot Buxomley in ''Blackadder III'' episode "Dish and Dishonesty". He appears for about two minutes and dies at the end of his scene. But he is absolutely unforgettable.
* When ''Series/TheColbertReport'' had [[ThePowerOfRock a guitar solo challenge]] between Creator/StephenColbert and Chris Funk of Music/TheDecemberists, there were guest stars galore. However none of them could compare to the brief appearance via satellite by none other than Dr. Henry Kissinger.
-->'''Stephen Colbert''': Dr. Kissinger, what time is it?
-->'''Henry Kissinger''': Stephen, [[RockMeAsmodeus it is time to rock]].
** Colbert said in an interview that they also wanted to [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] the absurdity of having gotten Henry Kissinger to oversee a guitar-playing contest by having him say, "Where are my pancakes? I was promised pancakes." But he wouldn't, and according to Colbert, somewhere there exist several minutes of footage of him begging Kissinger to say the pancake line.
** John Legend and his nutmeg song in the Christmas special.
** ''Series/TheDailyShow'' had a CrowningMomentOfAwesome involving [[http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-november-19-2009/gaywatch---peter-vadala---william-phillips Mick Foley]] defending a kid who supports gay rights.
* In the new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'' series, none of the MauveShirt Viper/Raptor pilots are more memorable then the "Tattooed Pilot" whose actually more of an extra since he plays no vital role and has only one speaking line in the entire series.
** Racetrack has a bit of a following too, despite never having actually had her own storyline, she's probably survived more raptor mishaps than Athena and Boomer put together, especially in later seasons.
* [[CrazyAwesome Jubal Early]] in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', who only appeared in the last episode yet was perhaps the greatest part of an already great series.
* JimHenson showing up in anything done with TheMuppets is always special.
* Cyril Luckham (The White Guardian) of the "Key to Time" storyline in original ''Series/DoctorWho''. He does nothing but sit in a chair and set up the plot for the season in the first five minutes of the first episode, but eerily sticks in your mind.
-->"You mean nothing will happen to me?"
-->"Nothing at all. Ever."
** The episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS3E13LastOfTheTimeLords Utopia]]" in the new series gets ''three'' of these. First is Creator/DerekJacobi's wonderful performance as Professor Yana, surpassed by Derek Jacobi again in his two-minute-long appearance as the Master, which is surpassed ''again'' by JohnSimm's even briefer role as the Master (though the last one may not qualify, as Simm spends the subsequent two episodes being a legendary MagnificentBastard).
** Creator/JohnCleese's magnificent minute-long cameo toward the end of fan-favorite "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath City of Death]]". [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mmal0PMkmI Exquisite.]]
* President Bartlett was originally supposed to be a OneSceneWonder on ''TheWestWing''; the show was meant to focus on the senior staff, with the President appearing maybe once a month or so to emphasize the distance between the man at the top and the people working for him out of the spotlight. But Martin Sheen's performance was made of too much awesome, and on top of this it was decided that it would be silly to have a series set among the senior staff of the White House where the audience never saw the President, and so he got promoted to a member of the main cast.
** His appearance in the pilot (which was presumably filmed with the above intent) definitely counts, however; he only shows up at the very end, but when your first appearance involves bursting into a tense meeting between White House staff and religious leaders proclaiming "I am the Lord thy God, thou shall have no other gods before Me. Boy, those were the days!" people are gonna remember it.
** Roger Rees as Lord John Marbury isn't quite a OneSceneWonder -- he was in five episodes over six years -- but you can't deny that he was disproportionately memorable in his few scenes as LoveableRogue.
* 'Sebastian' on ''[[Series/BabylonFive Babylon 5]]''--only in one episode, arguably the most memorable character in the whole series. Even if he's remembered, not as a hero, not as a messenger, not even as Sebastian... [[spoiler:but only as "[[JackTheRipper Jack]]".]]
** To an extent, Bester as well. His first appearance was the standard "corrupt Earth official who comes to make Sinclair's life hell" that typified many Season 1 episode villains but Walter Koenig infused the role with so much fun energy and serious emotion you looked forward to those times he came back to plague the main cast. Notably, he was one of the few series villains who could regularly show up, have a hostile face-to-face dialogue with the protagonists, accomplish his goals and walk away scot-free at the end of the episode.
** Morden in his early appearances. He just oozes intrigue and menace, and he's only on screen for about five minutes.
* ''TheTudors'': Peter O'Toole as the Pope Paul III only appears in some episodes, never interacts directly with the main cast (Being as he is in ''Rome'' all the time), and completely steals the show. Peter O'Toole should play the Pope in anything that has a Pope.
** Also [[GenreSavvy Christina of Milan]] and [[TheHeretic Anne Askew]].
* Seth Green and Breckin Meyer in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', as a pair of comic book store employees who have the "best day ever" when they briefly get to help one of their favorite characters.
** ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' also has John Glover as [[spoiler:Samson Gray, Sylar's real father]].
** Creator/ChristopherEccleston's memorable turn as Claude Rains began as an EnsembleDarkHorse, but since he never returned and was only in 5-ish out of nearly 60 episodes, he has evolved into a much-loved OneSceneWonder.
*** One of the first words spoken by him in the show is a brilliant ShoutOut to his stint as [[DoctorWho the Doctor]].
--> '''Claude''': Fantastic!
* Brother Mouzone in ''TheWire'' only appeared in six episodes, most of them for just a few minutes, or seconds in the case of his introduction. An erudite, soft spoken, Harpers magazine reading, suit and bow tie wearing gentleman... who also happens to be one of the most feared and respected hitmen on the east coast, and whose popularity rivals some regulars.
* Comedy actor Guillermo Francella ([[DyeingFortheArt without his trademark moustache]]) played the until then unseen BigBad of Argentine [[SoapOpera telenovela]] ''Vidas Robadas'': he appeared in three scenes in the last two episodes, and completely owned the show. To picture the impact of TheReveal, imagine: the MagnificentBastard head of a human trafficking net is finally seen on camera - and it's a completely serious and creepy-looking, say, ''Adam Sandler''.
* In the season one finale of ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' the fact that Olivia was in a parallel universe where the Twin Towers are still standing was heavily overshadowed by the fact that she'd just met the mysterious William Bell, played by LeonardNimoy.
** Nimoy as William Bell deserves some sort of minimalist record for this. He had two lines in the Season 1 finale, then showed up for less than a minute in a fragmented flashback to the same scene four episodes later, and then had another one-line cameo in the mid-season cliffhanger. Then, the character was conspicuously absent in the WholeEpisodeFlashback "Peter", with a lame excuse about being away on business, and then Nimoy retired from acting after filming one more appearance for season 2.
* Ian [=McNiece=] as the [[KentBrockmanNews Forum news reader]] in ''Series/{{Rome}}'' is just ''[[HamAndCheese grand.]]''
* Danny Trejo on ''Series/BreakingBad'' as Tortuga, the cartel snitch. Technically in for two scenes, the second one being somewhat more memorable.
** The junkyard owner who saves Walt and Jesse from discovery by Hank in the third season and the armsdealer who sells Walt his gun in the fourth season also count.
* Not exactly a One ''Scene'' Wonder, but in the fourth series of ''Series/JonathanCreek'' Adrian Edmondson turns up about once an episode and manages to steal every scene he's in as Carla's clueless, pretentious but strangely lovable producer/husband Brendan.
** Strangely lovable because he's so incredibly easygoing, not even blinking when Carla makes out with Jonathan (with full-on tongue action) right in front of him. Perhaps his best moment was admitting he'd once been married to a man in the US. But it was only a marriage of convenience! And they never had [[spoiler:a co-production deal]], because that would just be ''wrong.''
*** Also from ''Series/JonathanCreek'' is one of Adam Klaus [[GirlOfTheWeek girlfriends]], who sweetly kisses him, gives him a kimono, and waves goodbye as she gets out of the car. That's it. She doesn't get a name, or a single line. However, the whole cameo becomes HilariousInHindsight considering the Chinese calligraphy on the kimono reads: "I am full of shit." Adam wears it around the theatre all day long before a theatre critic who speaks fluent Chinese tells him what it says and that the girl who give it to him definitely has his measure.
* In ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', King Sphinx, a MonsterOfTheWeek, only appeared in one episode, and was never seen again in the franchise. Despite this, he was a favorite character in merchadise related to the show, such as toys, coloring books, posters, and sticker albums. (Supposedly, the character was ''supposed'' to make a return appearance, or possibly more than one, but WordOfGod claims that the monster suit had been damaged too much to be used again.)
* The Robert de Niro episode of ''{{Extras}}'' qualifies as this, since the sheer amazingness of having de Niro as one of the celebrity characters is lampshaded with a lot of gushing about how amazing it is that Andy is going to meet Robert de Niro, and then subverted when he decides not to. In the end he's only in the show for a minute, and spends that minute being inordinately amused by a novelty pornographic pen. Needless to say, it's one of the most memorable guest spots of the series.
** The George Michael scene from the Christmas special probably also qualifies. Although Michael is probably the biggest name in that show, he just wanders unexpectedly into the scene without any fanfare and not in his capacity as a celebrity, to deliver a hilarious performance centering on his own reputation for getting arrested for having sex in public places, which is simultaneously played straight (he drops by the "queer bench" in the park to ask if there's "any action") and subverted (he does this during his lunch break while on community service, which he's been sentenced to for... helping a fellow celebrity illegally dispose of a fridge-freezer).
** PatrickStewart appears for a single scene, in which he explains a screenplay he's writing wherein he plays a [[Film/{{X-Men}} Professor Xavier]]-type character who uses his powers to make women's clothes fall off.
** Dame Diana Rigg who is in two scenes. In the first she gets a condom flicked onto her head while she's eating soup, and instructs the perpetrator ([[Film/HarryPotter Daniel Radcliffe]]!) on how to politely ask for it back again. In the second she wearily tells him to go away because [[CrowningMomentOfFunny he's been trying to hit on her all day]]).
* AlysonHannigan as Trina Echolls on ''VeronicaMars'' might qualify. She shows up completely unexpectedly and completely dominates the intro scene with herself, Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring.
** And in a later episode she reunites with her ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' co-star Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) playing Kendall Casablancas. Trina runs into Kendall after she just spent a night with Trina's brother Logan and they have a fun, catty conversation.
* AlysonHannigan again in ''That70sShow'', where she plays a cop [[LoveTriangle for whom Kelso and Fez immediately declare their love.]]
* Both ''{{Friends}}'' and, more recently, ''Series/{{Skins}}'' make a habit of doing this for the main characters' parents. Chandler's dad steals most of his scenes, Joey's mum likewise for her single appearance, and perhaps the most memorable scene that had HughLaurie lecturing Rachel on the plane to Britain; meanwhile ''Skins'' had cameos from Harry Enfield, Bill Bailey, Peter Capaldi, Arabella Weir, Josie Lawrence...
* Try to find a season of ''Series/CriminalMinds'' that doesn't have at least one of these. The woman at the convenience store that grabs a shotgun in "Identity" is an example. The single-episode characters are usually so interesting that even the main actors have said in interviews that they wish they could guest star on their own show.
* Pretty much any show where SummerGlau ends up being cast as a bit character ends up with her stealing the spotlight in her scenes. A good example is the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "Waiting In The Wings."
** She appears AsHerself on a train in ''TheBigBangTheory'', where the characters come up and try to hit on her one at a time. Her reactions to their awkward advances are hilarious.
** In the ''{{Dollhouse}}'' episode "The Left Hand" (2x06), there is supposedly some ''other'' plot involving Echo and Senator Parrin, but it's hard to pay attention to that when you've got Summer Glau and Fran Kranz on the same screen together.
* Anyone who comes without previous warning in ''SaturdayNightLive''. In an episode hosted by Roseanne Barr, "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqPiJ0L7YmY Coffee Talk with Linda Richman]]", there was a sketch which frequently discussed Barbra Streisand, and already had a guest appearance by {{Madonna}}... then Babs herself appeared!
** One skit had an interview with Wilson the volleyball from ''CastAway'' When the skit ended, Wilson said his ride was here and Tom Hanks casually walked onto the set. He didn't say anything, he just walked onset, stood there for two minutes waiting for the cheering to die down, picked up Wilson, and left. ''That'' is a One Scene Wonder.
** Another Tom Hanks example was his surprise appearance on ''Celebrity Series/{{Jeopardy}}''. He wasn't hosting that night (Will Ferrell was), but he came on to be one of the contestants. To say he blew the scene out of the water might have been an understatement. From getting his hand stuck in a pickle jar to suffocating in a plastic bag to banging his head off of the podium and ''breaking it'', let's just say SNL might need a new ''Jeopardy'' set; Tom Hanks is all done chewing it to bits.
** And this was Tom Hanks ''AsHimself'', as if he was somebody playing Tom Hanks in SNL's version of ''Celebrity Jeopardy''.
** It is also a virtual certainty that if the show has any recurring feature that pokes fun at a specific actor or political figure the person being mocked will eventually show up in the middle of the feature and completely steal the scene. For example, one open had TinaFey as SarahPalin doing a press conference. In the middle of it, cut to back stage, where Lorne Michaels is talking to the ''real'' Sarah Palin about the skit...and then Alec Baldwin comes up and mistakes Palin for Fey.
*** Prior to Palin's appearance, the most memorable example was probably the time Janet Reno showed up unannounced to take over a "Janet Reno Dance Party" sketch from WillFerrell doing a Reno impersonation.
** Not exactly a one ''scene'' wonder, but ChristopherWalken probably does deserve credit for managing to completely steal the show every time he hosts.
** When the real David Patterson appeared alongside Fred Armisen's impersonation. He criticizes the show for making fun of the blind...then proceeds to act the same as Armisen did
** The ''What Up With That'' faux-talk show/musical variety that Kenan Thompson hosts frequently has two special guests cameos of real celebrities playing themselves as if they were on a normal talk show. Those cameos are played straight and frequently steal the scene (though JasonSudeikis often steals it back). Cameos include AlGore, MikeTyson, MorganFreeman, RobinWilliams, BillOReilly, and SamuelLJackson, who used profanity on the live show.
* A 1994 episode of ''The Late Show With DavidLetterman'' had Dave ask "Johnny Carson" to deliver the Top Ten list. Larry "Bud" Melman delivered it posing as him. Then Dave said there was something wrong and this wasn't the list and called for "Johnny" again...and out steps the ''real'' Johnny Carson, to nearly three minutes of continuous standing ovation. He sat in Dave's chair, and left without saying a word. This turned out to be Johnny's last television appearance.
* The ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "Conversations With Dead People" features a very entertaining WarriorTherapist vampire who died at the very end of the episode. According to the DVDCommentary for the episode, Jonathan M. Woodward's performance as said vampire was such a scene stealer that he subsequently landed larger roles on ''Series/{{Angel}}'' and ''{{Firefly}}''.
** Then there's producer David Fury's 15-second appearance in the musical episode "Once More With Feeling", singing about the dry cleaner.
---> "They got the mustard... ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut!"
** And then there was the Cheese Man from ''Restless''.
* David Rees Snell, who played AscendedExtra Ronnie Gardocki on ''TheShield'', played season four BigBad Leon Drake, an evil [[GIJoe Cobra Commander]]-type terrorist who was the BigBad for the fourth and final season of ''TheUnit''. Despite appearing in only seven episode (with most of those episodes featuring him in one or two scenes, barking orders to his army of minions from his secret lair), David Snell's role is largely the only notable thing about the show in the eyes of fans of Shawn Ryan's other, more famous show ''TheShield''.
** David Rees Snell pulled this off again with his role as the mysterious Navy Seal named Hopper in "Last Resort".
* ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'' pulls this off a few times:
** In episode 2x12, despite featuring major advancement on most of the season's main storylines and one character's CrowningMomentOfAwesome, most of the online chatter about the episode centered around former ''Series/TheShield'' star Kenny Johnson's surprise cameo as an out-of-town member of the Sons of Anarchy biker gang summoned to help participate in a planned rumble with a rival Aryan gang.
** Another ''Series/TheShield'' cast member Walton Goggins comes in later and steals the show as a transgender prostitute.
** Then there's the scene where Creator/StephenKing comes in to dispose of a body and outshines everyone with only a few lines of dialogue.
* Several examples in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': Lt. Riley, who appeared in only two episodes; [[GrandeDame T'Pau]] and [[ChildhoodMarriagePromise T'Pring]] from "Amok Time"; [[FollowInMyFootsteps Sarek]] and [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents Amanda]] in ''Journey to Babel''; the Romulan Commanders in "[[WorthyOpponent Balance of Terror]]" and "[[HotChickInABadassSuit The Enterprise Incident]]"; Baalok from "The Corbomite Maneuver"; the [[PsychopathicManchild Squire of Gothos]]; the [[SiliconBasedLife Horta]].
* A few examples in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Sonya Gomez, the famously bumbling junior engineer; Nick Locarno in "The First Duty" (so much so that they wanted to use that character in ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'', but had to settle for just the actor); Robin Lefler (due to the fact that she was played by ''Ashley fricking' Judd''); Commander Shelby in "The Best of Both Worlds"; Captain Jellico and Gul Madred (played by Ronny Cox and David Warner, respectively); etc.
* [[ViolentGlaswegian Jamie MacDonald]] is only in a handful of scenes in ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' (he doesn't even get his last name until TheMovie) but manages to be one of the most memorable characters in a show full of memorable characters.
* Mr. Flibble from ''Series/RedDwarf''. A ''penguin hand-puppet'', visibly played and voiced by one of the regular cast during the last scenes of a single episode, never to be seen or even mentioned in the show again... but he's one of the most popular supporting characters, almost to the point that you could consider him the show's mascot, and he's got [[http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/features/interviews/mr-flibble/ his own section]] on the show's official website, where he acts as an interview host.
** Lister's friend Petersen, who has appeared in only two episodes ("The End" and "Stasis Leak") plus a few flashbacks in the first two series is nevertheless one of the most liked characters in the series. The fact he wasn't able to be brought back for Series 8 is a serious WhatCouldHaveBeen for most fans.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has [[spoiler: the fourth Horseman, Death]], played by Julian Richings, who manages to exude pure awesome simply by being there, despite roughly six minutes of screen time.
** Surprisingly, ParisHilton, who plays a shapeshifting demon that takes on her form. Said demon [[SelfDeprecation doesn't think too highly of her]]
* The ''Series/{{Castle}}'' episode "Overkill" somehow manages to have ''two'' One Scene Wonders within ten minutes of each other, in the form of Stephen Full as Benny, a charmingly sleazy and hungover motel clerk, and Jennifer Hall as Rebecca, a weepy lab technician who's 'cry-talk' Beckett has to decipher.
** Drug dealer Vulcan Simmons appears in a three-minute scene in episode 3-13 "Knockdown" and isn't even guilty of the crime they believe he committed. He still manages to establish himself as a monster just by talking. [[OneSceneWonder See here]].
* Whenever Charles Widmore is in an episode of ''Series/{{Lost}}'', he usually only has one scene, but that scene is always a killer.
** "The fact that she never received your sentiments is good for her, because as far as she's concerned you've forsaken her. And that's the way it's going to stay."
** "You creep into my bedroom in the dead of night, like a rat, and have the audacity to pretend that you're the victim?"
** "Walk with me, Desmond." (Cut to Desmond standing around awkwardly while Widmore uses a urinal)
** "One sip of [[=McCutcheon=] whiskey] is worth more than you can make in a month. What you are not, Mr. Hume, is worthy of drinking my whiskey. How can you ever be worthy of marrying my daughter?"
** His daughter Penny also qualifies. She shows up even less often than her dad, rarely has more than one or two scenes, but they're always important, and [[ThePowerOfLove the intensity of her love for Desmond]] always shines through, so much so that she and Des are among the most [[EnsembleDarkHorse popular couples]] in the entire show, despite their limited screen time together.
*** [[WhamLine "What boat?"]]
*** [[IWillWaitForYou Her Christmas Eve phone conversation with Desmond]] at the end of ''The Constant'' is one of '''the''' [[TearJerker most]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming popular scenes]] in ''the entire series!''
*** Her reunion with Des in the fourth season finale (her only scene in that two hour episode making it a literal example) is a [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming is a ray of hope and happiness]] in an otherwise [[CrapsackWorld grim episode.]]
* A minor controversy erupted when the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences served up an extreme version of this in 2006, nominating Ellen Burstyn for an Emmy for her 14-second, 38-word cameo in the TV movie ''MrsHarris''.
* From ''TheXFiles'', Maggie Scully (Scully's mom) has a surprisingly large fanbase, despite only appearing quite briefly in a handful of episodes. It probably has something to do with the fact that she's such a nice, reasonable, ''normal'' person, especially when you compare her to Mulder's family.
** And of course, she has to [[TheWoobie put up with a lot]] in the show, including her husband [[spoiler:dying of a heart attack]], her daughter [[spoiler:being abducted by aliens and presumed dead]], her ''other'' daughter [[spoiler:being shot dead]], and her son being a total douche.
** Similarly, Cassandra Spencer, played memorably by VeronicaCartwright, is so central to the show's mythos, it's hard to believe she's only in 4 episodes.
** Also, Peter Boyle as the one-off character Clyde Bruckman, in the episode ''Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose". One episode. Not an important episode. Not a character important to the myth arc. But he's one of the most memorable characters in the whole show, partly because it was one of the most highly-acclaimed episodes ever, and because...well... it's Peter Boyle.
* Brian Cox as Vesper Abaddon in ''{{Kings}}''. A deposed tyrant, he has two scenes where he tries to make his captor, Silas, as vile as he is, and another where he speaks to TheHero, David, before he is to be executed. Scary as hell, incredibly complex, and has only a few minutes screentime.
* ''Series/{{Merlin}}'' had the FisherKing, an ageless old king who has waited years for Merlin to arrive and release him from his eternal life. The actor infuses the character with so much gravitas and poignancy that he turns a single scene into a bona-fide TearJerker. The lighting and music only adds to the epic nature of the scene.
* ''RobinOfSherwood'': Every fan talks about John Rhys-Davies' performance as King Richard. He was in exactly one episode: "The King's Fool".
* "Valentine's Day," the second-season episode of The Office, Conan O'Brien appears in the background at Rockefeller Centre, as Michael is wandering around the streets of New York. Even funnier because Michael is watching a tall woman with glasses he thinks is Tina Fey.
* On ''{{Glee}}'', one of the most memorable one-scene wonders is Cameo, an unruly student from a flashback to Holly's past that explained why she became a free spirit.
-->'''Cameo:''' "Tricks? You some kind of magician substitute? I'm a Christian, and that devil magic stuff OFFENDS ME!! (charges Holly and punches her lights out)
-->'''Holly (in the present):''' I woke up to an empty classroom. And worse, they took my Air Jordans!
* ''{{Frasier}}'' had JohnGlover make a guest appearance as a high-powered executive at the radio station. And [[LargeHam It]]. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Is]]. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjWipjKclBY Glorious]]. The scene managed to earn Glover an Emmy nomination.
* No one could forget the BlindSeer from ''Series/OnceUponATime'', first appearing as a little girl and then a young woman over the course of a single episode. It's not only her stitched-up eyes or the fact that she has ''eye balls'' on the palms of her hands, but that she tells Rumplestiltskin a SelfFulfillingProphecy that pretty much kick-starts the plot of the ''entire show''.
* In the third-season ''LoisAndClark'' episode "Double Jeopardy", there's a seemingly throwaway scene where Luthor makes a back-alley deal with a rogue government agent. It's amazing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Multiple Media]]
* The Exo-Toa PoweredArmor robot from ''Franchise/{{Bionicle}}'' is one of the most sought-after and hard to get sets due to its popularity with the fans. But as the head of the Story Team reportedly disliked the toy, he specifically instructed the writers ''not'' to give it much of an impact in any media, so the armors were only used by the heroes for half a scene (an admittedly awesome scene) in the comics and novels [[ArmorIsUseless before they discarded them for blocking their powers]], and had only a handful minor cameos afterwards. In fact their biggest contribution to the story was when their destroyed pieces crushed a villain.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* DireStraits's "Money For Nothing" is well known for the background singing that Sting does in it. You know, "[[{{MTV}} I want my emmmmmmmm teeeeeeee veeeeeeeeeee.......]]" (in the same tune of "[[ThePolice Don't Stand So Close To Me]]")
* Rockwell's hit "Somebody's Watching Me" featured [[MichaelJackson Michael]] (notably in the chorus) Jackson.
* TomWaits pitch-perfect turn as Tommy in {{Primus}}' "Tommy the Cat".
* {{Queen}}: David Bowie joining up for "Under Pressure". Steve Howe playing a relatively short (compared to Music/{{Yes}} and Asia standards) flamenco guitar solo on "Innuendo", which has become a classic and one loads of people around the world try to learn and replicate (oddly appropriate given that Brian May asked Steve to do it because he couldn't manage it). Also, the half-minute operatic section on "'Bohemian Rhapsody" is arguably one of the first things people recall about Queen in spite of being very different to 99% of things the band did before or since.
* On the FrankZappa album ''Broadway the Hard Way'', Sting comes on halfway through and performs "Murder by Numbers".
* Music/WeirdAlYankovic did his pastiche of Zappa, "Genius in France," for the album ''Poodle Hat'', who did he get to provide solos satisfactorily remiscent of Frank's? Dweezil. [[ViewersAreGeniuses Return Of The Son Of]] FrankZappa.
** And when he recorded a parody of Music/TheDoors ("Craigslist") for the ''Internet Leaks'' EP, he enlisted none other than Ray Manzarek to contribute the keyboard parts.
** On "Mr. Popeil" (''In 3-D''), Lisa Popeil, daughter of Sam Popeil (on whom the song is based) and half-sister to Ron Popeil, sings the backup vocals.
** On "Taco Grande" (a parody of Gerardo's "Rico Suave" which appears on the album ''Off the Deep End''), [[Creator/CheechAndChong Cheech Marin]] provides a Spanish spoken-word bridge.
* [[TheEighties 80's]] pop singer Tiffany had a surprise guest appearance by rapper [[BoneThugsNHarmony Krayzie Bone]] on the song "I'm Not Sleeping," on her 2001 "come back album" Color Of Silence''.
* [[Music/GunsNRoses Slash's]] guitar solos on TLC's "Red Light Special" song.
* BoneThugsNHarmony's guest appearance on Mariah Carey's Butterfly album, the most jarring however being ODB on her previous record.
* Anytime two highly acclaimed rappers team up, and make a legendary memorable collaboration.
** Bone appearing on Biggie's "Notorious Thugs" track, which is considered a classic.
** 2pac appearing on Bone's "Thug Luv" track months after he died.
** Phil Collins showing up in Bone's music video for "Home".
** Nas and AZ appearing together on the track "Life's A Bitch" on the classic ''Illmatic'' album
** Jay-Z on Biggie's "I Love The Dough" song from his ''Life After Death'' cd.
** {{Eminem}} on Jay-Z's "Renagade" track from ''The Blueprint''. Nas mentions this on "Ether"' ("Eminem murdered you on your own shit")
** Eminem on Lil' Wayne's "Drop the World". It's the only redeeming part of ''Rebirth''.
** Nicki Minaj's verse in Kanye's Monster.
** [[http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/editorials/id.1374/title.murdered-on-your-own-shit This]] article explores the phenomenon in more detail.
* A rarer-example of the above example is when a high-profile rapper appears as a featured artist on a pop or R'n'B (or occasionally more left-field) song.
** KanyeWest on Estelle's "American Boy"
** {{Eminem}} on Akon's "Smack That"
** {{Jay-Z}} on {{Rihanna}}'s "Umbrella" - has the first verse (lasting less than a minute) and disappears for the rest of the song (and album, since "Umbrella" opened up ''Good Girl Gone Bad'')
* Whenever [[{{Outkast}} Andre 3000]] turns up on a track, you know he's gonna leave the rest of the song (and arguably album) in his wake.
** RickRoss' "Sixteen"
** Kelis' "Millionaire"
* MariahCarey doing back up vocals for Babyface on a track called "Every time I Close My Eyes"
* Jamie Foxx's video for "Blame It" has scores of celeb appearances. Ashley Scott from ''Series/{{Jericho}}'', Ron Howard, Forest Whitaker, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson, Quincy Jones, Cedric the Entertainer, Morris Chestnut, Clifton Powell, Alex Thomas, [=DeRay=] Davis, Joe (R&B singer), Mos Def, Tatyana Ali, Jalen Rose, Bill Bellamy, Electrik Red, Dawn Richard, Keshia Knight Pulliam and [=LeToya=].
* Eddie Music/VanHalen providing the guitar solo for MichaelJackson's "Beat It".
** Also [[GunsNRoses Slash]] on "Give In to Me" and [[BillyIdol Steve Stevens]] on "Dirty Diana."
* VincentPrice for the [[SpokenWordInMusic closing speech]], and the [[EvilLaugh laugh]], in "Thriller".
** Not to mention his [[SpokenWordInMusic opening speech]] in Music/AliceCooper's "Black Widow" a decade earlier.
* {{Avantasia}}: [[{{Kamelot}} Roy Khan]] on "Twisted Mind" from ''The Scarecrow'', [[Music/{{Scorpions}} Klaus Meine]] on "Dying for an Angel" from ''The Wicked Symphony''.
* Clare Torry's wordless wails on Music/PinkFloyd's "The Great Gig in the Sky," on ''The Dark Side of the Moon.'' On an album that is completely full of awesome, she is possibly the most awesomest part of it.
* EricClapton's guitar solo on Music/TheBeatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", and in turn, GeorgeHarrison's rhythm guitar playing on {{Cream}}'s "Badge".
* In turn, EltonJohn plays piano, organ and sings backing vocals on "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" by JohnLennon, and John playing guitar and singing backing vocals on Elton's cover of Music/TheBeatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" They made a bet that if both got to number one, they would appear in concert together, which came true in 1974, when Lennon appeared onstage at an Elton show in Madison Square Garden to sing both songs and "I Saw Her Standing There". [[TearJerker It would prove to be Lennon's last public concert performance]].
* BlakeShelton in Cady Groves "This Little Girl" music video. He plays a towtruck driver who tows Cady's car while she is still inside it.
* Ian Knutson wrote less than 1/4 of "Religion Song (Put Away The Gun)" by EverythingElse.
* Sandy Denny's vocals on LedZeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore", the only guest vocalist on any Zeppelin song. Played live the part was usually sung by John Paul Jones.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Religion]]
* An OlderThanFeudalism example from ''TheBible'' itself. Very little is actually written about St. Joseph of Nazareth, the husband and protector of the Virgin Mary and the adoptive father of Christ, and little is known of the past of this "just man". Still, his importance is well-recognized. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran faiths. In Catholic and other traditions, he is the patron saint of workers and has several feast days. In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared him to be the patron saint and protector of the Catholic Church.
** Serah is a two-scene wonder. In Genesis she is listed among Jacob's descendents going down to Egypt--notably, she seems to be [[OutnumberedSibling the only girl among more than fifty grandsons]]. Later the Book of Numbers lists the various clans who left Egypt and, instead of mentioning her descendents, simply says "and Serah was the daughter of Asher." This has led to the interpretation that she lived through the whole, centuries-long Egyptian diaspora and returned to the Holy Land, spawning Jewish legends of her being immortal. Later unnamed women in the Bible, such as the Wise Woman of Abel, are sometimes said to be Serah.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* In the IanMcKellen[=/=]Judi Dench version of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', Ian [=McDiarmid=] completely steals the show with his Porter Speech. Shakespeare originally wrote the character for this type of performance.
* The Ghost of King Hamlet is often done this way. Some reports suggest that the role was originally played by Shakey himself.
** The First Gravedigger (or "Clown") in ''{{Hamlet}}'' was written this way because Shakespeare may have been trying to showcase his best comedic actor going head-to-head with his best dramatic actor.
* The First Servant from ''Theatre/KingLear'' appeared in only one scene just long enough to defend Gloucester and get killed, but has been called one of Shakespeare's most noble characters, and even has [[http://shakespeare.wikia.com/wiki/First_Servant_in_King_Lear a poem]] written about him.
* Richard Henry Lee's biggest contribution to American independence was proposing it to the continental congress, before he had to leave. This means the character based on him in ''[[SeventeenSeventySix 1776]]'' had a small role. Nonetheless, his character and song "The Lees of Old Virginia" were memorable enough to win a Tony for actor Ron Holgate.
-->'''[[LargeHam HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO JOHNNY!]]'''
* Much of Brian "Le Petit" Dewhurst's role in Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's ''Mystere'' comes before it actually starts, as he handles a preshow while the ushers finish seating the audience; in the show proper he only appears in the opening sequence, a blackout skit, and a ten-or-so-minute setpiece in the final half-hour. (Usually in Cirque, a clown gets at least two in-show setpieces and often the preshow too; his role is smaller because one of the lead characters, Bebe Francois, overlaps with a clown act.) In fact, his character is a ScrewySquirrel who isn't "actually" part of the proceedings; he rarely appears in advertisements for it. But he is also a CoolOldGuy (in both the show and RealLife) who just about steals the show -- and there is ''a lot'' to steal -- with his antics and the bond he establishes with said audience from the preshow onwards.
* In ''Theatre/MButterfly'', there is a two-scene sequence when one of the main characters picks up a debutante at an embassy party. In the second scene -- which takes place the "morning after" their tryst -- the debutante casually tells him "you have a nice weenie." When she sees he's uncomfortable with that particular pet name for a penis, she launches into a COMPLETELY HYSTERICAL monologue which distills the entire history of Western Civilization down into a dick-measuring contest, and then she walks offstage and is never seen again.
* There are a number of instances of this in musical theatre: characters who come on for one quick scene which either contains or consists entirely of one big show-stopping number, and then never appear outside of the ensemble for the rest of the show.
** The unnamed girl in ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' who appears in the middle of the DreamBallet to sing "Somewhere."
** Berthe in ''Pippin'' is one of the most classic examples of this.
** Grandma in ''Billy Elliot'' is a very popular recent instance.
** The Young Soldier in ''Parade'' is considered by some to be one of the best roles in the show, despite being onstage for only the first three minutes, and even that is only the first half of the first song.
*** As established by original Broadway production precedent, The Young Soldier is often doubled with another small role, Fiddlin' John.
** An argument could be made that the Proprietor in ''Assassins'' fits this trope.
** Jonathan Freeman got himself a Tony nomination for playing the Headwaiter in ''She Loves Me''. Enough said.
** Eddie in ''The Rocky Horror Show''.
** Richard Henry Lee from ''[[SeventeenSeventySix 1776]]'' would not technically qualify, due to having a little more to do than just that one scene and number. The embodiment of this trope, however, is Martha Jefferson. An actress who played Martha in a local production put it something like this: "I get to go on, make out with a handsome man for a little while, have a cute little scene, belt out a show-stopping song and chill backstage the whole rest of the time. That's a great gig."
*** Also noteworthy is the courier, who runs on and offstage every once in a while to deliver missives, but only has anything substantial to do during the (surprisingly low-key) final scene/song of Act One, "Momma, Look Sharp".
** The Teen Angel in ''{{Grease}}''. In Broadway and touring productions, StuntCasting is often used for this role (the 2009 U.S. tour cast Taylor Hicks from ''Series/AmericanIdol'', for example); Frankie Avalon played him in the movie version.
** King Herod in ''JesusChristSuperstar''.
** Speaking of Herod, the appearance of Herod (not the same as Herod I) in ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' was one hell of a scene stealer, if only for how [[MoodWhiplash outrageously over-the-top]] the character and his little Egyptian mini-harem was.
** In ''Show Boat'', Joe does very little except sing "Ol' Man River" at the end of the first scene. (One advertisement for the original production bills his actor only as the singer of "Ol' Man River," while crediting the other featured players by their characters' names.) He actually also appears in a few later scenes, but those are mostly excuses for him to reprise the song. When Paul Robeson played Joe in the 1936 film version, an extra song was written for him.
** Nimue in ''Camelot''. May appear onstage or sing her one song from the wings, depending on the production.
** The trio of strippers in ''Gypsy'' who explain to Louise why "You Gotta Get A Gimmick."
** Daddy Brubeck and the other "Rhythm of Life" Church members in ''Sweet Charity.'' Also doubles as an IrrelevantActOpener.
** Steve in ''Paint Your Wagon''. He does nothing at all, except sing the show's big hit song.
** The title role in ''The Mikado''. He has the top billing in the show, yet he's only in three songs in Act 2.
** Don Attilio in the "Il Muto" scene from ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' basically exists just for the atmosphere, yet he often nets [[CrowningMomentOfFunny one of the biggest laughs in the show]] by holding a very long, ''very'' low note at the end of one of his recitatives. (Note that the actor in this role usually doubles on one or two other minor parts as well.)
*** And then in the movie, they have the nerve to change it to Piangi playing the part. And Piangi being a tenor, kiss that low note goodbye.
*** The Phantom himself to an extent. Despite being the most complex and interesting character in the musical by a ''huge'' margin--not to mention being the ''titular'' character, he's only onstage for about forty minutes of its two-and-a-half hour running time. Of course, his seemingly supernatural abilities and established ScoobyDooHoax help him retain an invisible yet palpable presence throughout the entire production.
** Pharaoh in ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''. One scene, one song, a solo spot in the curtain call with usually the most applause of anyone in the cast.
*** Usually the role is doubled with Potiphar (who only appears in act one). Of course to do this, an actor has to do an English Music Hall Song, and then do Elvis (that's pretty awesome).
** Still on Andrew Lloyd Webber territory: the evicted mistress of Juan Peron in Evita, which does nothing but being insulted by Eva, sing "Another suitcase in another hall" (which was designed from the start to be a show-stopping ballad) and leave. The level of dissonance between the importance of the character and the success of the song is such, that for the movie version the poor girl has to make do with singing two lines from the chorus and the song is retconned into being sung in full earlier by Madonna in the title role.
** ''Follies'' is full of these: Stella and "Who's that Woman", Heidi and "One More Kiss", Hattie and "Broadway Baby", but above all, Carlotta with "I'm Still Here". Yvonne De Carlo was the original Carlotta, and frequently the most famous star in a Follies cast will be the Carlotta.
** ''Franchise/EvilDead: TheMusical'' features the character of Ed, who is constantly interrupted, and only gets in one or two words at a time until the number "Bit Part Demon" outside of this, however, Ed is indeed, a glorified extra.
** ''The Cradle Will Rock'', a Mark Blitzstein musical, has Ella Hammer, the sister of a worker who died in the steel factory, sing only one song, and hers is the song everyone is talking about as they're leaving the theatre.
** Melba has really one purpose in ''Pal Joey'': to appear in a scene which ends with her singing (and sort of stripping to) "Zip!" This was a small enough part that Elaine Stritch could be playing it in New Hampshire and simultaneously be on call as Ethel Merman's understudy in another show on Broadway.
** The priest in ''ManOfLaMancha'' gets one of the best songs, "To Each His Dulcinea", and then fades back into the crowd of inmates/actors. He's also usually played by a very crazy, mute inmate.
** Likewise, the prostitute Saraghina in ''Nine'' doesn't have much to do but gets to sing "Be Italian," by far the most memorable number in the show..
*** In the film version, this role was brilliantly given to Fergie from the Black-Eyed Peas.
** The irrelevant comic relief characters Dick and Mae appear twice in ''Street Scene'', but their second appearance hardly counts. Their first appearance was not so interesting in the original play, which didn't give them the show-stopping number "Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed."
** The character [=Marge MacDougall=] from the musical ''Promises, Promises'' is introduced near the beginning of the second act, gets one duet with the male lead, has almost no importance plot-wise, and exits the story almost as abruptly as she came in, never to be heard from again. However, the character is so popular that both of the actresses who potrayed her on Broadway won Tony Awards for Best Featured (Supporting) Actress.
*** Do you like my owl?
** Mama from ''Memphis'' may qualify for her showstopping "Change Don't Come Easy" song. Though she is a frequent character and sings more than once, "Change Don't Come Easy" particularly stands out.
* Herbert in ''TanzDerVampire''. He has ''one line'' in the first act, appears wordlessly (except for some singing over a backing chorus) in the second scene of the second act, proceeds to have a showcase song/scene full of HoYay with the hero that is generally regarded as one of the funniest (or sexiest, [[YaoiFangirl if you like that sort of thing]]) parts of the whole show a few scenes later, and then is demoted to harmonizing on two lines with his father at the ball and with Magda in the finale, and yet he is probably at least the second- if not THE- most popular character in the show, with one reviewer commenting that it's hard not to squee when he shows up, ''even if you don't like the actor playing him''. The actor doesn't even double in the ensemble scenes before Herbert's entrance.
** Vindication: [[http://www.musicalvienna.at/index.php/en/home/article/32203 This article]]- ''from the producers of the show''- calls Herbert ''Tanz'''s "arguably the most popular figure".
* Harvey Johnson, the nerdy kid from the opening number of ''Bye Bye Birdie'', is easily the most memorable character from the whole play, despite having about three lines.
* ''The25thAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'' has the moment where [[spoiler:JESUS himself]] comes down to give advice to one of the children in their time of need.
* Pretty much any of the numbers from {{Cats}} count, with the exception of those involving [[TheWoobie Grizzabella]].
* Rusty Charlie in ''GuysAndDolls''. He seems to be stuffed into the opening song with Benny and Nicely only then to disappear and not have any lines or songs the rest of the show.
** Big Julie. He's basically there to steal the entire sewer craps game scene out from under Sky and Nathan - and succeeds, depending on how good your Sky's "Luck Be a Lady" is.
* The very beautiful aria [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-UQt5HXWnQ "Di rigori amato"]] from "Der Rosenkavalier" by Richard Strauss is sung by a character called "An Italian Singer" who comes in, sings the aria, is interrupted and leaves, not to be seen again.
* Wolfram von Eschenbach from ''Tannhaüser'' by RichardWagner is mainly in the opera to act as MrExposition and foil to the title character - oh, and to sing THE big, showstopping Wagner aria: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdjKH5u9urc "O Du mein holder Abendstern"]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* The Weighted CompanionCube from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' is one of the game's most famous icons and is prominent in the game's merchandise, as well as a popular subject in fan art. The companion cube does not speak or move or threaten to stab you and only appears in a single level of the game, but is much more well known than the protagonist Chell. Hell, he even got a [[CompanionCube trope]] named after him.
** The defective personality cores in the last act of ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}''.
*** [[AC: "Spacespacespacespace! Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!"]]
*** [[AC: "Y'know what I hope is in space? Fire. I hope you go to space, and you catch on fire."]]
*** [[AC: "The probability of you dying violently in the next 5 minutes is 87.61%."]]
* PatrickStewart in The ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''. Apart from his opening cutscene voiceover, he had maybe 10 minutes of screen time as the Emperor before being killed. SeanBean gets about 30.
** It's also probably worth noting that the only reason their are so few other voice actors in the game is because they blew an inordinate amount of their budget to get him for that one role.
* On a similar note, LiamNeeson lends his voice talent to the main character's father in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''. Although most of the main quest centers around your father, he only appears in the very beginning of the game and for a brief period in the third act. Tragic, really.
** Also, Creator/MalcolmMcDowell's performance as President Eden is brief but brilliant, and it wouldn't be ''Fallout'' without Creator/RonPerlman's intro: "War. War never changes."
** Harold, the mutant from the previous two games who had a plant sprouting out of his head by the second, makes an appearance for a sidequest in the third, the plant on his head turning into a full-blown tree with Harold stuck inside.
* [[DrillSergeantNasty Sergeant Dornan]] in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'', one of the most memorable NPC's despite being little more than an extra. Despite his relative insignifance to the plot (you can rather easily bypass him at camp Navarro), the Sarge's got a "talking head" and voice acting which [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cut-ZRbbbY must be heard to be believed.]]
* The Kuribo's Shoe from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' only appears in ONE level from ONE game of the entire [[LongRunner Mario franchise]]!! It might be more popular than Luigi!! Goodness sake.
** That is unless you buy certain e-Reader cards for Super Mario Advance 4, too bad [[NoExportForYou the U.S. and Europe never got them]].
** Note that it did get a reference in MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory with the [[http://www.mariowiki.com/Sockop Sockops]], a green pitcher-plant monster that Luigi gets to hop around in at one point.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** Peter Jessup voices [[KillerRobot Sovereign]] for ''two'' scenes, yet manages to freak out the entire fan community with a single, all-encompassing BadassBoast on behalf of the [[EldritchAbomination Reapers]];
-->'''Sovereign''': [[AC:You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.]]
-->'''"[[AC: I am Sovereign. [[spoiler: And this station is mine!]]]]"'''
*** In one the second scene he fights off the Coucil and Alliance fleets, and nearly annihilates both of them before finally being destroyed himself showing just how powerful one Reaper is. It wasn't even trying to fight back until the end.
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' is packed with these, many of them turians. There's Li, the mechanic on Noveria with the awesome Jersey accent, the drunken and bombastic General Septimus, and the smooth and cultured office politician Lorik Q'uin.
** Matriarch Benezia, Liara's mother and Saren's right-hand woman, only actually shows up for two scenes and one audio recording [[spoiler: before she's killed whilst performing SuicideByCop, as it's the only way to free her from [[BrainwashedAndCrazy indoctrination]].]]
*** For reference, Benezia is voiced by MarinaSirtis, known for her role as Deanna Troi on ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.
** ''Mass Effect 2'' gives the other council races time to shine. Matriarch Aethyta for example only affects one short sidequest and the conversation options with her never change. But as those conversation options show, she's seen it all in her thousand year life, and she's has no qualms about sharing it. The [[CoolOldLady cool old ladies]] don't get much cooler, or older.
--->''"I saw a krogan drink a liquified turian on a dare six or seven centuries back. Nobody came out of that one looking pretty."''
** [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Niftu Cal]]. "I am a biotic god! I think things and they happen! Fear me, lesser creatures, for I am biotics made flesh!"
** One of them ''doesn't even get screentime''. He's only in two commercials on Illium:
---> '''Announcer:''' The Council thought that Blasto, the first hanar Spectre, would play by the rules.
---> '''Blasto:''' This one's heat sink is over capacity. It wonders whether the criminal scum considers itself fortunate.
---> '''Announcer:''' They were ''wrong''.
---> '''Blasto:''' This one has no time for your solid waste excretions.
** A slightly more traditional example from VideoGame/MassEffect2 is Creator/AdamBaldwin's brief appearance as [[MemeticBadass Kal'Reegar]], a quarian ''commando'' with a ''rocket launcher''. Despite only appearing in two places, he's gained a huge fan following (and spawned a lot of Kal/Tali shippers...).
** Okeer. Literally a one-scene wonder - a highly intelligent and borderline philosophical character who serves as a traditionalist counterpart to Wrex's reformist idealism, Okeer eloquently explains traditional krogan morality to Shepard while sounding utterly badass. And he provides Shepard with [[spoiler: Grunt, sacrificing himself]] to do so.
** The Sergeant drilling two privates on space combat at the Citadel entrance in number 2. "Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest sonofabitch in space!" indeed, sir.
** Refund Guy, who has tried getting his money back for the two years that separate the first two games. Will he get his money back in VideoGame/MassEffect3 before the Reapers destroy everything? [[spoiler:Yes, if Shepard supports him. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny It's for a 15 credit Toaster Oven]]]].
** Khalisah al-Jilani, the paparazzi reporter that Renegade!Shepard has a running gag of punching out.
** [[spoiler:Harbinger]] in ''Mass Effect 3''. Though mentioned occasionally, he shows up ''only once'' in the entire game [[spoiler:at the very end. He has no lines. [[CurbStompBattle Only]] BeamSpam.]]
** Despite being talked about by Miranda a lot, her father, Henry Lawson, makes only a single appearance in the entire series. [[LackOfEmpathy And what an]] [[BadSamaritan impact he leaves.]]
** [[LeeroyJenkins Private Jenkins]], the doomed squadmember from the first game who dies ''two minutes'' into your first mission. Even in-universe, he's occasionally mentioned fondly by various ''Normandy'' crewmembers.
** Conrad Verner, the insane fanboy obsessed with Shepard, who shows up in all three games.
** The ''Citadel DLC'' for the third game seems to be entirely filled with this type of characters, such as Volus Pizza Guy and [[spoiler: [[EvilTwin Clone!Shepard]].]]
* Lancer in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. He is the first enemy encountered in the game's introduction and does little but fight with Archer and all but kill Shirou, after which he spends most of the time in the background . He only gets a bit of spotlight [[spoiler:in Unlimited Blade Works when he helps Rin and Shirou by keeping Archer occupied, and later rescues Rin by killing Kotomine and scaring off Shinji while ''missing his heart''. Oh, and inadvertently saving Shirou post-humously by making Gilgamesh sooty]]. Outside of that he's basically the poster boy for TheWorfEffect, [[spoiler:being killed off by the TheDragon in the other two routes.]] Yet he's almost as [[{{Badass}} GAR]] as Archer for the fandom.
** [[spoiler: On the other hand, in Fate route...he DOES fight Gilgamesh in a duel to the death HeroicSacrifice...against orders. And without complaints.]]
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' there are a very few high-ranking [=NPCs=] that get an occasional memorable scripted scene.
** In Wrath of the Lich King, when Tirion Fordring appears for any significant speaking role, it's usually worth waiting and watching.
** LargeHam or not, the ex-Death Knight, Thassarian, easily steals the spotlight of any questline in which he is involved.
** Grand Apothecary Putress. He sends low-level players out on some really shady quests and then you don't hear from him for 40 levels. At level 75, though, he re-emerges at Wrathgate - crashing a war between Horde/Alliance and the Scourge - [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome with a fucking vengeance.]]
---> "Did you think we had forgotten? Did you think we had forgiven? Behold, now the terrible vengeance of the Forsaken! '''Death to the Scourge, and DEATH TO THE ''LIVING!'''''
** And then did that sterling dead man own seventy shades of bejeezus out of the Horde, the Alliance ''and'' the Scourge - ''Including Bolvar [[FanNickname 'Dragon Puncher']] Fordragon, Saurfang Jr. and the eponymous Lich King, fucking Arthas himself.'' Many players - particularly Undead players - would have sworn allegiance to that man on the spot.
* Although technically a One Level Wonder, [[BadassPreacher Father Grigori]] in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', who like most examples achieves this with his first line. "You have already met my, hehe, 'congregation'."
* Creator/JohnCleese appears as an NPC in a single quest in ''JadeEmpire''. With a name like [[AwesomeMcCoolName Sir Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom]] the MagnificentBastard, and being voiced by ''John freaking Cleese'', it's not surprising that he's easily one of the most memorable characters in the game.
** Also, in his first appearance he BLASTS A ENEMY FIGHTER WHEN THIS WAS PREPARING TO FIGHT HIM.
** And if you beat him you can claim his musket as a reward. And run around through fantasy Imperial China blasting people with a musket.
* [[ColdSniper Captain MacMillan]] from ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty 4: ModernWarfare'' is extremely popular within the fandom and has achieved a MemeticBadass status despite only appearing in two levels.
* Mike the helicopter pilot in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. Notable for blowing shit up as the ''only'' backup you'll ever recieve in the game, and promptly getting shot down as soon as the one level is finished. Players also remember him because Leon shows [[SayMyName far more pathos over Mike's death]] than even the two police officers he traveled with at the beginning of the game.
** To be fair, the two officers were rather... [[{{Jerkass}} unpersonable]], frequently taking potshots at Leon ([[{{Bishonen}} particularly his appearance]]), and then [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere hightailing it out of there (sans Leon, of course) the moment things started to get hairy]] ([[DeathByPragmatism fittingly enough, they meet a gruesome end at the hand of the Ganados]]). Plus, in Mike's defense, not only did he enact one of the greatest BigDamnHeroes moments in the series, [[FamousLastWords but he also]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPf4sW32zGw knew a good bar.]]
* The bug-like sentry turrets in ''[[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doom 3]]'' are only seen in action at one small portion of the game, but their presence gives the player an immense relief. They sport a bright headlight and a machine gun, and will quickly locate and kill any hidden enemies while spouting a series of agitated beeps and clicks. Arguably, they could be the only characters in the game the player may feel an emotional connection to.
* The Green Biker Dude from the ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man X}}2'' intro. On screen for barely 5 seconds, and he's still one of the most memorable ''X'' series characters.
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' has so, so many; minor bosses who are only in one stage tend to be among the most beloved in the fanbase. This includes the likes of [[WarmUpBoss Batta the Beast]], [[SmallNameBigEgo Glass]], [[BrokenRecord Denning]], [[MemeticMolester Gheb]], and [[MemeticSexGod Oliver]], the last of which was popular enough that he returned in the next game [[spoiler:as a recruitable unit]]. There's also the 3-13 Archer, a nameless allied NPC from ''Radiant Dawn'', who is often considered one of the greatest units in the game. However, one of the most major examples is Dheginsea, the Black Dragon King, who is one of the world's most powerful beings and plays an essential role in the backstory of the Tellius games... he appears ''three times between the two games''.
* ''VideoGame/BattleGaregga'' has the bonus flamingoes that you can trigger on Stage 2 and [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential attack]] for masses of extra points. Because [[EveryTenThousandPoints points give you extra lives]], and extra lives (or rather, [[ScrappyMechanic the suicide of]]) are necessary to keep the game's DynamicDifficulty under control, the flamingoes are very popular amongst fans.
* Riordan, in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is something of one. His debut? He snaps the neck of the man keeping watch over him, whom you have distracted for about two seconds, and then introduces himself with a bow, seeming quite pleased to meet you, with a warm-yet-badass voice. He also reveals he knew Duncan, your [[TheObiWan Obi-Wan]]. Later, he gives you information and allows you to get some powerful items for free. [[TheStrategist After that, he shows he's not just another BadAss in a game full of badasses, but also knows how to keep his eye on the ball]]. The next time he appears, he makes TheReveal of why the Grey Wardens aren't just useful, but necessary. And then he gets possibly [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome the most amazing send-off of any character, minor or major, in any video game ever]].
** A minor Carta thug in Orzammar has a performance so [[LargeHam over the top]] when you beat him, you'll want to bring him along for the rest of the game.
** The pirate queen Isabela's only major scene happens when you visit Denerim's brothel for the first time, and she'll teach the Duelist specialization for Rogues if you beat her at a rigged game of cards...or if you have sex with her, which can become a three- or ''four''some depending on your companions. Her character was so popular (mostly due to players wondering how to get the foursome, or have an [[LesYay all-girl threesome]]), that she was brought back in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' as a full party member and possible love interest - as promiscuous, morally suspect, and far more pirate-y than ever, and a bottomless well of {{Double Entendre}}s and horrible puns.
* [[spoiler:Creator/DavidHasselhoff]] as the American Vice President in ''[[CommandAndConquerRedAlert Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3]]''
* The opening cinematic of ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' Brood Wars, we get to see what would be a terran defense against the zerg, as well as some of the units not being affected by GameplayAndStorySegregation and fighting as good as they should in theory (this means that a single marine '''will''' lose against a lone zergling, and that the [[KillItwithFire firebats]] attack can kill both enemy and friend), afterwards we get to see a random marine who [[OneHitKill easily]] takes down two zergling, which a previous one couldn't even [[MoreDakka after depleting his entire ammo]] with his rocket launcher[[note]]In the Starcraft universe, the type of Gauss Rifle that was used in the first war had a secondary fire option, [[/note]], earning mentions of being the first [[StarCraftII marauder]].
* Poseidon in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar 3''. All of the other gods have at least one other appearance in the game, but Poseidon only shows up during Kratos and the Titans' siege of Mount Olympus [[spoiler:due to being killed during it]]. But boy, is his role in that part [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome memorable]].
* ''[[VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]'': "I AM ERROR." A short appearance and [[MisBlamed name that seemed the result of a glitch or poor translation]] endeared Error to the fans forever.
** In [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames the CD-i games]], several minor characters are immensely popular like Morshu, who only has two scenes.
--->'''Morshu''': "Mmmmmm... richer."
*** And of course, [[AllThereInTheManual King Harkinian]]. He only appears in the intro to ''Faces of Evil'' and is only important to the plot of ''Wand of Gamelon'', and even then only appears in the intro and ending. Come the advent of YouTubePoop, he's one of the most popular characters EVER.
--->'''The King''': [[MemeticMutation I wonder what's for dinner...]]
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' fandom is largely convinced that Rief's sister Nowell from ''[[VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn Dark Dawn]]'' will return as a player character in the next game. All we know about her presently is that she doesn't like her little brother getting into danger, and that she ''does'' like Captain Piers enough to [[PutOnABus go for an unplanned joyride with him]].
** An even better example from the same game would be [[ShrineMaiden Himi]], who is ''barely'' a player character-- she [[EleventhHourRanger joins the party at the last possible second]] and as a result has ''[[FlatCharacter literally NO character development whatsoever]]'' (even by ''Golden Sun'''s notoriously low standards), but easily rivals [[EstrogenBrigadeBait Amiti]] and [[BadassAdorable Sveta]] in sheer popularity with the fandom.
* [[BigBad Father Balder]] in ''VideoGame/Bayonetta'' is heard in voice, but doesn't appear on screen till the end of the game, but easily steals the show when he does due to his badassery and crossing the MoralEventHorizon.
* Many of the psychopaths from ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' and especially ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'' are these due to only having two cutscenes each to get their characterization from. The big ones though are probably the [[LargeHam STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE manager]] and Adam from the 1st game and [[KnightTemplar Brandon]] and [[AxCrazy Slappy]] from the second.
* There's exactly one playable Pandaren in the whole ''Warcraft'' series (so far), he's an optional character in a campaign that you don't even need to play in a regular playtrough, he became so popular that Blizzard have been teasing WoW players with making Pandaren a playable race since the early stages, they will finally get their own expansion (they included the race's name in the title of the expansion). Oh, and the character wasn't even planed to be included in the game, one of the designers made a concept artwork as an april's fool joke.
* ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Kingdom Hearts 3D]]'' has one that seemed to exist solely for the trailers, and lasted for all but ''two seconds''. Oh, hi there, [[spoiler:Vanitas.]] Oh, bye, [[spoiler:Vanitas]]!
* Monsoon from ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance]]'' appears in only one scene but he leaves a huge impact on the protagonist, Raiden.
* Nightmare only appeared very briefly as the FinalBoss at the very end of [[VideoGame/KirbysAdventure one game]] in the ''{{Kirby}}'' franchise, yet he remains one of its most iconic villains. Probably helps that he's the one who started the VileVillainSaccharineShow trend the series is famous for.
* The Great Mighty Poo from ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* From ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'': [[http://www.misfile.com/?date=2009-05-19 Doris]].
** Especially memorable as the three characters who are not Doris are all ANGELS. The one who explicitly admits to being scared of her, and that Doris has far worse in store for the girl ([[{{Satan}} Lucifer's]] niece), is an Angel of Vengeance.
* In ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'', Molly Weasley and Rumbleroar are each in only one scene, but no one is likely to forget either of them.
* Ma-Ti ([[RunningGag from]] CaptainPlanet) gets this honor in ''{{WebVideo/Kickassia}}'' for showing up in one scene of it and calling WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic out on his douchebaggery.
* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest''. [[BearsAreBadNews Kenny the Bear.]] That is all.
* MichaelKeaton would greatly improve 87% of movies by simply appearing according to this TheOnion [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/study-87-percent-of-movies-would-be-better-with-mi,19268/?utm_source=recentnews article]]
* In ''WebVideo/SuburbanKnights'', a girl using a cellphone who the villain stumbles upon and kills got quite some attention from the fandom, ever since her ''one second appearance in the trailer''. [[Creator/DougWalker The director/star]] even discusses her on the DVDCommentary (she is played by an ex-girlfriend of his).
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2SpecialEdition''. Failure Cresh, one of the series' few original characters, appears in only one level for about five minutes (and later gets a brief mention in the epilogue). In this short time, we learn his entire (hilariously) tragic past and see him (mercifully) die. Consequently, he makes a big impression on audiences.
* At the end of WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic's review of ''A Simple Wish'', its lead actress Creator/MaraWilson [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYvgL3lQycY appears to take revenge on him]].
* ''WebComic/BobAndGeorge'' has Random, a Ran recolor. He is introduced and killed off (in the same way that Ran [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist frequently]] is) in the span of two strips, except unlike Ran, his death sticks.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' has plenty of one-episode wonders. Foxglove, the bat from "Good Times, Bat Times", appeared in only this one episode, but she seems to be part of a FanFic cast more often than not, she might have more fans than Monterey Jack, and she has even got a website dedicated to her. Tammy, the squirrelmaid from "Adventures in Squirrelsitting", comes in second. There are several more, including the lab rat Sparky from "Does Pavlov Ring a Bell", Gadget's EvilTwin Lahwhinie from "Gadget Goes Hawaiian", and Geegaw Hackwrench (who never even appeared on-screen, apart from a portrait in "To the Rescue" part 3). Unlike the others, Foxglove has gone on to make regular appearances in [[Comicbook/ChipNDaleRescueRangers the 2010 CDRR comic series]] produced by BoomStudios.
** Speaking of Chip and Dale, there was one short named "Two Chips and a Miss", in which a character named Clarice fills in the role of Chip and Dale's girlfriend. This was her only appearance, and yet she has a HUGE popularity (even appearing in Disney Parks for some reason), [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff especially in Japan]]. Who knew that a one appearance character would cause THIS much popularity?
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Hank Scorpio only appeared in one episode, but is a truly memorable DangerouslyGenreSavvy Film/JamesBond villain parody who is also an excellent example of an AffablyEvil character. Such was his popularity that he was initially considered to be the main villain for TheMovie. The plan was canned as the writers didn't want to use a villain from an episode over a decade old. His voice actor (The ever awesome Al Brooks) was kept to voice the final villain, who still shares many quirks worthy of Scorpio.
** Frank Grimes was only in one episode too -- he died. But he's been mentioned many times since, with a RunningGag where Homer forgets that he's dead, and his son (Frank Grimes, Jr.) is a villain in "The Great Louse Detective".
** The shotgun wielding nurse in the Flying Hellfish episode;
---> '''THE RESIDENTS'''-''BANG''-'''ARE TRYING'''-''BANG''-'''TO NAP!'''-''BANG''
** The twitchy GunNut from the episode where Marge joins the Springfield Police.
---> '''Chief Wiggum''': All right, you scrawny beanpoles: becoming a cop is ''not'' something that happens overnight. It takes one solid weekend of training to get that badge.
---> '''GunNut''': Forget about the badge! When do we get the freakin' guns?!
---> '''Chief Wiggum''': Hey, I told you, you don't get your gun until you tell me your name.
---> '''GunNut''': I've had it up to here with your "rules"! [walks off]
** The Very Tall Man, the only original character introduced in "22 Short Films About Springfield" (who was a caricature of writer Ian Maxtone-Graham, who was also rather tall), who left a rather big impact on it by punishing Nelson for mocking him. His only other appearances have been cameos.
* The inhabitants of the [[TrueNeutral Neutral Planet]] appear in only one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', but their "neutral humor" was a particular favorite of the fans and producer David X. Cohen.
-->'''Neutral President''': If I don't survive, tell my wife "Hello."
** "That Guy" (The 80s Guy) only appears in the episode "Future Stock", but is still revered for his 80s style.
-->'''That Guy:''' There are two kinds of people: sheep and sharks. Anyone who is a sheep is fired. Who is a sheep?
-->'''Dr. Zoidberg:''' Errr, excuse me... which is the one people like to hug?
-->'''That Guy:''' Gutsy question. You're a shark. Sharks are winners, and they don't look back because they have no necks. Necks are for sheep.
* The Greedy, a sentient giant lake of taffy and candies who keeps eating himself, in ''RaggedyAnnAndAndyAMusicalAdventure''.
* Michigan J. Frog only appeared in one ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon, "[[OneFroggyEveningCartoon One Froggy Evening]]" yet was popular enough to (for awhile) become the icon of an entire network, TheWB.
** This also applies to other one-episode-wonders from ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'', such as Pete Puma and Count Bloodcount ("Hocus pocus!" "Abracadbra!"). Many fans are actually surprised to realize they only appeared in one cartoon. Multiple decades of television reruns probably helps.
** ''Back Alley Oproar'' is quite funny with Sylvester keeping Elmer up with his singing, then [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ncgc78RIV0 this guy]] comes along and steals the show.
* From ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'', two words: Rowdyruff Boys. From ONE episode came a raging torrent of fanfics, raging internet debates, and impassioned pleas to CraigMcCracken to bring them back, nearly all of them [[MisaimedFandom completely missing the point]] of what the Boys were about. (What they were about: Fight, fight, fight, gross out, fight some more. The Mayor had more depth than that.) And when [=McCracken=] finally gave in and brought them back, ''they hardly changed at all!'' To this day they're some of the most popular PPG supporting characters EVER (even have a dot-net website), despite being essentially just a more powerful and vicious Gang Green Gang.
** Dick Hardly, a one-shot villain who made literal rip-offs of the girls to sell to cities all over the place, managed to be this. Likely due to being probably one of the worst villains in the show (possibly even worse than ''Him'', who is supposedly the devil himself), which makes him rather easy to remember. Another thing making him stand out is he's the only human in the series to actually be KilledOffForReal.
* In the three seasons of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', we see Koh the Face-Stealer ''twice''. One episode, in the first season, when Aang first travels to the Spirit World, and another time in a flashback during the finale, which reveals a previous avatar's experience with him. Why do we remember him? ''Because he's a gigantic centipede trickster spirit who will steal your face and wear it like a mask if you show the slightest twitch of expression.'' ''[[AndIMustScream he doesn't kill you]]''. Look at [[TheBlank the monkey]] outside his lair for proof. And technically, he's not even a ''bad guy''. Few monsters have ever been so imaginatively, effortlessly terrifying - it's no wonder fans clamoured for more.
** Let us not forget the Foaming Mouth Guy. He has ''three'' [[FanNickName nicknames]], the aforementioned Foamy Mouth Guy, just Foamy, and Frothers.
** The cabbage guy is just referred to as... the Cabbage Merchant. He was so wildly popular that in the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', he (or rather, his descendant) was brought back as the owner of a now big successful Cabbage Corporation. He even gets to say a variation on the famous line - "Not my Cabbage Corp.!"
** [[FanNickname Koizilla]] (the ocean spirit's OneWingedAngel form) is one of the most memorable scenes, as is the [[TurtleIsland Lion Turtle]].
** [[MemeticBadass WANG FIRE!]]
** Fanficcer favorite Song, who appeared exactly once (in "The Cave of Two Lovers"). Her chemistry with Zuko was such that she's pretty much option #3 for Zuko shipping[[note]] Hetero shipping, anyway...[[/note]] (behind [[FanPreferredCouple Katara]] and [[BetaCouple Mai]]).
*** Jin from the BreatherEpisode "Tales of Ba Sing Se" is reasonable popular for similar reasons as Song.
** Any time [[FanNickname the Gaang]] (a.k.a [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender the original Team Avatar]]) show up in flashbacks, or whenever we see an elderly Katara. There's also [[spoiler: adult Aang's appearance as a spirit]] in the first season finale.
** ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' season 2 two-parter, "Beginnings" brings Wan, the first Avatar and Raava, who would become [[spoiler:the Avatar Spirit.]]
* As of this writing, exactly one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfCalamityJane'' is available for viewing on Website/YouTube. And while he would have gone on to be a regular character, until somebody finds a way to release the rest of the series, Creator/ClancyBrown's two-minute appearance as Wild Bill Hickok just may be the best thing about it.

* Ariel, Niko's [[TheObiWan mentor]] was such a colorful BadassGrandma that she's a favorite for ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]'' fanfic writers, despite showing up in only one episode.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' had Tak, a scary and CrazyAwesome psychopathic female counterpart to Zim. She only appeared in one episode, but she's hugely popular. (Actually, the creators had planned to bring her back regularly and feature her as a major antagonist, but then...well...the show got cancelled before that could happen.)
** The Hobo in "Gaz, Taster of Pork."
*** He would've gotten a co-starring role in a whole episode, if the series continued much further.
** '''THE SHADOWHOG''' from the above episode.
** And Drill Sergeant 667 in Hobo 13, played by RLeeErmey.
*** Scum puddling Squag Doogies!
* Freakazette of ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'', at least according to [[FamiliarFaces CR]] of Website/YouTube and Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses (as seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGhYS599xZw here]]). She only appears in about four seconds of an introductory song, but never in the show. CR rags on the creators for never doing anything with the character after putting her ''in a spotlight on top of giant letters spelling her name.'' Yeah, ViewersAreMorons for thinking that she'd actually be in the show, right? [[note]]She was going to appear in a later episode of the series titled "Enter Freakazette!", but it was cancelled before that could happen (thus leaving the script unproduced)[[/note]]
** JustForFun/{{Candlejack}} starred in one episode and appeared briefly in only two others, yet somehow he became popular and memetic enough to get his own page on this ver
* In the {{DCAU}}, there is a show called ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]''. In that show, there is an episode titled "Beware the Creeper". And in that episode, [[http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=7T8y3Af3dH0 there is a scene where the Creeper, in all his yellow-skinned, manic glory, gleefully barges into a clothing store in search of a new costume]]. Everyone in the store runs away screaming... except for [[SuperStoicShopkeeper a clerk who remains completely, utterly stoic]] (making [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan comments]] the whole way) as she helps him pick an outfit and passes him through. And she was called: "[[FanNickname Thriftie]]".
* In ''TurtlesForever'', Tohka and Razar, the duo of {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}s from the ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' films appears...for all of five seconds as part of the '03 Shredder's Mutant army.
** They also made their appearance in the 1987 series episode, "Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter".
* The old ''TheTick'' animated series featured, in its run, precisely one episode with a would-be villain calling himself 'The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight' (yeah, baby!). This character was [[TalkativeLoon so blisteringly off-the-wall]] - even by ''The Tick'''s standards - that he is easily one of the most memorable characters in the entire series.
--> "And so he says to me, you want to be a bad guy? and I say Yeah Baby! I want to be bad! I says Churchill space ponies I'm making gravy without the lumps! Ah ha ha ha ha haaaaa!!!!!"
** TEMBWBAT got a later one-scene appearance trying to get into the villain awards but being rejected by the bouncer.
--->"One of these days, baby! MILKSHAKE! BOOM!"
* After Remy Buxaplenty's lone appearance on ''TheFairlyOddparents'' ("Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary") many fans clamored for another appearance from him and his fairy, and the clamors grew especially after a Halloween episode which had an appearance by Remy's father (but not Remy himself). He eventually got a couple more episodes a few seasons later.
* Originally, the ''{{Metalocalypse}}'' character Dr. Rockzo the Rock n Roll Clown (he does cocaine) was a minor character at Murderface's birthday party who only got 50 seconds of screen time. However, the fans and creators liked him so much, he was added as a recurring guest star in 5 more episodes.
** In that first 50 seconds, he says he does cocaine three and a half times.
*** His popularity has allowed him to be the only character [[JokerImmunity not to die]] from [[CartwrightCurse Toki's friendship]]
* Lisa the Babysitter only appeared in a single episode of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', but [[http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=lisa+dexter look how much]] [[http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=lisa+babysitter fanart she has]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' has given the deuueaugh guy, he only showed up for 25 seconds and spawned a meme.
** There's also the "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QID8450YduM Chocolate]]" guy and the fish with the injured [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0edKgX_DOXQ leg.]]
** [[http://youtu.be/NSioqk5Gw28 MOAR Krabs]] appears for only a flash second, and it becomes an instant [[MemeticMutation meme]]
** Though he never actually appears: [[Literature/TheUglyBarnacle "Once there was an ugly barnacle"]].
** Smitty [[RealJokeName Werbenjaegermanjensen]]. ''He was number one!!!''
* ''TransformersGeneration1'' has a ton of these due to LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters [[MerchandiseDriven needing to be sold]] and not loads and loads of time. Some characters make very memorable appearances that are sadly rare and brief. Sixshot, for example, is introduced by Galvatron as a 'one-robot army,' proves it by taking out '''the entire Aerialbot team singlehandedly,''' earning his name by using each of his then-unprecedented six transformations to do it, and is then not seen again.
** Can also go for accessories. At one point in the three-part premiere, Optimus and Megatron are fighting on top of a dam. Optimus transforms his arm into a [[AnAxeToGrind glowing energy ax]]. Megatron transforms his into a [[EpicFlail glowing energy morningstar]]. They battle for a minute or two, before Megatron leaves by spinning his morningstar in the air and flying off as if it's a helicopter propellor. These weapons are never seen again. You'd think it'd be a BigLippedAlligatorMoment, but it's so hugely memorable that there have been homages to it ever since, popping up in toys and comics often. It's almost certainly the reason ''TransformersAnimated'' Optimus has [[AnAxeToGrind an axe]] as his main weapon.
* On ''TotalDrama,'' the blond [[TheIntern intern]] was originally this. He was pretty much just a character in the background of the TDA Aftermaths, but fans latched onto him, [[FanNickname named him Billy]] (which has since been [[SureWhyNot used by]] WordOfGod) and got him [[AscendedExtra made into a recurring character]] on the game proper.
** "[[ReplicantSnatching Clone Cody]]" (aka "Alien Cody") from the Area 51 episode. The short gag, which can be found [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ2GOk2WAMI&feature=related here]], was basically just a quick ShoutOut to ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' where [[DoggedNiceGuy Cody]] (an EnsembleDarkHorse himself) is confronted by a short-lived doppelganger. From people who found him [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments funny]] to people who found him [[FetishFuel hot]], the fact is [[http://clonecody-club.deviantart.com/ Clone Cody is quite popular]]. There's even a fad now where people design clone versions of the other members of the TD cast.
* Fred from ''CourageTheCowardlyDog''. Despite only appearing in one episode (apart from a brief cameo at the end of "Ball Of Revenge") he has become one of the series' most recognizable and frightening villains.
** There's also the blue... [[EldritchAbomination whatever you want to call it]] from "Perfect." The thing is one of the scariest and most notorious creatures in a scary series, and it gets less than 10 seconds of screen-time.
*** Kitty and Bunny from the episode "The Mask".
* Occasionally on ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'', a girl named Daria sees the titular duo in the middle of something stupid. [[DullSurprise She barely reacts]] to the UnusuallyUninterestingSight, [[DeadpanSnarker makes a snide remark]] about [[TooDumbToLive the boys' stupidity]], then disappears for pretty much the rest of the episode. As hilarious as Beavis and Butthead can be, [[WesternAnimation/{{Daria}} one can definitely see how this character would end up getting her own series.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Argent. Oh so much. A UsefulNotes/{{Pettanko}} dressed in the whole [[ElegantGothicLolita gothic dress thing]] and has an [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench Australian accent?]] And her big action during the scene was...getting a communicator from Starfire. Yeah. Her minimal time on screen didn't stop her from becoming a fan art favorite.
** A relationship example: Kid Flash and Jinx appeared in two and five episodes, respectively. Their relationship had an episode mostly devoted to it, and then a couple of lines a few episodes later. It's the fourth most written for ''Teen Titans'' couple on fanfiction.net.
** Let's not forget Red X who has become on of the most popular characters in the show despite only appearing twice.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has the {{meme}}-inspiring underpants gnomes and the sexual harassment panda.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheModifyers'' has Baron Vain, whose psychopathy and ridiculousness won the hearts of those who actually saw it.
* ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' has many one-shot guest star characters who are popular with the fans.
* In episode 14 of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', titled "Suited For Success", a white unicorn with a blue-and-turquoise mane appears on screen for about 6 seconds. Judging from the turntable in front of her, fans decided that she is a DJ. She got a name (Vinyl Scratch), a stage name (DJ [=P0N-3=]), and a few [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/search/label/Vinyl%20Scratch fanfics]] and quite a lot of fanart, and shout outs in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTPqjKk_xCo commercials]] and an [[http://www.welovefine.com/product.php?id_product=486 official t-shirt]]. And now she's [[http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=381668998517210 toy]].
** Said DJ pony makes a return in the Season 2 finale for yet another OneSceneWonder.
** The [[http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Derpy wall-eyed pony]] was an animation mistake in part one of the Friendship Is Magic pilot. Derpy Hooves became a near-instant AscendedExtra, just add insane, never-say-die fandom. Her appearance in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E14TheLastRoundup The Last Roundup]]" has lead it to become known as as ''"The Episode Where [[AscendedFanon Derpy Became Canon]]"''
** Then there are the Shadowbolts, who have gotten quite a few fans despite them not really existing - including Rainbow Dash, who dresses up as one for [[AllHallowsEve Nightmare Night]].
** The fandom loves these. Octavia (the cello-playing pony from "The Best Night Ever"), Sapphire Shores (a pony pop-star who kicks off the plot of "A Dog and Pony Show"), the camp sea serpent from "Elements of Harmony" (who has gained the nickname "Steven Magnet" thanks to the hilarious youtube closed captions) and Princess Luna (who returned in Season 2, episode 4) and countless other characters get no more than a minute of screen time and a few lines of dialogue (if any), yet own their screen time so hard people are ''still'' talking about them.
** Crackle the dragon. A 4 second CutawayGag of a very odd looking dragon that just happens to look like Twilight's Rainbow's and Rarity's PaperThinDisguise.
** The episode "Hurricane Fluttershy" gave fans quite a couple OneSceneWonder pegasi: A pair of grayish white maned pegasi with unique hairstyles named Flitter and Cloudchaser (the latter of which can also be seen in a season 3 trailer), a darkened stallion named Thunderlane, a white-coated pegasus with a green and pink mane named Blossomforth, and a beefed up muscular pony who notably screams '''YEAH!''' a handful of times in the episode. Each appears only briefly and have a handful of lines at most, but true to form they've each developed some pretty big fan followings.
** In "Games Ponies Play" there was a flashback scene where Rainbow Dash is with a stallion with a rainbow mane just like her. Fans are calling him Rainbow Dad, with a decent fan following from it.
** In the Season Four opener, Discord gave Twilight a scepter with a goofy face to mock her [[BuffySpeak princessiness]]. As happened with Derpy, the Twilicane has exploded across the fandom. It took one day for someone to make a 3D model of it, someone else to set up a [[http://asktwilightscepter.tumblr.com Tumblr]], and for someone else to do [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoaG30dJa7E this]].
* Firefly, Medley, Twilight, Applejack, Bowtie, Scorpan, and Tirek are some of the most popular ''MyLittlePony'' characters but in American canon only appeared in the first of the two ''MyLittlePonyTVSpecials''.
* The great and powerful Trixie has only one speaking role in "WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls". Thanks to her LargeHam it's one of the most memorable scenes
* The ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' GrandFinale [[TheMovie Movie]] introduces us to Eddy's long-unseen older brother. He only gets 5 minutes of screen time and yet leaves a '''huge''' impact.
* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' had Julie Bruin. In one very short toon, yet memorable for [[{{Gainaxing}} perhaps unwholesome]] reasons, as well as being a spoof of her voice actor, Julie Brown.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'', Orson Welles appeared in two minutes total over two episodes, and has spawned more memes than any other character on the show.
** "They're even better when you're ''dead''!"
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' has [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Ernie the Giant Chicken]], a rival of Peter's who has appeared in four episodes (although he's also made a few minor cameos in some of the other ones) where he'll show up and start slugging it out with Peter for several minutes in a series of over the top brawls that just escalates in insanity with each new fight. It doesn't matter what else will happen in the episode; the second Ernie shows up that's going to be the one thing everyone remembers about it.
* While chock-full of memorable one-shot characters, episode 50 of ''SamuraiJack'' took it a step further when it gave us X9, a highly-skilled robot assassin with a FilmNoir vibe and mobster zoot suit who was the last of his kind, due to receiving an emotion chip that gave him a sense of self-preservation when the other bots let themselves get blown to bits. Unlike his brethren, X9 grew to hate the senseless acts of killing and disappeared from Aku's watchful eyes, then found new purpose in life when he befriended a dog named Lulu... [[ArcWords sweet thing]]. Although X9 appears once, he's the only character with a speaking line that episode, and he's not a FillerVillain with generic motives, but a complex character with a valid reason to take up his gun. More importantly, we're treated to a [[DarkAndTroubledPast deep]], [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman heartwrenching]] BackStory, which makes him that more endearing to the fans and viewers watching- especially when Aku kidnaps Lulu and [[SadisticChoice blackmails X9 into coming out of retirement to kill Samurai Jack.]] The rest of the episode after the HowWeGotHere segment amounts into a tension-filled showdown between Jack and X9- one of the few times you actually ''don't'' want to see Jack's enemy cut down... [[spoiler: which makes the ending of the episode all the [[TearJerker painful]] [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice to]] [[LastRequest watch.]] Made even worse knowing the show [[CutShort didn't last long enough]] to show if Jack ever [[TakeCareOfTheKids rescued Lulu]]... [[NarmCharm sweet thing.]]]]
* The (possible) future Warden on {{Superjail}}, who was the reason why the TimePolice arrested the Warden despite him not (yet) committing any crimes in the first season finale. He got maybe three minutes of screen time, and was loved for being an AxeCrazy FutureBadass who conquered the world.
** The doberman puppy from "Superfail" in season 3 wound up with a lot of fanworks dedicated to him, owing to the twisted TearJerker nature of the flashback that he appeared in.
[[/folder]]

* Hank Scorpio only appeared in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', but is a truly memorable DangerouslyGenreSavvy Film/JamesBond villain parody who is also an excellent example of an AffablyEvil character.
** Such was his popularity that he was initially considered to be the main villain for TheMovie. The plan was canned as the writers didn't want to use a villain from an episode over a decade old. His voice actor (The ever awesome Al Brooks) was kept to voice the final villain, who still shares many quirks worthy of Scorpio.

* ''JudgementAtNuremberg'' features SpencerTracy, Creator/BurtLancaster, RichardWidmark, Creator/MarleneDietrich, JudyGarland, and WilliamShatner. Every single one of them is at the top of their game... and then MontgomeryClift blows them all out of the water with a seven and a half minute performance that got him a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

** And then there's Beatrice Straight in the same film, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for what was, at the time, the shortest amount of time an Oscar-winning role had been onscreen. (five minutes and forty seconds) Beatty was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

* Rock Moranis's appearance in ''Film/LAStory'' as a British gravedigger, an homage to ''Hamlet''.

* In ''Film/FiveHundredDaysOfSummer'', ChloeMoretz is this as Tom's little sister.

* Charlotte the Dessert Witch, of ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', got less than two minutes of screentime in a twelve-episode series. Danbooru currently list her as having over two thousand different fanarts, more than all the other [[MonsterOfTheWeek witches]], all the supporting cast, and all the spinoff characters put together. Being the KnightOfCerebus and deliverer of the show's first WhamEpisode help, as does generally being [[CuteIsEvil cute.]] In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'', she's an AscendedExtra [[spoiler:and the new main character Nagisa Momoe aka Bebe]].

* ''BattleGaregga'' has the bonus flamingoes that you can trigger on Stage 2 and [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential attack]] for masses of extra points. Because [[EveryTenThousandPoints points give you extra lives]], and extra lives (or rather, [[ScrappyMechanic the suicide of]]) are necessary to keep the game's DynamicDifficulty under control, the flamingoes are very popular amongst fans.

** As Kaptah in ''[[The Egyptian]]''
*** Also in ''[[The Egyptian]]'', Judith Evelyn as Queen Mother Taia.

** As Kaptah in ''The Egyptian''

* Tom Bombadil in J.R.R. Tolkien's ''Literature/LordOfTheRings''. He enters the story for a brief and memorable episode and is then never seen or referenced again.

f

** On "Taco Grande" (a parody of Gerardo's "Rico Suave" which appears on the album ''Off the Deep End''), CheechMarin provides a Spanish spoken-word bridge.

* [[CheechAndChong Tommy Chong's]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFboGsIkj9Y only scene]] in ''Evil Bong'' is easily the best part of the movie, something the filmmakers seem to be aware of, considering that he's on ''[[http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511QBR9ZS1L.jpg the DVD box cover art]]''.

** DavidTennant, while not the best thing about ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire,'' certainly puts in a show-stopping performance as Barty Crouch Jr.

*** TomBaker as Captain Rum. ''Arr...' (Although in the last two cases it's more of a One Episode Wonder.)

** "[[ReplicantSnatching Clone Cody]]" (aka "Alien Cody") from the Area 51 episode. The short gag, which can be found [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ2GOk2WAMI&feature=related here]], was basically just a quick ShoutOut to ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' where [[DoggedNiceGuy Cody]] (an EnsembleDarkHorse himself) is confronted by a short-lived doppelganger. From people who found him [[CrowningMomentOfFunny funny]] to people who found him [[RuleThirtySix hot]], the fact is [[http://clonecody-club.deviantart.com/ Clone Cody is quite popular]]. There's even a fad now where people design clone versions of the other members of the TD cast.

* [[ViolentGlaswegian Jamie MacDonald]] is only in a handful of scenes in ''TheThickOfIt'' (he doesn't even get his last name until TheMovie) but manages to be one of the most memorable characters in a show full of memorable characters.

* William H. Macy has one scene as a CIA agent in ''Film/WagTheDog'' and it is absolutely brilliant. The man keeps up with Robert De Niro.