Best Big Bang Theory Celebrity Cameos

In Season 6, we’re introduced to former children’s science show host, Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton, portrayed by Bob Newhart, who became a recurring character on The Big Bang Theory. Jeffries is introduced to us in the middle of an existential crisis.

Having been considered a joke by Hollywood for his now-defunct science show geared toward juveniles and written off by the scientific community despite his Ph.D. from Cornell University, Jeffries finds himself entertaining children on the birthday party circuit at 83. When Leonard and Sheldon find out they can book Jeffries to make an appearance, they jump at the opportunity to invite him to their apartment.

Jeffries is at first confused why two accomplished scientists would want to hang out with a disgraced TV personality with a potato in his briefcase, but they reveal to him that he’s the reason they got into science in the first place. This boost of confidence causes his pacemaker to malfunction, and Sheldon keeps him company at the hospital.

Any Big Bang Theory knows that Sheldon Cooper is an avid Trekkie. Sheldon is also one to hold grudges for a very long time if he ever experiences a perceived slight. The perceived slight in question involves a young Sheldon taking a 10-hour-long bus trip to the 1995 Dixie Star Trek Convention, only to find out that Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher from The Next Generation) would not be in attendance.

This singular incident kicked off a 16-year, mostly one-sided feud between Wheaton, and Cooper, who vowed that he would get revenge one way or another. Throughout 17 non-consecutive episodes, we see the two bicker over trivial nonsense and even go head-to-head in a bowling tournament. In his infinite wisdom, Sheldon decides to call his bowling team The Wesley Crushers.

But it’s worth noting that Sheldon didn’t give his team this name to celebrate Wesley Crusher but to announce that they are the “crushers of Wesley.”

Since we brought up Wil Wheaton on this big list of Big Bang Theory cameos, we have to bring up Mark Hamill. In an episode called “The Bow Tie Asymmetry,” Howard Wolowitz finds Mark’s missing dog, Bark Hamill. Now indebted to Howard, Mark Hamill offers him a reward and a favor, and Howard uses this favor to get Hamill to attend Sheldon and Amy’s wedding.

Though Mark Hamill and Wil Wheaton are familiar with each other in real life, it brings great pleasure to Sheldon, knowing that this fictionalized version of Mark Hamill has no idea who he is. At the wedding, Mark Hamill gets stumped by a number of Star Wars-related questions that he has difficulty answering, but Stuart, the comic book shop owner, is able to answer them on his behalf.

Elon Musk can be seen in a special Thanksgiving episode of The Big Bang Theory, but his appearance is short. The gang runs into Musk at a soup kitchen, where they are volunteering for the holiday. While Howard is washing dishes at the soup kitchen, he finds himself working alongside Elon Musk, who was relieved from his turkey duties after being too generous with the gravy.

After a quick back and forth about their scientific accomplishments and talks about a trip to Mars, Elon Musk wants to share a half-eaten pumpkin pie with Howard, an offer he graciously accepts.

James Earl Jones makes an appearance in a season seven episode (“The Convention Conundrum”) of The Big Bang Theory, and believe it or not, he gets along famously with Sheldon. Sheldon runs into the man behind Darth Vader by happenstance at a sushi restaurant, and they have quite the night together. Not only is James Earl Jones receptive to Sheldon’s incessant questioning about all things Star Wars related, but the two also spend the evening going to the ice cream parlor, a carnival, a strip club, a karaoke club and end the night at a sauna after playing ding-dong-ditch at Carrie Fisher’s house.

At the end of the episode, Jones finds out that Sheldon and the gang failed to get Comic-Con tickets, so he brings them along as his guests.

In the “Convention Conundrum” episode that featured James Earl Jones, we’re also graced with the presence of Carrie Fisher, also playing herself. Though her scene is short and sweet, it’s one of the more notable moments of hilarity in The Big Bang Theory. When James Earl Jones brings Sheldon to Carrie Fisher’s house to play ding-dong-ditch, he warns Sheldon, “she’s a little crazy, so get ready to run,” before ringing the doorbell and trotting off while giggling.

Carrie Fisher then opens the door in her bathrobe, holding a baseball bat, and screams, “It’s not funny anymore, James,” to which he replies, “then why am I laughing?!

One of the common throughlines in The Big Bang Theory is the number of public figures and celebrities that have filed restraining orders against Sheldon Cooper. Bill Nye is one such celebrity. When Sheldon finds out that Professor Proton recruited Leonard to help him with a research paper he wrote, Sheldon tries to one-up Leonard by luring Bill Nye to Cal Tech in an attempt to make him jealous.

Funnily enough, we learn throughout the series that Sheldon also has a restraining order from Carl Sagan, who was one of Bill Nye’s professors at Cornell.

We’re typically used to seeing Sheldon get into heated feuds with everybody on The Big Bang Theory, but in “The Conjugal Configuration,” we see Raj Koothrappali get into a Twitter war with Neil deGrasse Tyson. This feud came to be when Raj found out that he was only summoned for a TV appearance because Tyson wasn’t available.

The feud comes to a head when Tyson gives Raj a phone call and encourages him to meet up in person so they can duke it out. Raj declines Tyson’s offer because he’s pretty sure he’d get his butt kicked. It’s at this time that Tyson hangs up and quickly dials Bill Nye’s number to prank call him at the end of the episode.

Of all the restraining orders Sheldon has been served throughout The Big Bang Theory, the one served to him by Stan Lee is the most legendary. When the gang gets to meet Stan Lee at a comic book signing, Sheldon misses the opportunity because he is helping Penny with car troubles. Knowing that Sheldon would never forgive him, Penny locates Stan Lee’s house and brings Sheldon to meet him.

Stan Lee was not thrilled when Sheldon and Penny showed up to his house unannounced and sarcastically suggests that Sheldon come in and watch the Lakers game with him. Sheldon, not knowing how to read sarcasm, interprets this as a genuine invitation and lets himself into Stan Lee’s house.

Upon receiving the formal court-mandated restraining order, Sheldon proudly hangs it up next to the restraining order he received from Leonard Nimoy.

Stephen Hawking appears in five episodes of The Big Bang Theory, and his self-referential humor always steals the show. In his first appearance, he calls out an arithmetic error Sheldon made in his thesis, causing him to pass out. Later appearances are brief but comical when Hawking reveals that he’s beefing with Sheldon simply because he’s bored from sitting in a chair for 40 years.

When Sheldon asks Stephen Hawking how he copes with other colleagues who are more successful than him, Hawking remarks that advancing science is reward enough but also brags that he was on an episode of The Simpsons and an episode of Star Trek.