24 Actors You Forgot Were on “Friends”, From Ellen Pompeo to Jeff Goldblum

Look back at the familiar faces you might not remember joining the sitcom's all-star cast

Even beyond the main cast, the set of Friends was teeming with talent!

Throughout the sitcom's 10 seasons, several big names stepped onto the set as guest stars. While the likes of Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and George Clooney had already established themselves before their cameos, several current A-listers were still up-and-coming when they stopped by Central Perk. Rebecca Romijn made her on-screen debut on the show, and Grey's Anatomy premiered just months after Ellen Pompeo's single-episode stint.

Take a look back at some of the most familiar faces you might not remember watching on Friends.

Susan Sarandon

In "The One with Joey's New Brain," Susan Sarandon plays one of Joey's fellow soap stars, whom he hooks up with during rehearsals. Though brief, Sarandon's cameo alongside Matt LeBlanc earned her an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series.

Sean Penn

The Hollywood veteran played Eric, the fiancé of Phoebe's twin sister, Ursula (also played by Lisa Kudrow), for two episodes during season 8.

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder drops by Central Perk as Melissa Warburton, one of Rachel's old sorority sisters. In "The One with Rachel's Big Kiss," Jennifer Aniston and Ryder's characters lock lips, a gesture which Melissa misunderstands as romantic.

Jennifer Coolidge

The White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge plays Monica and Phoebe's obnoxious old roommate Amanda Buffamonteezi on an episode of Friends' season 10.

Mae Whitman

Mae Whitman appeared on the season 3 episode "The One Where Rachel Quits" as Sarah Tuttle, a girl scout who gets injured by Ross (played by David Schwimmer).

Nearly three decades later, a grown-up Whitman reunited with Aniston during an episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan. The duo met up backstage and shared a hug.

"I just wanted to say hi because you were so kind to me," Whitman told Aniston. "It was my favorite show and you really made me feel like I was a part of the cast. And you were so kind and you hugged me. Thank you. It's always stayed with me."

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt and Aniston were still married when he joined the Friends posse for their Thanksgiving dinner in season 8. Ironically, the Babylon star played Will Colbert, a former classmate who led a vendetta against Aniston's character, Rachel Greene, back in high school.

Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller made a cameo as Rachel's unexpectedly loud and aggressive date during season 3 of the hit show.

Freddie Prinze Jr.

In "The One with the Male Nanny," Freddie Prinze Jr. is hired — then quickly fired — to care for Rachel and Ross' baby.

Brooke Shields

Brooke Shields plays Erika Ford, an obsessed fan who believes Joey Tribbiani and his fictional Days of Our Lives character, Dr. Drake Ramoray, are the same person.

Gary Oldman

The Harry Potter alum plays actor Richard Crosby in the two-part season 7 episode "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding."

Charlie Sheen

In season 2's "The One with the Chicken Pox," Phoebe and her date, played by Charlie Sheen, come down with the itchy illness while spending time together.

Dakota Fanning

Dakota Fanning had already established herself as a major star when she appeared on Friends. The young actress played Mackenzie, a girl living in the house Monica and Chandler buy in season 10.

Years later, Dakota's little sister Elle Fanning revealed that she "refused to watch" her sister's single-episode stint having lost a cameo role herself.

Rebecca Romijn

Rebecca Romijn appeared on screens for the very first time as Ross' questionable new girlfriend to whom the season 4 episode title — "The One with the Dirty Girl" — refers.

Jane Lynch

Several years before she won an Emmy for Glee, Jane Lynch appeared with Courteney Cox and the late Matthew Perry as their characters' realtor in season 10.

Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum plays theater director Leonard Hayes in season 9's "The One with the Mugging."

Greg Kinnear

Greg Kinnear's character, Nobel Prize winner Dr. Benjamin Hobart, is first mentioned in season 9, but Friends fans finally place a face to the name in season 10. In "The One with Ross' Grant," professional and personal matters get muddled when Ross appeals to his girlfriend's ex, Dr. Hobart, for a grant.

Julia Roberts

The Oscar winner appeared on the show's second season as Susie Moss, an old classmate of Chandler's whom he taunted during grade school. When she reappears in his life decades later, the two start dating until Susie enacts her revenge and humiliates Chandler.

Richard Branson

The British businessman can add acting to his résumé thanks to a season 4 cameo as a street vendor in London.

Sherri Shepherd

While briefly working at Ross' museum, Joey makes a friend in Rhonda the museum tour guide, played by Sherri Shepherd in the season 4 episode "The One with Phoebe's Uterus."

Selma Blair

Selma Blair can be spotted in a single episode from Friends' ninth season. The Cruel Intentions star played Wendy, one of Chandler's coworkers at his company's office in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Craig Robinson

Before he shot to fame on The Office, Craig Robinson helped Kudrow's character change her name in season 10. But instead of changing her last name to match her new husband Mike's (played by Paul Rudd), Phoebe takes on the moniker Princess Consuela Banana Hammock.

Ellen Pompeo

In 2004, Ellen Pompeo stirred up trouble between Chandler and Ross as a former college classmate they both crushed on. Months after her season 10 cameo, Pompeo debuted as Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy.

Gabrielle Union

A few years earlier, Gabrielle Union similarly pit two of the guys against each other in season 7. Ross and Joey both ask out their new neighbor, Union's character Kristen, in the episode "The One with the Cheap Wedding Dress."

George Clooney and Noah Wyle

Nodding to their ER roles, George Clooney and Noah Wyle appeared as doctors treating Rachel for an injury in season 1. Later, Monica and Rachel take the medical duo on a double date that goes from bad to worse.

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