The Surprising List of 10 Major Actors Who Guest-Starred in Gilmore Girls

Making its debut in the year 2000, Gilmore Girls offered a calm and inviting escape to a small town where a dynamic mother-daughter duo were navigating their life’s ups and downs. Over the course of 7 seasons, we followed their story and fell in love with many of the show's characters along the way, but looking back, Gilmore Girls also featured appearances by some famous actors, many of whom were not famous at the time.

While comedy icon Mellissa McCarthy served as a staple on the show, there are many other big name actors who made brief visits, some of which many of us missed.

1. Max Greenfield

In 2011, we were introduced to New Girl, following a young woman who moves into an apartment with three men, one of whom is Greenfield's character and co-star, Shmidt. The show was hilarious and put Greenfield on the map for his role as the douchey-but-sweet hot guy. But his first TV appearance was actually far less notable and came on Gilmore Girls, where he portrayed Lucas, one of Dean's goofy friends attending his bachelor party, in 2003. 2 years later he landed a role in Veronica Mars, but his breakthrough was still years away.

2. Rami Malek

With titles like Bohemian Rhapsody, Mr Robot and Oppenheimer behind his name, it's easy to forget that Malek started out in minor roles. In fact, the first time his name appeared on an acting credits was after his role as Andy, a member of Lane’s study group in season 4 of Gilmore Girls. Looking back, we had no idea how big his name would one day be.

3. Jane Lynch

With a career that dates back to the late 1980s, Lynch had appeared in a variety of movies and TV shows before she joined Gilmore Girls Season 1 as a nurse trying to get information from Emily. Her other roles include shows like Friends and Two and a Half Men, with her most notable role being that of Sue Sylvester in Glee.

4. Alex Borstein

Borstein went from appearing on the sketch comedy series MADtv to joining Gimore Girls as Della and then again as Miss Celine and Doris. She was originally cast as Sookie, but her contract with MADtv prevented her from taking a full-time role. In the end, it worked out for the best as her career led to her Emmy-winning role on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

5. Arielle Kebbel

Before becoming famous for her role in The Vampire Diaries along with John Tucker Must Die and Aquamarine, Kebbel appeared in 9 episodes of Gilmore Girls as Dean's wife Lindsey Lister. A short year later, she would be recognized for her much bigger roles, kicking off her acting career.

6. Brandon Routh

We had no idea at the time, but Superman himself once made an appearance in the sleepy town of Star Hollows, before he became Superman, of course. Routh appeared in an episode where he partied with Madeline and Louise and was introduced as 'Jess', and 6 years later we all came to know him as Clark Kent in Superman Returns.

7. Ben Falcone

Part of being married to Mellisa McCarthy, the queen of comedy herself, comes with countless cameo appearances in her movies, as well as starring alongside her. One of McCarthy's earliest roles was as the lovable chef Sookie in 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls, and Falcone appeared alongside her as Fran's lawyer in season 3 in one of his earliest acting roles.

8. Seth MacFarlane

MacFarlane made a rather unremarkable appearance in Gilmore Girls Season 2 as a student who graduated with Lorelai, mostly because at the time he was famous for his voice acting, having voiced over 700 characters in his career, including Family Guy, American Dad, and Ted. Today, he is also known for his starring role in A Million Ways to Die in the West and his role on The Orville.

9. Nick Offerman

Offerman's last appearance on Gilmore Girls was just 4 years before his role as Ron Swanson on Parks and Rec, for which he is best known. Aside from guest stints on Will and Grace and The West Wing, he appeared on Gilmore Girls as Jackson's brother Beau in Season 4 and again in Season 6.

10. Abigail Spencer

At the time of her appearance on the show as one of Logan's sister's bridesmaids, Spencer had already launched her career with her first major acting role on All My Children and was easily recognizable, but is even more so today after starring in shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Suits and Timeless.