4 Stars Who Were On ‘Mad Men’ And We Never Realized It

Mad Men, AMC’s 2007 period piece drama about an advertising firm and its employees in the 1960s, is well-known for its ensemble cast and its razor-sharp writing. Watching the show is so incredibly immersive that it’s easy to miss some of Hollywood’s most familiar faces dropping in for cameo roles.

The series ran from 2007 until 2015 and is widely regarded as one of the best television series ever created, with sixteen Emmys under its belt—including four for Outstanding Drama Series. With that in mind, here’s four beloved actors you might not have realized were involved with the gang at Sterling Cooper & Partners.

Neve Campbell

Hello, Sidney! This Scream queen only dropped in for one episode late in Mad Men‘s final season, but her appearance was a memorable one. She played a young widow who found herself on a plane ride sitting next to series protagonist Don Draper. The two struck up a conversation, and she shared her story of scattering her husband’s ashes at Disneyland. Uncharacteristically, Draper declined her request for a romantic night together, showing viewers just how much he’d changed since the start of the series.

Yeardley Smith

You might not know her name, but you definitely know her voice. Smith, who voices Lisa Simpson in FOX’s long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons, pops up momentarily in season 3 while Betty Draper is in labor. The relationship was reciprocal, too; there’s a Simpsons episode that is a direct parody of Mad Men and features voice acting from series star John Slattery.

Alexis Bledel

The actress known as Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls plays a wildly different role in Mad Men. Pete Campbell (played by Vincent Kartheiser) cheats on his wife with Bledel’s character for a three-episode arc. The chemistry must have been unbelievable, because Bledel and Kartheiser were together for eight years afterwards.

Colin Hanks

Before his star turns in Fargo and Jumanji, Colin Hanks played supporting character Father John Gill in season 2 of Mad Men. He works at the church attended by Peggy Olson’s family, and he befriends her after learning about the child she gives up for adoption. His actions play a part in Peggy losing her faith, after he goes into hysterics over the Cuban Missile Crisis.