Friends guest stars
710 actors have guest-starred in Friends across 236 episodes and 10 seasons. The most-credited is James Michael Tyler, Gunther in 148 episodes. 383 of them have also guest-starred in five or more of the other shows in this catalogue.
Who came back most
| Actor | Character | Eps |
|---|---|---|
| James Michael Tyler | Gunther | 148 |
| Christina Pickles | Judy Geller | 20 |
| Elliott Gould | Jack Geller | 20 |
| Maggie Wheeler | Janice Hosenstein | 19 |
| Paul Rudd | Michael "Mike" Hannigan | 17 |
| Jane Sibbett | Carol Willick | 16 |
| Helen Baxendale | Emily Waltham | 14 |
| Jessica Hecht | Susan Bunch | 13 |
| Cali and Noelle Sheldon | Emma Geller-Green | 12 |
| June Gable | Estelle Leonard | 11 |
| Tom Selleck | Dr. Richard Burke | 10 |
| Aisha Tyler | Charlie Wheeler | 9 |
| Giovanni Ribisi | Frank Buffay Jr. | 9 |
| Bonnie Somerville | Mona | 7 |
| Cole Sprouse | Ben Geller | 7 |
| Eddie Cahill | Tag Jones | 7 |
| Elizabeth and Genevieve Davidson | Emma Geller-Green | 7 |
| Lauren Tom | Julie | 7 |
| Amanda Carlin | Dr. Long | 6 |
| Charlie Allen | Ben Geller | 6 |
| Cynthia Mann | Jasmine, The Waitress | 6 |
| Debra Jo Rupp | Alice Knight | 6 |
| Jack Allen | Ben Geller | 6 |
| Jon Favreau | Pete Becker | 6 |
| Paget Brewster | Kathy | 6 |
Friends guest stars by season
| Season | Guests | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 92 | James Michael Tyler, Jessica Hecht, Jane Sibbett, Christina Pickles, Cosimo Fusco, Cynthia Mann, Elliott Gould, Larry Hankin, Maggie Wheeler, Mitchell Whitfield, Christopher Miranda, Dorien Wilson and 80 more |
| Season 2 | 92 | James Michael Tyler, Lauren Tom, Tom Selleck, Adam Goldberg, Jane Sibbett, Jessica Hecht, Christina Pickles, Elliott Gould, Giovanni Ribisi, June Gable, Maggie Wheeler, Marlo Thomas and 80 more |
| Season 3 | 82 | James Michael Tyler, Jon Favreau, Maggie Wheeler, Steven Eckholdt, Dina Meyer, Reg Rogers, Angela Featherstone, Charlie Allen, Christine Taylor, Cynthia Mann, Giovanni Ribisi, Jack Allen and 70 more |
| Season 4 | 82 | James Michael Tyler, Helen Baxendale, Paget Brewster, Tate Donovan, Debra Jo Rupp, Giovanni Ribisi, Alison La Placa, Christina Pickles, Laura Dean, Mike Hagerty, Paxton Whitehead, Teri Garr and 70 more |
| Season 5 | 83 | James Michael Tyler, Helen Baxendale, Michael Rapaport, Charlie Allen, George Newbern, Jack Allen, Christina Pickles, Elliott Gould, Jane Sibbett, Michael Ensign, Thomas Lennon, Alec Mapa and 71 more |
| Season 6 | 91 | James Michael Tyler, Alexandra Holden, Elle MacPherson, Bruce Willis, Hunter Cochran, Jane Sibbett, June Gable, Pat Finn, Reese Witherspoon, Ron Glass, Tom Selleck, Alex Boling and 79 more |
| Season 7 | 83 | James Michael Tyler, Eddie Cahill, Elliott Gould, Christina Pickles, Cole Sprouse, Kathleen Turner, Alexandra Margulies, Gary Oldman, Mark Roberts, Morgan Fairchild, Troy Norton, Alexis Arquette and 71 more |
| Season 8 | 93 | James Michael Tyler, Bonnie Somerville, Amanda Carlin, Christina Pickles, Cole Sprouse, Alec Baldwin, Eddie McClintock, Elliott Gould, Evie Peck, Maggie Wheeler, Maurice Godin, Sean Penn and 81 more |
| Season 9 | 91 | James Michael Tyler, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth and Genevieve Davidson, Aisha Tyler, Dermot Mulroney, Hank Azaria, Phill Lewis, Alexandra and Athina Conley, Brian Chenoweth, Cali and Noelle Sheldon, Hannah Groves, Kim Harris and 79 more |
| Season 10 | 65 | Cali and Noelle Sheldon, James Michael Tyler, Paul Rudd, Aisha Tyler, Anna Faris, Steve Ireland, Alex Ball, Alex Craig Mann, Allisyn Ashley Arm, Anne Dudek, Annie Parisse, Anthony Cistaro and 53 more |
Guest stars you know from somewhere else
The hardest-working character actors in this show's guest cast, ranked by how many other shows in this catalogue they have also guest-starred in. Not the most famous names, the most prolific ones.
| Actor | In Friends | Other shows |
|---|---|---|
| John Rubinstein | The Doctor | 40 |
| Christopher Darga | The Director | 38 |
| James Hong | Hoshi | 38 |
| Patrick Fabian | Nurse Dan | 38 |
| Phil Abrams | The Anxious Wedding Guest | 38 |
| Sam Anderson | Dr. Harad | 38 |
| Andy Umberger | Dr. Connelly | 36 |
| Romy Rosemont | Troop Leader | 36 |
| Ken Lerner | Professor Spafford | 33 |
| Larry Poindexter | Fireman Dave | 32 |
| Lee Garlington | Ronni | 32 |
| Matt Kaminsky | Tony | 31 |
| Cristine Rose | Bitsy Hannigan | 30 |
| Audrey Wasilewski | Sarah | 30 |
| Mary Pat Gleason | Nurse Sizemore | 30 |
Played more than one character
| Actor | Characters | Eps |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Harris | Casting Director #1, The Cologne Spritzer, The Store Owner | 4 |
| Douglas Looper | Grant, The Paramedic, The Vampire | 3 |
| Jeff Brooks | Stage Manager, The Male Patron, Trent | 3 |
| Joe Everett Michaels | Bakersfield Guy, Casting Director #2, The Waiter | 3 |
| Lisa Calderon | Erin, Michelle's Friend, The Woman | 3 |
| Matthew Mullany | Stage Manager, The Patron, The Waiter | 3 |
| Steven Harad | Acting Student #2, Clerk, Emil Alexander | 3 |
| Cynthia Mann | Jasmine, The Waitress | 6 |
| Alexandra Margulies | The Waitress, Female Extra #1 | 4 |
| Dorien Wilson | Mr. Douglas, Mr. Kogen | 3 |
Shares a cast with
- Friends and ER — 165 shared actors
- Friends and Seinfeld — 113 shared actors
- Friends and NCIS — 112 shared actors
- Friends and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — 111 shared actors
- Friends and Grey's Anatomy — 88 shared actors
- Friends and Criminal Minds — 84 shared actors
- Friends and Charmed — 76 shared actors
- Friends and Bones — 75 shared actors
Cast data from TVmaze, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.