3rd Rock in the Sun is an NBC sitcom that premiered in 1996 and aired until 2001. It starred John Lithgow, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jane Curtin, Kristen Johnston, and French Stewart as the Solomon family. The Solomons were unique in that they were a family of extraterrestrials sent to Earth to study and mimic the human condition.
Over time, the Solomons began to care more about the humans around them. The series was beloved by audiences and critics alike. In 1997 it took home the most Emmy Awards for one television series but it was nominated numerous times throughout its entire run. But can you remember every famous actor who starred in the series? Here are a few you might have forgotten once visited the set.
Williams Shatner - Big Giant Head
Big Giant Head was the leader and boss of the Solomon family. For a large portion of 3rd Rock From the Sun, he appeared as an unseen presence in their lives. Eventually, however, Big Giant Head visited them in his human form and he took the shape of William Shatner.
His main purpose was to wreak havoc on the Solomons’ lives. Shatner is best known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk on USS Enterprise. His legacy on Star Trek has made him a pop culture icon. Most recently, Shatner appeared in an episode of The Big Bang Theory.
John Cleese - Dr. Liam Neesam
The Monty Python star recurred on 3rd Rock as a brief love interest for Mary. In reality, he was an evil alien in disguise as a biology professor that worked alongside Dick. The two had a competitive relationship between them. Cleese was part of both the third and sixth seasons of the series.
Cleese is a legendary comedic actor with a specialty in black comedy and satire. Other notable roles of his include Nearly Headless Nick in the Harry Potter series and Archie in A Fish Called Wanda. Next, he’ll voice a character in the animated film Arctic Justice.
Martha Stewart - Herself
In the first season of 3rd Rock From the Sun, Martha Stewart guest-starred as herself. She visits Harry Solomon in a dream after he eats a photograph of her, she was a big crush of his. In the dream, she talks about how much she loves aliens while cooking him a hot meal to help his sickness.
Martha Stewart has had a career resurgence lately with her cooking show alongside Snoop Dogg and her recurring guest spot on Chopped as a judge. She also had a guest spot in the 2016 comedy, Bad Moms. This past February she joined a Canadian marijuana company called Canopy Growth, as an adviser.
Jane Lynch - Ms. Koppel
The former Glee heavyweight, Jane Lynch, guest starred in the first season of 3rd Rock From the Sun as Tommy’s science teacher, Ms. Koppel. Her character had a minor role but it was the beginning of Lynch’s successful comedy career. She went on to guest in numerous other television sitcoms.
Lynch has starred in several popular comedy films such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Role Models. Recently she lent her voice to the animated film, UglyDolls. She has also won two Emmy Awards for her job as the host of Hollywood Game Night. Lynch’s next project is as Sinistra in the TV movie, Fairy Tale Forest.
Lauren Graham - Laurie Ives
She may be the most well-known now as Lorelai Gilmore on the beloved comedy-drama series, Gilmore Girls, but before that Lauren Graham had a guest spot in the first season of 3rd Rock From the Sun as Laurie Ives. Since her short time on the sitcom, Graham has gone on to become a successful film and television actress.
While most known for Gilmore Girls, for which she received several award nominations, she also starred on the NBC drama, Parenthood for the entirety of its run as Sarah Braverman. In November 2016, Graham published a collection of personal essays for her memoir, Talking As Fast I Can.
Mark Hamill - Himself
Mark Hamill had a blast during his guest stint on 3rd Rock. He mistakenly takes the Solomons’ table at a restaurant and gets beaten up by Sally! Sally then becomes something of a local hero, Harry becomes her assistant and takes it upon himself to try and get close to Hamill.
He gets to poke a little fun at his iconic role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars during the episode with a few great jokes too. Beyond Star Wars, Hamill is known for voicing the Joker in several DC animated films and cartoons. Next, he’ll be voicing Chucky in the upcoming reboot of Child’s Play.
Christine Baranski - Sonja Umdahl
You can catch Christine Baranski starring as the character Diane Flockhart on the CBS All Access series, The Good Fight (a spin-off of the critically acclaimed The Good Wife). But before entering the world of law, Baranski starred on the Chuck Lorre sitcom, Cybill.
It was her Emmy Award-nominated performance on that show that got her the guest role on 3rd Rock where she played a lively college librarian, Sonja Umdahl, who tried to seduce Dick. Mary initially introduces Sonja to him because she’s leaving the faculty but then she is horrified to discover that Sonja is actually enamored with Dick and goes to great lengths to charm him.
Kathy Bates - Charlotte Everley
Given Kathy Bates is a world-class actress who became extremely prominent after her turn as a psycho killer in the Stephen King adaptation, Misery, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that Bates earned herself an Emmy Nomination for her role on 3rd Rock From the Sun. The character she played on the sitcom was actually a spoof of her famed Misery character.
She played Charlotte Everly, an alien hunter with plans to kidnap Dick and cut him open to conduct an alien autopsy. She schmoozes her way into the Solomons home by claiming to be his number one fan.
Aaron Paul - Junior Prom King & Queen announcer
Before he was cooking meth alongside Walter White, Jesse Pinkman had a minor role in the fourth season finale of 3rd Rock From the Sun. He played the announcer at the junior prom. The episode was meant to be about Tommy’s excited preparation for prom with his date, Alissa, but things go awry when Big Giant Head shows up.
Since appearing on the show, Paul has become a household name thanks to his part on Breaking Bad. His next big move is a leading role in the third season of HBO’s Westworld and he is currently working on a Breaking Bad film.
Bryan Cranston - Neil Diamond Impersonator
Aaron Paul isn’t the only Breaking Bad alum to guest star on 3rd Rock, Bryan Cranston had a memorable role as a Neil Diamond on a cruise boat impersonator who kisses Sally in the fourth season. To help Sally get over a break-up, her friend Vicki takes her on a floating casino and they cross paths with Cranston’s lovably cheesy character.
Currently, Cranston is gearing up for a new prestige drama series on Showtime, Your Honor, where he’ll play a Chicago judge trying to protect his son after he gets involved with the mafia. He is also rumored to be part of the upcoming Uncharted film but it has yet to be officially confirmed.