Famous Actors You Forgot Showed Up On Blue Bloods

CBS's "Blue Bloods," which made its debut back in 2010, follows the Reagan family, all of whom are involved in law and order in some way. This includes New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), his retired father Henry (Lou Cariou), and his three children –- detective Danny (Donny Wahlberg), sergeant Jamie (Will Estes), and assistant district attorney Erin. A fourth child, Joe, was killed in the line of duty prior to the start of the series. While the show is certainly a family drama, it is closely in line with the procedural genre, and like many procedurals, "Blue Bloods" has become a magnet for high-profile guest stars over the course of its run.

Over the last dozen or so seasons, "Blue Bloods" has opened its doors to a wide variety of famous and used-to-be-famous actors. This long list contains Oscar nominees (and at least one winner in Whoopi Goldberg), as well as some unlikely faces (Method Man, anyone?). Many famous television stars have also made their way to "Blue Bloods," including multiple Emmy winners, at least three people from " The Sopranos," and at really good chunk of the cast of "ER" (Gloria Reuben, Anthony Edwards, Alex Kingston, and Michael Michele). Here is just a smattering of the famous faces that you may have forgot showed up on "Blue Bloods" over the years.

Peter Hermann is married to Mariska Hargitay –- Olivia Benson herself! -– and so it goes without saying that he must be a fan of the procedural. In fact, he has appeared in a couple dozen episodes of his wife's show, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," spread out over the course of two decades. Hermann's procedural game does not end there, however, as he has also become a recurring "Blue Bloods" fixture. Since 2012, Hermann has appeared in 12 episodes of the show as Jack Boyle, Erin Reagan's ex-husband and the father of her only child, Nicky Reagan-Boyle (Sami Gayle).

Hermann has generally only popped in once or twice a year. His character is a defense attorney who has gone up against his ex in the courtroom, and who once defended her brother Danny when he was accused of narcotics possession. In addition to his recurring status on crime shows, Hermann is well-known for his role as Charles Brooks on "Younger," which ran from 2015 to 2021. You may also recognize him from the short-lived TV show "Cashmere Mafia" or from "Guiding Light," where he played Dr. Michael Burke in 1997 and 1998.

Bebe Neuwirth is a masterclass performer who has been in show business for more than four decades, ever since starting in the theatre in 1980. Her first screen role was as a receptionist in a 1986 episode of the series "Simon & Simon," which coincidentally aired on the exact same date -– February 6th –- as her first appearance as Dr. Lilith Sternin on "Cheers" (per IMDb). Neuwirth went on to win two Primetime Emmy Awards for her work on "Cheers," which she likely keeps on a mantle alongside her two Tony Awards (for "Sweet Charity" and "Chicago").

Neuwirth has been an in-demand television star ever since "Cheers," and with the exception of "Madam Secretary" and the short-lived "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," has opted for guest stints over series regular roles. "Blue Bloods" is amongst the programs on which Neuwirth has appeared, with nine appearances between 2013 and 2019. Her character, Kelly Peterson, was first introduced as Inspector General of the New York Police Department, but she quickly resigned from the role. Her reasoning had much to do with her romantic feelings for Frank, which was at odds with her professional role, but we never saw the two characters formally get together. "People are always saying Frank must be lonely, so when are we going to do a romantic story? It's important he remains a man alone in overall concept because that's part of the sacrifice he's made," Selleck said in a 2019 interview with TV Insider.

We will always think of Dylan Walsh first and foremost as Dr. Sean McNamara from "Nip/Tuck," but that does not negate the fact that the actor has continued to take on a variety of interesting roles, with the majority of them being on the small screen. Walsh plays General Sam Lane on The CW's "Superman & Lois," and for four seasons played a lieutenant on the Fox police procedural "Unforgettable." Clearly no stranger to crime dramas, Walsh has also guested on "Whisky Cavaleir," "Longmire," and a slew of procedurals including "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "NCIS: New Orleans," and as two different characters on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

Walsh's largest guest role has been on "Blue Bloods," where he has been a recurring player since 2019. As of the tenth season of the show, Walsh has portrayed New York City's mayor, Peter Chase. He is Frank's boss, and though he tried to get Frank to fire right-hand man Deputy Commissioner Garrett Moore (Gregory Jbara), the two are depicted as having a decently cordial relationship. It can be expected that he will continue to have face time, at least until a new mayor is elected.

Treat Williams has been appearing on screen since he got his start in 1975, with the film "Deadly Hero." In the nearly five decades since, the actor has amassed over 130 credits (per IMDb). Williams first rose to fame when he starred in the film version of "Hair," which earned her a nomination for New Star of the Year –- Actor, back when the Golden Globe Awards still had that category. He was nominated again in 1981 for "Prince in the City," and then again in 1984 for his role in a TV film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire." His other acclaimed parts include the 1996 television film "The Late Shift," and his turn as the lead in the four-season WB show "Everwood."

Though he has many film (and theatre) credits, Williams has become somewhat of a television staple in recent years. In addition to "Everwood," he has had a main role on a half dozen other series, including "Chesapeake Shores" on Hallmark. Like so many actors, Williams has appeared on both "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," but neither were extended arcs. His role on "Blue Bloods," however, has seen him return multiple times. Since 2016, Williams has played Frank's former partner and friend Lenny Ross.

Aunjanue Ellis was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film "King Richard," so we are sure her star will be on the rise in the coming years. That is not to say that she not yet already established herself as a force in Hollywood –- especially on the small screen. Ellis has received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her stellar acting in the 2019 Netflix miniseries "When They See Us," as well as the HBO series "Lovecraft Country," which was canceled after only one season. The actor is also known for her roles in "Quantico," "The Book of Negroes," and "The Clark Sisters: First Lady of Gospel."

Ellis has a large number of procedural guest spots under her belt, including one-off appearances on "Third Watch," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," amongst others. She has also been a recurring player on crime shows like "The Mentalist" and "NCIS: Los Angeles," so she knows the crime genre quite well. Her "Blue Bloods" episode aired in 2012, prior to her mainstream success. While the episode, "Reagan vs. Reagan," is notable because siblings Danny and Erin find themselves on opposite sides of a case, Ellis's role was not a key factor in the storyline. She played Sylvia Marshall, the defense attorney for a woman accused of killing her husband.

Lorraine Bracco has been nominated for an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and 10 Screen Actors Gulld Awards. And though she has lost out on the gold in all of these instances, save for two SAG awards for being in the ensemble of "The Sopranos," no one can dispute that she is a fantastic actor. Bracco is, of course, best known for her nominated parts –- Karen Friedman Hill in "Goodfellas" and Dr. Jennifer Melfi in "The Sopranos" — as well as for playing Angela Rizzoli on "Rizzoli & Isles" for seven seasons.

Bracco has not made too many appearances as a guest actress, and "Blue Bloods" marks one of her only recurring arcs on a series. Prior to Dylan Walsh portraying New York City's mayor, Bracco filled this "Blue Bloods" role as Margaret Dutton in 2017 and 2018. She appeared in five episodes as the interim mayor after Mayor Carter Poole (David Ramsey) stepped down from his post. In total, four mayoral characters have been portrayed thus far on "Blue Bloods," and Bracco's was given the least to do.

Lou Diamond Phillips started his career by appearing as a terrorist in a 1984 television movie called "Time Bomb," and exploded a few years later when he played Ritchie Valens in the hit film "La Bamba." One year after that, in 1988, the actor found himself nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his work in "Stand and Deliver," for which he also won the Independent Spirit Award that year. Though Phillips has remained active in film in the decades since, some of his best work has been in television. The actor was king of the television movies in the 1990s and 2000s, and he never shied away from a one-off guest stint. He is also a primetime and daytime Emmy Award nominee.

More notably, Phillips has had leading roles in series such as "Prodigal Son" and "Longmire," both crime-focused dramas, and recurring stints in everything from "Numb3rs" to "Stargate Universe" to the animated "Elena of Avalor." On "Blue Bloods," Phillips has played Luis Delgado in four episodes, starting in 2018 and with the latest occurring in 2020. The character, a hitman for a drug cartel, was introduced as a foil for headstrong detective Danny, whose house he set on fire. The two later teamed up when Delgado's wife is murdered by a vicious killer (played by another celebrity, Danny Trejo), and resurfaced the next season seeking protection for his sons in exchange for his testimony against the Sangriento cartel.

Whoopi Goldberg is part of the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) club for those who have won the big four entertainment awards, and an acclaimed actor, producer, stand-up, host, author — as well as an all-around Hollywood legend. With nearly 200 acting credits to her name, it would be impossible to recap Goldberg's career, but her most notable films -– including "The Color Purple," "Ghost," and "Sister Act" –- are full-out classics. And while Goldberg has been active in film since the early 1980s, her television work is also quite notable. Though two attempts at her own shows -– "Baghdad Café" and "Whoopi" –- have failed, Goldberg found success as Guinan on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and has proven to be a useful recurring player for many other series, such as "Strong Medicine," "Glee," and "Instinct." She is also not afraid of a one-off appearance, like her Emmy-award nominated ones on "Moonlighting" and "A Different World."

Goldberg has appeared in three episodes of "Blue Bloods," once each in 2016, 2017, and 2020. Her character, Regina Thomas, is the New York City Council's speaker and, at times, a major thorn in Frank Reagan's side. For instance, Goldberg's first episode has Thomas seeking to dismantle the NYPD's "Broken Windows" policy — one that Frank seeks to retain. Thomas was less adversarial in her second episode, and back to battling Frank in her third, so we are excited to see what her possible return in the future could mean for their complex relationship.

Bobby Cannavale has appeared in plenty of films and plays, but he has become a recognized name mostly due to his extensive work on television. The two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner and four-time nominee has had series regular roles in "Third Watch," "Vinyl," "Boardwalk Empire," "Mr. Robot," "Homecoming," and more. He is also well-known for appearing in the miniseries "Nine Perfect Strangers," for his award-winning work as Will's boyfriend Vince D'Angelo in 17 episodes of "Will & Grace," and for his arc on the dark comedy "Nurse Jackie," which earned him two guest acting Emmy nominations (despite him being billed as a main cast member).

Cannavale has had a slew of other television guest roles, including a three-episode arc on "Blue Bloods" in 2010 and 2011. Though his gruff voice and imposing frame would have made him a perfect fit for playing some sort of villain, Cannavale actually appeared on the show as a district attorney named Charles Rosselini. Charles mostly shared his scenes with Erin, as her boss and potential love interest. The characters kissed in one of Cannavale's Season 1 appearances, but the relationship never progressed further. Charles has not been seen since the first season, though Erin has cycled through a number of bosses in the years since.

The first role many think of when they see Michael Imperioli's name is that of Tony Soprano's protégé Christopher Moltisanti on "The Sopranos," for which the actor earned five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and one win. We don't want to shortchange Imperioli, though, because his 100+ acting credits prove that he is a versatile and prolific actor. His resume includes films such as "Goodfellas" and "Summer of Sam," and extensive television work. The actor has been particularly active in the crime TV genre, appearing in as detectives in "Life on Mars," "Detroit 1-8-7," and "Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector."

In addition to his starring roles in crime shows, Imperioli has also gravitated toward the genre as a guest. He has made one-off appearances on everything from "NYPD Blue" to "New York Undercover" and recurring ones on "Law & Order," "Hawaii Five-0," and "Project Blue Book." He added "Blue Bloods" to his law-and-order roster in 2016, which marked his first appearance as New York Attorney General Robert Lewis. He has returned to the show two times since, once in 2016 and once in 2021, and could conceivably pop up again as the character remains the attorney general within the "Blue Bloods" universe.

Primarily known as a Grammy-winning rapper, Method Man actually began acting in the late 1990s. His movies include "Belly," "Garden State," and "Soul Plane," but he has been much more active in television than film. He has been a main character on "Rebel," and plays a lawyer on "Power Book II: Ghost." Many of his TV roles have been in the crime genre, such as recurring stints on the prison show "Oz" and crime drama "The Wire." Method Man has also made the rounds on the usual crime procedurals like "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Burn Notice," and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Outside of crime shows, he has often played similar kinds of characters, such as a pimp in "The Deuce" and a bounty hunter in "Teenage Bounty Hunters."

On "Blue Bloods," Method Man -– who goes by Clifford "Method Man" Smith when acting -– played gang member Mario Hunt, who was first introduced in a 2015 episode where he was suspected of murder. He made a second appearance that same season, and then again in 2017, where the gang leader sought early release from prison in trade for helping to end a gang war. Method Man's connection to the Reagan clan was through brother Danny, who was lead detective on his case.

A couple of years before her offscreen life took a turn into true crime territory, Lori Loughlin made a guest appearance on "Blue Bloods" as a disgruntled widow of a fallen NYPD officer. Her character, Grace Edwards, appeared in the Season 7 premiere in 2016. Grace's husband, Martin, was killed in the line of duty, and she was upset at the prospect of her son Louis joining the force. During a meeting to plan Martin's memorial, Grace pleaded with Frank to do something to ensure her son did not graduate from the police academy.

Loughlin's onscreen career dates back to 1971, but she is undoubtedly best known for playing Aunt Becky on "Full House" and "Fuller House." Her other notable series regular roles include the shows "The Edge of Night," "Summerland," "90210," and "When Calls the Heart." Though her career was put on pause after her involvement in the college admissions scandal, Loughlin made her way back to the small screen in 2021 when she appeared in the first two episodes of Season 2 of "When Hope Calls," Hallmark's "When Calls the Heart" spin-off. This was quite the surprise for fans of the series, given that Loughlin was removed from the latter show when Hallmark cut all ties with her after her scandal in 2019 (per People).

Ed Asner was a Hollywood legend who amassed more than 400 screen credits over the course of his career, which began in 1957 and lasted until his death in 2021. Asner was primarily known for his work on television, and he has more Primetime Emmy Award wins than any male actor (per Deadline). Many of these awards were for his role as Lou Grant, which he played on the "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spin-off "Lou Grant," and the others are for the miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Roots." 

Asner's other notable television work includes "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill," "The Christmas Card," and "Dead to Me," but the list goes on and on. The actor must have had boundless energy, as he continued acting into his 90s, with many of these parts being television guest roles. His sole episode of "Blue Bloods," which aired in 2020, featured Asner as Chuck Kennedy, an old friend of Frank's. Frank helps Chuck after his home was broken into, as Chuck (or "Mr. K") was one of Frank's biggest influences when he was a youngster.

Revered actor Chazz Palminteri has been on screens since he made his movie debut in 1983's "Home Free All." Palminteri's noteworthy films include "A Bronx Tale," "The Usual Suspects," "Analyze This," and "Bullets Over Broadway" — the last of which saw him nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. He has done less work on television, but many of his TV roles have been in the crime genre (with the exception of his excellent work as Jay's friend Shorty on "Modern Family").

Paliminteri has guested on many crime dramas throughout the years, starting with "Matlock," "Hill Street Blues," and "Wiseguy" in the 1980s. Decades later, he was a recurring player on "Kojak" and "Rizzoli & Isles," and has a supporting role on the Epix series "Godfather of Harlem." He also recently appeared on "Law & Order: Organized Crime." Though he only appeared on two episodes of "Blue Bloods," Palminteri made his mark as Angelo Gallo, lawyer for the mob. Palminteri's two episodes aired in 2012 and 2013 –- Seasons 3 and 4 –- and had the actor sharing the screen with leading man Tom Selleck. In the first episode, Gallo gives his childhood friend Frank a tip. In the second, Gallo was shot following a dinner out with Frank, as he had recently resigned from representing a dangerous mob boss.