Can You Name These Famous Celebrities Who Guest-Starred on "The Twilight Zone"?

By: Jane Andrews
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can You Name These Famous Celebrities Who Guest-Starred on "The Twilight Zone"?
Image: CBS

About This Quiz

When "The Twilight Zone" first premiered on Oct. 2, 1959, it was like nothing American TV audiences had ever seen. Each week, the ingenious anthology series told a stand-alone story about something bizarre, inexplicable and usually disturbing — from murderous dolls and creepy doppelgangers to time travel and atomic war. Presented by host and creator Rod Serling, whose opening and closing narrations have become legendary television fare, the show became famous for its cautionary takes and mind-bending twist endings. Shot entirely in black and white, the series also had a bold and unique look that inspired countless movies and TV shows to come, including a modern-day revival by acclaimed actor and director Jordan Peele.

"The Twilight Zone" also featured loads of celebrity guest stars, many of whom appeared on the show before they became household names. This makes the series even more fun to watch, as you never know who's going to pop up on the screen to pay a visit to this freaky fifth dimension. 

How good is your recall of the show's special guests? This quiz will test your knowledge of notable celebrity appearances from the original "The Twilight Zone" series, as well as a number of well-known guests from Jordan Peele's recent revival. How many can you name? Strap in and get ready to find out. That's the signpost up ahead — your next stop is the Twilight Zone!

1 - The Twilight Zone  - Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
CBS
This "Star Trek" star played a fearful airplane passenger in the episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." Do you know who it was?
Leonard Nimoy
William Shatner
George Tekai
DeForest Kelley
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," aired in 1963, has become one of the most well-known episodes of the original "The Twilight Zone" series. It was Shatner's second appearance on the show — he also starred in a 1960 episode called "Nick of Time."

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2 - The Twilight Zone  - Cavender Is Coming
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Which of the following comedians played a young woman visited by a cigar-smoking guardian angel?
Carol Channing
Lucille Ball
Carol Burnett
Mary Tyler Moore
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Entitled "Cavender Is Coming," this 1962 episode has more of a comedic tone than most episodes of "The Twilight Zone." It featured a laugh track when it first aired, which has since been removed from rerun, DVD and streaming versions.

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3 - The Twilight Zone  - He's Alive
CBS
Do you know which "Easy Rider" actor played the evil leader of a neo-Nazi group?
Peter Fonda
Jack Nicholson
Dennis Hopper
Martin Sheen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This episode from 1963 is called "He's Alive." Reportedly, "The Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling wrote a longer version of the script to be made into a feature-length film, but it was never produced.

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4 - The Twilight Zone  - Rod Serling
CBS
Before he became a beloved TV detective, this actor played a Central American dictator in an episode called "The Mirror." Who was it?
Tom Selleck
Telly Savalas
James Garner
Peter Falk
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Falk played Ramos Clemente in this 1961 episode — a character modeled after Fidel Castro. The dictator becomes mad with paranoia when a magical mirror suggests his four confidants are traitors.

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5 - The Twilight Zone  - Miniature
CBS
This Academy Award-winning actor appeared as a man obsessed with a dollhouse in an episode called "Miniature." Can you guess who it was?
Robert Duvall
Robert De Niro
Harvey Keitel
Al Pacino
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Duvall is Charley Parkes in this 1963 episode, a man committed to a psychiatric hospital because he believes the figures inside a museum dollhouse are alive. The episode's twist ending reveals that all is not as it seems.

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6 - The Twilight Zone  - Nothing in the Dark
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In the 1962 episode "Nothing in the Dark," he played Harold Beldon, a young man believed to be the personification of death by a frail old woman. Can you name him?
Robert Redford
Dustin Hoffman
Clint Eastwood
Paul Newman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The opening narration for this episode states, "An old woman living in a nightmare, an old woman who has fought a thousand battles with death and always won. Now she's faced with a grim decision — whether or not to open a door. And in some strange and frightening way she knows that this seemingly ordinary door leads to the Twilight Zone."

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7 - The Twilight Zone  - A Quality of Mercy
CBS
William Shatner wasn't the only "Star Trek" regular to appear on "The Twilight Zone." Do you know star one played a World War II army general?
Patrick Stewart
James Doohan
Leonard Nimoy
Walter Koenig
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The title of this 1961 episode, "A Quality of Mercy," comes from a well-known line from the Shakespeare play "The Merchant of Venice." Recited as part of the show's closing narration, the quote is, "The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath."

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8 - The Twilight Zone  - The Comedian
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Do you know which former "Saturday Night Live" funnyman appeared in "The Comedian," an episode from Jordan Peele's "The Twilight Zone" revival?
Dana Carvey
Will Ferrell
Tracey Morgan
Adam Sandler
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Originally aired on April 1, 2019, "The Comedian" also stars Kumail Nanjiani of "Silicon Valley" fame. It follows the story of a comedian who discovers that when he mentions a person as a part of his stand-up act, they mysteriously disappear.

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9 - The Twilight Zone  - Walking Distance
CBS
Now a well-known director, this child actor appeared in an early 1959 episode called "Walking Distance." Who was it?
Ron Howard
Jodie Foster
Sean Penn
Mel Gibson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Before he was Opie on "The Andy Griffith Show" or Richie on "Happy Days," Howard played a sweet young boy in a town where time seemed to stand still. This was Howard's third credited TV role.

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10 - The Twilight Zone  - The Bard
CBS
Which Hollywood actor played a struggling writer who conjures the spirit of William Shakespeare?
Paul Newman
Burt Reynolds
Dustin Hoffman
Gregory Peck
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Entitled "The Bard," this episode aired in 1963, while Reynolds was a regular on the popular Western TV drama "Gunsmoke." Reynolds starred on numerous TV shows before scoring his breakthrough film role in the 1972 thriller, "Deliverance."

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11 - The Twilight Zone  - It's A Good Life
CBS
This Emmy Award-winning actress played the mother of a domineering boy with Godlike powers. Can you name her?
Betty White
Bea Arthur
Cloris Leachman
Charlotte Rae
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Considered by Time and TV Guide to be one of the best episodes of "The Twilight Zone" original series, "It's a Good Life" aired in 1961. It was based on a short story of the same name, written by author and screenwriter Jerome Bixby.

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12 - The Twilight Zone  - The Encounter
CBS
Yet another "Star Trek" regular to appear on "The Twilight Zone," this actor played a young Japanese-American who becomes possessed by a samurai sword. Do you know who it was?
Patrick Stewart
George Takei
DeForest Kelley
James Doohan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After "The Encounter" first aired in 1964, it was withheld from syndication due to its touchy (at the time) racial subject matter. It didn't appear on TV again until Jan. 1, 2016, as part of Syfy's annual "TheTwilight Zone" New's Year Eve marathon.

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13 - The Twilight Zone  - Mr. Dingle, the Strong
CBS
Do you know which funnyman appeared as an irate barfly bettor on a losing streak in a 1961 episode?
Don Rickles
Bob Hope
Bob Newhart
Milton Berle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Called "Mr. Dingle, the Strong," this episode tells the story of Luther Dingle, a meek, unsuccessful man (played by Burgess Meredith) who's given superhuman strength by a two-headed Martian. Rickles plays the gambling barfly who bullies him at the bar.

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14 - The Twilight Zone  - Living Doll
CBS
This actor appeared in the well-known episode "Living Doll," which features a creepy doll named Talky Tina. Do you know who it was?
Michael Landon
Lee Majors
Carroll O'Connor
Telly Savalas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Savalas was already a successful actor when he appeared in this 1963 episode, having been nominated for an Academy Award a year prior for his supporting role in the film "Birdman of Alcatraz."

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15 - The Twilight Zone  - Nightmare At 30,000 Feet
CBS All Access
Can you tell us which "Parks and Recreation" star appeared in a 2019 revival episode about a creepy podcast and a doomed airplane?
Nick Offerman
Chris Pratt
Adam Scott
Aziz Ansari
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This episode is entitled "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet," which is a play on the title of the 1963 "The Twilight Zone" classic, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." While both episodes take place on a plane, their plots are completely different.

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16 - The Twilight Zone  - A Game Of Pool
CBS
Do you know which prolific actor and comedian played a legendary pool player named Fats Brown in the 1961 episode, "A Game of Pool"?
Milton Berle
Jonathan Winters
Bob Newhart
George Burns
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jonathan Winters's career spanned more than 60 years. He appeared on hundreds of television shows and films, including "Hee-Haw" and "Mork & Mindy," and received eight Grammy nominations for Best Comedy Album.

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17 - The Twilight Zone  - Time Enough At Last
CBS
Can you name the veteran character actor who played a bookish man in a post-apocalyptic world?
Mickey Rooney
Eli Wallach
Burgess Meredith
Slim PIckens
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

in addition to the 1959 episode, "Time Enough at Last," Meredith appeared in three other episodes of "The Twilight Zone" — "Mr. Dingle, the Strong", "The Obsolete Man" and "Printer's Devil."

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18 - The Twilight Zone  - In Praise of Pip
CBS
Before he starred on the sitcom "The Odd Couple," this actor appeared in four episodes of the original "The Twilight Zone" series. Who was it?
Jack Lemmon
Walter Matthau
Tony Randall
Jack Klugman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Between 1960 and 1963, Klugman appeared in the episodes "A Passage for Trumpet, "A Game of Pool," "Death Ship" and "In Praise of Pip." The actor ties with Burgess Meredith for the most guest appearances in a starring role on the series.

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19 - The Twilight Zone  - The Night of the Meek
CBS
Which "Honeymooners" actor starred as a down-and-out Santa Claus impersonator on Christmas Eve?
Jackie Gleason
Art Carney
Jerry Mathers
Tony Dow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The title of this 1960 episode, "The Night of the Meek," comes from a biblical quote from Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." More than 20 years later, Carney would play Santa again in the 1984 move "The Night They Saved Christmas."

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20 - The Twilight Zone  - Two
CBS
Do you know which tough-guy movie star appeared in an episode called "Two," about a man and a woman fighting to survive in an abandoned, war-torn city?
Charles Bronson
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Robert De Niro
Clint Eastwood
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Starring opposite Bronson in this two-person episode from 1961 was Elizabeth Montgomery, the actress best known for playing Samantha Stephens on the popular television show "Bewitched."

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21 - The Twilight Zone  - A Traveler
CBS All Access
He played the local police captain of a small Alaska town in a Christmas-themed 2019 revival episode called "A Traveler." Can you name him?
Greg Kinnear
David Schwimmer
Ted Danson
Matthew Perry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This episode also stars Steven Yeun from "The Walking Dead." It's about a mysterious man who curiously claims to be named "A. Traveler" and crashes a small police station's Christmas party.

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22 - The Twilight Zone  - The Last Night of a Jockey
CBS
This legendary actor and former 1920s child star played a horse jockey who wishes he were taller. Do you know who it was?
Frankie Darro
Carl Switzer
George McFarland
Mickey Rooney
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Born in 1920, Mickey Rooney's career as an actor, comedian and radio personality spanned nine decades. He appeared in more than 300 films in his lifetime and worked well into his 90s.

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23 - The Twilight Zone  - Shadow of the Valley
CBS
"Star Trek" stars seemed to flock to "The Twilight Zone." Which one appeared in a 1963 episode called "Valley of the Shadow"?
Patrick Stewart
James Doohan
DeForest Kelley
Walter Koenig
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This episode tells the story of Peaceful Valley, New Mexico, a remote town that possesses incredible extraterrestrial technology but refuses to share it with the rest of the world.

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24 - The Twilight Zone  - Of Late I Think of Cliffordville copy
CBS
This television actress played the devil in an episode from 1963. Can you guess who it was?
Julie Newmar
Tina Louise
Eva Gabor
Marlo Thomas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Newmar is perhaps best known for playing Catwoman on the '60s show "Batman." She also had guest roles on popular shows such as "F Troop," "Bewitched, "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Get Smart."

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25 - The Twilight Zone  - The Jeopardy Room
CBS
Do you know which Academy Award-winning actor played a KGB agent in the 1964 episode "The Jeopardy Room"?
Fred MacMurray
Martin Landau
Peter Graves
James Cromwell
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This was Landau's second appearance on "The Twilight Zone." Five years earlier, he played a sadistic bully in the 1959 episode "Mr. Denton on Doomsday," which was the third episode of the show's first season.

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26 - The Twilight Zone  - The Trouble with Templeton
CBS
This actor and movie director played a stage director in the 1960 episode, "The Trouble with Templeton." Who was it?
Sydney Pollack
Clint Eastwood
John Cassavetes
Warren Beatty
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pollack acted in over 30 movies and TVs shows during his career, and directed more than 20 films. He won an Academy Award for Best Director for his 1985 movie "Out of Africa," which also won the award for Best Picture.

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27 - The Twilight Zone  - Shadow Play
CBS
Which actor played a man convinced he was stuck in a disturbing dream in a 1961 episode called "Shadow Play?"
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Weaver
James Garner
Steve McQueen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Weaver won an Emmy Award for best supporting actor (continuing character) in a dramatic series for his work in the long-running television show "Gunsmoke." He also played Sam McCloud from 1970 to 1977 on the TV drama "McCloud."

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28 - The Twilight Zone  - A Quality of Mercy
CBS
He starred opposite Leonard Nimoy in the 1961 episode "A Quality of Mercy." Which actor was it?
Dean Stockwell
Gene Hackman
Donald Sutherland
James Garner
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stockwell began his career as a child actor in the 1940s and continued to work into his adulthood. He's perhaps best known for playing Al on the TV show "Quantum Leap," and was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for the 1988 movie "Married to the Mob."

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29 - The Twilight Zone  - The Changing of the Guard
CBS
Do you know which English actor played a depressed prep school teacher who's visited by the ghosts of his former students?
Denholm Elliott
Donald Pleasence
Alec Guinness
Richard Burton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While his career spanned almost 50 years, Pleasence is perhaps best-known for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis in the original 1978 "Halloween" film and four of its sequels.

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30 - The Twilight Zone  - Mirror Image
CBS
This frequent Hitchcock film star appeared in a 1960 episode called "Mirror Image." Do you know who it was?
Janet Leigh
Grace Kelly
Tippi Hedren
Vera Miles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Miles plays Millicent Barnes in this episode, a young woman who becomes convinced, while waiting for a bus, that her evil doppelgänger is trying to replace her. Reportedly, this episode was the inspiration for Jordan Peele's 2019 movie "Us."

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31 - The Twilight Zone  - People Are Alike All Over
CBS
Who played an astronaut trapped on Mars in the 1960 episode "People Are Alike All Over"?
Karl Malden
Harry Morgan
Roddy McDowall
Eli Wallach
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

McDowall is best known for playing the characters of Cornelius and Caesar in the "Planet of the Apes" movies, along with the character of Galen in the "Planet of the Apes" spin-off TV show. He also starred in the 1985 hit horror flick "Fright Night."

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32 - The Twilight Zone  - The Grave
CBS
This tough-guy TV actor played a gun-for-hire trying to track down an outlaw in the 1961 episode, "The Grave."
Jack Warden
Gary Busey
Lee Marvin
Sam Elliott
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In addition to this Western-themed episode, Marvin appeared in a 1963 installment of "The Twilight Zone" called "Steel. That one was about a robotic boxer in the futuristic world of 1974.

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33 -The Twilight Zone  - Once Upon a Time
CBS
Which silent film star appeared in a 1961 episode about a grumpy old man from 1890 who travels into the future?
Charlie Chaplin
Buster Keaton
Douglas Fairbanks
Harold Lloyd
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Entitled "Once Upon a Time," this episode cleverly opens and closes in the style of a silent film. Keaton also performs a number of the same slapstick gags he was known for in the 1920s.

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34 - The Twilight Zone  - Caesar and Me
CBS
Which actor played an unsuccessful ventriloquist with an evil puppet?
Jackie Cooper
Norman Fell
Jack Albertson
Red Buttons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This 1964 episode, entitled "Caesar and Me," is sometimes confused with the 1962 episode called "The Dummy." Both installments focus on ventriloquists with very problematic puppets.

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35 - The Twilight Zone  - Blurryman
CBS All Access
Which of the following stars played himself in the 2019 revival episode, "Blurryman"?
Jonah Hill
Seth Rogan
James Franco
Paul Rudd
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jordan Peele also appears as himself in this episode, which was the finale for "The Twilight Zone" revival's first season. The very meta story is about one of the show's screenwriters trying to track down a mysterious figure.

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You Got:
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