A Guide to Every Cameo in ‘The Bear’ Season 3
The Bear has mastered the art of the celebrity cameo. It’s what the series is best at—other than, you know, crafting culinary masterpieces and infusing comedy into incredibly stressful situations.
Season 2 featured ten guest appearances. Now the kitchen has kicked things up a notch. Season 3 (which is currently streaming on Hulu) serves up twenty-six (!) cameos. There are a few familiar faces, like Jamie Lee Curtis—who made a triumphant return as Donna Berzatto—and Will Poulter, who reprises his role as culinary whiz Luca. Even more exciting: the new characters who were sprinkled into this new batch of episodes. I’ll never complain about seeing Curtis or Poulter on my screen, but isn’t it a delightful surprise when you recognize that guy from that thing?
If you’ve been trying to watch the show while scrolling through IMDb, take a breather. We’ve kept track for you. Below, you’ll find every guest appearance from episode 1 to episode 10.
Christopher Zucchero
Zucchero's cameo is brief, but he appears in episode 2, radish microgreens in hand, as a delivery man. In real life, Zucchero is actually Mr. Beef. He owns and operates the iconic eatery that inspired The Original Beef of Chicagoland in The Bear. Zucchero’s father, Joseph, opened Mr. Beef in the ‘70s with his brother, Dominic. After Joseph passed away, Zucchero inherited the shop.
Jon Bernthal
Bernthal returns as Carmy’s older brother, Michael Berzatto, in a flashback sequence. Michael was the original owner of The Beef. His tragic death sparked the events of season 1, which included Carmy moving back home to Chicago. You may also recognize Bernthal from Origin and American Gigolo.
John Mulaney
Mulaney appears as another Berzatto boy—by association, at least. His character, Steven (Stevie), is Carmy’s cousin and Michelle’s boyfriend. Make sense? If you need a refresher, the last time you saw Steven was in the iconic “Fishes” episode. The last time you saw Mulaney was likely in his Netflix comedy special Everybody’s in LA.
Joel McHale
McHale reprises his role as the meanest chef in America, otherwise known as Chef David. If you managed to forget, David was Carmy’s boss in New York—you know, the one who gave him crippling anxiety and imposter syndrome? Well, he’s back! David first appears in episode 1, then pops up again in episode 10. When he’s not busy playing the scariest cook in history, you can find McHale cracking jokes online.
Gillian Jacobs
Jacobs is yet another member of the extended Berzatto crew. She guest-stars as Tiffany Jerimovich, “cousin” Richie’s ex-wife. Tiffany turns up later in the season, in episode 9. Prior to working on The Bear, Jacobs starred on Community.
David Zayas
Dexter fans may recognize Zayas. Here, the actor makes a sweet appearance as Tina’s husband, David. Fun fact: The couple are married in real life, too! Zayas makes a brief appearance in episode 1 and has a larger role in episode 6.
Will Poulter
Poulter returns as pastry chef Luca in episodes 1 and 10. Prior to working on The Bear—and schooling Marcus in the art of baking—he starred in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Olivia Colman
Chef David might be the meanest chef in The Bear-iverse, but Colman’s Chef Terry is the nicest. You’ll spot her in episode 1. She reappears in episode 10—offering some much-needed levity in the tense season finale. Colman is best known for her Oscar-winning performance in The Favourite.
Robert Townsend
Townsend returns in episodes 2 and 4 as Sydney’s delightfully overbearing father, Emmanuel. Before showing up on The Bear, Townsend directed Hollywood Shuffle, Eddie Murphy Raw, The Five Heartbeats, and a smattering of comedy series.
Josh Hartnett
Hartnett is a newbie on The Bear, but he fits right in. The actor plays Tiffany’s boyfriend, whom she and Richie’s daughter, Eva, call Waldo. You may recognize Hartnett from the 2023 blockbuster Oppenheimer.
John Cena
In episode 5, Cena (!) makes a hilarious appearance as yet another Fak family member, Sammy. He helps Carmy refurbish the flooring at The Bear and brings comedic relief to their stressful renovation process. Cena has recently shifted from pro wrestling to acting, recently turning up in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and the action-comedy Freelance.
Brian Koppelman
Koppelman guest-stars as a quiet yet analytical character affectionately known as “Computer,” who’s brought in to help cut costs at Carmy’s restaurant. Koppelman usually works offscreen and is known for writing Ocean’s Thirteen and Billions.
Sarah Ramos
Ramos plays Richie’s friend Jessica. She was last seen in season 2 of The Bear and returns in season 3. Ramos is a Parenthood alumna whom you may also recognize from Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Curtis is the Berzatto family matriarch, Donna. Season 2 depicted her battle with alcoholism, but in season 3, she makes a heartfelt return when her daughter, Sugar, goes into labor. Curtis is known for her Oscar-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, the 1994 classic True Lies, and her tenure in the Halloween franchise.
Keith Kupferer
Kupferer’s appearance is brief, but he plays Natalie’s doctor in episode 8. He was previously in The Dark Knight, Road to Perdition, Widows, and Ghostlight. I don’t want anything to happen to the Berzatto crew, but perhaps he’ll come back in season 4 to assist in some wacky hospital visit.
Thomas Keller
Keller appears as himself in one of Carmy's flashbacks; he’s spotted teaching the young chef how to roast a chicken (and find the wishbone). He runs The French Laundry in Napa an Per Se in New York, and he has seven Michelin stars.
René Redzepi
Redzepi plays himself as well. In real life, he’s the famed head chef and co-owner of Noma in Copenhagen. On The Bear, he also appears in a flashback, when Carmy was training at a Copenhagen restaurant.
Daniel Boulud
Boulud is yet another real-life-turned-TV chef. He specializes in French cuisine and owns numerous renowned restaurants around the world. Perhaps you’ve dined at Daniel, Bar Boulud, or Le Gratin?
Grant Achatz
Achatz also pops up in the new season. He plays himself, a talented chef with numerous restaurants in Chicago, including Alinea, Next, the Aviary, the Office, and Roister.
Christina Tosi
Tosi took a break from her job as the founder of Milk Bar to stop by The Bear. Her face may not be familiar, but you’ve probably tried one of her iconic cakes.
Genie Kwon
Also appearing as herself on the series, Kwon is the head of Kasma, a Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant in Chicago.
Kevin Boehm
Boehm makes an appearance as well this season. In real life, he's the cofounder of Boka Restaurant Group, which operates numerous restaurants throughout Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.
Wylie Dufresne
Dufresne is typically found running Du’s Donuts and Stretch Pizza, his two restaurants in New York. He took a break from cheffing it up to appear as one of Carmy’s culinary peers.
Will Guidara
Guidara is an esteemed restaurateur whose hospitality group, Make It Nice, operates big-name restaurants across the country. Does Nomad ring a bell? This year, he made some time to appear on and co-produce The Bear alongside Matty Matheson.
Malcolm Livingston II
Livingston is a pastry chef who formerly worked at Noma. These days, he runs a dairy-free ice cream company called August Novelties. Oh, and he visits The Bear for a quick cameo.
Anna Posey
Posey is a pastry chef at Elske in Chicago. Her avant-garde creations have made her a well-known name in the culinary world.
Rosio Sanchez
Sanchez also agreed to appear on The Bear. Like her colleagues, she stars as herself. Then again, why would she want to be anyone else? She’s already the head chef at Sanchez, a trendy restaurant in Copenhagen. It doesn’t get much cooler than that.
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