English film director Alfred Hitchcock made cameo appearances in 40 of his films. They began during production of The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog when an actor failed to show up, and the director filled in for him.
The playful gesture became one of Hitchcock's trademarks, with fans making a sport of trying to spot his cameos. In his earliest appearances, he filled in as an obscure extra in crowds or walking through scenes in long camera shots. His later appearances became more prominent, such as when he turns to see Jane Wyman's disguise as she passes him in Stage Fright, and in stark silhouette in his final film Family Plot.[1]: 115 As a recurring theme, he would carry a musical instrument, like the double bass he wrestles onto the locomotive at the beginning of Strangers on a Train. His longest cameos are in Blackmail and Young and Innocent.[2]: 71
In his discussion with François Truffaut, Hitchcock called the gag "troublesome" because audience anticipation of his appearance had grown distracting. To keep the focus on the film, the director would get his cameo over in the first five minutes.[1]: 35
Hitchcock's cameos often signify an important moment, such as when the protagonist travels to the location where their ordeal will ensue.[2]: 73 The director also used his appearances to foreshadow or underscore the themes of the film.[3] The other major function of the cameos is as a metafictional device, harkening back to Elizabethan drama. In a kind of signature of authorship, Hitchcock is signaling to the audience that it is being manipulated by him.[4][5]