About Los Angeles Plays Itself
From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop to countless movies. In this dazzling work, Andersen takes viewers on a whirlwind tour through the metropolis' real and cinematic history, investigating the myriad stories and legends that have come to define it, and meticulously, judiciously revealing the real city that lives beneath.
Full Cast of Los Angeles Plays Itself
Encke King
plays Narrator (voice)
Ben Alexander
plays Officer Frank Smith in Dragnet (archive footage)
Jim Backus
plays Frank Stark in Rebel Without A Cause (archive footage)
Brenda Bakke
plays Lana Turner in L.A. Confidential (archive footage)
Brenda Jean Bakke (born May 15, 1963) is an American actress better known for her role as Lana Turner in L.A. Confide...
See Brenda Bakke's other roles →Barbara O. Jones
plays Dorothy in Bush Mama (archive footage)
Gene Barry
plays Dr. Clayton Forrester in The War of The Worlds (archive footage)
Richard Basehart
plays Roy Morgan/Roy Martin in He Walked By Night (archive footage)
Hugh Beaumont
plays George Copeland in The Blue Dahlia (archive footage)
William Bendix
plays Buzz Wanchek in The Blue Dahlia (archive footage)
Ann Blyth
plays Veda Pierce in Mildred Pierce (archive footage)
Jim Bouton
plays Terry Lennox in The Long Goodbye (archive footage)
Grand L. Bush
plays FBI Agent Little Johnson in Die Hard (archive footage)
James Cagney
plays Tom Powers in The Public Enemy (archive footage)
Lon Chaney Jr.
plays Charles Benton in The Indestructible Man (archive footage)
John Considine
plays Matthew Crawford in Timestalkers (archive footage)
Bill Cosby
plays Al Hickey in Hickey & Boggs (archive footage)
Robert Culp
plays Frank Boggs in Hickey & Boggs (archive footage)
Howard Duff
plays Dave Pomeroy in Panic in the City (archive footage)
Deanna Durbin
plays Penny in Three Smart Girls (archive footage)
Mark Frechette
plays Mark in Zabriskie Point (archive footage)
John Garfield
plays Nick Blake in Nobody Lives Forever (archive footage)
Ben Gazzara
plays Jackie Treehorn in The Big Lebowski (archive footage)
Bruce Glover
plays Duffy in Chinatown (archive footage)
Marjoe Gortner
plays Joby in Earthquake (archive footage)
James Griffith
plays Jesse Quinn in Dragnet (archive footage)
Daria Halprin
plays Daria in Zabriskie Point (archive footage)
Oliver Hardy
plays Ollie (archive footage)
Jean Harlow
plays Gwen Allen in The Public Enemy (archive footage)
Bob Hope
plays Adam J. Niles in Bachelor in Paradise (archive footage)
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope KBE, KC*SG, KSS (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, and entertai...
See Bob Hope's other roles →Lauren Hutton
plays Georgia Crawford in Timestalkers (archive footage)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Lauren Hutton (born November 17, 1943) is an American model and actress. S...
See Lauren Hutton's other roles →Henry Jaglom
plays Dean in Venice/Venice (archive footage)
David Janssen
plays Steve in Two-Minute Warning (archive footage)
Peter Jason
plays Duty Sergeant in Escape From L.A. (archive footage)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Peter Edward Ostling (born July 22, 1944), also known as Peter Jason, is an Am...
See Peter Jason's other roles →Roy Jenson
plays Mulvihill in Chinatown (archive footage)
Jack Klugman
plays Sandman in Two-Minute Warning (archive footage)
Alan Ladd
plays Philip Raven in This Gun For Hire (archive footage)
Stan Laurel
plays Stan (archive footage)
Al Leong
plays Uli in Die Hard (archive footage)
Jerry Lewis
plays Jerome Littlefield in The Disorderly Orderly (archive footage)
Jerry Lewis (March 16, 1926 - August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, film producer, writer, film director ...
See Jerry Lewis's other roles →Gary Lockwood
plays George Matthews in Model Shop (archive footage)
Perry Lopez
plays Escobar in Chinatown (archive footage)
Lyle Lovett
plays Detective DeLongpre in The Player (archive footage)
Fred MacMurray
plays Walter Neff in Double Indemnity (archive footage)
Guy Madison
plays Cliff Harper in Till the End of Time (archive footage)
Joe Mantell
plays Walsh in Chinatown (archive footage)
Matt McCoy
plays Brett Chase in L.A. Confidential (archive footage)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Matt McCoy (born May 20, 1958) is an American actor. McCoy was born in Wash...
See Matt McCoy's other roles →Ralph Meeker
plays Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly (archive footage)
Sal Mineo
plays John 'Plato' Crawford in Rebel Without A Cause (archive footage)
Harry Morgan
plays Officer Bill Gannon in Dragnet (archive footage)
Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg) was an American stage, screen, radio, and television actor. He is perhaps best re...
See Harry Morgan's other roles →Robert Morley
plays Sir Ambrose Abercrombie in The Loved Ones (archive footage)
Robert Morse
plays Dennis Barlow in The Loved Ones (archive footage)
Tom Neal
plays Al Roberts in Detour (archive footage)
Lloyd Nolan
plays Dr. Vance in Earthquake (archive footage)
Edmond O'Brien
plays Frank Bigelow in D.O.A (archive footage)
Carroll O'Connor
plays Lt. Christy French in Marlowe (archive footage)
Belinda Palmer
plays Katherine in Chinatown (archive footage)
Jürgen Prochnow
plays Michael Kogan in The Replacement Killers (archive footage)
Tony Roberts
plays Rob in Annie Hall (archive footage)
Cliff Robertson
plays President in Escape From L.A. (archive footage)
Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and...
See Cliff Robertson's other roles →Mitchell Ryan
plays The Priest in Two-Minute Warning (archive footage)
Ann Savage
plays Vera in Detour (archive footage)
Zachary Scott
plays Monte Beragon in Mildred Pierce (archive footage)
Paolo Seganti
plays Johnny Stompanato in L.A. Confidential (archive footage)
James Stacy
plays Joe Brodnek in Flareup (archive footage)
Madeleine Stowe
plays Karen Carr in Unlawful Entry (archive footage)
Madeleine Marie Stowe Mora (born August 18, 1958) is an American actress. She appeared mostly on television before he...
See Madeleine Stowe's other roles →David Strathairn
plays Pierce Patchett in L.A. Confidential (archive footage)
An American film and television actor, best known for his portrayal of journalist Edward R. Murrow in the feature fil...
See David Strathairn's other roles →Gloria Swanson
plays Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd (archive footage)
William Talman
plays Dave Purvis in Armoured Car Robbery (archive footage)
Larenz Tate
plays Frankie Lymon in Why Do Fools Fall In Love (archive footage)
Larenz Tate (born September 8, 1975) is an American film and television actor. Tate was born on the west side of Chic...
See Larenz Tate's other roles →George Tobias
plays Al Doyle in Nobody Lives Forever (archive footage)
Lana Turner
plays Cora Smith in The Postman Always Rings Twice (archive footage)
Diane Venora
plays Justine in Heat (archive footage)
Diane Venora is an American stage, television and film actress. She graduated from the Juilliard School in 1977 and m...
See Diane Venora's other roles →John Vernon
plays Mal Reese in Point Blank (archive footage)
Craig Wasson
plays Jake Scully in Body Double (archive footage)
Keenen Ivory Wayans
plays Det. Jim Campbell in The Glimmer Man (archive footage)
Jack Webb
plays Sergeant Joe Friday in Dragnet (archive footage)
Raquel Welch
plays Michele in Flareup (archive footage)
An American actress and beauty icon, the statuesque Raquel Welch (September 5, 1940 – February 15, 2023) was one of t...
See Raquel Welch's other roles →James Whitmore
plays Lou Hopke in Shadow in The Sky (archive footage)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American ...
See James Whitmore's other roles →Cornel Wilde
plays Griff Marat in Shockproof (archive footage)
Mykelti Williamson
plays Det. Oliver Franklin in First Power (archive footage)
Jonathan Winters
plays Wilbur Glenworthy in The Loved Ones (archive footage)
Natalie Wood
plays Judy in Rebel Without A Cause (archive footage)
Jenny Wright
plays Diz in Out of Bounds (archive footage)
Burt Young
plays Curly in Chinatown (archive footage)
Darrell Zwerling
plays Hollis Mulwray in Chinatown (archive footage)
Kurt Russell
plays Snake Plissken in Escape From L.A. (archive footage)
Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the ...
See Kurt Russell's other roles →
Crew of Los Angeles Plays Itself
Discover the
backstage crew of Los Angeles Plays Itself →