Boy Meets World: 10 Guest Stars Fans Forgot Were On The Show

Boy Meets World was one of the best family-friendly sitcoms in the ’90s and early 2000s. The show’s main focus was on Cory Matthews, his family, and the highs and lows of growing up. Cory’s best friend Shawn and future wife Topanga are next to Cory’s side throughout the series, making them one of the most beloved trios in television history.

The sitcom lasted for seven seasons and put actors Ben Savage, Danielle Fischer, and Rider Strong on the map. However, there were also a bunch of famous faces that popped up in a few Boy Meets World episodes before they were big names. In fact, some of the famous faces are so young that it kept fans up at night until they realized where they’ve seen them before. From Hallmark actors to feature film superstars, the casting directors for Boy Meets World knew how to pick characters.

10 Candace Cameron Bure As Millie

Candace Cameron Bure is one of Hallmark’s best actresses. Although she’s been in projects outside of Hallmark (Full House, for example), she’s made a name for herself in the Hallmark movie fandom. But before she became one of Hallmark’s leading ladies, she was a guest star on Boy Meets World.

Candace was in the episode ‘The Witches of Pennbrook.’ She played a witch named Millie who was the love interest of Jack Hunter. On Halloween night, Millie planned on getting her way by kicking Eric out of the apartment so she could have her way with Jack. Eventually, he saw her true self and ended the relationship. Another popular witch at the time that made an appearance in this episode was Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina from Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

9 Fred Savage As Stuart

Ben Savage’s (who plays Cory) real-life brother and fellow actor, Fred Savage, played Stuart in season 6 of Boy Meets World. In the episode ‘ Everybody Loves Stuart,’ Stuart is seen as one of the coolest teachers at college, so it made sense that Cory, Shawn, and Topanga took a liking to him.

The show touched on a serious topic when Stuart made unwanted advances towards Topanga. The awkwardness grew once Cory heard about it and confronted Stuart. After this episode, Fred’s character never appeared again but it was unique to see both brothers on the same screen.

8 Mena Suvari As Laura & Hilary

Between 1995 and 1996, Mena Suvari (of American Beauty fame) had her first acting role in Boy Meets World. She played two different characters (Hilary and Laura) in the episodes ‘Danger Boy’ and ‘The Grass is Always Greener.’ Mena’s characters weren’t popular enough to come back to Boy Meets World but she made compelling short-term characters.

In ‘Danger Boy,’ Cory met Laura at Chubbies in passing as he’s deciding what to do about his feelings for Topanga. In season 2 as Hilary, she has a larger speaking role when she asked Cory and Shawn for their IDs to get into a party. She flirts with Cory when she thinks he’s the one and only Shawn Hunter.

7 Adam Scott As Griff

Parks and Recreation’s Adam Scott had a recurring role in Boy Meets World as one of John Adams High School’s bad boys, Griff. His time as Griff was one of Adam’s first acting gigs. In the series, John Adams High’s main bully, Harley, was shipped off to a prep school. To fill the void, Griff was added as his replacement.

Harley’s former lackeys, Frankie and Joey, looked up to Griff and tried pleasing him just as they did with Harley. Considering what a big name Adam Scott is now, it’s amazing looking back at one of his first acting roles.

6 Keri Russell As Jessica

Boy Meets World was Keri Russell’s first acting role in a TV series. These days Keri is known for her time in The Americans and Star Wars, but Boy Meets World fans will always remember her as Jessica.

Mr. Feeny is known for his great quotes but in the episode ‘Grandma Was a Rolling Stone,’ he was known as the teacher with the stunning niece named Jessica. Mr. Feeny asked Eric to spend time with his niece but when Eric suspected that she was boring like Mr. Feeny, he wrote them off. It wasn’t until he saw how beautiful Jessica was that he promised to spend time with her. Sadly, Jessica and Eric’s relationship didn’t go anywhere and she only made one appearance.

5 Nia Vardalos As A Waitress & Mrs. Gallagher

Nia Vardalos is most known for her time in My Big Fat Greek Wedding but she’s also been in DuckTales and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. In the early ’90s, however, Nia made two appearances on Boy Meets World as two different characters.

In ‘You’re Married, You’re Dead,’ Nia played a waitress at Chubbies. Her moment in the episode was short that she was actually uncredited at the time. However, she had a bigger role in ‘Can I Help to Cheer You’ as Mrs. Galagher. In the episode, Mrs. Galagher works at an adoption agency and told Eric that she found a home for Tommy — an orphan whom Eric loved like his own.

4 Brittany Murphy As Trini

Before actress Brittany Murphy passed away, she was attached to some of the best movies of the ’90s and 2000s, like Clueless, Riding in Cars with Boys, and  Uptown Girls. And before her movies, she was a part of Boy Meets World. 

Brittany played Trini, Topanga’s friend in the early seasons of Boy Meets World. Trini was energetic, talkative, and a tad annoying, but her character was humorous nonetheless. Regardless of how others felt about her, she was just happy to be there. The last episode she was in was ‘The Last Temptation of Cory.’

3 Shane West As Nick

A Walk to Remember’s Shane West had a brief scene in Boy Meets World as a classmate named Nick. In the third season, Cory and Topanga realized they were better off as friends and broke up. As likable as their characters were, they were too young to be so serious. But Cory didn’t realize how hard he took the breakup until he saw Topanga kissing another boy. The next day at school, Cory lost his cool when he saw Nick (West) flirt with Topanga at her locker. Cory jumped on his back and tried to separate the two out of jealousy. West’s time as Nick was brief but was obvious that he was a cooler, more laid-back character than Cory.

2 Marcia Cross As Rhiannon Lawrence

Marcia Cross is most known for her time as Bree Van De Kamp in Desperate Housewives, but before that fame, she made a brief cameo in Boy Meets World as Topanga’s mom. A few fans don’t know that Topanga had a few different actresses portray her mom over the years, but Marcia was one of the more notable since she was around during Topanga’s older years. The last episode Marcia was in was ‘It’s About Time,’ Cory and Topanga’s wedding episode.

1 Peter Tork, Michael McKean, And Mark Harelik

Topanga didn’t just have different actresses portray her mom, she also had three different well-known actors play her dad, Jedediah Lawrence. In the early seasons, Peter Tork (from the beloved band The Monkees) played Topanga’s dad. He was earthy and musically inclined — someone who was in tune with himself. Oddly, in 1999’s episode ‘State of the Unions,’ Jedediah was played by famed actor Michael McKean. McKean only made one appearance as Topanga’s dad and it was when he was considering leaving Topanga’s mom. The next famous actor to play Topanga’s dad was Mark Harelik. Harelik was in three episodes and was the last actor shown as Jedediah Lawrence in one of the best episodes, Cory and Topanga’s wedding episode.

About The Author

Lynn Gibbs
(1645 Articles Published)

Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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