He’s an Oscar winner and one of Hollywood’s leading men, who counts Barack Obama and Harry and Meghan among his pals.
Now, George Clooney can add a Warburtons advert appearance to his CV.
The A-list star of films including Ocean’s Eleven, Gravity and Michael Clayton is the latest in a series of celebs to appear in a commercial for the British bakery brand.
In the new advert, which will air for the first time on ITV on 8 May, he is seen trying to get in touch with bakery boss Jonathan Warburton to pitch an idea. Unfortunately, his call comes at snack time – and toast comes first.
The fee paid to Clooney was donated to the Clooney Foundation For Justice, founded by the actor and his wife, Amal, an international human rights lawyer.
And of course, he’s not the first Hollywood star to front an ad campaign…
Robert De Niro swapped Hollywood for Lancashire to embrace his love of bagels
Clooney follows in the footsteps of one of the most acclaimed actors in the world by teaming up with Warburtons.
In 2019, two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro, famed for his roles in Goodfellas, Raging Bull and the Godfather Part II, added the bakery firm to his list of credits with a commercial for bagels.
Playing an amalgam of his famous gangster parts, the star and accomplices could be seen tying up security guards and relabelling products as “GoodBagels”.
And it’s not just bread De Niro is a fan of – he’s also appeared in ads for Kia and Santander.
Risin’ up: Sylvester Stallone uses his loaf. Pic: AP
Sticking with Warburtons (other bread brands are available), Sylvester Stallone was also the unlikely face of the loaves back in 2015.
In the ad, Stallone called Mr Warburton to pitch his idea for a film, starring himself as a tough delivery driver who will do whatever it takes to make sure their products are delivered on time.
Of course, the Bolton set movie features a Rocky-style steps run, soundtracked by Eye Of The Tiger.
Presumably Stallone, De Niro and Clooney are now dab hands at making sandwiches.
Hungry Dogg’s gotta eat. Pic: Just Eat/YouTube
Did somebody say… Just Eat?
Rapper Snoop Dogg has appeared in several adverts, including for Money Supermarket, but is now best known in the product-flogging world as the face and voice of food order and delivery service Just Eat.
He reportedly banked millions for the deal, but the partnership worked well for the company, too, with sales soaring as people had to stay at home during the pandemic – the rapper persuading thousands of us to order “oodles of noodles” and “chicken wings to the crib”.
If anyone can convince us to get a Gregg’s dropped at the door, it’s Snoop.
Kim Cattrall gets in bed with Mario. Pic: Nintendo/Shutterstock
Kim Cattrall
In 2020, an old advert for Nintendo featuring Sex And The City star Kim Cattrall resurfaced and went viral.
Famed for playing man-eater Samantha Jones in the series, the 2012 commercial for Super Mario 3D sees Cattrall seeking the company of the world’s most famous plumber.
“There are many men in my life, but for a few minutes – or a few hours – I’ll always find time for Mario,” she says, popping him in her bag.
Apparently he’s a fan of dressing up, too.
Kevin Bacon has starred in EE ads for years. Pic: EE/YouTube
The actor, best known for films including Footloose, Hollow Man and Mystic River, has been an ambassador for British mobile network EE for almost 10 years now.
In 2020, Bacon could be seen getting misty-eyed over a new iPhone.
At the beginning of 2021, he partnered with the brand to release a message to teachers, offering free unlimited data to those most in need while schools were closed during pandemic lockdowns and children were learning from home.
Jeff Bridges became a human bridge for beer. Pic: Heineken/ Amstel
When Dutch beer brand Amstel settled on a campaign set in Amsterdam, with the theme of bridges connecting people, they needed a suitably famous star with warmth, gravitas, and the surname Bridges.
Fortunately, they got the top Bridges, who brought The Dude’s charisma to proceedings for the 2019 ad.
The star was no stranger to flogging beer, having appeared in a commercial for Stella Artois during the Super Bowl just months before his turn as an actual bridge.
Starring alongside Sarah Jessica Parker as her Sex And The City character Carrie Bradshaw, Bridges reprised The Big Lebowski’s The Dude for the Stella film; both characters swapped their favourite beverages – a Cosmopolitan and a White Russian, respectively – for a pint.
Harvey Keitel reprised his Pulp Fiction Character, Winston Wolfe, to sell insurance. Pic: Linda R Chen/Miramax/Buena Vista/Kobal/Shutterstock
Harvey Keitel
Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction… and Direct Line.
Harvey Keitel, or rather his gangster/ fixer Pulp Fiction character Winston Wolfe, was the face of the insurance brand for several years.
However, in 2020, the Wolf found himself up for retirement, replaced by RoboCop, Transformers’ Bumblebee, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Donatello.
Say hello to my superfast broadband. Pic: Sky/YouTube
Another Oscar winner and one of the world’s most revered actors, Al Pacino is also no stranger to the commercial world.
In 2013, he appeared in an ad for Sky Fibre Broadband, standing atop a grand piano and hitting golf balls around an impressive pad, as IT experts check out his computer, which is on a go-slow.
Pacino is in good company, with Samuel L Jackson having also appeared in a Sky ad, and Idris Elba a face of the brand.
