Brown's flamboyant style made him so well known as the consummate politician that when an actor playing a party politician in 1990's "The Godfather Part III" did not understand director Francis Ford Coppola's instruction to model his character after Brown, Coppola fired the actor and hired Brown himself to play the role. Brown later appeared in 2000's "Just One Night" as a judge. He also played himself in two Disney films, "George of the Jungle" and "The Princess Diaries", and in the 2003 film "Hulk" as the mayor of San Francisco. He appeared as himself, alongside Geraldo Rivera, in an episode of "Nash Bridges". He also made a cameo appearance in the 1984 Jefferson Starship music video "Layin' It on the Line" (depicting a futuristic 1988 presidential campaign).