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Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist who died early Wednesday morning at the age of 76, is a name known well beyond the world's science labs and universities. Children, athletes, stay-at-home parents all across the world know Hawking because he was more than just an award-winning scientist—he was also a beloved figure in the entertainment world.

Hawking's wheelchair and his voice synthesizer made him instantly recognizable, and therefore a prime candidate for cameos.

Here are Hawking's best appearances in popular culture over the years.

1. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993)

Hawking's first TV cameo was on Season 6 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in "Descent," the episode where the android Data (Brent Spiner) feels his first human emotion.

The episode features a great scene in which Data plays poker with some of the greatest scientific minds in history: Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and, yes, Stephen Hawking, played by himself. Hawking was a longt