Seeing These Celebs Clean Shaven Proves That Beards and Mustaches Can Really Change a Face

To beard or not to beard…? That is the question that many famous celebrities ask themselves on a regular basis. After all, facial hair can completely change the way you look, and it can completely change the way people see them. So, some celebs opt to warm their faces in the winter, while others choose to add a ‘stache to their chops.

From Hulk Hogan to David Letterman and Tom Selleck, these celebrities are known for their facial hair. They’ve rocked beards and mustaches for decades, and it seems impossible to imagine them without their fluffy additions. But now we don’t have to imagine anything. From digging through the depths of the internet, we’ve found what these celebrities look like without their famous facial hair.

Jason Momoa

When you think of Jason Momoa, you think of Khal Drogo, you think of Aquaman, and you think of his long locks and bushy beard. His hair has become a huge part of his Hollywood identity over the years, and it’s fair to say that the Game of Thrones actor has embraced all different looks. He’s had dreadlocks, he’s had short hair, he’s had blond hair, and he’s even shaved off his iconic beard…

While Jason has sported his beard for much of his career, he decided to shave the whole thing off in 2019 for the sake of the environment. Yes, he broke the internet when he filmed himself shaving off his beard – but he did it for a good cause. As he turned on the clippers, he encouraged his followers to ditch single-use plastic in favor of recyclable aluminum cans.

Chris Pine

From characters such as James T. Kirk to Steve Trevor and Lord Devereaux, Chris Pine has spent much of his career playing devilishly handsome characters who are all clean-shaven. This allowed him to show off his chiseled jaw and draw attention to his eyes – but then this all changed when he was tasked with growing a thick beard for his role in Outlaw King.

Since growing out his beard, Chris has been praised for letting his grey hair show instead of covering it up with beard dye. And it seems as though the bearded lifestyle suits this actor just fine. When asked about his beard growth, he noted that “I guess it’s like, equal parts laziness and equal parts something I may do in the future.” He also joked that “This is my Gregg Allman ’70s look.”

Henry Cavill

Although English actor Henry Cavill has a whole host of acting credits to his name, there’s no doubt about the fact that one character stands out more than most; Superman. And while his clean-shaven face lent itself well to playing Clark Kent, there came a problem in 2017 when Cavill was not only filming reshoots for Justice League, but he was also filming Mission: Impossible – Fallout at the same time.

Cavill had to grow a rather fetching mustache for his role in Mission: Impossible, but as we know, Clark Kent doesn’t have a mustache. Because Cavill didn’t have enough time to shave off his ‘tache and then grow it back, the team behind Justice League instead had to remove his mustache with the use of CGI. And if you look closely, you can tell.

John Krasinski

He’s a talented actor, his comedic timing is impeccable, and he’s since dipped his toe into the world of filmmaking. Yep, John Krasinski really does have it all going on – but he’s also undergone a huge change over the years. During his nine-season run as Jim Halpert in The Office, he was as clean-shaven as they come. Then, he decided to go rogue.

Krasinski embraced some impressive facial hair during his post-Office career, and this really came to a head in 2018 when he co-wrote, directed, and starred in the horror movie A Quiet Place. The filmmaker donned a giant beard for this role, and it seems as though it’s stuck. He’s ditched his razor, and opted for tidy-up trims instead.

Drake

Drake started out his career as an actor on the Canadian teen drama show, Degrassi: The Next Generation. And while he rocked the clean-shaven look back then, he decided to mix things up when his career changed course. When he became a rapper, he grew out a beard and his facial hair almost became as famous as his music.

Although Drake tried to mix things up in 2016, his fans weren’t impressed. He appeared clean-shaven during an episode segment of Saturday Night Live, and it’s safe to say that those at home didn’t appreciate this change. One fan angrily wrote on Twitter, “Who tf gave Drake permission to shave his beard???”

Kristofer Hivju

With his ginger beard, his ginger hair, his stocky build and his gruff voice, Kristofer Hivju is a viking through and through. The Norweigan actor is best known for his roles as Tormund Giantsbane in Game of Thrones and Connor Rhodes in The Fate of the Furious, and his beard has become a huge part of his acting personality. But now we can’t un-see what he looks like without it.

Although Hivju doesn’t plan on giving up his beard anytime soon, this picture of a young Kristofer proves that he does, in fact, have a chin under all of that ginger hair. And while fans appreciated seeing his strong jaw and his rosy cheeks, they’re very glad that he’s continued to keep his beard game on point. He even has his own YouTube channel where he posts beard care, tips, and tutorials!

Jeff Bridges

Anyone who knows Jeff Bridges will know that he’s mostly famous for his impeccable role in The Big Lebowski. It was this role that really introduced the beard life to him – and it seems as though he got hooked. Since then he has sported his signature look; long slicked back hair and a bushy beard. Until 2016, that is.

Although Jeff has often changed the shape and the length of his big beard, he shocked everyone in May 2016 when he walked down the red carpet completely clean-shaven. However, it took fans a little while to realize that it was actually him, as he looked like a completely different man.

David Letterman

We’re pretty used to seeing David Letterman on our television screens. The former late-night talk show host dominated our screens for decades, eventually becoming the longest-serving late-night talk show host in American television history. But if you kept an eye on this man after his show came to an end in 2015, you might have realized some serious new facial hair.

Yep, after leaving his late night talk show behind Letterman decided that he wanted to add a beard onto his face – and that’s exactly what he did. He noted that “I used to say, every day, ‘I am so sick and tired of shaving.’ I had to shave every day, every day, for 33 years. And even before that when I was working on local TV. And I just thought, ‘The first thing I will do when I am not on TV is stop shaving.”

Zach Galifianakis

Zach Galifianakis has been in the comedy game for decades, and everyone loves him for his dark humor, his silly jokes, and his long hair and beard combo. After all, he seems to have sported this look ever since his breakthrough role in The Hangover. But every so often he’s surprised us by whipping out his clippers and taking his razor for a ride.

It’s safe to say that Zach looks pretty different without his beard, especially when he still has his long locks. Fans weren’t sure of this shaven look either, with one writing on Twitter that “Zach Galifianakis without his beard is not Zach Galifianakis.” In recent months he seems to have reverted back to the beard life.

Jon Hamm

Mad Men fans will know that Jon Hamm is Don Draper. Whether he’s acting or not, Jon Hamm completely transformed himself into his character for that show – and he even kept himself clean-shaven to play the advertising mogul. But when the show came to an end, he decided to mix things up and step away from the razor.

Today, Jon’s rocking some cheeky stubble that seems to have transformed him from a suit-wearing executive to a hipster Hollywood icon. And he seems to love the change he can see in himself. When asked why he decided to grow out his beard, his answer was simple “I love not shaving.”

Jared Leto

You probably don’t need us to tell you that Jared Leto is somewhat of a chameleon. One second he’s starring in one of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of all time, and then the next he’s heading onto the stage to perform with his band 30 Seconds to Mars. He can turn his hand to anything, which is why it probably won’t surprise you to learn that Jared has sported some very different looks over the years.

While Jared has shaved his beard for countless movie roles, it does seem as though the long-haired and bearded musician look is his favorite. That’s why it’s such a shock when we see his face again after so long. With a beard, he looks like a rugged hipster. Without his beard, he looks like a baby-faced artiste.

David Harbour

Actors constantly change their looks for their work. Some actors gain weight to play a certain character. Some actors lose weight. Others wear prosthetics. And some chop and change their hair. This has been the case for David Harbour on many occasions, which is why we know him as both a bearded and beardless legend.

David first decided to go full hog when it came to his beard in late 2018, when Stranger Things 3 wrapped. And while many fans thought that he was growing his beard for the next season, he later confirmed that he actually grew it out for his role in Black Widow. Since then, David Harbour has chopped and changed his beard depending on his movie role. Now that’s commitment.

Tom Selleck

While Tom Selleck is known for his roles in television shows like Magnum P.I., Blue Bloods, and Friends, it’s fair to say that this actor is pretty famous. But what you might not realize is that his ‘stache is just as famous. In fact, Tom Selleck’s mustache has its very own Facebook page – and at the time of writing, it has almost 39,000 likes!

According to the American Mustache Institute, Selleck has a ‘Chevron’ style lip warmer, and it’s become a huge part of his fame, his fortune, and his identity as a whole. And when the creator of Blue Bloods asked CBS to get Selleck to shave his ‘tache for the role, the network outright refused. He’s only shaved a few times on his own terms, and he looked like a completely different person.

Kit Harington

When Kit Harington was just 22 years old, he was cast in a role that would change his life. But becoming Jon Snow in Game of Thrones did pose the youngster with a problem; as showrunners wanted Jon to have a beard, and Kit had never grown one before. In the end, the makeup team had to draw on and fill in the fluff that he attempted to grow.

Snow remembers growing his beard, stating that “I’d never tried before, and I grew this thing, and it changed me. I felt like a man … a young man.” It also seems to have changed his thinking about facial hair altogether, as now Kit is known for sporting a beard all the time. We guess he’s able to grow a little more now that he’s older.

Conchita Wurst

Conchita Wurst is the stage persona of Austrian singer, Thomas Neuwirth – and it’s fair to say that he’s made his mark on the entertainment world. Conchita won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 and rose to fame thanks to her voice… but also her unusual look. In order to become Conchita, Tom donned a long wig and decided not to shave his beard.

While Conchita took everyone by surprise, she also became hugely popular, with fans falling in love with her unusual look. However, this isn’t what Tom always looked like. Before he became Conchita, Tom appeared on the 2007 casting show Starmania, where he showed off his clean-shaven baby face.

Nick Offerman

Although this man is called Nick Offerman, we can’t help but call him Ron Swanson. Known for his epic role on Parks and Recreation, Nick sported an incredible mustache for the show. So, it was pretty surprising to learn that Nick didn’t have one outside of the show. But it does seem as though his foray into facial hair did give him inspiration…

For many years now, Nick has opted to ditch a clean-shaven face for a big bushy beard instead. As a man who doesn’t believe in ‘manscaping’ or spending too much time on his appearance, he has confessed that an “untamed beard has been an inspiration to me because everyone’s whiskers are a little different.” That’s certainly what he has, and it seems to suit him perfectly.

Charlie Chaplin

While the era of silent films is long gone, Charlie Chaplin’s legacy still lives on. He’s considered to be one of the most famous comedians of all time, and fans still remember him as ‘The Tramp.’ But, of course, you can’t remember Charlie Chaplin without his iconic mustache – which is why the picture on the left is so strange to us.

Called a ‘toothbrush mustache,’ Charlie Chaplin sported this facial hair, where both sides of his ‘tache were vertical. He chose to wear this because it was small enough to hide his expression without being too normal. But what you might not have realized is that this wasn’t a real mustache. He didn’t grow it; he simply stuck it on.

Billy Gibbons

Fans of the band ZZ Top will know that 2 out of the 3 bandmembers have some pretty epic facial hair. They’ve sported this look since the late 1970s, and Billy Gibbons is especially proud of the beard he’s sprouted over the years. But you might not realize that this look was a complete accident. He never intentionally grew a beard, he just forgot to shave…

Since then, however, Billy has grown attached to his long and luscious face locks. He was even offered $1 million to shave his beard at one point in his career, but he refused, stating that “Even adjusted for inflation, this isn’t going to fly. The prospect of seeing oneself in the mirror clean-shaven is too close to a Vincent Price film…a prospect not to be contemplated, no matter the compensation.”

Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan has a mustache. But you probably don’t need us to tell you that. After all, Hulk Hogan and his mustache go together like peanut butter and jam – and it’s a huge part of him. The former professional wrestler has rocked this handlebar mustache for decades, both inside the ring and outside of it. That’s why it’s so weird to see him without it.

Although Hulk has recently decided to start experimenting with a full beard, there was a time when Hulk ditched his mustache altogether… and it was strange. He looked like a completely different man and didn’t look like the Hulk Hogan we all know and love. So, let’s hope he decides to keep his ‘tache a little longer.

Joaquin Phoenix

If you know anything about Joaquin Phoenix, you’ll know that this guy takes his career very seriously. As a method actor through and through, Joaquin transforms himself into his characters even when he’s not in front of the cameras – and this has led him to change his appearance on countless occasions. He’s had long hair, he’s had short hair, he’s had a beard, and he’s been clean-shaven.

In recent years, though, Joaquin seems to have grown fond of the fluff on his face. While he used to sport a clean-shaven look, he’s since embraced the beard life and even allowed his grey flecks to shine through. Fans believe it makes him look older and more mature, and they seem to prefer it to his clean-shaven look.

Kurt Russell

Kurt Russell has been in the limelight for decades, and fans have fallen in love with his acting skills. They’ve also fallen in love with his hair, which is still luscious and curly even though he’s now well into his seventh decade on earth. And while he’s opted for a clean-shaven look for most of his life, a new role in 2018 pushed him in the direction of some serious facial hair.

In 2018, Russell starred in The Christmas Chronicles, where he starred as the one and only Saint Nick. And, of course, Santa wouldn’t be Santa without his big, bushy beard. For this role, Russell’s beard was “like 80 percent” real, while he rest was filled in by the makeup department. When filming came to an end, Russell decided to keep some of his new face ‘do.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry has always been recognizable by his red hair and his rebellious personality, and while he spent his younger years sporting a clean-shaven look, he seems to be well into the beard life now. He started growing his beard back in 2013 – but he actually had to get special permission from Queen Elizabeth II to grow it. After all, military personnel aren’t allowed to grow a beard.

Ever since his grandma signed off on his facial hair, Harry has kept his beard in check. And while he’s never really let it grow out, he’s stayed on top of keeping neat and tidy. He even had a beard for his wedding, so we don’t think we’ll be seeing him clean-shaven like the picture on the left for a long while.

Mandy Patinkin

While you may know him for his iconic role in The Princess Bride, Mandy Patinkin is so much more than just Inigo Montoya. He’s an actor on the stage and the screen, he’s a singer, and most importantly he’s an excellent facial hair grower. Not only did he grow an impeccable mustache for his role as Inigo, but he also sported a giant beard for his role in Homeland.

However, it seems as though Mandy has a love-hate relationship with his beard – and when he finished filming Homeland in 2015 he decided to shave it off. He confessed that “I shaved it the minute I finished the last shot! I felt like I was taking off a Mickey Mouse mask…I also felt 20 years younger, so that was nice.”

Eddie Murphy

Legendary comedian Eddie Murphy isn’t just known for his funny jokes and his hilarious acting skills. His mustache is also the envy of many men around the world, as it’s perfectly shaped, groomed, and proportionate to his face. In fact, he has a ‘tache and a tiny goatie – and it suits him well. In fact, we had no idea what he would look like without them.

So, it might surprise you to learn that there was a time when Eddie decided to ditch the ‘stache in favor of a clean-shaven look. There’s only one photo of this strange time in his life, so we can only assume that he didn’t like feeling the breeze on his top lip. Ever since then, he’s kept his ‘stache firmly where it belongs.

David Beckham

If you’ve seen David Beckham at all in the last few years, you’ll be familiar with him and his manly beard. He usually wears it longer than a 5 o’clock shadow but not so long that he can plait it or tie it up. In fact, he’s been with a beard so long that we almost forgot he first rose to fame with almost no facial hair whatsoever.

But we did say almost no facial hair. Very early on in his football career, young David Beckham did indeed sport a clean-shaven look. But once he started dating posh spice Victoria, he started to get a little more experimental with goatees, Egyptian goatees, and circle beards. To each their own!

Jamie Foxx

Actor Jamie Foxx is probably more familiar to his audience when he totally clean-shaven, but the truth is, he’s been known to rock a beard from time to time throughout his life. Whatever it is that he chooses to sport on his face, it completely changes his appearance if you ask us. Especially when he pairs it with a beanie hat.

On the left, we can see the actor has just the thinest pencil mustache, whereas on the right, he just totally lets it all grow out. Honestly, the photo on the right is the least shaped version of his beardy look that we’ve ever seen – oftentimes, he takes to shaving unusual designs into his face fuzz.

Leonardo DiCaprio

There used to be a period in actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s life when it was impossible for fans to imagine him growing a little facial hair. When he starred in movies like Romeo + Juliet and Titanic back in the nineties, he looked so young and innocent that it was impossible to imagine him growing a thick, gruff beard.

But now, DiCaprio is 48 years and certainly doesn’t have the same innocent look that the did twenty to thirty years ago. We think that when he wears a beard these days, it especially brings out his Italian roots. Particularly when he also pairs face fizz with a long, slicked-back ponytail.

Idris Elba

Actor Idris Elba has got to have one of the most charismatic faces in Hollywood today. And that stands whether or not he chooses to grow out his beard or not. These days, he usually sports some sort of facial hair, whether it’s stubble, a full beard, or a mustache and goatee. Annoyingly, all of those styles look good on him.

Despite usually sporting some sort of hair on his face, he never lets it get past a certain length, and he always keeps his facial fuzz well-groomed. Except for certain movie roles that might require it, Elba rarely lets his beard get longer than 1cm, which only makes us feel more curious as to how he’d look with a long beard instead.

Ryan Gosling

Who can forget when actor Ryan Gosling’s character in The Notebook went from being totally clean-shaven to a grisly full beard? It happened in the period of time when he and Allie Hamilton, AKA actress Rachel McAdams, weren’t speaking anymore, which was meant to signify how much time had passed since they had last seen one another.

He doesn’t usually walk around without some stubble or a 5 o’clock shadow, but at the same time, he doesn’t tend to sport a full beard in his day-to-day life. To be fair, it looks as though his beard grows out a little patchy, and perhaps Gosling just can’t be bothered with all of that.

Christian Bale

To look at actor Christian Bale, you wouldn’t think that his natural beard color is reddish. He has a full head of dark brown hair, and his eyebrows match. But once he lets his facial hair grow all the way out, we can see that he actually a natural ginger. At least when it comes to his beard.

In some photos of Bale with a beard, his facial hair may appear a lot darker. But don’t let that fool you – the chances are that he’s dyeing his beard a slightly deeper brunette to better match the hair on top of his head. Regardless, we think that sporting a soup strainer really does suit him quite well.

Brad Pitt

Actor Brad Pitt rarely used to wear his beard long, at least, that was the case when he was young. He would often grow a little goatee, horseshoe, or circle beard. but as time has gone on, the Ocean’s Eleven actor has gotten a lot more daring and unusual when it comes to his face fuzz.

In the last few years, we’ve seen the actor sport some crazy beard style. As well as a full beard, we’ve seen him rock the french fork, the garibaldi, and even a balbo bembo. If you don’t know what all of those styles are, let’s just say they’re on the more experimental side of facial hair design.

Colin Farrell

It seems as though actor Colin Farrell often likes to shave his face entirely, sometimes leaving only a 5 o’clock shadow if that. But there are, and have been, moments when he’s ventured out into facial hair experimentation, but it rarely gets too crazy. Usually, if he grows his beard out, he styles it into a little goatee.

But there have been times when he’s grown out a full beard, and a long one too. And if you’ve seen him starring as a whale harpooner in the Arctic drama The North Water, you’ll have seen him with a very bushy beard. In that show, however, we think he should have reached for the trimmers.

Zac Efron

When Zac Efron first rose to fame, there was not a single hair to be seen on his face. But that’s mainly because he was starring as a teenage student in High School Musical. Since he’s grown up, he’s definitely experimented with having a little facial hair, with some attempts being arguably more successful than others.

Most recently, Efron has been in the news for changing up a few other aspects of his physical appearance. He’s been accused of going under the knife since he stepped out with decidedly different facial features towards the end of summer 2022. He claims that he had to get some work done after suffering from injury, but others aren’t so sure.

Jamie Dornan

The version of actor Jamie Dornan that we saw on Fifty Shades of Gray didn’t have a beard. But growing out his face fuzz has been one surefire way for him to look less like the celebrity we all know him as and to better blend into the crowd. Sometimes famous people want the ability to be anonymous and just go about their day like anyone else.

But when you combine the version of Dornan that has a beard with the version of Dornan that has an almost shaved head, we have to say that he looks entirely different from the Christian Grey we came to know and love in the 50 Shades franchise. Looking at these photos side-by-side, it’s like he slid the hair on his head onto his face instead.