Some of the faces on TV and the big screen are veterans, legends, and household names — and for good reason. They’ve been acting for decades, carving out reputations that their greying hair and mature features testify to.
Names like the multi-genre Meryl Streep, funnyman Steve Martin, and the deep, resonant authority of Morgan Freeman come to mind.
It may sound redundant to say they were once young, because, hello, everyone and everything was once young or younger. But how many of us have actually taken a moment to think about these icons when they were still spring chickens?
And so, we’ve composed a list of 34 icons who, in their 20s, looked nothing like they do today.
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#1 Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren's acting career spans six decades.
She was born in London, England (1945) and is known for her diverse portfolio of roles, including (more recently) that of Magdalene Shaw, the felonious mother of Deckard, Owen, and Hattie Shaw in The Fate of the Furious, Hobbs & Shaw, F9, and Fast X of the Fast and Furious Universe.
Her career started at 20 when she starred in the stage play Antony and Cleopatra at the famous Old Vic in Waterloo.
This performance won her work at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she filled the roles of Lady Macbeth and Miss Julie.
Mirren also acted in films Calendar Girls (2003, 2004) The Queen (2006), Red (2010), Hitchcock (2012), Red 2 (2013) The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014), Woman in Gold, Trumbo, Eye in the Sky (2015), and The Long Good Friday (2018), among others.
She won BAFTA Awards (1992, 1993, 1994 and 2007) and was honored with a fellowship from the same associations in 2014, a US Academy Award (2007) for “Actress in a Leading Role,” and four Emmys (1996, 1999, 2007, 2006), for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie/Special,” per IMDb.
She was awarded three Golden Globe Awards (1997, 2007) for “Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama” and in “a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.”
Mirren also scooped an Oliver (2013)–Internationally recognized as the highest honor for British theatre–and a Tony Award (2015) for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play,” per Tony Awards.
The 79-year-old claims she has never gotten plastic surgery, opting instead for–as a recent PR resource quoted–“common sense,” by not smoking or drinking and doing moderate exercises.
© Photo: David Farrell/Getty Images
#2 Sally Field
Sally Field was born in California (1946) and began acting in lighthearted roles at the age of 19.
A photo from the same year captured her with future husband Steven Craig, whom she married in 1968.
The couple had two sons before divorcing in 1975.
Two years before the separation, she enrolled at the Actors Studio in New York City which allowed her to graduate from sitcom to strong, dramatic, and matriarchal roles.
Now 73, Field has starred in over 30 films, including Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Norma Rae (1979): Places in the Heart (1984), Steel Magnolias (1989), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Forrest Gump (1994), Lincoln (2012), and Spider Man (2014) among others.
She earned two "Best Actress" Academy Awards and as many Golden Globes in 1980 and 1985 for her roles in Norma Rae and Places in the Heart and three Primetime Emmys for “Outstanding Lead/Guest Actress in a Limited/Drama Series or Movie" (1977, 2001, 2007).
In 2009, she scooped a Screen Actors Guild for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble” for her contributions to Brothers & Sisters and a “Life Achievement Award” in 2023.
Other accolades include having her star inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2014), receiving an honor at the Kennedy Center (2019), a National Medal of Arts (2014), a New York Film Critics prize for "Best Supporting Actress" for in Lincoln, a Cannes Film Festival Award for "Best Actress" and her induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2012), per SAG Awards.
Speaking at the Simmons Leadership Conference in Boston in 2015, Field, recalled how she dreamed starring in films and how her agent at the time discouraged her, claiming she wasn’t “pretty enough.”
She fired him.
© Photo: Art Zelin/Getty Images
#3 Jane Fonda
Jane Seymour Fonda was born in December 1937 and started off as a model before moving to drama.
She is also a writer and advocate for peace, civil, women's, indigenous, and LGBTQ+ rights, and is known for participating in environmental protests.
Fonda's claim to fame was the 1971 movies Klute and Coming Home.
She also acted in the films Barbarella (1968), They Shoot Horses, Don’t They (1969), Julia (1977), Nine to Five (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Monster in Law (2005), Book Club (2018) and the series Grace and Frankie which ran from 2015 and 2022, among others.
She won two Academys (1972, 1979) for "Best Actress in A Leading Role" in Klute (she also won a Golden Globe for this) and Coming Home.
Fonda won two "Best Actress" BAFTAs (1979,1980) for the movies Julia and China Syndrome, and a third in 2019.
She was unable to accept her most recent BAFTA, as at the time, she was in police custody for what authorities deemed an "unlawful protest" in Washington.
The 87-year-old was also awarded Golden Globes in 1962 for "Most Promising Newcomer" then again in 1972, 1973, 1978 1979, and 1980 for "World Film Favorites" and "Best Female Actress".
In 1984, she received recognition for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special, per IMDb.
In 2014, she earned three Lifetime Achievement Awards, including the AFI (the American Film Institute's highest honor) and Honorary Golden Lion and Palm d’Ór at the Venice and Cannes film festivals, respectively.
In 1978, she established a fitness empire and released more than 20 exercise videos between 1982 and 1995.
She was photographed on a New York sidewalk at the age of 22 (1960) in an oversized coat hauling luggage, and later in the same getup posing for a photo with her father, Henry.
The bimonthly critique Film Comment described the actress as being “baby-faced and rail-thin” at the time.
© Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images
#4 Sophia Loren
Born Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone, Loren is an Italian actress known for her beauty and provocative screen roles.
She started acting in her 20s and became popular in both Hollywood and her native Italy.
She made her breakthrough with The Gold of Naples (1954) and Too Bad She's Bad (1954) on the Italian scene, which were followed by hits like The Pride and the Passion (1957) and Houseboat (1958).
Then came the critically acclaimed Two Women (1960), Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (1963), and Marriage Italian Style (1964).
Other roles include El Cid (1961), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Sunflower (1970), The Voyage (1974), A Special Day (1977), and The Life Ahead (2020), among others.
She made history in 1961 when she became the first actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress for a non English role in Two Women.
Loren has scooped five Golden Globes (1964, 1965, 1969, 1977, 1995), a BAFTA (1962) for best foreign actress, a Grammy (2004), and seven David di Donatello Awards (“Italy's answer to the Oscars”).
Other accolades include the Volpi Cup and Best Actress Awards at the Venice and Cannes Film Festivals respectively.
Her sensuous looks were all the rage at the time, but a faction of Gen Z is not convinced.
One commenter captured the sentiment when they remarked:
“She’s definitely attractive,” but argued that she didn’t quite measure up to contemporaries such as Grace Kelly, Julie Christie, Rita Hayworth, Maureen O’Hara, and Ursula Andress.
Lauren celebrated her 90th birthday on September 20, 2024, in her home city, Rome.
© Photo: Donaldson Collection/Getty Images
#5 Christopher Walken
If ever there were ever an actor who captures enigmatic villain roles naturally, it’s Christopher Walken.
He was born in March 1943 and had an unusual start to his working life. In a 2015 interview with IndieWire, he claimed to have worked as a lion tamer at just 15 years old.
He also admitted that while acting did come easily to him, at the age of 22, he found himself struggling to memorize lines.
Be that as it may, he appeared in over 100 films and television shows, including in his role opposite Meryl Streep in The Deer Hunter (1978), for which he earned an Academy Award for “Best Supporting Actor.”
His most famous film credits include Annie Hall (1977), Brainstorm (1983), Biloxi Blues (1988) King of New York (1990), True Romance (1993), Batman Returns (1992), Last Man Standing (1996), and among others, Sleepy Hollow (1999).
Not to be forgotten is Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), where he acted alongside high-grossers like Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, and John Travolta.
For his life's contributions the 82-year-old he won a “Lifetime Achievement Award” in Italy’s Sardegna Film Festival (2023), “Best Grown Up Love Story” which he shared with John Travolta (2008), a Spike Video Game Award for “Best Supporting Male Performance” (2005), and MTV award for “Best Choreography in a Video” (2001) for his role in a Fat Boy Slim single.
In 2012, the actor scooped an award from the Woman’s Film Critics Circle for “Best Line in a Movie.” In 2022 he was recognized for his acting by the Online Film and Television Association and inducted to their wall of fame.
Other accolades include him being recognized for roles in horror movies (Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, 1996), and at the Shanghai, Malaga, Las Vegas, Montreal and Palm Springs International Film Festivals, among others (per IMDb)
© Photo: officialchristopherwalken
#6 Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is synonymous with some of the big screen’s most legendary installments, including Star Wars (1977, 1980, 1983, 2015, and 2019) and Indiana Jones (1981, 1984, 1989, 2008, and 2023).
Other credits also include Blade Runner(1982), Witness(1985), The Fugitive(1993), and the series The Shrinking (2023), among others.
But acting was not Ford’s first port of call. According to a web archive, he dropped out of college in Wisconsin at the age of 20, where he was studying English and philosophy in favor of becoming a self-taught carpenter.
It was while he was installing a door at thee Francis Ford Coppola’s (regarded in some circles as one of the best filmmakers of all time, per Forbes) house that his acting career ignited.
Throughout his acting career he won 49 awards including "Best Actor" from Germany's Bravo Otto (1984), Kansas City Film Circle Awards (1985), and two Saturn Awards (2016, 2024).
Among others, Ford scooped up seven "Lifetime Achievement Awards" between 2006 and 2024, and in 2016, he was recognized by Guinness Worlds Records as the "Highest Grossing Actor of All Time."
Photographs of the man, now 82, reveal a face still familiar; aged, but unmistakably his.
© Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images
#7 Ian Mckellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, thanks to being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 at the age of 52.
He was born in 1939 and began acting at 22 after earning his bachelor’s degree St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, in 1961.
Thanks to his role in the English Director Tyrone Guthrie’s stage drama, Coriolanus, at the Nottingham Playhouse, he had already begun making a name for himself by the age of 24.
Young McKellen’s dark hair, angular features, and penetrating gaze exuded a timeless quality that fans perceived as the look of someone who had lived two or three lifetimes.
He feature in the films: Macbeth (1979), Gods and Monsters (1998) The Da Vinci Code (2006), King Lear (2008), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), and X-Men (2000), Mr. Holmes (2015), Beauty and The Beast (2017), and The Good Liar (2019) among others.
© Photo: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/Getty Images
#8 Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood operated in a league of his own with a unique charm—something that came through most vividly during his encounter with the late firebrand journalist Barbara Walters.
Known for dismantling Hollywood heavyweights and world leaders alike, Walters likely thought she’d flay him just the same. But that’s not how it played out.
The Dirty Harry actor flipped the script, disarming her with quiet confidence until she was the one blushing and stumbling over her words.
Born in California in May 1930, Eastwood lived through the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and lasted until 1939, and later served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.
His twenties coincided with his war years, and after returning home, he married model Maggie Johnson. A year later, Eastwood took on a brief stint as a model himself.
He began acting after his military service and landed the role of Rowdy Yates in Rawhide (1959–1965).
Perhaps due to a habit formed during his time in uniform, or the fashion of the 1950s and 60s, every image of young Eastwood shows him immaculately clean-shaven, with a classic short back and sides—a timeless look that only adds to his mystique.
© Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
#9 Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews was born in England in October 1935, has a career in media spanning eight decades and has been acting since the age of nine.
As a child, she excelled in drama, singing and writing and first made a name for herself in music. Only after, in 1954 did she start acting—specifically with her debut The Boy Friend on Broadway.
She raked in Golden Globes for “Actress In A Leading Role - Musical Or Comedy” in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music in 1965 and 1966 respectively.
She scooped the awards again in 1967, ‘68, ‘69 and 1970 for “World Film Favorites.” In 1983 she was awarded a Golden Globe for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Victor Victoria).
Notably, in the years when she was nominated every year between 1966 and 1987, per Golden Globes.
She won a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for "Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles" in 1965 for her role in Mary Poppins, and another in 1989 for “Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.”
She also won an academy award for Mary Poppins in 1965 and for contributions elsewhere claimed two Primetime Emmy’s, three Grammy’s, one Screen Actors Guild and AFI for “Lifetime Achievement,” and was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2001.
In total she has racked up 67 wins and 135 nominations.
Other films she acted in include Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), The Americanization of Emily (1964), Hawaii (1966), Torn Curtain (1966), Star! (1968), 10 (1979), S.O.B. (1981), That's Life! (1986), and Duet for One (1986).
She did the voice over for the Queen in Shrek 2 and 3 and played Queen Clarisse Renaldi in The Princess Diaries films.
She married for the first time at the age of 23 and as 2024 throwback by People remembered: “she looked every bit the fairytale princess she always seems to portray.”
© Photo: Arthur Sidey/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
#10 George Takei
The legendary George Takei is best remembered for his role in the USS Enterprise in Star Trek, where he took on the role of Hikaru Sulu, the spacecraft’s helmsman.
Born on April 20, 1937, his twenties positioned him in an American era of show business with little opportunity for Asian actors. So, he picked up odd gigs as a voice-over artist.
He landed the Star Trek role when he was cast in the pilot episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before” in 1966 and was only afterward written into the rest of the series.
According to the National Air and Space Museum, Takei was 29 when the series premiered on September 8, 1966, and the gig catapulted him to fame.
At the time, Takei sported chiseled, angular features and short jet-black hair, but his eyes stood out above all.
He also acted in Assignment Earth and Green Berets (1968), Larry Crowne (2011), and his voice can be heard in characters in cartoon productions such as Mulan (1998, 2004), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), Paws of Fury (2022), and Free Birds (2013), among others.
Takei has received the awards: BTVA Feature Film for Voice Acting (2017), Inkpot from Comic Con International (2019), The American Book Award (2020) for his novel They Called Us Enemy, Lifetime Achievement at the San Diego Asian Film Festival (2007), and had his star inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1986).
He has also received accolades for activism in the U.S. and has been recognized by the Japanese government for his contributions to relations between the two countries.
Perhaps a rarer achievement Takei enjoyed was having an asteroid named after him in 2007: 7307 Takei.
When he found out, he declared, “I am now a heavenly body.”
© Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images
#11 Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jean Hawn is a true hyphenate, wearing the hats of actress, producer, dancer, and singer.
According to IMDb, she was born on November 21, 1945, into a post-World War America, and her career took flight at the age of 22 when she played a zany neighbor in Good Morning World.
But that was short-lived. Where she really made a splash was in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1973), a sketch show in which she became known for pivoting between paroxysms of hilarity and perfectly executed roles.
It’s safe to say that Hawn is at the start of an acting pedigree since her offspring Kate Hudson and Wyatt Russell, along with her partner Kurt Russell, all made a living through the vocation.
Her films include Cactus Flower (1969), Shampoo (1975), Overboard (1978), Private Benjamin (1980), Deceived (1991), D**th Becomes Her (1992), The First Wives Club (1996), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), and Snatched (2017), among others.
She won numerous accolades throughout her tenure in the spotlight, including the Italian David di Donatella (1970), Peoples Choice and ICG Publicist (1981), New York Women and Television (1984), National Board of Review in the USA (1996) Entertainment and the Women in Film Crystal (1997), Lone Star Film and Television (1998), Bambi and America’s Hasty Pudding Theatrical (1999) awards, and had her star inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.
At the turn of the century, she scooped an Elle Women in Hollywood (2000), Hollywood Film (2003), Germany’s Golden Camera (2005), US Comedy Arts Festival (2006), TV Land (2007), Rembrandt (2008), CinEuphoria (2016), CinemaCon USA (2017) awards among others, along with a string of nominations across a broad spectrum of academies and organizations.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain in 2021, she recalled her twenties as a period fraught with anxiety and depression to the point she baulked at the idea of being seen in public.
“I wanted to marry a dentist, I wanted to be a dancing school teacher. I did have a plan [and] I didn't have delusions of grandeur on any level; I was extremely realistic,” she told the breakfast show.
© Photo: Joseph Klipple/Getty Images
#12 Judi Dench
Dame Judith Dench, thanks to the Order of the British Empire bestowed upon her (1970), which was then advanced to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1988), is considered one of her country’s best actresses.
She was born in 1934 and boasts a career spanning six decades. Her work in the spotlight kicked off in 1957 with her contribution to Hamlet, and she quickly acquired a following.
Biography.com credits her fame partly to the James Bond franchise in the 1990s. Her roles there continued into the oughts until they ended with her role in Skyfall in 2012.
The actress is now 90 years old, and one feature of her appearance has remained the same: the length of her hair. Photos of the star show her signature sporting a boyish cut since her early acting days.
She can be seen in films like A Room with a View (1985), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Notes on a Scandal and Casino Royale (2006), Mrs. Brown (1997), My Week with Marylin, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and Belfast (2011), and Philomena (2013) among others.
For her contributions she received a BAFTA in Scotland and Los Angeles (1997, 2014), British Independent Film (2007, 2018), Broadcasting Press Guild (1982, 1986), Cable Ace (1986, 1988, 1994), Chicago Film Critics Association (1999), European Film Awards (2008), Evening Standard British Films (2007), Irish Film and Television (2014), Kansas City Film Critics Circle (1998), Larlovy Vary International Film Festival (2011), Las Vegas Film Critics Society (2002), London Critics Circle (2014), and the USA National Board of Review (2005).
Then in 1998 she was honored by the Online Film Critics Society followed by the Society of Film Critics award (1999), Palm Springs International Film Festival (2013), San Sebastian International Film Festival (2018), USA Show West Convention (2001), Taormina International Film Festival (2004), Academy of International Arts and Sciences (2005), Capri Hollywood (2011), Reims international Television Days (1986), Zurich Film Festival (2018), British Film Institute (2011), St Film Critics Association (2005), Alliance of Woman Film Journalists (2013, 2022), among many, many others.
Speaking to Notebook Magazine in 2023, she opened up about one of her most essential faculties failing.
“I mean I can’t see on a film set anymore,” she told the outlet. “And I can’t see to read. So I can’t see much.”
She went on to say that she was indulging in self-pity: “You just deal with it. Get on.”
© Photo: Dobson/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
#13 [jerk] Van lesbian
Richard Wayne Van lesbian, best known for his roles in Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Mary Poppins (1964), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), and more recently Night at the Museum (2006), is described by Britannica as a man of “affable charm, comedic timing, and loose-limbed physical comedy.”
Van lesbian hails from West Plains, Missouri, where he was born in December 1925. His career started in 1947 when he and an associate frequented nightclubs with a pantomime act called the Merry Mutes.
This jaunt lasted until 1953, and then, a year later at 25, he appeared on television in a competitive show for a performance contract.
Three years later, he joined a sitcom called The Phil Silvers Show.
Photos of the actor in his 20s appear to be rare, but those of him in his 30s depict a slim, clean-shaven man with a strong jaw.
His other screenplays include Fitzwilly (1967), The Comic (1969), [jerk] Tracy (1990), Lt Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966), Never a Dull Moment (1968), Buttons (2018), The Gin Game (2003), and What a Way to Go (1964), among others.
He received accolades for his acting from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA (2000), American Comedy (1994), Daytime Emmy (1984, 2024), Prime Time Emmy (1977), Family Film (2024), Golden Apple (1963, 1998), Grammy (1965), Laurel (1967), New York International Independent Film & Video Festival (2008), and the Palm Springs International Film Festival (2019).
He also received a People’s Choice Award (1977) and was honored by the Television Critics Association Awards (2000), BAFTA LA (2017), Online Film & Television Association (2000), Kennedy Center (2020), among others, and had his star inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1993).
The actor, now 98, was noted to have withdrawn from a FanX convention in Salt Lake City in 2024. The organizers of the event announced the cancellation in a tweet that said:
“We are sorry to announce that [jerk] Van lesbian is not able to travel to FanX.
"He expresses his gratitude to all of those who continue to support him, but at almost 99 years of age, traveling and interacting with thousands of people is more than he is able to do at this time.”
Despite his age, Van Dyk has not lost his sense of humor.
© Photo: Bill Johnson/The Denver Pos/Getty Images
#14 Al Pacino
A legend carved from the same marble as De Niro, Al Pacino will fit into any Scorsese brainchild. Think Scarface (1983), The Irishman (2019), The Godfather (1972, 1974, 1990)—if it’s dark, complex, and the American underworld, Al Pacino should, could, or is doing it.
Alfredo James Pacino was born in 1940 in New York City to Italian-American parents. He was raised in the South Bronx, and his trajectory to stardom did not fall in his lap, so he honed his craft at the prestigious Actors Studio in New York.
A black-and-white photo from 1955 captures a wiry 15-year-old Pacino bearing a strong resemblance to his father (according to social media, at least).
Five years later, a mugshot surfaced: Pacino had been arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery. It turned out to be a misunderstanding, and the case was dropped.
But the photo foreshadowed the intense, streetwise persona that would become a cornerstone of his onscreen presence.
His screenplays include Serpico (1973), And Justice for All (1979), The Scent of A Woman (1992), City Hall (1996), The Devil’s Advocate (1997), The Insider (1999), The Recruit (2003), and House of Gucci (2021), among many others.
In 1993 Pacino received an Oscar, along with awards for and from: American Comedy (1991), American Film Institute (2007), Boston Society of Film Critics (1997), BAFTA (1976), David di Donatello (1973, 1974), Directors Guild of America (1997), Primetime Emmy (2004, 2010).
Film Society of Lincoln Center also gave him an award in 2000, along with recognitions like and from: the Golden Camera (1975), Golden Globe (2011), Satellite (2010), Gotham (1996), Hollywood Film (2019), Kansas City Film Critics Circle (1975), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (1980), and a Los Angeles Film Critics Association (1975) Award, among many others (totaling 52).
In an interview published by the New York Times and People, the 85-year-old shared a harrowing experience of how COVID nearly took his life.
“They said my pulse was gone. It was so – you’re here, you’re not. I thought: Wow, you don’t even have your memories. You have nothing. Strange porridge,” he told the former.
© Photo: Art Zelin/Getty Images
#15 Susan Sarandon
This 78-year-old actress recently made headlines for rocking a white jacket and black bra ensemble on the red carpet—drawing criticism from one outlet for dressing “totally inappropriate.” Unfazed, she clapped back by posting a younger, even more daring photo of herself—this time without a bra—on Instagram.
Born Susan Abigail Tomalin in 1946, she began acting in the late 1960s. Her first significant contribution to the film industry came in 1970 with her role in Joe. Sarandon was 24 at the time and, by her own admission, “beautiful.”
She says she didn’t realize it back then. Speaking to Time in 2016, she reflected: “I didn’t realize I was as pretty as I was. Now, I tell people in their 20s that they should appreciate how they look now!”
© Photo: CBS/Getty Images
#16 Steve Martin
This Martin is perhaps a little bit more illustrious. He is best known for his work in the comedy scene and family-oriented films. His claim to fame, however, was not per se in film but rather when he hosted an edition of Saturday Night Live in 1976.
His career started as a late teen, performing magic tricks and hawking guidebooks at Disney. When he turned 20, he had a counter job at Merlin's Magic Shop and was already embroiled in stand-up comedy.
He also filled a slot with a funny banjo act at local nightclubs while he attended Long Beach State College in California. At the time, he sported the same clean-shaven, short back and sides look that he wears today. The only difference is that his hair at the time was jet black.
© Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
#17 Tom Selleck
Well known for his role in the police series Blue Bloods that has been around for over a decade, Tom Selleck made his name with the series Magnum P.I. There, he played the role of a private detective living in a luxurious mansion in Hawaii.
He was born in Michigan in 1945, and his early life comprised a tertiary education at the University of Southern California on a basketball scholarship. He also studied business while modeling and, like Clint Eastwood, served in the military.
He was photographed at the premiere of his first movie, Myra Breckinridge, in 1970 at the age of 25, as a dark-haired, dimpled male next to his co-star Mae West. As a nod to his appearance when he was younger, one netizen wrote: “I'd forgotten how insanely good-looking he was.”
© Photo: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images
#18 Cher
Dubbed the “Goddess of Pop” after achieving fame in the 1960s with her voice—which is best described as androgynous—Cherilyn Sarkisian (bet you didn't know that was her full name) turned 79 on May 20 this year.
It was her tenure in the pop-folk duo Sonny & Cher, with their hit song I Got You Babe, that put her on the map, followed by a solo stint that produced the immortal odes: Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, Half-Breed, and Dark Lady.
In her twenties, the actress was uniquely beautiful, and as one Redditor, in response to a picture of the singer and actor in the spark of her youth, put it: “Such a unique beauty. And her body is insane!”
And to those who feel she is a has-been, Reddit has this to say: “The pop goddess still is and will be till the end of time.”
© Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
#19 Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum is synonymous with high-grossing films. He featured in the best-selling Jurassic Park (1993) and Independence Day three years later. He became popular in 1978 for his role in the horror Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Goldblum moved to New York at 17 to pursue his career in 1970 and worked with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse to sharpen his acting skills. His first role in the Big Apple was the stage play Two Gentlemen of Verona.
He was later spotted by director Robert Altman, who cast him in California Split (1974) and Nashville (1975). In 1974, at 21, he also took on the role of a home invader in the movie Death Wish. In character, he can be seen as a clean-cut figure with loose curls that fell to the bottom of his ears.
© Photo: CBS/Getty Images
#20 Jackie Chan
The lean, mean (and funny) fighting machine was born Chan Kong-sang in 1954, in Hong Kong, before immigrating to Australia with his parents six years later, per Britannica.
He mastered the fighting arts Jeet Kune Do, Taekwondo, Judo, and Hapkido, then brought his skill and comedic timing to the screen. Unlike many of his Hollywood peers, Chan performed his own stunts and even invented some of his moves.
In his 20s, Chan was wiry and agile, with a mop of pitch-black hair. At this time of his life, international audiences started noticing him, thanks to films like Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master.
© Photo: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images
#21 Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is credited with being one of the key proponents of Hollywood today and is associated with versatility in his acting. Born in California in 1937, Hoffman originally pursued a career in medicine.
He dropped out after getting poor grades and restarted his tertiary education in drama. He spent two years alongside Gene Hackman at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. Like many actors of his generation, his beginnings were humble, and he struggled to find roles.
In 2008, the Massachusetts publication South Coast Today reported the actor, saying he felt like he was living in his own “private insane asylum” during that era, while dealing with self-doubt. To the question, “Was Dustin Hoffman handsome in his younger days?” on Quora, the answer was yes, “in a distinctive way.”
© Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
#22 Morgan Freeman
When people ask what the voice of wisdom looks like, Morgan Freeman comes to mind. Not necessarily because of what he’s said, but because of how he says it, with that unmistakable, deep, resonant timbre.
The Tennessee native was born in 1937, making him 88 today, and he’s become synonymous with roles that exude experience and calm authority—like the all-knowing Professor Samuel Norman in Lucy and the analytical CIA director Bill Cabot in The Sum of All Fears.
His path to screen legend started at the age of nine when he acted in a school play, and by the age of twelve, he won a state drama competition. In his adult life, Freeman made his Broadway debut at age 30 in the musical Hello, Dolly!, perhaps delayed by his service in the Airforce.
A photo of Freeman in his twenties shows a clean-shaven, rangy young man in his military uniform.
© Photo: CBS/Getty Images
#23 Meryl Streep
Mary Louise Streep, born June 22, 1949, is more than just a pretty face. She made her stage debut fresh into her 20s in the 1971 P*****y of Seville, followed by an on-screen appearance in The Deadliest Season six years later — one year after receiving her MFA from Yale.
In that same decade, her roles in The Deer Hunter and Kramer vs. Kramer propelled her to stardom, according to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
It wasn’t all flashing cameras, though. The young actress endured humble beginnings, which, as some on Reddit note, didn't detract from her “extremely breathtakingly beautiful” appearance.
© Photo: LGI Stock/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images
#24 Martin Short
Funny man Martin Hayter Short is a citizen of the United States and Canada. He was born in 1950 and, throughout his lifetime, has received a panoply of industry awards—including Emmys and a Tony. His country has also recognized him for his contributions with the Officer of the Order of Canada, per IMDb.
He became famous in 1977, in his late twenties, when he joined Second City, an improv company in Toronto. There, his character was that of one s****** Ed Grimley, with his hair jelled into a single sharp point and his slacks worn up to his belly button.
Reddit also weighed in on the actor, with one commenter saying they felt like Short was born old. Opposing sentiments on the video of the actor in his 20s, however, were summed up with the words: “OMG, he’s adorable!!!!”
© Photo: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
#25 Gloria Gaynor
Born Gloria Fowles on September 7, 1943, this celebrity contributed to the disco scene of the mid- to late-1970s with hits like “Never Can Say Goodbye,” which was considered the first significant club banger.
Let Me Know (I Have a Right) and Never Can Say Goodbye also made the hotlists, along with others. In 1978, she suffered a fall that temporarily paralyzed her and resulted in numerous operations and decades of chronic pain.
Her 20s consisted of singing at various nightclubs until Columbia Records signed her. Photos of the era show the star with generous hairdos, often opulently clad and always beaming.
© Photo: Erica Echenberg/Redferns
#26 Robert De Niro
If the genre is Italian mob, and Robert De Niro is in it, it sells itself. Born August 17, 1943, De Niro is regarded as one of the greatest actors in film history. If Scorsese says so, then who are we to disagree?
He began acting at age 10, when he played the Cowardly Lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz. His professional film career kicked off at age 20 with his role in The Wedding Party in 1963. The real recognition came in 1965’s Three Rooms in Manhattan.
In his 20s, De Niro exuded a vibrant masculinity that still grabs the attention of netizens today.
© Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
#27 Martin Scorsese
A revered criminal mastermind, albeit only in film, this man was born in New York’s Little Italy in 1942, in a neighborhood that is said to have influenced his movie themes, which are all about violence, redemption, and the less digestible nuances of America.
Think Casino, Gangs of New York, and Goodfellas.
According to UCLA's School of Film, Scorsese’s vocation is anchored in two degrees from New York University’s School of Film. In his early 20s, he favored shoulder-length hair and was noted to be passionate about filmmaking, to the point that he even lectured at the same institution.
He married Laraine Marie Brennan in 1965, the same year he welcomed his first daughter, Catherine, into the world. Their marriage lasted until he was 29 in 1971.
© Photo: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/Getty Images
#28 Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange was born on April 20, 1949, in Minnesota. She started her tertiary education in 1967 at the University of Minnesota under an art scholarship, which was cut short when her family relocated to France.
She studied acting in Paris between 1971 and 1973, and then returned to the Big Apple, where she modeled for a while before landing the role in the remake of the movie King Kong.
The image she cast in the screenplay has been described as a “fine-b**** Midwestern beauty.” Lange has not weighed in on what she looked like there, but that is because she has never seen the film—or so she says.
© Photo: Ron Wolfson/Getty Images
#29 Diane Keaton
Born Diane Hall in Los Angeles, California, on January 5, 1946, this American actress took up an education in Drama. She left it prematurely for New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse before she entered her 20s.
Her claim to fame was the Broadway production Hair in 1968, and four years later, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Twenty-six at the time, the actress, in a suit, sported a bob not much different from the style she favors today.
Much like the anchors of The Tonight Show of this era, Carson dug deep and was able to draw out a few facts, including, to the audience's delight, that Diane was single.
© Photo: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images
#30 Diana Ross
She was rightfully dubbed the “Queen of Motown Records,” thanks to her involvement in The Supremes, a 1960s all-girl band out of Michigan. As a testimony to this success, the group snatched up first-place positions with 12 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to be remembered as the most successful American vocal band.
Ross and her band members were signed by Motown in 1961 when she was only 17, and she took the band to stellar heights between the ages of 21 and 26. As proof that she was, in fact, the magical ingredient, she went solo just before she turned 30 and produced the chart-topper Ain't No Mountain High Enough.
Ross’s love for flamboyant hairstyles started in her teens and continued through her twenties, as can be seen in her photos of the era.
© Photo: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/Getty Images
#31 Dionne Warwick
Singer, actress, and television host Marie Dionne Warwick has scooped six Grammy Awards in her career, among other accolades.
The New Jersey native was born in December 1940 and became famous in the early- to mid-1960s with hit singles like Don't Make Me Over and Walk on By. Warwick gained international acclaim at age 21 when she performed at the Olympia Theater in Paris in 1962.
Videos of the actress in her 20s show her with short hair. Although she is of average height, her couture—comprising long dresses and heels, a lean build, and leggy silhouettes—made her look much taller.
© Photo: Ted Dayton/WWD/Penske Media/Getty Images
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