Here's What These Famous Bald Actors Looked Like When They Had Hair

For many guys, going bald is an unavoidable part of getting older...or just an unavoidable piece of their genetics. But just because you're losing your hair, doesn't mean you're losing your dashing good looks. These 38 men remind us that "bald" is just another style—and one that sometimes looks better.

These days, it's an unfamiliar sight. While we like The Rock as a grimy-haired Hercules, we're just not used to any length of hair.

Not only is The Rock—somehow—even better looking bald, he also—somehow—pulls off the stubbled goatee. Not an easy feat.

Here's Jackson in 1994, looking almost exactly the same as Jackson in any other decade. The man just does not age.

Jackson only two years later. We see you now, Nick Fury.

This is Willis in 1987. Still a movie star with hair, but maybe not the Willis you recognize today.

Willis' head was just made to be shaved. Lucky dude...lucky dude.

Statham in 2005's Revolver. Seriously, who is that man?

Like Willis, Statham has been blessed with the kind of head that is never conspicuous hairless. Quite the opposite, in fact.

At the height of his Pretty in Pink fame, Cryer's long hair was nothing short of impressive.

What the actor now lacks in head hair, he's made up for in facial hair, often sporting a beard.

Here's Harrelson in 1986, looking much less like the villainous/anti-hero characters he's been in the habit of playing lately.

One does not simply hunt zombies or genetically-modified "monkeys" with a full head of hair.

Diesel in 2006's Find Me Guilty. This has to be photoshopped, right?

Diesel isn't the only Fast & Furious entry on this list. Is this the era of the bald action man?

Back in 2010, the actor had much more hair than he's seen with today.

See? We told you Vin Diesel isn't the only Fast & Furious star who looks better bald.

Maybe it's the flat bangs buzz, but something doesn't feel quite right.

There he is! And like The Rock, Terry pulls off the bald plus goatee.

Here's Stewart in 1975 and on some strange planet where the Captain has been forced to grow hair to blend in.

Stewart returned to his normal form.

Back when he was The King of Queens, James was known for his short, close-cropped cut.

In the actor's 2021 Netflix comedy The Crew, he debuted a new bald look.

It's hard to find any evidence that J.K Simmons once had hair—and, yes, we know this is probably not his hair. But it's as close as we can get without digging into his yearbook.

We don't care if you're rushing or dragging, but if you don't think Simmons owns the bald look, you can get the hell out of this band.

Here's Keaton on Jay Leno in 1991, but somehow still in 1985.

We think balding Michael Keaton is the best Michael Keaton look.

Here's Tucci in the first Captain America. You can already see beneath his wispy hair a head that was always made to be bald.

The bald makes the look. And the glasses are a stylish complement.

Fishburne has done almost every combination of beard and facial hair. But we're guessing this isn't the one you're most familiar with.

Here he is. Morpheus, er, we mean, Fishburne, in 2001.

Tatum's a handsome man no matter what he does with his head. The hair styled in front doesn't hurt, but we think there's a better look.

Okay, hear us out. It's a a controversial opinion, we know, but we like fully clean-shaven Tatum. Here he is in Coach Carter, looking like a young Brad Pitt. (We do like Pitt better with hair, though).

With Galifianakis, we're here for the beard. But we like one particular variation...

And all of a sudden, Galifianakis could be your next Fast & Furious entry. Or Bond villain. Either way, we like it.

Malkovich in 1985. Something here feels...off.

He's still got some weird scarf pattern wrapped around his neck. But we think his head is looking much better.

In 2000, Harvey's cropped, clean look matched his facial hair.

The Family Feud host may have ditched the hair, but his iconic thick 'stache is still going strong.

Strong in Zero Dark Thirty. You're probably thinking, who the heck is this guy...?

For Strong, the shave really maketh the man.

Who would Travolta be without his "Greased Lightning" gelled back mane?

Well, we know now. The actor reportedly decided to shave his head "on a whim."

Singer Billy Joel burst onto the scene in the '80s with songs like "Piano Man" and a full head of hair.

While he's still performing his classics on stage, he's doing it sans hair. He has, however, acquired facial hair.

It was the '80s, man. Not many had yet embraced the bald life, and the mullet was still trending—as proven by the comedian's style of choice.

Howie Mandel initially shaved his head to help keep his mental health in check as he battled OCD and anxiety, but it soon turned into the Deal or No Deal host's signature look.

We'd recognize Taye Diggs' thousand-watt smile anywhere, but the actor looks dramatically different with a head of hair.

Taye Diggs decided not to fight the inevitable and shaved his head when he realized he was losing his hair. "So as soon as I saw those corners inching towards the back of my head, I took it all off—as opposed to just watching the hair fade away," he told Men's Health in 2015.

Ben Kingsley was working with quite a bit of hair when he starred in his Oscar-winning role in Gandhi. Ironically, the role required him to shave his head.

Not too long after his most iconic role, the actor embraced the bald look and started growing facial hair instead.

In 2020, Donald Faison grew out the ultimate quarantine look, sharing his longer hair on Facebook.

But from Clueless to Scrubs to modern day, the actor has been rocking a shaved head for most of his career.

Who is that hiding behind those thick arched bangs? Yep, it's Billy Zane.

Much better, Billy. The actor was one of the many who embraced the bald head in the early '90s.

For most people, this photo will remind you of 007—but it's also a glimpse at Sean Connery pre-bald head.

With hair or without, Sean Connery was always debonair. The Scottish actor rocked a mostly-bald look later in life.

Damon Wayans looked drastically different at the start of his career. Before he starred in Major Payne, he had a full head of hair.

Wayans looks like he hasn't aged and has also managed to rock a bald head for decades.

Like father, like son. Damon Wayans Jr. is rarely seen with hair this long.

For the most part, the actor opts for either a total shave or closely buzzed cut.

With impressive acting chops and, more importantly, a full head of hair, Jonathan Banks earned one of his first major roles in Beverly Hills Cop in 1984.

Would Banks even be allowed to star in Breaking Bad if he had hair? Lucky for us, we'll never find out, as his look seems pretty permanent.

Before he was an Academy Award winner, Alan Arkin rocked short black hair. As a young actor, this head of hair helped earn him roles in films, like Catch-22.

Losing his hair didn't seem to slow Arkin's career down one bit. The actor seamlessly transitioned to a bald and shaved style, just like he moved on to more mature movie roles.

The GOAT basketball player had quite the head of hair when he was playing for the University of North Carolina.

By the time Jordan made it to the Chicago Bulls, he was rocking a goatee and shaved head. It was in the NBA that MJ found his sense of style—and his bald head was certainly part of that.

Woah, is that a 1986 James Spader? We haven't seen that head of hair since Pretty in Pink.

The Blacklist star keeps his hair short and tight these days. While he's balding in the front, Spader opted to shave the center and keep his sides long.

While Ed Harris only had some hair on top of his head, the actor's style was long on the sides. The result is a very '80s hairstyle.

It wasn't long into his career that Ed Harris' hair started thinning on top. Instead of fighting his hair loss, the actor embraced it—making the half-bald hairstyle his signature look.

A young Robert Duvall was working with quite a full head of hair. Take a good look, though...by the 1970s, he began balding.

Here's the Duvall we know and love. The actor embraced his bald head throughout his career, except when a role like The Godfather demanded a toupée.

We're not sure if Michael Chiklis with a head of hair would be as scary on American Horror Story. Regardless, the actor looked drastically different in the '80s.

Chiklis decided to go big or go home when he embraced the bald lifestyle. The actor said farewell to all his hair and hello to gigs like The Shield.

Aaron Paul isn't one to let his hair get too long, so anytime he strays from his super-short buzzcut, something feels off.

Much better, Aaron. The Breaking Bad star looks his best when he's rocking the short style his iconic character is known for.