15 Famous People Who Look Completely Different in Their Earliest Photos
It’s hard to imagine Marilyn Monroe without her platinum blonde hair or Albert Einstein without his famously wild hairstyle. Some famous faces become so closely associated with a particular look that their earlier photographs can be genuinely surprising. Before the signature outfits, recognizable haircuts, and carefully crafted public images, many celebrities looked nothing like the people we remember. Others simply hadn’t grown into the features that would eventually make them instantly recognizable. Luckily, old publicity shots, childhood portraits, and family photographs offer a glimpse of those earlier years. Here are 15 famous people whose earliest photos might make you look twice.
Marilyn Monroe Before the Blonde Hair
In a photograph published in 1945, Marilyn Monroe still has her natural brown hair and is known as Norma Jeane Dougherty, before her Hollywood transformation.
Albert Einstein With Perfectly Normal Hair
An 1896 portrait shows a teenage Albert Einstein with neatly combed hair and a serious expression, decades before his famously untamed hairstyle became iconic.
Charlie Chaplin Without the Little Tramp
A 1912 promotional portrait shows Charlie Chaplin with neatly styled hair and no toothbrush mustache, before his famous Little Tramp character appeared on screen.
David Bowie Before Ziggy Stardust
In a 1967 publicity portrait, a young David Bowie looks at the camera with a conventional hairstyle, years before his colorful Ziggy Stardust persona arrived.
Frida Kahlo Before Her Famous Self-Portraits
Photographed by her father in 1926, an 18-year-old Frida Kahlo appears in a formal portrait taken years before her paintings made her internationally famous.
Mark Twain at Just 15 Years Old
An 1850 daguerreotype captures a teenage Samuel Clemens, later known as Mark Twain, holding a printer’s composing stick with the letters of his first name.
Winston Churchill Had a Military Portrait Phase
A portrait from around 1895 shows a 21-year-old Winston Churchill in military uniform, long before the familiar photographs of him as Britain’s wartime prime minister.
Pablo Picasso Had Quite the Hairstyle
A 1904 photograph taken in Paris shows a young Pablo Picasso with dark hair and a formal outfit, photographed by fellow artist Ricard Canals.
George Clooney Before the Hollywood Heartthrob
A teenage George Clooney sports a bowl haircut, oversized glasses, and a white turtleneck in an early portrait, decades before becoming a Hollywood leading man.
Audrey Hepburn Before Breakfast at Tiffany’s
A photograph from Christmas 1950 shows a young Audrey Hepburn years before her defining Hollywood roles, including Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Elizabeth Taylor Before Her Hollywood Glamour
A studio publicity photograph from around 1942 captures Elizabeth Taylor as a child actress, before her violet eyes and glamorous screen presence became legendary.
Helen Keller as an Eight-Year-Old Girl
An 1888 photograph shows eight-year-old Helen Keller alongside her teacher Anne Sullivan during a visit to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Harriet Tubman in a Rare Early Portrait
An 1868 or 1869 portrait shows a much younger Harriet Tubman seated for photographer Benjamin F. Powelson in Auburn, New York, shortly after the Civil War.
Judy Garland Before Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers
A 1936 publicity portrait shows teenage Judy Garland early in her movie career, three years before audiences watched her follow the Yellow Brick Road in The Wizard of Oz.
Marlon Brando Before The Godfather
Photographer Carl Van Vechten captured a 24-year-old Marlon Brando in 1948, during his Broadway run in A Streetcar Named Desire, long before he played Vito Corleone.