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.

#1 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 Playboy 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.

Image credits: LGI Stock/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

#2 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.

Image credits: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/Getty Images

#3 Goldie Hawn

Goldie Jean Hawn is a true hyphenate, wearing the hats of actress, producer, dancer, and singer. Born on November 21, 1945, she entered a post-World War America, per IMDb.

Twenty-two years later, she took on the role of a zany neighbor in Good Morning World, but that was short-lived. Her next stint on the sketch show, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973, catapulted her to fame.

It’s safe to say that drama is in Hawn’s genes since she has an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award under her belt, while her offspring Kate Hudson and Wyatt Russell, and partner Kurt Russell, all dabbled in acting.

Image credits: Joseph Klipple/Getty Images

#4 Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren’s career in the spotlight spans six decades. She was born in the same year as Hawn and in London, England. She is known for her diverse portfolio of roles, including that of Magdalene Shaw, the legally unaligned 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 in acting started at age 20, when she starred in the stage play Antony and Cleopatra at the famous Old Vic theater in Waterloo. This then won her work at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the roles of Lady Macbeth and Miss Julie.

The 79-year-old has opted to skirt the showbiz trend of getting plastic surgery, opting instead for, as a recent PR resource quoted, “common sense,” by not smoking or drinking and doing moderate exercise.

Image credits: David Farrell/Getty Images

#5 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.

Image credits: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images

#6 Judi Dench

Dame Judie Dench, as her full title dictates, is considered one of her country’s best actors and received the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the art of screenplay in the United Kingdom.

Perhaps best known is her contribution to the 007 Universe, where she appeared in 1995, 2006, and 2012 as the character M. If the pictures are anything to go by, the actress, now 90 years of age, has kept one feature of herself constant: short hair.

Pictures of her before the advent of color screens depict her with dark hair. One particular photo, snapped in 1957, shows the actress in Michael Benthall’s production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Old Vic Theatre. The only other tell-tale sign that it is in fact the dame, is her round, yet defined, features.

Image credits: Dobson/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

#7 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.”

Image credits: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

#8 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 spastic 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!!!!”

Image credits: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

#9 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.

Image credits: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

#10 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.

Image credits: Ted Dayton/WWD/Penske Media/Getty Images

#11 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.

Image credits: Erica Echenberg/Redferns

#12 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.

Image credits: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/Getty Images

#13 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.

Image credits: CBS/Getty Images

#14 Christopher Walken

If there is ever an actor who embodies the bad guy who knows more than he is letting on, it’s Christopher Walken. He was born in March 1943 and has been featured in over 100 TV roles and films.

He acted with Meryl Streep in the 1978 film Deer Hunter, and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also appeared in Annie Hall (1977), Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, alongside heavyweights like Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, and John Travolta in 1994, and Batman Returns in 1992.

What many do not know about this man is that he started off as a lion tamer at the age of 15—or at least that is what he told IndieWire in 2015. At 22, the young actor, who had trouble memorizing his lines, cut a striking figure with intense eyes and an angular face.

Image credits: officialchristopherwalken

#15 Rita Moreno

This actress was born in Puerto Rico in December 1931. She began dancing as a child after she and her mother moved to New York. Later, still in her childhood, she did voiceovers for Spanish-speaking programs and debuted in the 1945 Broadway drama Skydrift.

At 19, she got her first big-screen role in So Young, So Bad. At the time, she was credited as Rosita Moreno, a handle that later changed to Rita. Despite these roles, work did not come easily to the aspiring actress in her 20s.

She was plagued by movie houses that wanted to cast her in stereotypical ethnic roles or, as a testimony to her allure, a s*x symbol. These pressures, exacerbated by the lack of work, led to a suicide attempt in 1961. Despite these hurdles, Moreno became one of a sparse few to scoop up all four of North America’s most significant acting accolades: Emmy (1977, 1978), Grammy (1972), Oscar (1962), and Tony (1975), per Britannica.

Image credits: Screen Archives/Getty Images

#16 Jane Fonda

Jane Seymour Fonda was born in December 1937. She hails from a modeling background and then moved into acting. In her heyday, she was more than just a pretty face. When not acting, she moonlighted as a writer or worked as a political activist opposing America’s war in Vietnam.

She was best known for the movie Klute in 1971 and Coming Home in 1978. Beyond that, she established a fitness empire and released more than 20 exercise videos between 1982 and 1995.

She was photographed on a New York sidewalk in 1960 in an oversized coat, hauling luggage, and in the same getup with her father, Henry. The bimonthly critique Film Comment described the actress at the time as being “baby-faced and rail-thin.”

Image credits: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

#17 Dick Van Dyke

Richard Wayne Van Dyke, best known for his role in Night at the Museum (2006), is described as a man of “affable charm, comedic timing, and loose-limbed physical comedy,” by Britannica.

Van Dyke hails from West Plains, Missouri, where he was born in December 1925. From 1947 to 1953, he and an associate frequented nightclubs with a pantomime act called the Merry Mutes.

The first time he appeared on television was in 1954 at the age of 25, followed by a sitcom called The Phil Silvers Show three years later. 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.

Image credits: Bill Johnson/The Denver Pos/Getty Images

#18 Julie Andrews

This actress was born in October 1935 and has a career in media spanning eight decades, meaning, she has been contributing since the age of nine.

She was born in England and filled the shoes of an actress, singer, and author. As a child, she first pursued music theater where she became known, whereafter she moved over to acting and raked in an Academy Award, a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), and more than one Golden Globe.

She debuted as a stage actress in Broadway in 1954, with a role in The Boy Friend, and in 1956, she made a splash with her performance as Eliza Doolittle in the theater with My Fair Lady. She married for the first time at the age of 23 and as throwback by PEOPLE remembers, “she looked every bit the fairytale princess she always seems to portray.”

Image credits: Arthur Sidey/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

#19 George Takei

Unlike the stars covered so far, the legendary George Takei is better remembered for what he looked like in his 20s, and is probably unrecognizable to many. 

Born on April 20, 1937, he is best known for playing Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek.

At the time, Takei sported chiseled, angular features and short jet-black hair, but his eyes stood out above all.

Takei was 29 when the series premiered on September 8, 1966, per the National Air and Space Museum.

Image credits: Bettmann/Getty Images

#20 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.

Image credits: CBS/Getty Images

#21 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.

Image credits: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images

#22 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.

Image credits: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images

#23 Al Pacino

A legend carved from the same marble as De Niro, Al Pacino will fit into any Scorsese brainchild. Think Scarface, The Irishman, The Godfather—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.

Image credits: Art Zelin/Getty Images

#24 Sally Field

Before she became known for her powerhouse performances, Sally Field acted in lighthearted roles between 1965 and 1970. 

Her career pivoted after she attended the Actors Studio from 1973. The investment paid off after 1975 when she left sitcoms for strong, dramatic, and often matriarchal roles.

Born in 1946 in California, Field began acting at 19. A photo from 1965 captures her with her future husband, Steven Craig at the time, whom she married in 1968. The couple had two sons before divorcing in 1975.

At the Simmons Leadership Conference in Boston in 2015, Field, speaking to Variety in 2022, recalled how she longed to transition into film and how her agent at the time discouraged her, claiming she wasn’t “pretty enough.”

Now 73, Sally Field has starred in over 30 films and earned two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmys, and an enduring admiration few in Hollywood enjoy.

Image credits: Art Zelin/Getty Images

#25 Ian Mckellen

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, courtesy of Queen Elizabeth II who knighted him in 1991, was born in 1939, making him 60 at the time of that particular honor.

His most celebrated performances include The Da Vinci Code (2006), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), and X-Men (2000).

He began acting at 22 after earning his bachelor’s degree, and by 24, he was already turning heads. With a mop of dark hair, lean features, and a piercing stare, young McKellen gave off an aura that fans today perceive as indicative of an old soul, or “like he lived 2–3 lifetimes already.”

Image credits: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/Getty Images

#26 Sophia Loren

Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone is an Italian actress known for her provocative roles, flaunting her beauty and speaking with her eyes. She celebrated her 90th birthday on September 20, 2024, in Rome, where she was born.

This actress spent 70 years in film, meaning she started acting in her 20s and became popular in Hollywood and her native Italy. 

Despite her sensuous looks, which was all the rave at the time — although Gen Z is not convinced, as noted in a comment on Quora: “She’s definitely attractive,” but not on the same rung as her contemporaries Grace Kelly, Julie Christie, Rita Hayworth, Maureen O’Hara, and Ursula Andress.

Image credits: Donaldson Collection/Getty Images

#27 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-boned 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.

Image credits: Ron Wolfson/Getty Images

#28 Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand, born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 24, 1942, made a name for herself in both the music industry and film.
 
Her original plan was to become an actress, but it was her singing that propelled her to fame. Like few others in the industry, she achieved the rare distinction of winning all four of North America’s major entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.

At the age of 21, she won two Grammy Awards for her debut album. As the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts noted, this achievement made her “the youngest artist ever to have received that award.”

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#29 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!”

Image credits: CBS/Getty Images

#30 Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood operated in a league of his own and carried 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.

He began his acting career after his military service, landing the role of Rowdy Yates in Rawhide (1959–1965). His twenties coincided with his war years, and after returning home, he married model Maggie Johnson. A year later, Eastwood briefly became a model himself.

Perhaps due to a habit formed during his time in uniform, every image of young Eastwood shows him immaculately clean-shaven, with a classic short back and sides—a timeless look that only added to his mystique.

Image credits: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

#31 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 wealthy 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.”

Image credits: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images

#32 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.”

Image credits: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

#33 Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford is synonymous with some of the big screen’s most legendary installments, including Star Wars and Indiana Jones. His credits also include Blade Runner, Witness, and The Fugitive.

But acting was not Ford’s first port of call career-wise. 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, according to a web archive.

It was while he was installing a door at the Francis Ford Coppola’s (regarded in some circles as one of the best filmmakers of all time) house that his acting career ignited. Photographs of the man, now 82, show a face that is not so far off that it is unrecognizable.

Image credits: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

#34 Richard Gere

Richard Tiffany Gere was born in Pennsylvania on August 31, 1949. He started acting in the 1970s, initially taking on mostly supporting roles. His claim to fame, however, was his role in the 1980 film American Gigolo, which projected him as something of a sex symbol.

According to the genealogy website RootsWeb, he hails from a famed lineage that includes passengers of the Mayflower, which brought some of the first European settlers to America. He is related to Princess Diana and more than one U.S. president.

Photos from his 20s show the actor with the same thick mane and a clean-shaven appearance.

Image credits: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images

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