In the era of Botox, plastic surgery, hair transplants, and more, we often find that
celebs look pretty young and fresh for longer than perhaps they should. But even as they age and can
pay to look their best, we have to remember that they all came from somewhere. And that means they
grew up, just like everyone else, with awkward haircuts, terrible outfits, and weird smiles.
In this video, we take a look at some rare photos of celebs that capture before they became famous.
From Tina Fey to Robin Williams, to Bill Nye, check out these hilarious photos of early stars,
as Facts Verse presents: Rare Photos of Celebrities Before They Were Famous!
Robin Williams The late Robin Williams
may have left this world far too soon, but not before he gave us decades of entertainment and
laughter. The beloved comic spent his early years performing stand-up, being charming on talk shows,
and starring in sitcoms like Mork and Mindy. Eventually, he shifted to movies, making us laugh,
cry, and everything in between in features like Dead Poets Society, Aladdin, and Mrs. Doubtfire.
But before all of that, he was an ordinary kid, with dreams of making it big. He worked as a
bartender, a busboy, and other odd jobs to make ends meet in his early days. And even before that,
he attended high school. This early photo of Robin, before he was a household name,
is from his senior year in high school, when he was 18. He looks a bit younger,
but still has that same wry smirk that made us all love watching him on screen.
Jim Carrey Speaking of legendary funnymen here’s
a great shot of Jim Carrey, circa the 1980s. Carrey early days of struggle are well known,
as his family tried their best to make ends meet in Canada. They were even homeless for
a brief time. This was back in the days when Carrey wrote a million-dollar check to himself,
promising to one day make enough money that he could cash it and not have it bounce. And
boy did he overdeliver on that promise. In his heyday, Jim was the highest-paid actor in showbiz,
raking in millions for lead roles in movies like Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura, and The Mask. Jim
has had a long career and has even expanded into the world of art in his later years. But early on,
he and his brother took on odd jobs like being janitors and security guards. At some point,
he dropped out of school and started doing stand-up in Toronto, and the rest is history.
Morgan Freeman In the movie, Bruce Almighty, Morgan Freeman
starred alongside Jim Carrey, literally playing God. His screen presence and famous voice made for
a perfect choice to play a deity, and it was just one of the many roles he’s played to tremendous
acclaim over the course of his long career. This shot is of Freeman as an enlisted member of the
US Air Force. He served from 1955 to 1959, so the picture would have to be from some time
during that span. Serving in the Air Force was something he chose to do, even though at the time
he was already on his way to becoming a working actor. That’s because he’d been offered a drama
scholarship to Jackson State University. But the call to serve was too strong, and he joined the
Air Force instead. But of course, upon completing his service, he dove back in headfirst to acting.
He had a starring role in The Electric Company, a kid's TV show, in the 1970s, and from there it
was only upwards. He’s one of the most cherished talents of all time in the film and TV world.
Tom Hanks If the hair in this photo seems a little off,
we can blame it on the decade. Because it’s of Tom Hanks in 1974, when haircuts like this
weren’t ALL that unusual. But we’re happy it’s not one he has kept to this day. Hanks got the
inspiration to become an actor when he read a play called “The Iceman Cometh” by Eugene O’Neill. So,
around the time this photo was taken, he enrolled at Cal State University to study in their theater
program. He balanced his studies with acting in school productions, as well as working on the crew
for a local theater. Like many actors, he decided that he’d had enough schooling, and wanted to
get out into the real world. So he dropped out of school and started auditioning. After a few minor
successes, including the sitcom, Bosom Buddies, Hanks finally became a big name after landing a
lead role in the movie, “Splash.” Fast forward a few decades and Hanks is now perhaps the most
beloved movie icon in American history and has the many awards and accolades that go along with it.
Prince This photo of music legend, Prince,
was taken in 1975 when the budding star was only 17. But judging by the afro, the great clothing
choices, and the vibe, he was clearly not in an awkward teen stage. It’s quite possible Prince
was just born cool. Of course, he wasn’t born famous, so he had to work hard to hone his craft
as a performer and a songwriter. And that he did. In the year this photo was taken, Prince joined
his first band and they got signed to a record deal. However, his talent was too great to be a
part of someone else’s outfit. He went solo and within 5 years was already making waves. By the
mid-1980’s he was already one of the biggest names in the industry, selling out venues and churning
out hits. Though we lost the eccentric, sexy, and uber-talented singer/songwriter in 2016, his
music will undoubtedly be playing for as long as there are devices still around to play music on.
Susan Sarandon This shot of legendary actress Susan Sarandon
from 1963 puts her at around 17 years old. But her gorgeous and highly recognizable look has clearly
been with her for her entire life. Sarandon has had a lengthy and successful career as one of the
top stars in her field, churning in performances as varied as Janet Weiss in the campy Rocky Horror
Picture Show, the sexy vixen Annie Savoy in Bull Durham, to the stoic and compassionate
Sister Helen Prejean in her Oscar-winning role in Dead Man Walking. Sarandon has
seemed to defy the laws of aging too, as she has remained gorgeous as she gets up there in years.
Bill Gates While Bill Gates isn’t a Hollywood celebrity,
he’s certainly one of the biggest celebs in the world. The founder of Microsoft and the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation is considered one of the most brilliant tech founders in history and has
occasionally been the richest man in the world. But that doesn’t mean he’s been well-behaved
all the time. This photo shows him at perhaps not one of the best days of his life. In 1977,
he was arrested in Albuquerque for failing to stop at a stop sign, and for not having his
license with him when he was pulled over. So, a 22-year-old Bill was dragged to the station
and these mug shots were taken of him. Perhaps the wry smile in his photo is because he knew someday
he’d be able to buy this whole police station if he wanted, or even the city of Albuquerque.
Bill Nye Bill Nye, aka
Bill Nye the Science Guy has enjoyed a long career as the purveyor of science knowledge for kids of
all ages. More recently he’s taken on the role of debunking science-related myths on social media.
Before that, he had a long-running TV show where he not only made basic science concepts easier
to understand but fun to learn about as well. In this photo, Nye sits with some microscopes in his
9th-grade class at the prestigious Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC. Clearly,
he was into science from an early age, and it’s nice that he was able to make a career out of it!
Gwen Stefani Gwen Stefani has had a
long and storied career as a part of the seminal pop-punk band, No Doubt, as a solo artist, and as
a judge on reality TV. For decades now, she’s been the epitome of cool, female empowerment,
and talent. But before any of her fame and fortune, she was just a girl (she what we did
there?) looking to play music with her friends. This photo is of an 18-year-old Gwen in 1987,
posing with her friends and bandmates in No Doubt. This was clearly before Gwen had
discovered her trademark looks as a fashion and rock diva. But we can’t blame her for
rocking what looks like an outfit she stole from a teacher. She was just a youngster! Thankfully
she managed to branch out from this look and became the music legend we know and love!
Tina Fey
Tina Fey has become a standard bearer for comedy in the last few decades,
having written for and starred on SNL, and created the all-time classic sitcom,
30 Rock. Add in the mix her many movies like Baby Mama and Mean Girls, plus a bestselling memoir,
and clearly, Tina is the epitome of comedic success. But clearly, before she became an icon of
the entertainment industry she had to go through some awkward phases. Case in point: This photo,
shows a 16-year-old Tina posing with her brother and rock star Elvis Costello. Even though Tina
looks a little bit thrown by the encounter, we’re sure she was incredibly psyched to meet the music
legend. And fortunately, she figured out some cooler ways to pose for photos in the years since.
Now it’s time to hear from you! Which of these early celeb photos was the
funniest to see? Let us know in the comments section below!