These actors' skills have brought them the success they deserve,
but their confidence in themselves, scars and all,
has made them into legends. Check out these actors who have made the most of their facial scars.
Joaquin Phoenix is widely regarded as one of the greatest living actors.
He stands proudly for himself, as well as worthy causes, like animal rights.
His sense of self is so solid that he can convey his internal world without saying a
single word. Directors have often remarked enthusiastically upon this dimensionality.
For the title role in Joker, the dedicated actor used the scar on his lip, along with
his distended shoulder, to his advantage. The scar is thought to be a microform cleft,
the mildest form of cleft lip. However, due to the actor's relative silence on the subject, the most
we know for sure is that it, like his distended shoulder, has been with him since birth. It has
served Phoenix's career well, fitting perfectly into other roles in which he's played tough,
multidimensional characters. Consider his turn in 1999's 8MM, where he investigates the snuff film
underworld alongside Nicholas Cage, or 2012's The Master, where we see him as a volatile World War
II veteran struggling to adjust to the peacetime world. It's inspiring to see such primal fortitude
radiate from both the personality and physicality of this impressive actor.
Game of Thrones' casting of Jason Momoa as the formidable Khal Drogo was a stroke of genius.
Imagining anyone else in the role is impossible after the first season showed the actor balance
fearsomeness with tenderness so effectively. In 2011, the same year as Game of Thrones' first
season debuted, Momoa also starred as the titular character in Conan the Barbarian.
Both of these roles are for the manliest of men, whose lives revolve around war, dominance,
and honor. Momoa's scar fits these roles perfectly, just as it would eventually compliment
his portrayal of the trident-bearing heir to the throne of Atlantis in Aquaman. His eyebrow scar
predates all of these roles, though: He actually got it in a bar fight, in which he took a pint
glass to the face. After the fact, he felt somewhat relieved at the idea that he wouldn't
constantly be called "pretty boy" anymore. That relief may have been premature, though, because
fans of any of his roles before and since the incident still don't hesitate to swoon.
Michael K. Williams' 25th birthday present came in disguise.
In a fight outside a bar from which Williams and his friends barely escaped with their lives,
one of the assailants cut the actor across the face with a razor.
"He held it between his fingers here, and...he cut me. I thought he was smacking me."
Things changed pretty quickly for Williams after this incident. Instead of just dancing
in music videos, directors started wanting him to play more "thug roles." Eventually,
his new look attracted the attention of others in the entertainment industry.
His breakthrough came when none other than Tupac Shakur saw one of his polaroids in 1996.
He thought that Williams looked like he deserved a part in his then-in-production film,
Bullet. Eventually, Williams' career took him all the way to HBO's The Wire in 2002,
where he played trench coat-wearing stickup man Omar Little to massive acclaim. An illustrious
entertainment career is an incredible thing to come out of a terrifying near-death experience.
Sylvester Stallone is distinctive in just about every way. We recognize him for his dashing good
looks, his voice, and his skill as a performer. We know him best from quotable classics like Rocky
and Rambo: First Blood, both of which were so popular that they spawned series in their names.
Stallone's scars aren't extremely noticeable, but what is noticeable is their effect.
The result of a mishandled pair of forceps during the actor's birth, the scars signify
the severing of one of his facial nerves, which left part of his chin, lip, and tongue paralyzed.
This partial paralysis has affected both his facial expression and his vocal patterns,
giving him his iconic slight facial droop and low, pleasantly drawling tone. While Stallone
struggled initially to find success as an actor, he wrote perhaps his most iconic role, Rocky
himself, and refused to sell the script until he was granted the starring role.
This is a man who knows how to use his idiosyncrasies to his advantage.
Mickey Rourke is a former boxer, and this has surely made a considerable impact on
his acting career. His commanding presence can't be denied, and we can only imagine
what a fearsome foe he must have been in the ring. He was no doubt much more formidable
than the washed up protagonist Randy "The Ram" Robinson, who he plays in 2008's The Wrestler.
This role won the actor a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor,
a nomination from the Oscars, and several other independent critical awards.
Rourke has stated that boxing, and a plastic surgeon's botched attempt
to remedy his old boxing injuries, were the culprits behind his frequently-changing face.
These changes have unfortunately been the subject of tabloid speculation, while his incredible
acting has sometimes fallen by the wayside. The actor speaks with grace about his transformations,
both personal and physical. He came from a violent background as a kid, and the growth he's sustained
as he's explored his talents is reflected in both his athletic and entertainment careers.
Tommy Flanagan is pretty much the dictionary entry for "tough guy." His most famous roles
are universally recognized rebels: He worked with Joaquin Phoenix on Gladiator in 2000,
played Morrison in the 1995 epic war film Braveheart,
and of course, played Chibs Telford in the 2008 crime series Sons of Anarchy.
The scars on Flanagan's face, the result of an assault outside a nightclub where he
had been DJing, are incorporated into the character to compelling effect,
serving as the inspiration for the nickname "Chibs," which is Scottish slang for "knife."
Flanagan has had his scars throughout most of his career, and they've continuously
enriched his characters and contributed to the formidable reputation for which he is known today.
Harrison Ford is one of the most well-recognized film stars of our time.
He's best known for playing Han Solo in Star Wars and the titular hero in the Indiana
Jones franchise. For such charismatic, distinguished, and adventurous roles,
Ford's chin scar fits perfectly. It's even been worked into the backstories of the characters
he plays: In 1989's The Last Crusade, a young Indy defends himself against a lion by picking
up a nearby whip and cracking it, slicing himself in the chin in the process.
This scene gives us a window into Indy's improvisational nature,
and his ability to take on new challenges. It also pays homage to Ford himself,
by using one of his own distinctive physical features to provide a more intimate look at the
iconic character. The memorable scar has even been incorporated into roles Ford himself doesn't play.
Alden Ehrenreich sports a fake chin scar for his performance as a young Han Solo in Solo.
The story of J. R. Martinez is as harrowing as it is inspiring. The Dancing With The
Stars contestant and star of All My Children was deployed in Iraq in 2003 when his Humvee
hit a landmine and trapped him in the vehicle. Nineteen years old at the time,
he thought that these would certainly be his last moments.
Miraculously, Martinez survived, and went on to give a very informed performance as All My
Children's Brot Monroe, a character who is himself a veteran. Martinez' story has inspired not only
other veterans, but burn victims everywhere - since he's always worn his scars with pride.
Martinez has visited other soldiers and patients dealing with burns as well,
providing emotional support and tangible hope for their lives after recovery.
He describes his experience as a gift of inspiration that he can now give to others,
as well as one that shows him who truly loves him for who he is as a person.
Luke Perry's first major role as Dylan on Beverly Hills, 90210 saw him portray a bad boy with a
good heart. The neat nick above his eyebrow serves his rebellious aesthetic perfectly.
In fact, fans specifically obsess over the scar on social media.
As his career advanced, Perry's audience only grew bigger.
The actor was featured on a two-episode run on Criminal Minds in 2008,
as a cult leader who'd spent time in prison. The final role of his career was Fred Andrews
on the 2017 TV drama Riverdale, as he tragically passed away on March 4th,
2019. Fred is a gruff but wholesome man who owns a construction business and has hopes that his son
might stick around and follow in his footsteps. His hands-on lifestyle combined with Perry's scar
give off an air of capability and solidity that serves as a lovely final embodiment of his career.
Humphrey Bogart was an iconic noir actor and romantic lead,
with 1942's Casablanca serving as probably the most well-recognized example of his work. Part of
what made him so alluring was his tough-guy upper lip scar, which also gave him his trademark smirk
and his distinctive way of talking, with a slight lisp and stoic stiff lip. The scar was distinctive
enough to receive an entire page of description in a 1997 biography. And that's saying something,
because Bogart's life story is impressive. You don't get the American Film Institute to describe
you as the greatest male American screen legend of the 20th century by being boring.
Bogart allegedly earned the scar during his naval service and had it sewn up when he began his film
career. From then on, the scar helped him earn the acclaim and renown he still posthumously enjoys.
Some faces are just timeless, and Dermot Mulroney's seems to be one of them. From starring
opposite Julia Roberts in the 1997 romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding to playing distinguished
and gentlemanly roles like Russel on New Girl, Mulroney has always been an engaging actor.
It goes without saying that his scar has always been an integral part of his iconic good looks.
"A lot of people think it's a pyramid scheme. But it's not"
On Crisis, an NBC action-thriller series that was unfortunately canceled in 2014, Mulroney played an
ex-CIA analyst who is betrayed by the government. The stakes are high, the character is grave,
and the scar works as perfectly as it always has, accentuating his performance. Mulroney has stated
that since his scar has been there since he was young, he doesn't think about it often.
Some facial scars are due to nothing more than small accidents. Others,
like Adrian Pasdar's scar, are remnants of near-death experiences. Pasdar survived a
horrific car accident in college, which left him with scars on his lower face. Sadly,
he was no longer able to play football, for which he had earned a scholarship. Instead,
he dropped out of college entirely and took a job with a theater group.
The rest is pretty much history. After auditioning for Top Gun,
director Tony Scott liked him so much that he wrote the role of Chipper especially for him.
It was a minor role, but it was a major foreshadowing of things to come.
He has since enjoyed ongoing success, acting in popular TV shows such as Heroes.
Pasdar owes it all to the accident that totally altered his life's direction.
Stacy Keach often portrays policemen and detectives on screen.
His intimidating presence, coupled with his signature mustache,
has made him a standby for these types of parts. What some people may not know, though,
is that Keach wears his mustache to hide his cleft lip and partial cleft palate.
As his career has advanced, however, Keach has started wearing his scars openly.
Honesty is an important message that Keach works to embody — not only for his own mental health,
but also to proudly represent those born with craniofacial differences.
He joined the board of the World Craniofacial Foundation in 2000,
the year in which he also accepted a position as a spokesperson for the organization.
While Keach has played many parts in the entertainment industry,
from Shakespeare performer to composer, the part of
advocate for the cleft community is an incredibly special one. He stated in 2016:
"The message is constant and clear. Use whatever talent you discover you have
to offset any negativity coming your way. Let your 'special circumstances'
become a motor to achieve greatness in whatever field you choose to pursue."
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