Celebs Who Are Totally Unrecognizable Without Their Beards

Like Post Malone's tattoos or Aimee Lou Wood's teeth, some stars have features so iconic that they would look pretty odd without them. Over the years, there have been a number of dramatic face transformations that have left celebrities unrecognizable, partly due to plastic surgery's overt prominence in Hollywood. But whereas changes to teeth, ink, and wrinkles require invasive practices, facial hair tends to be a popular way for actors, singers, and athletes to completely transform their looks with ease. All they need is a little time and some trusty grooming products.

When you think of famous bearded men, celebrities like Travis Kelce, Drake, and Keanu Reeves may come to mind. But have you ever seen them without their iconic facial hair? These men, among many others, have become so associated with their hairy faces that fans have to do a double-take when they eventually opt for a clean-shaven look. Whether it's Jason Momoa's astonishing evolution, Zach Galifianakis' disturbing lack of facial hair in "The Beanie Bubble," or the baby-smooth look David Harbour has shown off, here are the many celebrities who look totally unrecognizable without their beards.

Travis Kelce's hair has had quite the transformation since he began dating Taylor Swift in 2023, as has his facial hair. Although he had been in the spotlight previously as the Kansas City Chiefs' tight end, nothing could've brought more scrutiny to his style than dating the world's biggest pop star. From mustaches to goatees to scruffy beards, Kelce has sported practically every style, but it's rare to spot the NFL star clean-shaven.

He looked fresh-faced when he played the Arizona Cardinals back in 2021, and X users tore him to shreds. "Need a 'GrowFundMe'?" one person commented.

In a July 2025 Instagram video, Jason Momoa shocked his fans by shaving off his iconic beard to promote his sustainable water bottle company. "Haven't shaved in six years, and here we are again," the caption read. Unless you remember his role in "Baywatch" back in the late '90s, Momoa's unrecognizable beardless transformation might have come as quite a shock. The actor's impressive facial hair has been part of dozens of his projects, including "Game of Thrones" and "Aquaman," but we all need to change things up occasionally. Some comments noted that Momoa looked younger without a beard.

John Legend's look with and without a beard is like night and day. Although he's sported both looks since he broke onto the scene in the early aughts, he's stuck with the hairier look for quite a while. Back in March 2018, GQ shined a light on the "All of Me" singer with a feature about his flawless style. As writer Lamar Dawson remarked, "Take note of his subtle stubble. He adds the right amount of edge to any traces of that baby face by shaping up his shadow."

Since Nick Offerman became synonymous with his "Parks and Recreation" character Ron Swanson, the actor has been sporting some impressive facial hair. However, during an appearance on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" in October 2023, the actor explained what led him to shave it all off.

"After 23 years, [my wife] Megan Mullally said to me, 'I've had enough of a mouth full of thistles when we're making sweet love.'" the "Devs" star quipped. "And so she asked me to be clean-shaven, and I said, 'I will. I want to stay married to you.'"

Like Hollywood stars, there are a number of royals who also look different with facial hair. Since Prince Harry grew his red-tinged beard out in 2015, it's been a signature part of his look. So much so that he ended up asking his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, if he could keep it for his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle. Beards aren't allowed in the British Army, and because Harry would be wearing an armed forces uniform, he needed permission. Prince William, on the other hand, was forced to shave his facial hair ahead of his own wedding.

There's no question that Charlie Hunnam pulls off long hair and a scruffy beard like no one else. Despite coming onto the scene baby-faced, we've grown accustomed to the actor's look in "Sons of Anarchy" and "The Gentlemen." That's why it was quite a shock to see Hunnam lose the beard for his role in the Apple TV+ series "Shantaram." As he explained to People in October 2022, "The bigger sacrifice for me was shaving my beard because this is my protection and I like looking at myself in the mirror more with the beard."

Even though we've seen Joe Manganiello grace the screen with everything from a full-on beard to a clean-shaven face, there's no question that his facial hair has been part of the actor's trademark look for years. However, when dozens of celebrities were growing out their beards during the pandemic, the "True Blood" star went against the grain and shaved his off. In an Instagram post his then-wife Sofia Vergara shared in April 2020, Manganiello looked unrecognizable without his beard, and someone even commented, "Beards are like a weave or makeup to men!!! He looks so different."

Since Zach Galifianakis' hilarious performance in "The Hangover," it feels wrong to imagine him without his distinctive beard. The actor's facial hair has been so integral to his look that when Apple TV+ shared a still of him in "The Beanie Bubble" on Instagram, fans were freaked out. Galifianakis appeared in the 2023 film as clean-shaven Ty Warner, the man behind Beanie Babies, and internet users were genuinely confused. Some thought Galifianakis was in fact John Goodman, while another person compared him to Johnny Galecki. "I have been telling myself this is so clearly Nathan Lane," someone added.

When he was just a young up-and-comer in the '70s, Jeff Bridges would at times sport a clean-shaven face. As time went on, the actor kept his hair long and established a gray beard, which he has only shaved on the rarest of occasions. The "True Grit" actor was unrecognizable when he showed off his bare face back in 2016, and again when Bridges revealed his new look amid cancer treatment in December 2020. In the Instagram snap, he showed off his beardless face, shaved head, and new addition to the family, a puppy called Monty.

Even though the world was first introduced to a baby-faced Drake when he starred in "Degrassi: The Next Generation" at 14 years old, we've since grown accustomed to the rapper wearing a well-manicured beard. So, when the "One Dance" singer announced on X that he had shaved it off ahead of his 2016 "Saturday Night Live" appearance, fans were notably upset. "Drake shaving off his beard sans public consultation is damn rude," one person wrote on X. #DrakeBeard blew up, and Drake quickly deleted his original post.

Idris Elba is undeniably suave, and he has a killer beard to match. However, there have been times when the actor has opted for a bare face, and it hasn't always been easy. "Whenever I have to shave off my facial hair, it's like, 'What the front door man,'" Elba said in a February 2019 social media video (via Metro), showing off his fresh shave ahead of starring in 2019's "Cats." He continued, "I always struggled with this bit between my nose and my top lip, it's like massive ... [S]ome people like it and a lot don't."

Fans of David Beckham probably have a favorite era when it comes to the retired soccer player's various looks over the years. He's been no stranger to experimenting with different hairstyles and facial hair shapes, including his iconic frosted tips, regrettable cornrows, and poorly dyed beard. Beckham has more often than not sported some modicum of facial hair along with his ever-evolving haircuts, but in the rare instances the athlete has gone clean-shaven, he looks practically unrecognizable.

Of all the '90s heartthrobs who are barely recognizable anymore, Will Smith without his signature beard may top the list in the "uncanny valley" category. In a January 2022 Men's Health article, writers Joshua St. Clair and Charlotte Chilton described the "I, Robot" actor's facial hair as "a subtle beard, the kind you notice only when it's gone." Although Smith has rocked everything from a full beard to a mustache to a goatee throughout his career, he just doesn't quite look like himself when he isn't sporting at least a little bit of facial hair.

From his big, bushy mustache in "Stranger Things" to his impressive beard as Alexei in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, David Harbour has cemented himself in Hollywood as an impressive grower of facial hair. That's why he's astonishingly unrecognizable when he goes clean-shaven. Harbour was spotted at a gas station by paparazzi in November 2021 while filming the Netflix movie "We Have a Ghost," and he looked totally different. The actor shaved off his iconic beard, as well as his hair, for the role.

The Weeknd is another example of a celebrity whose trademark facial hair completes their overall look. So much so that the "Blinding Lights" singer made headlines when he shaved his beard in favor of a simple mustache. The Weeknd's new look came to light in September 2019, shortly after he split yet again from Bella Hadid. And, as we all know, if there's one temporary fix everyone tries to mend their recently broken heart, it's a new style.

It's not like we've never seen Chris Hemsworth without a beard (he had a smooth face in 2009's "Star Trek"). That said, it's been the actor's go-to look since he first donned Thor's red cape in 2011, and he's rarely looked back. The Aussie's beard suits his rugged yet stylish aesthetic so well that seeing him clean-shaven in 2015's "Vacation" or with just a mustache in "Bad Times at the El Royale" is pretty astonishing. That said, he pulls off every facial hair look — whether he's portraying a race car driver or a Norse god.

What you see in your mind when you think of LeBron James probably depends on how old you are. If you've been aware of the NBA champ since his early days, you might remember him better without a beard. However, the Lakers star's beard has been evolving for decades, and his more grown-out look has become the norm. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne commented on his gray-speckled beard in July 2020, saying, "Showing up to the bubble as a graybeard is just a continuance of the statement LeBron has been making all season: Father Time might be coming for him someday soon, but not yet."

Unsurprisingly, Keanu Reeves has changed a lot since his big break. Despite appearing clean-shaven in some of his biggest films, including "Speed" and "The Matrix," it's hard to picture the actor today without his signature beard (especially since his appearances on-screen as John Wick). It seems Reeves has been working on his charming, patchy beard since the early aughts, although he did go clean-cut to reprise his role in 2020's "Bill & Ted Face the Music," which left him looking unrecognizable. At the time, a Reddit user wrote, "Keanu lookin' like Alan Rickman in this shot."

When Ed Sheeran first came onto the scene in 2010, his messy ginger bed head and scruffy beard were part of his look. He kept his signature style going for years until, seemingly out of the blue, the "Thinking Out Loud" singer debuted a new look that had headlines claiming he was practically aging in reverse. After losing 50 pounds in 2021, Sheeran also chopped his hair and shaved his face, making him look years younger. He's since grown, shaved, and regrown his stubble out, so the baby-smooth look will likely still be a rare occurrence for the star.

Although his career has continued to prosper in the past few years with "Napoleon" and "Eddington," Joaquin Phoenix is a celebrity you probably wouldn't have recognized 10 years ago. After going beard-free for years, he grew some impressive whiskers in 2009, covering his lip scar, before shearing them off again in 2010. Phoenix is known for his dramatic transformations, but after starring in "Joker," he's kept his beard going for a number of years, and it's safe to say he's adopted a look that suits him very well.

Actor and Thirty Seconds to Mars front man Jared Leto has long been recognized for his long, flowing locks and grown-out beard. The "Tron: Ares" star has always been one to experiment with his look, but once he began growing his beard out in 2013, his signature look was locked in place. Leto shocked fans when he shared a video on X in November 2018 in which he shaved off his beard in preparation for the movie "Morbius." In the clip, as the actor held up the shaver, he said, "F*** it," and sheared it all off.

From "American Hustle" to "A Star Is Born," Bradley Cooper has time and again proved that he looks simply phenomenal with a beard. It's become such a signature part of his look that the actor is rarely spotted without it these days. In February 2013, British Glamour launched a poll on X asking fans whether they preferred the actor with or without his signature facial hair. "I'm just captured by his magnetic gaze ... beard takes a back seat," one person shared, while another added that they like his in-between look. "There is something to be said for stubble," they noted.

Throughout his career, Johnny Depp has had an incredible transformation. Although he started out with a clean-shaven face as a young actor, he adopted a Van Dyke-style beard that became synonymous with his image — and even his character Captain Jack Sparrow sported one. When Depp appeared at SiriusXM's Town Hall in October 2022, fans clocked that he'd ditched his decades-old beard. Understandably, not everyone was a fan of the actor's new look. As one Facebook user wrote, "Not his best look. Facial hair can really suit some people, and he's one of 'em."

Michael B. Jordan has been working in front of the camera for decades, almost always with some sort of facial hair, seemingly ever since he could grow it. The actor has rarely appeared on-screen without it, save for maybe 2015's "Fantastic Four" and 2021's "A Journal for Jordan." In promoting the latter film, Jordan spoke with Shamika Sanders about how difficult it was to shave his beard for the role, saying, "It was one of the harder things I had to do." He added, jokingly, "I had a goodbye ceremony and everything."

Fans were ecstatic at the release of "Deadpool & Wolverine," in which Hugh Jackman donned his iconic beard yet again. While the actor has appeared on-screen dozens of times with varying facial hairstyles, his beard has undeniably become a signature aspect of his image. To celebrate wrapping the movie, Jackman bid farewell to his iconic Wolverine beard. "What a ride! I've loved every minute of making this movie. ... Time to shave," he wrote on Instagram in January 2024, alongside a video of him at the barber. Needless to say, Jackman looked less like himself afterward.