When Neil deGrasse Tyson was a jock, Betty White was a babe, and Robin Williams was exactly the man we’d all come to know and love.
Nirvana’s first photo shoot as a band. 1988.Facebook
Eminem on his 18th birthday. 1990.Facebook
Peter Dinklage in high school.Vulture
Robin Williams in high school. Ranker
A 17-year-old Prince at the beginning of his career. 1975.Facebook
An 18-year-old Alan Rickman in 1964.Facebook
The Red Hot Chili Peppers performing in 1986.Facebook
Susan Sarandon in 1963.Facebook
A teenage George Clooney. Odyssey
Tom Hanks as a high school senior in 1974. BuzzFeed
Betty White at home in 1954.HuffPost
Ryan Seacrest as a teenager.Ranker
A high school yearbook photo of Amy Poehler.Gawker
Hillary Rodham (later Clinton) at Wellesley College. 1969.Lee Balterman/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
High school yearbook photo of Madonna.Vulture
Bill gates at 22, arrested for driving without a license and failing to stop at a stop sign. 1977.Wikimedia Commons
A ninth grade Bill Nye in the science lab.Geekologie
Meryl Streep as a cheerleader during her junior year of high school. 1966.Wikimedia Commons
A teenage Bill Clinton shakes President John F. Kennedy’s hand in 1963.Facebook
Drew Carey while serving in the United States Marine Corps. Circa 1978.Facebook
A 15-year-old Dwayne Johnson in 1987.Facebook
Samuel L. Jackson as a high school senior. 1965.Facebook
Stephen Colbert in 1984.Facebook
A 19-year-old Jimi Hendrix during his time in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. 1961.Facebook
Robert Downey Jr. in high school.Vulture
A young Bob Marley (middle) with the Wailers in 1964.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Neil deGrasse Tyson once described his high school self as “a nerd who could kick your butt.“Factinate
A high school yearbook photo of Zooey Deschanel.Vulture
Steven Spielberg on his sofa in 1975.Giorgio Ambrosi/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Michael Jordan in his college dorm room in 1983.reddit
A 28-year-old Barack Obama in 1990.Joe Wrinn/Harvard University/Corbis via Getty Images
Mark Zuckerberg in his college dorm room at Harvard.YouTube
Bernie Sanders circa 1963.Politico
Diane Keaton in high school.Ranker
Jimmy Fallon in high school.InStyle
Michael and Janet Jackson.Fanpop
Larry David in 1981.ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
High school yearbook photo of Jason Alexander.Vulture
Richard Nixon at age 17 in 1930. Fox Photos/Getty Images
Gwen Stefani with No Doubt in 1987.Twitter
Matt Dillon in 1980.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
A young Mick Jagger.Twitter
A young Chris Pratt.Imgur
Drew Barrymore in 1982, as seen in E.T..Facebook
Tina Fey and her brother pose for a photo with Elvis Costello in 1986.reddit
Ben Stiller with his dad, Jerry Stiller, in 1978.Ron Galella/WireImage via Getty Images
Winona Ryder in 1986.The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A young Liza Minnelli with her mother, Judy Garland, in 1950.Wikimedia Commons
A young Natalie Portman attending a movie premiere in 1995.Mitchell Gerber/Getty Images
Sean Penn with Nicolas Cage in the mid-1980s. Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Billy Crystal in 1980.Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage via Getty Images
Jane Fonda when she was arrested on false drug smuggling charges in 1970.Public Domain
Simon Cowell in 1987. YouTube
Michael Stipe of R.E.M. at the Hollywood Palace in 1984.Ron Wolfson/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Lady Gaga before she became famous.YouTube
Lin Manuel Miranda as a child. YouTube
Ronald Reagan as a toddler in 1914.Wikimedia Commons
Barbara Streisand in 1962.Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons
Keith Richards in 1965, just before the Rolling Stones took off in the U.S.Wikimedia Commons
Kiefer Sutherland with his father, Donald Sutherland, circa 1970. Co Rentmeester/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Glenn Beck in high school.Vulture
Scott Baio and Brooke Shields. 1980.Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage via Getty Images
Jodie Foster, with Rod Serling, on the television show Ironside in 1972.NBC Television/Wikimedia Commons
A yearbook photo of George Clooney.Paper Magazine
High school yearbook photo of Oprah Winfrey.Vulture
Louis C.K. in high school.Vulture
Jack Nicholson’s high school yearbook photo. 1955.Bettmann/Getty Images
Photos of celebrities looking perfectly put together and downright glamorous are positively omnipresent in our culture. So it’s sometimes nice to have proof that these celebrities too were once young, awkward, and astoundingly normal — or at least beholden to questionable fashion trends of decades past.
Nirvana’s first photo shoot as a band. 1988.Facebook
Eminem on his 18th birthday. 1990.Facebook
Peter Dinklage in high school.Vulture
Robin Williams in high school. Ranker
A 17-year-old Prince at the beginning of his career. 1975.Facebook
An 18-year-old Alan Rickman in 1964.Facebook
The Red Hot Chili Peppers performing in 1986.Facebook
Susan Sarandon in 1963.Facebook
A teenage George Clooney. Odyssey
Tom Hanks as a high school senior in 1974. BuzzFeed
Betty White at home in 1954.HuffPost
Ryan Seacrest as a teenager.Ranker
A high school yearbook photo of Amy Poehler.Gawker
Hillary Rodham (later Clinton) at Wellesley College. 1969.Lee Balterman/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
High school yearbook photo of Madonna.Vulture
Bill gates at 22, arrested for driving without a license and failing to stop at a stop sign. 1977.Wikimedia Commons
A ninth grade Bill Nye in the science lab.Geekologie
Meryl Streep as a cheerleader during her junior year of high school. 1966.Wikimedia Commons
A teenage Bill Clinton shakes President John F. Kennedy’s hand in 1963.Facebook
Drew Carey while serving in the United States Marine Corps. Circa 1978.Facebook
A 15-year-old Dwayne Johnson in 1987.Facebook
Samuel L. Jackson as a high school senior. 1965.Facebook
Stephen Colbert in 1984.Facebook
A 19-year-old Jimi Hendrix during his time in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. 1961.Facebook
Robert Downey Jr. in high school.Vulture
A young Bob Marley (middle) with the Wailers in 1964.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Neil deGrasse Tyson once described his high school self as “a nerd who could kick your butt.“Factinate
A high school yearbook photo of Zooey Deschanel.Vulture
Steven Spielberg on his sofa in 1975.Giorgio Ambrosi/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Michael Jordan in his college dorm room in 1983.reddit
A 28-year-old Barack Obama in 1990.Joe Wrinn/Harvard University/Corbis via Getty Images
Mark Zuckerberg in his college dorm room at Harvard.YouTube
Bernie Sanders circa 1963.Politico
Diane Keaton in high school.Ranker
Jimmy Fallon in high school.InStyle
Michael and Janet Jackson.Fanpop
Larry David in 1981.ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
High school yearbook photo of Jason Alexander.Vulture
Richard Nixon at age 17 in 1930. Fox Photos/Getty Images
Gwen Stefani with No Doubt in 1987.Twitter
Matt Dillon in 1980.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
A young Mick Jagger.Twitter
A young Chris Pratt.Imgur
Drew Barrymore in 1982, as seen in E.T..Facebook
Tina Fey and her brother pose for a photo with Elvis Costello in 1986.reddit
Ben Stiller with his dad, Jerry Stiller, in 1978.Ron Galella/WireImage via Getty Images
Winona Ryder in 1986.The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A young Liza Minnelli with her mother, Judy Garland, in 1950.Wikimedia Commons
A young Natalie Portman attending a movie premiere in 1995.Mitchell Gerber/Getty Images
Sean Penn with Nicolas Cage in the mid-1980s. Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Billy Crystal in 1980.Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage via Getty Images
Jane Fonda when she was arrested on false drug smuggling charges in 1970.Public Domain
Simon Cowell in 1987. YouTube
Michael Stipe of R.E.M. at the Hollywood Palace in 1984.Ron Wolfson/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Lady Gaga before she became famous.YouTube
Lin Manuel Miranda as a child. YouTube
Ronald Reagan as a toddler in 1914.Wikimedia Commons
Barbara Streisand in 1962.Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons
Keith Richards in 1965, just before the Rolling Stones took off in the U.S.Wikimedia Commons
Kiefer Sutherland with his father, Donald Sutherland, circa 1970. Co Rentmeester/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Glenn Beck in high school.Vulture
Scott Baio and Brooke Shields. 1980.Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage via Getty Images
Jodie Foster, with Rod Serling, on the television show Ironside in 1972.NBC Television/Wikimedia Commons
A yearbook photo of George Clooney.Paper Magazine
High school yearbook photo of Oprah Winfrey.Vulture
Louis C.K. in high school.Vulture
Jack Nicholson’s high school yearbook photo. 1955.Bettmann/Getty Images
Whether it was the outrageous 1980s haircut Amy Poehler once sported or the hippie look you didn’t know Hillary Clinton could pull off, the photos above prove that your favorite celebrities didn’t always look quite like you’d think in the days before they became famous.
For one, who would’ve ever suspected that a certain astrophysicist was once a muscular athlete, a self-proclaimed “nerd who could kick your butt.” And who would’ve thought that a future “Sexiest Man Alive” would leave behind one of the dorkiest yearbook photos you’ve ever seen.
So take some time to enjoy browsing through this gallery of vintage photos of celebrities when they were young. From the cute to the awkward to the impossibly cool, these images are sure to surprise.
If you enjoyed these photos of celebrities when they were young, next check out some captivating photos of vintage celebrity couples. Then have a look at even more old school photos from celebrities’ yearbooks.
