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Entertainment

35 Photos of Beloved Celebrities Before They Found Fame

By Jess Catcher

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Over the years, celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Tom Hanks, and Jennifer Aniston have become household names. We usually see them polished and put together as they waltz across red carpets or grace the covers of magazines with beaming smiles — but they all had to start out small just like anyone else. That’s what makes seeing photos of them before they hit it big so inspiring. Whether they had small parts on film and TV or worked their way up in theaters and recording studios, each one of the famous faces below had to pay their dues before becoming the mega-stars they are known as today.

Plus, it’s always fun to see how different the celebrities we love looked when they were first starting out in the entertainment industry. Some were still just teenagers, like Rob Lowe, while others succumbed to some unfortunate fashion choices (sorry, Ellen, but we’re looking at you). Keep scrolling to take a look back at your favorite celebrities before they were famous! 

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  1. Charlie Chaplin, 1914

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    It might be hard to recognize him without his trademark mustache, but this photo was taken when the silent movie star was just getting his start. 

  3. Frank Sinatra (date unknown)

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    Yep, believe it or not, the small fry posing with his mother in this photo is Ol' Blue Eyes himself! It was likely taken sometime in the like 1910s/early 1920s since Sinatra was born in 1915. 

  5. John Wayne, 1926

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    Before starring in Western films, Wayne was a lineman for the University of Southern California football team.

  6. Elizabeth Taylor, 1932

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    You have to go back pretty far to find a photo of this actress, who got her start as a young girl, but this snap of her as an infant is absolutely adorable! 

  7. Marilyn Monroe, 1940

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    The famous platinum blonde starlet still had her darker locks when she posed for some cute beach photos.

  9. Audrey Hepburn, 1949

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    The Breakfast at Tiffany's actress clearly had a fun time playing around with her fellow chorus girls before she found fame. 

  10. Elvis Presley, 1954

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    This hunky photo was taken just a year before The King hit it big with his debut album.

  11. Clint Eastwood, 1956

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    The Dirty Harry actor always made sure he was in fighting shape, as this pre-fame photo proves.

  13. Stevie Wonder, 1960

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    How adorable is this photo of 10-year-old Stevie? There's no mistaking that signature smile, even when he was so young! 

  14. Goldie Hawn, 1964

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    Before painting her body as the resident go-go girl on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Goldie used her dancing skills to teach her young students in Virginia.

  15. Cher, 1962

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    Before Sonny, Cher got her first taste of the music industry at just 16 while singing backup for the Ronettes. This photo shows her with fellow background singer Darlene Love and producer Phil Spector. 

  17. Dolly Parton, 1965

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    When this photo was taken of the future country queen, her big hair wasn't as out of the ordinary as her flashy costumes would become over the years. 

  18. James Earl Jones, 1968

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    Before he became known for his unmistakable voice, the actor shaved his head regularly to portray fighter Jack Johnson in the play Great White Hope.

  19. Robin Williams, 1970

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    The late, great comedian wore his signature bright colors in this photo taken backstage at a standup performance before his Mork & Mindy days. 

  21. Elton John, 1970

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    This photo was taken early on in his career before the "Rocketman" singer adopted his more boisterous style. 

  22. Morgan Freeman, 1971

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    The Shawshank Redemption actor got his start with a much different audience on the PBS TV series The Electric Company.

  23. Richard Gere, 1973

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    The Pretty Woman actor got his first big break working his way up the ranks as an understudy and finally starring as Danny Zuko in the London production of Grease.

  25. Bill Murray, 1977

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    Before becoming a household name, the funnyman got his start on the second season of Saturday Night Live as a replacement for Chevy Chase. 

  26. Oprah Winfrey, 1978

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    The legendary journalist started out in local news as a co-anchor and co-host of segments for WJZ-TV in Baltimore.

  27. Rob Lowe, 1979

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    The future heartthrob was just 15 when he landed a role on the ABC sitcom A New Kind of Family. 

  29. Tom Hanks, 1980

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    Get a load of those curly locks the iconic actor had while making his break as one half of the cross-dressing friends on Bosom Buddies.

  30. Angelina Jolie, 1980

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    The actress was only 5-years-old in this photo of her clinging to papa Jon Voight's leg with her brother, Jaime Haven. 

  31. Jim Carrey, 1981

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    The funnyman showed off his physical comedy chops with an usual hitchhiking tactic while posing for the Toronto Star in his Canadian hometown. 

  33. Patrick Swayze, 1982

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    Before dancing into our hearts with his rugged good looks, the actor starred as the leader of a street gang who became undercover cops in The Renegades. 

  34. Denzel Washington, 1982

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    Fans of the dramatic actor likely remember him getting his start as a young doctor on the TV show St. Elsewhere before hitting it big. 

  35. Tom Cruise, 1982

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    The action star made his movie breakthrough as one of the "greasers" in the classic film The Outsiders, which also starred fellow future heartthrobs like Patrick Swayze and Rob Lowe. 

  37. George Clooney, 1985

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    The dapper actor's goofy character (and long, curly hair) on The Facts of Life was certainly a far cry from his future roles. 

  38. Halle Berry, 1986

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    The always-gorgeous actress earned the first runner-up spot in the Miss USA competition and took 6th place in the Miss World competition during her pageant days. 

  39. Ellen DeGeneres, 1987

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    The funny lady recently poked fun of her style choices during her early days in comedy during her Netflix special, Relatable.

  40. Brad Pitt, 1988

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    This photo was taken a couple of years before the hunky actor's breakout role in Thelma and Louise alongside Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. 

  41. Julia Roberts, 1989

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    This photo of the actress and her mom, Betty Motes, was taken just a few months before Roberts' breakout performance in Steel Magnolias. 

  42. Jennifer Aniston, 1990

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    Long before she inspired women to get "The Rachel" haircut, the Friends actress played Ferris Bueller's sister in the TV show based on the film. 

  43. Jennifer Lopez, 1990

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    If you ask us, the multi-talented entertainer hasn't seemed to age a day since this photo was taken in the early days of her career! 

  44. Leonardo DiCaprio, 1990

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    At 16, the future Titantic star was part of the short-lived TV version of the film Parenthood. It only lasted 12 episodes. 

  45. Sandra Bullock, 1990

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    One of the actress' earliest gigs was starring in a television adaption of the film Working Girl where she took over Melanie Griffith's role as Tess McGill. 
Keep scrolling, there's more!
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