44 Wonderfully Old Photos of Famous People From Back in the Day

John Summers • Contributor

Feb 9, 2025 9:00 PM EST

Time stops for no one, not even for the rich and famous. One day you're a teenager goofing around in your parents' living room, and the next you're a billionaire changing the way the world sees technology. One moment you're nervously posing for your yearbook photo, and before you know it, you're one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. It's always fascinating to look back at old photos of celebrities, catching a glimpse of them before their lives turned into something extraordinary.

A young Steve Jobs riding his motorcycle to work, completely unaware that one day he'd revolutionize the way we communicate. A 10-year-old Tom Cruise smiling for a yearbook photo, not yet knowing he'd become the face of action movies for decades. And then there's Drew Barrymore and Billy Idol, casually posing together like it's no big deal—just a future Hollywood icon and a rock 'n' roll legend in the making.

01
Jean-Claude Van Damme in Brussels, 1980.

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02
Penn and Teller 1980

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03
Sam Elliott almost unrecognizable without a mustache

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04
Brooke Shields and Debbie Harry in 1978.

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05
Bob Ross while serving in the Air Force, 1960.

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06
Courtney Cox in her high school yearbook photo, 1982.

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07
22 year-old Christopher Walken. (1965)

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08
Samuel L Jackson in his Senior high school photo from 1969.

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09
Brad Pitt in the 1970s with his basketball team

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10
Leonard Nimoy hanging out with Jimi Hendrix, 1968.

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11
Brian Warner aka 'Marilyn Manson' in high school, 1987.

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12
9 year old Drew Barrymore hanging out at a nightclub with Billy Idol in 1984.

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13
Terry Gene Bollea aka 'Hulk' Hogan in his high school Senior photo, back in 1971.

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14
Steve Jobs riding his BMW R69Smotorcycle in 1981,

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15
20 year old Al Pacino's mugshot (1961)

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16
Marisa Tomei, Class of '82.

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17
Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee) and his mother Patty Duke in 1972

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18
George Clooney 1974

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19
Sir Anthony Hopkins on the set of Audrey Rose 1977

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20
Teenage RuPaul ( RuPaul Andre Charles ) in 1979.

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21
Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing the trumpet in 1973.

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22
Sheryl Crow in 1982.

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23
Steve Carell's United High School Yearbook 1991

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24
David Bowie three years before Ziggy Stardust (1969)

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25
Tom Cruise in middle school, 1970s

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26
Nicole Kidman around the time of BMX Bandits 1984

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27
Johnny Depp screen test for "Private Resort" 1985.

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28
Drew Carey served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves from 1980-86

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29
Bebe Buell with daughter Liv Tyler in 1977.

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30
Chuck Norris in his Senior yearbook photo 1958.

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31
Carrie Fisher in the TV movie, "Come Back, Little Sheba" (1977)

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32
Meryl Streep on the cheerleader squad in 1966.

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33
Tony Hawk, 1981

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34
Alec Baldwin's Senior high school photo in 1976

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35
Ryan Reynolds holding his 'catch of the day' back in 1983

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36
Matthew McConaughey, 1987

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37
Bill Murray before SNL, 1970s

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38
Farrah Fawcett, Class of 1965

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39
Michelle Pfeiffer, 1970s.

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40
Patrick Stewart in the 1975 film, "North & South."

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41
Will Ferrell at University High School in 1986.

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42
Jim Henson before the Muppets

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43
Henry Winkler's high school yearbook photo in 1963.

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44
The late great @thevernetroyer in his high school photo from 1985.

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