Before They Were Famous: Celebrities When They Were Young _ Vintage Us memories

   

Ever wondered what your favorite celebrities looked like before they rose to stardom?

In this article, we take a delightful trip down memory lane to explore the endearing and sometimes surprising moments from the early lives of renowned celebrities.

From awkward school photos to snapshots of their humble beginnings as unknown actors or singers, we peel back the layers of time to reveal the youthful images behind the faces we now know so well.

We often develop a fixed image of famous celebrities, so seeing them as children can be a delightful shock.

While some managed to maintain their charm and beauty from a young age, others were undeniably the “ugly ducklings,” far from being the most popular kids in their high schools.

These glimpses into their past remind us that even the most glamorous stars had their awkward phases and humble beginnings.

Eminem Aged 12

celebrities when they were young

Steve Jobs Aged 18

celebrities when they were young

Amy Winehouse Aged 8

celebrities when they were young

Sean Connery Aged 23

celebrities when they were young

Lady Gaga Aged 8

celebrities when they were young

George Clooney Aged 15

celebrities when they were young

Angelina Jolie Aged 11

celebrities when they were young

Charlize Theron Aged 14

celebrities when they were young

Clint Eastwood Aged 26

celebrities when they were young

Stephen Colbert Aged 22

celebrities when they were young

Britney Spears Aged 11

celebrities when they were young

Michael Stipe Aged 21

celebrities when they were young

Leonardo DiCaprio Aged 16

celebrities when they were young

Helen Mirren Aged 25

celebrities when they were young

Jamie Foxx Aged 17

celebrities when they were young

Beyonce Aged 7

celebrities when they were young

Goldie Hawn Aged 19

celebrities when they were young

Bruce Willis Aged 22

celebrities when they were young

Ryan Seacrest Aged 13

celebrities when they were young

Madonna Aged 7

celebrities when they were young

Maggie Smith

celebrities when they were young

Ian McKellen

celebrities when they were young

Morgan Freeman

celebrities when they were young

Colin Firth

celebrities when they were young

Patrick Stewart

celebrities when they were young

Judi Dench

celebrities when they were young

Meryl Streep

celebrities when they were young

Anthony Hopkins

celebrities when they were young

Samuel L. Jackson

celebrities when they were young

Bill Murray

celebrities when they were young

Christopher Walken

celebrities when they were young

Willem Dafoe

celebrities when they were young

Bryan Cranston

celebrities when they were young

Liam Neeson

celebrities when they were young

Jack Nicholson

celebrities when they were young

Oprah Winfrey

celebrities when they were young

Larry David

celebrities when they were young

Jimmy Fallon

celebrities when they were youngYears before he was playing beer pong with A-list talent on late night, the talk show host was a guy with a bad haircut, questionable threads, and dreams of stardom.

In 1992, the year this was taken, the future Saturday Night Live player was an average college student, who was more interested in doing standup gigs on the weekends. Things worked out nicely for young Jimmy. 

Jamie Lee Curtis

celebrities when they were youngThe Scream Queens star, who has been in the biz for nearly 40 years, shared her “first headshot,” which was taken during what she described as an “easier time”.

“Hated my ‘different’ name, so [I] chose my middle one,” she wrote. “Nothing came from it.” Curtis, who comes from Hollywood royalty (Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh are here parents) went on to say, “Perhaps some need to be seen, feeling as most middle/high school students feel, unseen and paling in comparison.

Happy today to know what I want and don’t want and that I have a voice and idea and I can express it”.

Chris Pratt

celebrities when they were young“The name’s Douchemaster McChest and this is my first headshot. You’re welcome.” Two long years later, the future star of Parks and Recreation landed a role in Everwoodfollowed by a part in The O.C. — and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Naomi Watts

celebrities when they were youngThis headshot of the future Oscar nominee was taken by her brother, Ben Watts, around 1995. It led to David Lynch casting her in 2001’s Mulholland Drive. “It started with this pic,” Watts wrote.

“He searches through piles of photos and picks 3 or 4 he wants to meet. I got real lucky.” 

John Stamos

celebrities when they were youngAnd a signed one at that! Here’s the Scream Queens star giving you his best — and some awesome ’80s hair. 

Adam Sandler

celebrities when they were youngBehold Adam’s first headshot, which must have been taken before he landed his recurring role as Smitty on The Cosby Show in 1987-88. 

Hilary Duff

celebrities when they were youngThe Younger star wrote “Thanks, Mom” for this glamour shot taken back in 1993. Four years later she landed her first (uncredited) extra gig in the TV movie True Women, which starred a young Angelina Jolie, and four years after that she was Lizzie McGuire. 

Eva Longoria

celebrities when they were youngDesperate Housewives catapulted the Texan to fame in 2004, but the newlywed was pounding the pavement for years before that.

This is her “first headshot ever,” she shared on Instagram, making it from before she landed her first TV roles — on the soap operas General Hospital (2000) and The Young and the Restless (2001).

“What up with the puffy hair?” she quipped about the pic, which showed off her “jet-black” natural hair color. 

Joe Manganiello

celebrities when they were young“My old headshot from when I was 18 years old,” the Magic Mike XXL actor wrote of the 1995 gem. It was seven long years later that he got his first big part — and it was a good one, nabbing a small role in 2002′s Spider-Man.

Amanda Seyfried

celebrities when they were youngThe Ted 2 actress got her big break as a soap star. She played Lucy Montgomery on As the World Turns from 1999 to 2001. So this — her “first headshot/résumé” that she posted earlier this year — helped her nab that gig.

Big Love and the movie Mamma Mia! helped solidify her stardom.

(Photo credit: IMDB / Pinterest / Instagram / DeMilked / Flickr / Wikimedia Commons).