There have been many bald actors over the years, including some of the biggest blockbuster stars and the finest theater thespians.
I’ve picked out some of the most famous and most loved, as a reminder that a lack of hair doesn’t have to stop you from becoming one of the most well-known names in the world.
Bald American actors
Dwayne Johnson
Arguably one of modern cinema’s biggest stars, Dwayne Johnson has appeared in movies such as the Fast series, the Jumanji reboots, and Black Adam.
The Rock been receding since starting work in movies, though you could argue his time with hair as a wrestler was also a form of acting.
Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis has been bald now for a number of years, but even in his peak movie career, his hairline was receding.
Following his major roles in the Die Hard series, Pulp Fiction, the Sixth Sense, and more, he’s now retired from acting following health problems, including dementia.
Ed Harris
One of those actors who you’ve seen in loads of movies but you can’t always recall his name (unless you’re a movie buff).
Harris has appeared in The Rock, Enemy at the Gates, Apollo 13, The Truman Show, and many others. He had hair during the 90s but his hairline has been receding for a while.
Robert Duvall
An Academy Award winner, Robert Duvall has certainly been a prolific actor since debuting in the 1950s.
His biggest movie roles include To Kill a Mockingbird, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Days of Thunder. In The Godfather, his hairline was also noticeably receding.
James Gandolfini
Arguably more famous as a TV actor thanks to The Sopranos, James Gandolfini still had a prolific film career, including True Romance, Get Shorty, All the King’s Men, and Zero Dark Thirty.
For most of his career he has either been bald or balding.
Telly Savalas
Before he was cool-Telly Savalas with hair. 1957
by in OldSchoolCool
Telly Savalas was a hugely popular actor in the 1970s for portraying the TV detective Kojak, though he was also very well known for his turn as Blofeld in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Savalas had an iconic bald look with no facial hair for the majority of his career.
Bald British actors
Sir Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Stewart is a British acting legend, well known for his Shakespearean roles but globally famous thanks to the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series and his role as Professor X in the X-Men movie franchise.
He admits to starting to lose his hair at just 19 years old.
Sir Anthony Hopkins
Sir Anthony Hopkins is one of the most famous Welsh actors ever, having won multiple Academy Awards, Emmys, and BAFTAs.
While rarely seen entirely bald, he has been balding for much of his acting career.
Jim Broadbent
A well-known character actor, Jim Broadbent has appeared in many movies and TV series.
The older generation may know his renowned appearances in Iris or Moulin Rouge, while younger folks may know him as Horace Slughorn from the Harry Potter movies. He started losing his hair in the 1990s.
Mark Strong
Mark Strong may seem like one of the younger British actors representing bald men on screen, but he was actually born in 1963.
However, he got his major breakthroughs later in life, including the Kingsman movie series, Shazam!, and Cruella.
Bald black actors
Samuel L. Jackson
One of the most prolific and highest-grossing actors of all time, Sam Jackson has done it all – Marvel movies, Star Wars, Tarantino, gritty biopics, comedies, action movies, heroes, villains…he’s just so good.
Jackson keeps a bald head but has had some roles with short hair.
Michael Clarke Duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan had one of cinema’s most iconic voices, and an epic screen presence.
His leading role in The Green Mile won him much acclaim but he was also popular in Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, and Sin City. He was bald throughout his career.
Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans was a comedian-turned-actor who thought it’d be a good idea to try a toupee when his hair started to thin.
However, he soon ditched the wig and embraced the bald lifestyle. Famous roles include The Last Boy Scout, Lethal Weapon (the TV reboot), and the sitcom My Wife and Kids.
Terry Crews
Terry Crews has lived a varied career as a football player, TV host, and writer, but he’s well known for acting in Everybody Hates Chris, the Expendables movie series, and most famously the sitcom Brooklyn 99.
He’s an iconic bald actor, who’s been hairless since his football days in the early 90s.
Bald actors with beards
Bald heads and beards go together like peaches and cream, and there are lots of great options for beard styles for bald men. Here are some of the actors who are nailing the look:
Sir Sean Connery
Sean Connery kick-started his acting career as James Bond – clean-shaven with a thick head of hair.
He was arguably just as famous for his roles from the 90s onwards when he’d gone bald but he had a thick goatee. He was a true acting legend.
John Malkovich
John Malkovich has enjoyed great success as an actor, including movies such as Dangerous Liaisons, Of Mice and Men, Con Air, and the eponymous Being John Makovich.
He’s known for his bald hairline and usually appears with a white goatee.
Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci keeps a neat and trimmed goatee, looking very distinguished with his clean-shaven head.
As famous for making movies as starring in them, his acting roles include the Hunger Games series, The Lovely Bones, and Road to Perdition.
JK Simmons
JK Simmons is an interesting entry on this list because he is sometimes known for being bald and clean-shaven. Yet when he grew his beard out – wow.
His gruff voice is iconic for his roles in the Spider-Man movies, Whiplash, and more.
Actors who went bald young
Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito is a great actor, especially in comedies. He got his breakthrough in Taxi in his 30s, by which point he was already heavily balding.
Major roles since include Matilda, Batman Returns, Junior, Twins, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson got his big break in the sitcom Cheers, which he joined when he was 24. By the time he left the show, he was 32 and his hairline was very different from when he started.
Harrelson quickly embraced the bald look for his movie career which includes the Zombieland, Hunger Games, and Now You See Me franchises.
Jason Alexander
By the time Jason Alexander got the job as George Constanza, he was 30 years old and well on the way to being fully bald.
The sitcom made him a superstar, though he also had appearances in Pretty Woman, Shallow Hal, and various stage productions.
Bald actors who wore wigs
Sir Ben Kingsley
A multi-award-winning actor, Sir Ben has had some exceptionally famous roles, including Gandhi, Schindler’s List, Shutter Island, and Hugo.
He’s been famous as a bald actor for many years but recently donned an incredible wig to star as Salvador Dali.
Jason Statham
Jason Statham is one of the great British action heroes, known for the Fast series, The Expendables movies, and many more.
In the 2005 film Revolver, he departed from his normal bald look to don a long wig.
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is another actor who has almost always appeared as his natural bald self.
He’s used a wig in Find Me Guilty (which was still a receding hairline), Chronicles of Riddick (in part of the movie, anyway), and The Last Witch Hunter.
Bob Hoskins
Bob Hoskins is a legendary actor who has been bald for most of his acting career. He’s donned wigs before, including for Beyond The Sea, but he’s admitted to hating them and said he was glad when his hair fell out.
Actors who went bald for movie roles
Robert Downey Jr.
RDJ is a long-time movie star but it’s a role in the TV series The Sympathizer that caused him to shave off his iconic dark hair.
He hadn’t announced it in advance, so caused quite a stir when making public appearances with his bald look.
Demi Moore
Demi Moore is known for having beautiful long black hair, but while she’s appeared in many movies, perhaps her most iconic look is with her shaved head in the army movie GI Jane.
Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy’s take on Batman villain Bane certainly became a renowned look – he completely shaved his head and took on a very large mask. But he was granted the role because of his expressive eyes, so it didn’t constrain him.
Karen Gillan
Karen Gillan first became famous in the British TV series Doctor Who, but then took on a role as Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie – a famously bald character. She revealed her bald look at Comic-Con, removing her wig in the middle of a panel.
@superherorico Best moments at Comic-Con: Karen Gillan reveals new hairdo at the Guardians of the galaxy panel at SDCC 2013! #karengillan #gotg #guardiansofthegalaxy #sdcc #marvel #mcu #marvelstudios #fyp #2013 #nebula #starlord #marveltok #fy #haircut #amypond #marvelcinematicuniverse #throwback #marvelcomics #movie #hair #comiccon #foryou #movies #foryoupage #marvelfan #groot #superhero #actor #comicbook #nerd ♬ original sound – SuperheroRico
FAQs
Actors will often commit to their role and shave their heads when they’re required to go bald. Otherwise, advanced prosthetics can use a bald cap to hide an actor’s hair in a way that looks very natural. Even then, actors will normally need to cut long hair short to fit under the bald cap.
There are many very famous actors who are bald. Samuel L Jackson is often ranked as one of the highest-grossing movie stars, although Dwayne Johnson has one of the most significant social media followings of all celebrities.
Some of the most iconic bald movie characters are villains – Voldemort (Harry Potter), Lex Luthor (Superman), Ernst Stavros Blofeld (Bond movies), etc. But there are good guys who are hairless too, including Morpheus (The Matrix) and Professor X (X-Men).
Summary
There are loads more bald actors that I haven’t included on this list, otherwise it’d be way too long. But do let me know in the comments if I’ve missed one of your favorite actors, or if I’ve not highlighted your favorite movies or shows from the actors I have chosen.
And this is just actors, too. Why not check out my list of bald celebrities when they had hair next?
