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Young Photos of Celebs We Thought Were Born Old

We’ve all heard that acting is a young person’s game. As actors and actresses get older, they’re forced to play less-than-desirable roles like the elderly father or mother. Well, not these celebs. While they may pick up those roles occasionally, they’re far from the typical grandma or grandma. Honestly, we would love to have some of these energetic grandparents in our family, but here’s the thing: we’ve never seen them young.

For example, most people look at Betty White and picture her with white hair. We all know she was young at one point, but we’ve never seen her. Well, we’re about to fix that. We found vintage photos of celebs when they were just starting their lives. Some of these famous actors and actresses look pretty much the same, but others? Let’s just say they could be more of a distant cousin than a younger version of them.  

Morgan Freeman Now

Morgan Freeman Now

Morgan Freeman is one of the most renowned actors of our time, but has he always been white-haired? Sure, we all remember him from Shawshank Redemption. Even then, he was 56 years old. Now, Morgan Freeman is in his 80s!

(Image via Instagram)

Morgan Freeman Young

Morgan Freeman Young

This is what the "voice of God" (because he played god in Bruce Almighty) looked like when he was younger. This throwback photo was Morgan Freeman when he was a member of the United States Air Force. Freeman stated that he loved flying just as much as he loved watching movies, although one of those careers won out in the end.

(Image via Instagram)

Betty White Now

Betty White Now

Betty White is America’s grandma. She’s always there to warm our hearts and make us laugh, especially in Golden Girls. It’s hard to believe that Betty White was born in 1922. For that reason, most people can’t remember her without her trademark white hair.  

(Image via Instagram)

Betty White Young

Betty White Young

Betty White had tons of roles before she played Rose. Her first major role was Life with Elizabeth in 1953, where she played the titular role. Since then, she’s appeared in over 110 projects! That would make most of us tired, but Betty White? Just as energetic as ever.  

(Image via Facebook)

Meryl Streep Now

Meryl Streep Now

Meryl Streep is one of those actors we’ll look on in years as an icon – heck, she’s an icon now! While some of us remember her from Sophie’s Choice, others recall her as the cold-hearted boss from The Devil Wears Prada. Looking at her face, it’s hard to believe she was born in 1949!

(Image via Instagram)

Meryl Streep Young

Meryl Streep Young

Meryl Streep actually started in films that spurred other actors' careers, as well! The Deer Hunter was the biggest, which also showed the world how great Christopher Walken was. After that, she performed in Manhattan, which is where we got this picture from.

(Image via Facebook)

Judi Dench Now

Judi Dench Now

Judi Dench should always be admired. She’s been in tons of films and plays, portraying some of the most iconic queens in literature. When she isn't playing a regal queen, she's wowing us in her many dramas and action films, including movies like Skyfall and Red Joan

(Image via Facebook)

Judi Dench Young

Judi Dench Young

This buxom woman is Judi Dench as Sally Bowles in Cabaret in 1968. Honestly, it’s hard to believe she’s in her 30s in this picture! Who knew that this beautiful, young woman would grow up to be one of the most esteemed actresses of all time?

(Image via Facebook)

Angela Lansbury Now

Angela Lansbury Now

Younger people may not know her name, but they can easily recognize her. Angela Lansbury is the face of Murder, She Wrote. Over the years, Angela Lansbury has racked up quite a trophy showcase. She’s won an honorary Oscar, six Golden Globes, and a BAFTA for Lifetime Achievement. 

(Image via Facebook)

Angela Lansbury Young

Angela Lansbury Young

Angela Lansbury has played some of the most iconic and memorable characters in cinema, and she had humble beginnings. Even Lansbury herself stated that it all happened so quickly. One moment she was a cashier and the next, she was making movies! She was only 18 when she made Gaslight!

(Image via Facebook)

Bob Barker Now

Bob Barker Now

Bob Barker, come on down! Bob Barker was the host of The Price is Right for 35 years. That’s a long time! It was hard to watch him leave, but we all understood. Now, he’s well into his 90s, and it was time to pass the torch onto someone who could keep up with the contestants.  

(Image via Facebook)

Bob Barker Young

Bob Barker Young

Before appearing on television, Bob Barker was actually in the Navy! He enlisted as an officer and spent 18 months flying various aircrafts before being deployed in 1945. It wasn’t until after the war in 1950 that Barker moved to California (from Florida) to start his television career.

(Image via Pinterest)

Donald Sutherland Now

Donald Sutherland Now

Donald Sutherland's career spans a massive five decades, and he's also father to Kiefer Sutherland. Over his career, he’s appeared in a variety of different films and TV shows from M*A*S*H* to the recent Hunger Games trilogy. Did you know he was born in 1935?

(Image via Facebook)

Donald Sutherland Young

Donald Sutherland Young

Isn't this a great photo? This image shows young Donald Sutherland holding his first son, Kiefer Sutherland. That basically makes this photo a two-in-one since most of us haven’t seen baby Kiefer. He certainly looks like a happy father!

(Image via Pinterest)

Kathy Bates Now

Kathy Bates Now

For most people, seeing Kathy Bates makes us fear for our ankles. For everyone else, count yourself lucky! Kathy Bates has done a lot over her lifetime, including surviving cancer and dealing with lymphedema. Regardless, she’s worked hard and has played roles that showed women they can be strong in times of misery. Not sorry for the pun.

(Image via Facebook)

Kathy Bates Young

Kathy Bates Young

Here we see young Kathy Bates, full of enthusiasm. From Memphis, Tennessee, to the silver screen, she’s appeared in Titanic, Misery, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Waterboy, and so many more films. Honestly, it’s hard to believe she’s only won a single Oscar.   

(Image via Pinterest)

Mel Brooks Now

Mel Brooks Now

Mel Brooks is possibly one of the funniest writers, actors, and directors that has ever existed. His comedies transcend time and can be enjoyed by several generations. His works are some of the best belly-laughs you'll ever get, plus they're great social commentaries. 

(Image via Facebook)

Mel Brooks Young

Mel Brooks Young

Mel Brooks was born in 1926 and spent a good amount of his youth in World War II. During this time, he built bridges, defused landmines, and most-famously rigged bullhorns to play “Toot, Toot, Tootsie” to enemy troops. Even then, he was a funny man!

(Image via Facebook)

Glenn Close Now

Glenn Close Now

Glenn Close is one of the greatest actresses of her generation, but she's so much more than that. She's also a singer and producer and has won countless awards, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, three Tony Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.

(Image via Facebook)

Glenn Close Young

Glenn Close Young

Can you guess how old Glenn Close is in this photo? Would you believe 40? Not exactly a teenager, but Glenn Close looks absolutely stunning. Here, she’s enjoying the 1987 Tony Awards, the same year she starred in Fatal Attraction.

(Image via Pinterest)

Patrick Stewart Now

Patrick Stewart Now

Patrick Stewart was born in 1940. We’ll let that sink in for a moment. The lack of hair makes him look younger than he really is, but one glance at his works will tell you his been around for a while. From movies to the stage, Patrick Stewart has done it all!

(Image via Wikipedia)

Patrick Stewart Young

Patrick Stewart Young

Wait a moment…is that hair? We see a little hair! Just as we’ve never seen Patrick Stewart young, we’ve never seen him with hair, so this is a bit of a shock. This photo shows Patrick Stewart in the 1967 TV debut of Coronation Street.

(Image via Imgur)

Ian McKellen Now

Ian McKellen Now

Ian McKellen is known for a couple of things nowadays – X-Men and Lord of the Rings – but he has done so much more. While he’s never won an Oscar, he’s been nominated twice. We say it’s an injustice, especially considering how jaw-droppingly good he is.  

(Image via Wikipedia)

Ian McKellen Young

Ian McKellen Young

Ian McKellen started his career on the stage, portraying several Shakespearean characters, which earned him a myriad of theater awards. Anyone that saw him knew instantly that we'd see this man in major films. Here we see McKellen in the early ‘70s.

(Image via Reddit)

Michael Caine Now

Michael Caine Now

Michael Caine has recently gone on record to say that isn’t the type to retire, and we’re happy to hear that! As long as he’s willing to act in movies, we’ll happily watch. Because he was born in 1933, we’ve honestly don’t remember him when he was younger.

(Image via Facebook)

Michael Caine Young

Michael Caine Young

Michael Caine looks positively ‘60s in this image! Funny enough, Michael Caine almost retired when he reached 60 because he got a script that read for an older man. For a moment, he considered bowing out of acting, but Jack Nicholson pulled him back in. Thank you, Jack! Without you, we would've never seen the best Alfred the Butler in the Batman franchise. 

(Image via Pinterest)

Tommy Lee Jones Now

Tommy Lee Jones Now

Tommy Lee Jones has always looked like a serious/grumpy old man. Well, that’s because he is! People behind the camera have said that he’s pretty ill-tempered in real life. Now, he prefers to be a producer and director rather than an actor.   

(Image via Wikipedia)

Tommy Lee Jones Young

Tommy Lee Jones Young

There are quite a few photos of young Tommy Lee Jones, and boy, was he a looker! Here we see Tommy Lee Jones when he played on the varsity football team at Harvard in 1968. Even in his 20s, he looked like a grumpy guy.

(Image via Reddit)

Christopher Walken Now

Christopher Walken Now

We’ll try and refrain from making a Christopher Walken voice joke, even though we want to. Along with his iconic line reading method, we’re used to seeing him with wrinkles. Maybe that’s because he didn’t get his start in acting until he was 35!

(Image via Wikipedia)

Christopher Walken Young

Christopher Walken Young

Born in 1943, Christopher Walken really made his mark on film when he starred in 1978’s Deer Hunter. At that point, we all knew he was going to blow us all away with his talent, and he has. These are the headshots he sent to studios in the hopes he’d land a role.

(Image via Facebook; Facebook)