Famous people have some unique qualities that make them seem very different from us mere mortals. But a walk down memory lane uncovers some incredible photos that prove that once upon a time, even the hottest celebrities looked just like regular humans, with bad hair, braces and all. Check out these pictures of your favorite celebs before they were famous, and see how many of them you can actually recognize.
1. Nicole Kidman
Kidman always knew she wanted to be an actress, and started taking dance and drama lessons at a very young age. In 1983, 16-year-old Kidman made her film debut in an Australian adventure kids show, BMX Bandits.
This is around when this picture of a smiley, curly Kidman was taken.
2. Johnny Depp
Depp’s first film role was in the classis horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and this pictrue was taken around that time.
Seen in the picture is Depp’s first tattoo, which he got when he was 17: a ‘Cherokee Tribe’ tattoo he got to honor his Native American heritage, as his great-grandmother was a Cherokee
3. Hayden Panettiere
Panettiere was a child actress and first appeared in a commercial at the age of 11 months. When she was just 10 she was nominated for the first time for the Young Artist Award, which she later won twice.
This picture shows a 13-year-old Panettiere, already a seasoned actress.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio is another actor who started his career as a young kid performing on TV.
In the picture, a young DiCaprio visits his Russian grandmother, Yelena Smirnova. The actor’s mother is of Russian descent, and he’s previously stated that he see himself as “half-Russian” as two of his late grandparents were Russian.
5. Ellen DeGeneres
This is a head shot of the comedian from the the start of her career. DeGeneres started performing stand-up comedy in her early 20s at small clubsin her native Louisiana, and in the early 1980s she began to tour nationally.
Today DeGeneres is one of the most successful comedians in the US, and is heading The Ellen DeGeneres Show since 2003.
6. Hugh Grant
Even though he was a kid in this photo, it seems like Hugh Grant has always been so…Hugh Grant! The British actor starred in his first film in 1982, but when he was then approached by a talent agent offering to represent him, he first declined.
Luckily for us, he later reconsidered, thinking that acting for a year would be a good way to save some money.
7. Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is one of Hollywood’s hottest men, who’s known for his great physique and shaved head. However, this picture, from Diesel’s 1985 senior class yearbook – when he was still better known as Mark Sinclair – shows him with a full head of hair
Diesel began his acting career a few years later, but struggled to get roles until he produced and starred in Multi-Facial (1995), a short film which attracted the attention of director Steven Spielberg, who cast him in Saving Private Ryan.
8. Jodie Foster
The Academy Award winner started her career as a 3-year-old child model, and in the 1970s began acting in movies, with her breakthrough role being Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976).
This photo shows a strikingly beautiful young Foster in 1979, a year before she started school at Yale.
9. Sean Connery
The renowned Scottish actor actually started his career as a bodybuilder in the 1950s.
It was during a bodybuilding competition in 1953 that one Connery’s competitors mentioned that auditions were being held for a production of South Pacific, and he decided to try his luck. Connery succeeded to land a small part in the play – and the rest is history.