May 2011
4 posts
3 tags
Simon Helberg
Like his Big Bang Theory co-star Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg is clearly better with a beard. [Thanks, Thibault L.]
3 tags
Ian McShane
Bearded Ian McShane is looking pretty happy. You want to know why? Look at that beard, that’s why.
4 tags
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving’s beard is serious business. [Thanks, Andrew S.]
5 tags
David Duchovny
That’s pretty close to beard perfection, so I have to say that I’m baffled that David Duchovny is so infrequently bearded.
April 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Sean Bean
Sean Bean is currently rocking a pretty sweet beard on Game of Thrones. Sure, the man looks fine without a beard, but just because something is fine doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to improve it.
2 tags
Jeff Daniels
Do I even need to say anything here? That beard speaks for itself.
March 2011
35 posts
3 tags
Wil Wheaton
Like his fellow Star Trek alumni Jonathan Frakes and Alexander Siddig, the improvement here is unmistakable. Definitely better with a beard.
4 tags
Joel Edgerton
While watching Animal Kingdom (which you probably haven’t seen, and should) I was struck by the greatness of Joel Edgerton’s beard. That is a hall of fame beard. A beard like that validates the continued existence of this blog.
2 tags
Sting
That’s a nice beard. This is definitely yet another case where the improvement is so obvious, you’d have to be blind not to see it.
3 tags
James Gandolfini
James Gandolfini appears to have put on a few pounds. He can console himself by looking at the mirror and admiring his glorious beard.
3 tags
Saddam Hussein
Was he a brutal dictator? Sure. But more importantly, did he look better with a beard? I think the pictures speak for themselves.
3 tags
Josh Radnor
No, not exactly an outstanding beard. This one’s borderline, but I’m still going to say he looks better with a beard. Not every man can be Robin Williams. [Thanks, Andrés M.]
2 tags
Dennis Quaid
Not only does Dennis Quaid have a great beard, but — as I just discovered — he also has a hilarious-looking dog. So he wins, pretty much. [Thanks, Dennis F.]
3 tags
David Schwimmer
Yep, better with a beard.
2 tags
J.K. Simmons
Another surprisingly robust beard from a typically non-bearded actor.
2 tags
Aaron Eckhart
Another great beard that you rarely see. Sad.
3 tags
Matt LeBlanc
I didn’t realize Matt LeBlanc could grow such an accomplished beard. People shouldn’t be allowed to squander their beard-growing gifts. It should be illegal.
3 tags
Brian Posehn
Brian Posehn: stand-up comic, stand-up beard-grower. [Thanks, jp-morgan]
3 tags
Johnny Galecki
The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki looks better with a beard. Does this surprise you? Have you not seen the rest of this blog?
3 tags
Adrian Pasdar
I can’t believe I haven’t featured Adrian Pasdar sooner. The man is clearly a skilled beard-grower. It’s pretty magnificent. [Thanks, Simon M.]
4 tags
Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl went from being in one huge band (Nirvana) to starting another (Foo Fighters). Thanks again, beards!
4 tags
Brian Wilson
The baseball player, not the Beach Boy. While searching for bearded pictures, Giants pitcher Brian Wilson has been popping up a lot. I guess it’s a pretty well-known beard. And indeed, aside from the fact that the dark black dye makes it look weirdly fake, it is an impressive beard.
3 tags
Jack Black
Jack Black has a pretty middle-of-the-road beard: it’s not the greatest beard ever, nor is it the worst. But it’s still better than no beard at all. [Thanks, Nicole K.]
3 tags
Ed Helms
Like his Office co-stars John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson, Ed Helms can grow a pretty decent beard. And yet all three are almost always clean-shaven. What a mixed-up world we live in. [Bearded photo courtesy KCRW]
3 tags
John Slattery
Though his beard isn’t quite as lustrous as fellow Mad Men castmember Jon Hamm, John Slattery still has a pretty spiffy beard. [Thanks, Finch]
3 tags
Zachary Levi
That’s an especially great beard. It’s no contest. If you think the beardless Zachary Levi looks better, then you clearly need to start reconsidering the way you’re living your life.
2 tags
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick (who, sadly, passed away twelve years ago today) is arguably the greatest director of all time. He also had a pretty sweet beard, which he grew at some point in the ’60s and kept until his death. If a cinematic god like Stanley Kubrick thought beards were awesome, who are we — mere mortals — to argue?
3 tags
Zac Efron
Like Casey Affleck, Zac Efron is just not quite there in terms of beard growing ability. Efron is 23, and if it’s any consolation to the man, beard growth continues to mature well into your twenties — so perhaps he can give it another shot in a few years. And if that doesn’t console him, then he’ll just have to make do with his piles of money and legions of adoring...
3 tags
Zach Galifianakis
Most actors just dabble in beards; they grow one for a month or two between jobs, then shave it off. Not Zach Galifianakis. He knows he’s got an awesome beard. Only a fool would squander something so great. Zach Galifianakis is no fool.
4 tags
Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Tobolowsky is one of those character actors whose name you may not recognize, but whose face you almost certainly do. Also: the aforementioned face? It looks better with a beard.
3 tags
Prince William
Rich, privileged, and able to grow a pretty snappy beard: some people are just born lucky. [Thanks, Emma]
3 tags
Stephen Colbert
Here’s a really young, bearded Stephen Colbert (reportedly photographed during his days as a student at Northwestern University). The man hasn’t been bearded in a long, long time, but clearly needs to rethink his current stance on beardedness. The beard suits him (as it suits pretty much everyone).
4 tags
Phil Collins
You may not realize that Phil Collins (who is, sadly, retiring from music) at one point had an enormous beard. Clearly, Phil Collins does not mess around when it comes to beards — that thing is serious. [Thanks, Eric K]
4 tags
Peter Griffin
Yes, even cartoon characters look better with a beard.
2 tags
Wyatt Cenac
Wyatt Cenac is the only Daily Show correspondent rocking a beard (notwithstanding Jon Stewart’s short-lived goatee experiment). Notice how in one picture he’s holding a microphone, and in the next he’s holding an Emmy. Thanks, beards!
3 tags
Jason Alexander
Need to distance yourself from an iconic character? No problem, grow a beard!
2 tags
William Hurt
Yes, there are pictures of William Hurt with a closer-cropped, more refined beard, but Jesus Christ — look at that thing. That beard is not kidding around.
5 tags
Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges has been Academy Award nominated for the last two years in a row for roles in which he was bearded. The moral of this story? If you want to be successful, grow a beard.
2 tags
Alec Baldwin
Oh, beards: is there any face you can’t improve? [Props to the almost disturbingly Alec Baldwin-obsessed Jashugan for the suggestion]
2 tags
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Ejiofor is already pretty classy without the beard. With the beard? The picture speaks for itself.
3 tags
Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis can grow a pretty sweet beard, and yet he was clean-shaven for Hall Pass, which didn’t exactly light the box office on fire over the weekend. Could a bearded Sudeikis have saved that film? Yes. The answer is yes.
February 2011
24 posts
5 tags
Christian Bale
Christian Bale showed up at the Oscars this year with a shaggy, questionable beard that, at first, gave me pause: does this disprove my thesis that every man looks better with a beard? No, of course it doesn’t. Just because you have a bad haircut, doesn’t mean you’d look better bald. Some simple beard maintenance, and Bale will be looking tip-top in no time at all.
3 tags
John Krasinski
If you could grow a beard like that, why would you ever be clean-shaven? It baffles me.
4 tags
Robert Pattinson
While searching for bearded pictures of other celebrities, Robert Pattinson has been popping up. And wouldn’t you know it, the man can actually grow a respectable beard. He’s not exactly Robin Williams, but considering that Pattinson isn’t the manliest man, it’s better than you’d think. Well played, Robert Pattinson. Well played.
3 tags
John Hawkes
John Hawkes has been putting in reliable work as a character actor since the late ’80s, without much mainstream recognition. In 2010, he grew a beard and acted in Winter’s Bone. Now he’s Oscar nominated. Never doubt the power of the beard.
6 tags
Alexander Siddig
It doesn’t matter who you are, you look smarter rocking a beard like that. That beard is all class. Seriously, look at it. I’ll bet it likes to unwind by listening to Chopin and drinking a snifter of brandy.
3 tags
Nick Offerman
You probably know Nick Offerman as Parks and Recreation’s mustachioed Ron Swanson. But what you probably didn’t know is that he can also grow a pretty kickin’ beard. You’ve learned something today.
2 tags
Casey Affleck
Casey Affleck is out-bearded by his brother Ben in pretty much every way. It’s a sad truth, but not every man is capable of growing a full, lustrous beard. It’s rare for me to say it, but Casey Affleck does not look better with a beard. Sorry Casey — you were dealt a bad hand. It’s time to admit the obvious and grab a razor.
1 tag
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck is a rare quadruple-threat: talented writer, director, actor, and beard-grower. He’s pretty much got it all.
3 tags
Rainn Wilson
Watching the Office, you’d never suspect that Rainn Wilson was capable of growing such a magnificent beard. Now you know. He is, and it is indeed magnificent.