16 Famous Celebrities Who Didn't Fit Into Hollywood Beauty Standards At The Beginning Of Their Careers

Margot Nolan
Jul 01, 2022
Jul 01, 2022

We all know that Hollywood might have high expectations. But sometimes it still manages to surprise us. There is no denying that A-list celebrities are regularly judged against unrealistic and unhealthy beauty standards in Hollywood. Aside from the burden they put on themselves, celebrities are also under pressure to be inspiring and healthy role models for the next generation.
When some beautiful (and skilled) performers first started their careers, they were referred to as being "ugly for Hollywood." When will Hollywood realize that there are different definitions of beauty?
Apart from the fact that beauty is a matter of personal opinion, many of these celebrities didn't want to become well-known because of their appearance. They desired recognition for their abilities and commitment to their field. According to their opinion, who cares about someone's appearance if they can act, sing, or do whatever else they were hired to do?
Scroll down to see these famous people who, at the beginning of their careers, didn't meet Hollywood's beauty standards but now have successful career paths!

#1 Tilda Swinton

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British actress Katherine Matilda Swinton was born on November 5, 1960. She has been active in the film industry since the late 1980s and is renowned for her parts in both independent and mainstream movies. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and has won other awards, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a European Film Award.

#2 Adrien Brody

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American actor and producer Adrien Nicholas Brody was born on April 14, 1973. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the age of 29, becoming the youngest actor to do so, for his performance as Wladyslaw Szpilman in Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" (2002), for which he gained global attention and acclaim. After Christopher Lambert, Brody is the second male American actor to win the César for Best Actor.

#3 Cillian Murphy

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Actor Cillian Murphy was born in Ireland on May 25, 1976. He was the band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes' lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and lyricist. In the late 1990s, he declined a record deal to start acting on stage and in short and small films. His first recognized acting roles include Jim in the action thriller "Red Eye", the dark comedy "Intermission", and the zombie horror "28 Days Later" (2005). He received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his performance as a transgender Irish lady in the comedy-drama "Breakfast on Pluto" (2005).

#4 Christopher Walken

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American actor Christopher Walken was born on March 31, 1943. Walken is well-known for his work in theater, television, and movies. He has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for two Tony Awards and the Primetime Emmy Award.

#5 Woody Harrelson

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Christopher Walken is an American actor who was born on March 31, 1943. Walken is well-known for his work in theater, television, and movies. He has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for two Tony Awards and the Primetime Emmy Award.

#6 Emma Thompson (24 and 60 years old)

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Emma Thompson is a British actress and playwright who was born on April 15, 1959. She has won numerous honors throughout her career, spanning four decades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a British Academy Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She is regarded as one of the best actors of her generation.

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#7 Helena Bonham Carter (18 and 53 years old)

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Actress Helena Bonham Carter was born in England on May 26, 1966. She has won numerous awards, including a British Academy Film Award, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and nine Golden Globe Awards. She is well known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas.

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#8 John Malkovich

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American actor John Malkovich was born on December 9, 1953. In addition to being nominated for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, he has received several honors, including a Primetime Emmy Award. "The Killing Fields" (1984), "Empire of the Sun" (1987), "Ripley's Game" (2002), "Burn After Reading" (2008), "Warm Bodies" (2013), "Bird Box" (2018), and "Velvet Buzzsaw" (2019) are just a few of the more than 70 movies Malkovich has acted in.

#9 Fiona Shaw

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Irish film and theater actress Fiona Shaw was born on July 10, 1958. She is well-known for playing Petunia Dursley in the "Harry Potter" film series. Shaw won the 2019 BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in "Killing Eve". She was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, respectively, for her performances in the second seasons of "Killing Eve" and "Fleabag".

#10 Bette Midler

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Bette Midler, an American actress, comedian, singer, and author, was born on December 1, 1945. Midler has received numerous honors throughout her career, which has spanned more than five decades. These include four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Kennedy Center Honor, in addition to two Academy Award nominations and a British Academy Film Award.

#11 Hilary Swank

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Actress and producer Hilary Ann Swank was born in America on July 30, 1974. She made her cinematic debut in 1992 with a little part in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". She originally gained notoriety in 1992 for her appearance on the television series "Camp Wilder" (1992). Her breakout roles included Julie Pierce in "The Next Karate Kid" (1994), the fourth entry in the "Karate Kid" series, and Carly Reynolds in "Beverly Hills".

#12 Ralph Fiennes

English actor, producer, and director Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham Fiennes was born on December 22, 1962. Fiennes received nominations for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award and Golden Globe Awards for his depiction of Nazi war criminal Amon Göth in "Schindler's List" (1993), and he also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In addition to "Quiz Show" (1994), "Strange Days" (1995), "The End of the Affair" (1999), "Red Dragon" (2002), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014), and "The King's Man", Fiennes has also starred in several other noteworthy movies (2021).

#13 Elisabeth Moss

Elisabeth Singleton Moss, an American actress, was born on July 24, 1982. She has won multiple honors, including three Critics' Choice Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, earning the moniker "Queen of Peak TV" from Vulture.

#14 Toni Collette

Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter Toni Collette Galafassi was born Toni Collett on November 1, 1972. She has won numerous awards over her career, including a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, and has also gotten nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two British Academy Film Awards. She is well known for her work in indie cinema and television.

#15 Frances McDormand

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Cynthia Ann Smith, better known by her stage name Frances Louise McDormand, was an American actress and producer. She is one of the select few actors to have earned the "Triple Crown of Acting," having won four Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award. She has also won four Screen Actors Guild Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards.

#16 Imelda Staunton (20 and 64 years old)

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Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, an English actress, and singer were born on January 9, 1956. Staunton started her career in repertory theatre in 1976 after receiving her training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She later participated in several theatrical performances in the UK.
Throughout her career, Staunton has appeared in numerous plays and musicals in London, where she has also won four Laurence Olivier Awards: three for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her work in the musicals "Into the Woods", "Sweeney Todd", and "Gypsy".

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