From left: Yearbook photos of Bette Midler, Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg Before they catapulted to fame, many of your favorite celebrities were taking their school yearbook photos just like you<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n From Oscar winners to some of the biggest names in music, stars lit up the camera on picture day with their smiles<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n See which celebs went through their awkward phase or gave off “most likely to be famous” energy from an early age<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n It’s time for a massive throwback.<\/p>\n Before your favorite celebrities took over Hollywood or dominated Billboard<\/em> charts, they were just like us \u2014 walking the halls of their school, attending class and posing for the yearly chore: the school yearbook photo.<\/p>\n From Academy Award<\/a> winners like Tom Hanks<\/a> and Viola Davis<\/a> to music icons like Snoop Dogg<\/a> and Mariah Carey<\/a> \u2014 and even a former first lady<\/a> \u2014 these stars said “cheese”<\/a> for some truly spectacular snaps.<\/p>\n These images captured some of the biggest names in entertainment during their awkward teen phase. For some A-listers, these portraits serve as photo proof they’ve been in their “most likely to be famous” phase from an early age.<\/p>\n Scroll down to see the best celebrity yearbook photos.<\/p>\n 01 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Tom Hanks in 1974 It’s only natural that Hanks would go on to be the king of romantic comedies<\/a> after graduating from Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., in 1974. Just look how suave he was in this senior photo that the Forrest Gump<\/em><\/a> star shared on X<\/a> (formerly Twitter) in May 2020.<\/p>\n 02 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Kevin Bacon, circa 1972 “Ah, ninth grade. Don’t miss it at all<\/a>,” Footloose<\/em><\/a> actor Kevin Bacon<\/a> captioned a throwback photo on Instagram<\/a> in May 2024 of him rocking a turtleneck and shoulder-skimming cut for his school portrait.<\/p>\n 03 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Jennifer Garner Jennifer Garner<\/a> proudly displays her saxophone skills<\/a> to this day and is happy to share throwback pics from her marching band moments.<\/p>\n “Sally the sexy saxophone, she was a boss,” the 13 Going on 30<\/em><\/a> star captioned this snap on Instagram<\/a> in March 2024.<\/p>\n 04 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Jack Quaid, circa 2005 “Good morning from Eighth Grade Jack Quaid<\/a>,” The Boys<\/em><\/a> actor captioned this pic on Instagram<\/a> in February 2025, proving he’s had a killer head of hair from the jump.<\/p>\n This is around the age that mom Meg Ryan<\/a> said she had a feeling he’d be following her and his dad<\/a> Dennis Quaid<\/a> into acting after seeing him steal the show in a middle-school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.<\/em><\/p>\n “I had my head in my hands and was like, ‘Oh,\u00a0no<\/em>. He’s\u00a0good<\/em>. He’s\u00a0really<\/em> good<\/a>,’ ” Ryan recalled in a Glamour<\/em> cover story<\/a> in November 2023. “I leaned forward, and I see Dennis, and he’s also leaning forward with his head in his hands. I just knew.”<\/p>\n 05 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Busy Philipps, circa 1991 Freaks and Geeks<\/em><\/a> fans will love this seventh-grade throwback shot Busy Philipps<\/a> shared on Instagram<\/a> in May 2023, and she does, too \u2014 hence the six fire emojis.<\/p>\n 06 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Paris Hilton Paris Hilton<\/a> posted a carousel of throwback snaps on Instagram<\/a> in August 2024, dating back to elementary school right up to her graduation from the “Bad Bitch Academy,” as she called it.<\/p>\n 07 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Bette Midler Long before she earned her diva bona fides, Bette Midler<\/a> \u2014 a.k.a. the Divine Miss M \u2014 was no stranger to the spotlight, being voted “Most Talkative” and “Most Dramatic” at Radford High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, before graduating in 1963, per Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n 08 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Minka Kelly With her fluffy bangs and killer scrunchie game, it’s clear Minka Kelly<\/a> had plenty of practice being the queen of high school well before being cast as popular Lyla Garrity<\/a> on Friday Night Lights<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n 09 of 39<\/p>\n Northwestern University’s improv group launched late-night host Seth Meyers<\/a>‘ career in comedy, which is how his alma mater must have known he’d have a great sense of humor about them posting his freshman and<\/em> senior yearbook photos (flipped ‘do and all) on X<\/a> in June 2016.<\/p>\n 10 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Chris Pratt Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em><\/a> star Chris Pratt<\/a> shared this school photo as part of the “Teenage Dirtbag” TikTok trend<\/a>, but we have to say he seemed much more like a clean-cut cutie than a teenage dirtbag.<\/p>\n 11 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Pam Grier, circa 1965 Blaxploitation icon Pam Grier<\/a> shared her East High School senior portrait on X<\/a>, writing, “My Big hair hid razor blades to fight off country ass girl gangs and scary hairy creatures hiding under the bed at night.”<\/p>\n 12 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Michelle Obama To congratulate the class of 2021 on a particularly difficult school year, former first lady Michelle Obama<\/a> shared a photo of herself in her graduation attire on Instagram<\/a>, writing that she could relate to whatever they might be feeling.<\/p>\n “I am so, so proud of you,” she captioned the throwback pic. “Because after what we’ve seen this year, I know you will get through whatever life throws at you.”<\/p>\n 13 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Snoop Dogg in 1989 Behold Snoop Dogg, the artist formerly known as Calvin Broadus Jr. \u2014 or, as he referred to himself on Instagram<\/a> in November 2019, “High school snoopy.”<\/p>\n The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School\u00a0in 1989.<\/p>\n 14 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Matt Damon in 1988 Excuse us, is this a yearbook shot or a headshot for the Oscar-winning actor? The Rip<\/em><\/a> star and producer Matt Damon<\/a> has always had a Sexiest Man Alive<\/a> energy. Damon’s throwback snap comes to us via Ancestry.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n 15 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Nick Offerman in 1988 Growing up outside Chicago, Nick Offerman<\/a> attended Minooka High School, where he was reportedly president of his senior class and Drama Club.<\/p>\n Not only did the Parks and Recreation<\/em><\/a> alum play football and the saxophone in the marching band, but he was also voted for his yearbook superlative “Most Likely to Host the David Letterman<\/a> Show” \u2014 a fun fact he revealed during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em><\/a> in May 2025.<\/p>\n “I lived in a really small town in Illinois called Minooka, and there wasn’t a lot to do besides sports and band,” he told host Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>. “I played in the jazz band … I was in the marching band. I was in the pit orchestra and the regular concert band.”<\/p>\n While becoming a late-night host wasn’t in his future, the future Emmy winner made his way to the University of Illinois and, later, began acting around the Windy City, per The News-Gazette<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n 16 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Laura Prepon That ’70s Show<\/em><\/a> star Laura Prepon<\/a> was oh-so-’90s in this throwback school photo she shared on Instagram<\/a> in August 2024.<\/p>\n 17 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Ellen DeGeneres By the twinkle in her eye, you can tell Ellen DeGeneres<\/a> was already cracking people up in high school.<\/p>\n 18 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Jimmy Fallon in 1992 We have Classmates.com<\/a> to thank for Jimmy Fallon<\/a>‘s epic senior yearbook photo, which puts the Tonight Show<\/em> host’s growing mustache on full display.<\/p>\n 19 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of John Legend in 1993 John Legend<\/a>, born John Roger Stephens,<\/strong> is truly ageless, proving that his high school self mirrors his present-day self in his cute yearbook snap.<\/p>\n 20 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Anna Faris in 1994 Before starring in the 2000 film Scary Movie<\/em><\/a> and on the CBS sitcom Mom<\/em><\/a>, Anna Faris<\/a> was a student at Edmonds-Woodway High School in Washington.<\/p>\n 21 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Melissa McCarthy Melissa McCarthy<\/a> has always been interested in fashion \u2014 particularly in high school, when she experimented with her style.<\/p>\n “I was super preppy, and by the end [of high school] blue-black hair that I’d shave in patches,” she told Anderson Cooper<\/a> on his talk show, per the Daily Mail<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n 22 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Matthew McConaughey in 1988 Surprise, surprise: Matthew McConaughey<\/a>‘s high school superlative (“Most Handsome”) still rings true to this day.<\/p>\n 23 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Taraji P. Henson Taraji P. Henson<\/a> already had dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a high school student.<\/p>\n “She knew she belonged in #Hollywood right here,” the Hidden Figures<\/em> actress wrote in a since-deleted post on Instagram. “She just didn’t know how she was getting there but she DREAMED BIG AF!!!”<\/p>\n 24 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Kate Walsh, circa 1983 Grey’s Anatomy<\/em><\/a> alum Kate Walsh<\/a> took it back to her junior year in high school, posting a throwback pic of herself on X<\/a> in May 2017.<\/p>\n 25 of 39<\/p>\n A yearbook photo of Billy Bob Thornton, circa 1972 Billy Bob Thornton<\/a> graduated from Malvern High School in Arkansas in 1973. While attending school there, he lived in a house without electricity or running water with quite a few relatives, he told <\/a>The Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a> in November 2024.<\/p>\n 26 of 39<\/p>\n
Credit: ancestry;Paris Hilton\/Instagram;Snoopdog\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nNEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n
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Tom Hanks<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Tom Hanks\/X<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nKevin Bacon<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Kevin Bacon\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nJennifer Garner<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Jennifer Garner\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nJack Quaid<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Jack Quaid\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nBusy Philipps<\/h2>\n
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Credit: busy philipps\/instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nParis Hilton<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Paris Hilton\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nBette Midler<\/h2>\n
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Credit: ancestry.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nMinka Kelly<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Minka Kelly\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nSeth Meyers<\/h2>\n
Chris Pratt<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Chris Pratt\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nPam Grier<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Pam Grier\/Twitter<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nMichelle Obama<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Michelle Obama\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nSnoop Dogg<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Snoop Dogg\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nMatt Damon<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Ancestry.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nNick Offerman<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Ancestry.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nLaura Prepon<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Laura Prepon\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nEllen DeGeneres<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Ancestry.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nJimmy Fallon<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Classmates.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nJohn Legend<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Classmates.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nAnna Faris<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Classmates.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nMelissa McCarthy<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Classmates.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nMatthew McConaughey<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Classmates.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nTaraji P. Henson<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Taraji P Henson\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nKate Walsh<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Kate Walsh\/Twitter<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nBilly Bob Thornton<\/h2>\n
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Credit: classmates.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nMatt Bomer<\/h2>\n