Hollywood's Top Beard Trendsetters

Beards are a sign of the era. Back in the golden days of Hollywood, Sinatra or Cary Grant wouldn't be seen dead with so much as a sniff of stubble. It was renegade actors like Marlon Brando who sported a healthy bit of scruff.

How things have changed!

These days, every man and his dog boast some bit of facial hair. From the Rock's manicured goatee to Joaquin Phoenix's brief stint as a Wildman, everyone is growing out their facial fuzz.

But who's leading the pack? Who's setting the trends? We set out to find the Beard King of Hollywood: The GOATee.

When did beards get so popular?

Deep in the mists of time… around 2013, Google reported a sudden uptick in beard searches in the US. Spreading from hipster enclaves in New York and San Francisco, the beard spilled out into the wider world. Sooner everyone was getting in on the act.

Unlike women’s hairstyles, however, there was no Jennifer Aniston to spark the trend. But that didn't stop a multitude of Hollywood hunks from letting down their chin hair.

Before you knew it, everyone on screen was scratching their scruff or mulling over the latest case while teasing their mustache.

But who stands out?

George Clooney

Source - economictimes.indiatimes.com

In the competition for the greatest beard of all time, ol' George is definitely in the running. His facial hair is the ultimate symbol of masculinity with a distinguished full-beard, sometimes close-cut, sometimes grown-out. And with a healthy dose of gray, there's no denying this is one silver fox that men want to emulate.

Steve Carell

Source - www.rottentomatoes.com

Steve's never been a bad-looking bloke. But then again, being cast as the office doofus or a 40-year-old virgin isn't the best vindication for your looks. That was until he grew his beard: the internet went wild. Women everywhere were suddenly asking, is Steve Carell… hot? The answer was: haven't you seen his beard? If one man leads the salt-and-pepper beard revolution, Carell is proof that the beard truly maketh the man.

Pierce Brosnan

Source - evoke.ie

The former 007 has attracted himself quite the following for his array of magnificent beards. Morning stubble, full-beards, and that iconic Van Dyke have set him apart as a beard-grower extraordinaire: a true trendsetter.

But it wasn't always so.

James Bond, the British spy with a license to kill, is dashing, debonaire, dangerous. He's the classic clean-shaven hero of a by-gone era. As such, there's no greater shift than Brosnan's: from fresh-faced to full Hall of Fame Beard.

That's why he's Hollywood's ultimate beard trendsetter.