30 Renowned Actors Who Defined the Mustache
You have seen many famous actors with a mustache, but some might inspire you, and others may not have quite landed the look the way they do with other styles.
It all comes down to how they carry the mustache and, more importantly, their facial features and physique. We have compiled a list of famous actors with incredible mustaches that will give you some serious mustache goals to accomplish.
1. Brad Pitt’s Chevron Mustache
Brad Pitt is a well-known American actor with serious mustache game. His fashion sense is sharp across the board, whether it is a hairstyle, beard, or mustache trim, and he always shows up with something worth noticing.
Here, you get his gentlemanly, old-classic look sporting a chevron mustache on one side and a slightly thicker, fuller chevron on the other. Both looks carry their own elegance.
If you want a manly but tamed mustache style, either version works. In both photos, his mustache sits disconnected from the nose, with one being slightly thicker than the other, so pay close attention to those fine details when adapting this look.
How to Grow a Healthy Mustache: A Quick Guide
2. Tom Selleck’s Thick Chevron Mustache
Tom Selleck is a legendary American actor and producer, best known for his hit TV series Magnum, P.I. His iconic Magnum mustache became just as famous as the man himself, commanding attention from admirers everywhere.
He has worn his signature mustache for decades and still rocks it with authority. Tom Selleck’s mustache evolution is genuinely fascinating, and each phase of it sparked its own craze.
His chevron mustache is thick and bushy, giving him a strikingly polished, masculine look. Keep it sharp with regular cheek shaving and consistent trimming along the edges.
3. Eddie Murphy’s Mustache and Goatee Combo
Eddie Murphy is a comedian and actor known for his electric personality, infectious smile, and, above all, his trademark mustache.
He has delivered a string of hit movies, from Dreamgirls to Shrek to The Haunted Mansion. In 1997, he landed a spot on a UK magazine’s top 100 movie stars list.
His neatly trimmed chevron mustache has always added charisma to his presence. He has never shaved it off entirely, instead wearing it with variation, sometimes paired with a goatee and sometimes with a clean chin.
4. Geraldo Rivera’s Walrus Mustache
Geraldo Rivera is a well-known author, host, reporter, and on-screen personality, recognized for appearances in films like Contact and Primary Colors. At his career peak, he earned a spot among the fifty most beautiful people in the world, with his striking mustache style playing no small part.
He has rarely, if ever, been seen without a mustache, both on screen and off. His mustache is long, thick, and full, with a slight salt-and-pepper color and ends that droop downward in classic walrus mustache fashion.
5. Henry Cavill’s Chevron Mustache with Stubble
Superman with a super-duper mustache. Henry Cavill’s mustache is one of the most striking on any list of young actors with mustaches. It is thick, well-groomed, and evenly dense, sitting above a bed of heavy stubble that adds serious depth to his look.
His dark, coarse mustache gives his already prominent features even more definition. It takes consistent upkeep to maintain. Aim for a thickness of around 3mm and keep it dialed in with a quality clipper and guard.
6. Hulk Hogan’s White Horseshoe Mustache
Hulk Hogan is a styling icon and powerhouse of the wrestling world, and his mustache is as legendary as his persona. His signature look is the horseshoe mustache, sometimes called a biker mustache.
To pull off this bold mustache style, trim your facial hair so the ends point straight downward, running along the sides of the mouth all the way to the jawline.
The result is that unmistakable “U” or horseshoe shape. Some people confuse it with the Fu Manchu mustache, but the horseshoe is notably fuller and wider, with more bulk through the body of the mustache.
7. James Franco’s Funky Style
He is an American actor and filmmaker who has shown up at countless events rocking a mustache. A Golden Globe winner, Franco makes the ‘stache look effortlessly cool. His mustache always gives him a genuinely distinctive edge.
Much like Zorro’s mustache, his is separated at the center but runs thick and long enough to cross the lip line. He plays with the shape constantly, sometimes trimming the ends to a slightly pointed, edgy finish and other times letting them hang full and downward in a classic chevron mustache drop.
8. Jude Law’s Chevron Mustache With Light Stubble
This English actor grew a standout mustache for his role as Dr. Watson, and People magazine named him the sexiest man alive in 2004. It’s easy to see why.
The chevron mustache paired with light stubble and long sideburns gives him a polished old English gentleman vibe that very few men can pull off without trying.
9. Ryan Gosling’s Petite Mustache With Medium Stubble
Ryan Gosling is one of the most talked-about actors when mustaches come up, and for good reason. Paired with medium, slightly unkempt stubble, his petite mustache pulls off a genuinely modish look.
It’s a solid choice for any guy who wants that sweet spot between vintage charm and modern edge. Keep the mustache neatly trimmed with scissors to maintain the right thickness, and let the stubble do the rest of the heavy lifting.
10. Sam Elliott’s Silver Walrus Mustache
Sam Elliott was listed among the 12 most promising actors back in 1976, and he has only grown more legendary since.
Beyond his unmistakable voice and his commanding cowboy roles, his shoulder-length silver hair and full walrus mustache are just as much a part of his persona. He has never shaved it off except once, for the TV series “Justified.” That’s commitment.
11. Tom Hanks’s Neat Chevron Mustache
This acclaimed filmmaker and actor grew his signature mustache for the character Walt Disney, and the resemblance was uncanny. Compact and well-groomed, it sits right above the lip like a painter’s brush.
He has also worn a mustache for several other projects. Fans loved the look on him, though Hanks himself has said he feels the mustache doesn’t quite suit his off-screen personality, so off it comes once the cameras stop rolling.
12. Johnny Depp’s Pencil Mustache With Slick Back
Johnny Depp has delivered some of the most iconic facial hair on screen, from the Jack Sparrow beard to various goatee variations off-screen. Here, though, he was spotted wearing a neatly trimmed pencil mustache, sitting tight above the upper lip and paired with a sharp slick-back.
It’s a surprisingly refined look from a man known for going full eccentric.
13. David Harbour’s Beardstache as Hopper from Stranger Things
David Harbour’s overall beard growth is on the lighter side, but his mustache is noticeably denser, making this a textbook beardstache. This particular look was spotted at New York Comic Con in 2018, where he appeared as part of the Stranger Things cast.
The beardstache became closely tied to his character Chief Hopper throughout the series, giving the role a worn, authoritative presence that a clean shave simply could not have delivered.
14. Nick Offerman’s Full Chevron Mustache from Parks and Rec
This style is kept largely unshaped, growing naturally from just under the nose with trimming only along the brim of the upper lip. It’s full-bodied, thick, and coarse at the top, a proper chevron mustache with serious presence.
It suits men with mature, dense facial hair growth best. On Nick Offerman, it’s every bit as iconic as Ron Swanson himself.
15. Bryan Cranston’s Chevron Mustache from Breaking Bad
Few actors have had a mustache do as much heavy lifting for a character as Bryan Cranston did in Breaking Bad. That chevron mustache became a symbol of Walter White’s transformation, and it shot Cranston right back into the pop culture conversation after his years on Malcolm in the Middle.
His mustache is iconic and has become synonymous with his various roles, especially his character in Breaking Bad.
16. Danny Trejo’s Bold Chevron Mustache
Danny Trejo is one of the few actors in Hollywood who has always kept a mustache. Ever since he broke into the industry, he’s been spotted rocking a dense, well-groomed chevron mustache, trimmed to sit right at the upper lip with serious width and presence.
17. Pedro Pascal’s Chevron Mustache with Scruff
Pedro Pascal blew up with Narcos and The Mandalorian, but his facial hair has never quite gotten its due. He pairs a full chevron mustache with a light, disconnected scruff on the chin, a combo that flies under the radar but absolutely works.
18. Michael B. Jordan’s Light Stubble Mustache with Chin Beard
Michael B. Jordan has stacked iconic roles, from Creed in Creed 2 to Killmonger in Black Panther to Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station.
Off set, he keeps things sharp with a short stubble mustache paired with a disconnected chin beard, a clean, modern combo he rotates through regularly.
19. Idris Elba’s Chevron Mustache Clean-Shaven
Idris Elba has cycled through everything from a full beard to a circle beard to a Van Dyke over the years, but one underrated chapter in his facial hair story is the neatly trimmed chevron mustache worn against a completely clean-shaven face. The contrast is striking, and it looked absolutely dashing on him.
20. Adam Sandler’s Thick Chevron Mustache with Stubble
Adam Sandler is one of the funniest actors to come out of SNL, and he’s built some of the most beloved characters in comedy film history.
Where a mustache adds toughness and edge to most faces, on Sandler it somehow amplifies his warmth. He wears a thick chevron mustache surrounded by heavy stubble, and it just fits his personality perfectly.
21. Mahershala Ali’s Pencil Mustache with Soul Patch
Mahershala Ali has earned multiple accolades throughout his career, best known for his roles as Remy Danton in House of Cards, Cornell Stokes in Marvel’s Luke Cage, and his celebrated performance in Moonlight.
His go-to mustache style is a razor-thin pencil mustache paired with a subtle soul patch, a refined, understated look he’s worn consistently for years.
22. Jason Lee’s Thick Drooping Chevron Mustache
A mustache was an essential part of the title character in My Name Is Earl, played by former skateboarder-turned-actor Jason Lee. His thick, slightly drooping chevron mustache became as much a part of Earl’s identity as the karma notebook.
Lee later shaved it off for his role in the police drama Memphis Heat, but that stache had already cemented itself in TV history.
23. Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bushy Chevron Mustache as Borat
British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen played Borat in the mockumentary of the same name, a film that became instantly famous for its sharp satirical take on sexism, anti-Semitism, and the uglier corners of human bigotry.
His thick, almost unruly chevron mustache became as much a part of the character as Borat’s worldview. It was loud, overgrown, and completely on brand.
24. Samuel L. Jackson’s Pencil Mustache with Goatee
Famous for his roles in Django Unchained and Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson rocked a fine pencil mustache paired with a thin goatee in the early 2000s, well before taking on the clean-shaven look of Nick Fury in the MCU.
He absolutely owned this look, and it suited him in a way that’s easy to forget now.
25. Ashton Kutcher’s Light Designer Stubble with Pencil Mustache
These mustache styles all need consistent maintenance for a polished, well-kept finish. Invest in quality clippers and mustache scissors for perfect results.
26. George Clooney’s Salt and Pepper Circle Beard Mustache
George Clooney has flaunted an array of beard styles throughout his career, but this circle beard with a neatly trimmed mustache and short goatee is pure Clooney. Simple, well-groomed, and understated, it pairs effortlessly with a tuxedo.
To nail this look, keep a regular mustache trim routine to maintain clean, soft beard lines. Subtlety is everything here.
27. Jeff Goldblum’s Salt and Pepper Beardstache
Jeff Goldblum, famed for his charismatic performances and larger-than-life personality, has sporadically rocked a beardstache throughout his career. His chevron mustache is the dominant feature, sitting bold above a shorter, well-kept salt and pepper full beard that plays a supporting role.
To get Goldblum’s look, grow a full beard and then trim everything down except the mustache, leaving the surrounding hair at a shorter, medium stubble length. The result is an enigmatic combination that perfectly mirrors his singular screen presence.
28. Daniel Day-Lewis’s Dark Chevron Mustache
Daniel Day-Lewis brought a thick, dark chevron mustache to life for his role in “There Will Be Blood.” Full and dense, it covers the entire upper lip and drops just past the corners of the mouth with a sharp, deliberate outline.
This style demands a fair amount of upkeep. Regular mustache trims keep the perimeter sharp and prevent overgrowth from killing the shape.
29. Robert Downey Jr.’s Iconic Tony Stark Van Dyke
Robert Downey Jr. sported one of cinema’s most recognizable Van Dykes as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Up close, it’s a disconnected goatee with a sculpted mustache, a pointed chin beard, and a scattering of medium stubble on the cheeks, giving the whole thing that sharp, high-tech edge.
Pulling this off takes real beard sculpting skill and consistent grooming commitment. Worth every minute of it, though.
30. Ian McKellen’s Gandalf Extra-Long Natural Beard
Sir Ian McKellen sports a sweeping, extra-long natural beard as the wizard Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” series. The mustache flows seamlessly into the full beard, adding a mystical, otherworldly quality that McKellen carries with total authority.
Growing this out takes serious patience. Once you’re there, regular brushing and a generous application of beard oil are non-negotiable to keep the length healthy, glossy, and free of frizz.
A style strictly for the committed and adventurous.
If you want to explore more creative combinations, check out our post on beard and mustache combinations for ideas and inspiration.
