41 Vintage Pictures Of Your Favorite Celebrities That Will Make You Feel Nostalgic

Are you one of those people who gets a kick out of admiring old photographs? Perhaps you feel nostalgia or a sense of wistfulness for times gone by? Don’t worry: you’re not alone! These photos here are all of celebrities who were massive stars in bygone eras. And looking at them is like glancing through a window to the past.

41. Jayne Mansfield

Jayne Mansfield was a major sex symbol of the 1960s. If the star been around in the modern era, she’d very possibly have been one of the biggest names on social media. Despite being considered by some as a poor copy of Marilyn Monroe – or a dumb blonde bombshell – she didn’t let that faze her. And Mansfield was actually very intelligent by all accounts.

40. Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols and her character on Star Trek Uhura were very important to black Americans. In fact, Martin Luther King Jr. reportedly begged her to continue in the role! Today, Nichols isn’t just an important part of Star Trek’s past. She’s also the face of a changing television landscape.

39. Clint Eastwood

Once upon a time Clint Eastwood was the king of the Western, seeing as how he played the gunslinging “Man with No Name” in three of Sergio Leone’s movies. And arguably that title was never actually taken away from him. Yep, the image of Eastwood in a hat and poncho staring off into the distance is one of the most iconic ones in cinema.

38. Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn lived an absolutely amazing life. She survived World War II, became a famous actress and was widely lauded as one of the world’s most beautiful women. She even kept a pet baby deer named Pippin who followed her everywhere! Hepburn was practically a real-life Disney princess back when they were barely a thing.

37. Cybill Shepherd

Taxi Driver and The Heartbreak Kid actress Cybill Shepherd was one of the sex symbols of the 1970s and ’80s. She was beautiful, fashionable and cheerfully open about which actors she’d had affairs with! Allegedly, they included Elvis Presley and her Moonlighting co-star Bruce Willis.

36. Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno is one of the few people on the planet who can call themselves an EGOT – a person who’s won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. Oh, and she has a Presidential Medal of Freedom, too. And a Kennedy Center Honor. And a beautiful face. Alas, it’s alright for some.

35. Farrah Fawcett

Did you know that Charlie’s Angels star Farrah Fawcett introduced the world to a whole new hairstyle? Yep, her soft feathered ’do became so popular that before long women everywhere were rushing to the stylists and asking for “a Farrah.” Even today, she’s the first person you’d think of upon seeing someone rocking that haircut.

34. Eartha Kitt

There have been many versions of Catwoman ever since the Batman franchise as a whole got started. But Eartha Kitt is still many people’s favorite. She played the character on the Batman television show in 1967 and cemented herself a place in comics history. Yet the talent was also a singer, a trailblazer and an icon.

33. Robin Williams

The beloved actor Robin Williams was an intrinsic part of so many children’s lives. He played Peter Pan, Mrs Doubtfire, the genie from Aladdin and multiple other wacky characters. There’s a sense in which it’s hard to look at photographs of him without feeling nostalgia for our own childhood.

32. Demi Moore

Did any actress represent the 1980s better than Demi Moore? She was one of the “Brat Pack” – starring in several huge movies including St. Elmo’s Fire and later in films like Ghost and A Few Good Men. Oh, and she also both romanced Emilio Estevez and married Bruce Willis.

31. Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson was really a pioneer of her time. She was an actress who got started in 1959 and spent the next seven decades appearing in important and carefully chosen roles. And let’s not forget her contributions to fashion, either. After all, black actresses today wear hairstyles like the ones Tyson rocked in her era.

30. Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart began his Hollywood career way back in the 1940s. That’s of course a long time ago, but his movies are still remembered today. They include some the all-time classics like The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. Put on one of those films whenever you get nostalgic for that era of history.

29. Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John starred in Grease come 1978 and it changed her life forever. Actually, it majorly influenced the musical genre forever as well, since Grease is still the most successful movie musical of all time. Everyone back then wanted to dance alongside Newton-John in their own high schools, and many still do!

28. Sean Connery

Of course, there have been many James Bonds. The blockbuster movie franchise continues to this day with Daniel Craig in the title role. But for a lot of us, dashing Scottish actor Sean Connery wasn’t just the original, he was also the best.

27. Lucille Ball

This photo of Lucille Ball – taken sometime in the ’40s – might seem like it’s showing a side of her you haven’t seen very much. She looks serious, while you probably remember her as acting goofy all the time. After all, Ball was a comedienne. But here you can still see a smile in her eyes if you look closely.

26. Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly had a timeless beauty to her, and the sort of face that would have fit into any era. It probably won’t come as a surprise – if you didn’t already know – that this actress ended up a princess! She caught the eye of Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 and left her Hollywood lifestyle in order to marry him. Before the livestreamed royal weddings of modern times, Kelly captivated the entire world with hers.

25. Paul McCartney

It’s very difficult to describe Beatlemania to someone who wasn’t there. Starting around 1963, the world went absolutely crazy for those four musicians. People got outright hysterical at their concerts and men got jealous over their girlfriends’ Beatles obsession. It was a strange time, and perhaps seeing this picture of a surprisingly chilled-out-looking Paul McCartney will bring you back to it.

24. Cher and Sonny, 1966

Cher and Sonny had been married for about two years when this photograph was snapped — or they’d had a commitment ceremony, at least. They wouldn’t actually be legally married until 1969. All Cher fans know that the relationship went off the rails before too long, but you couldn’t have predicted that looking at this sweet moment.

23. Julie Andrews

Julie Andrews is associated with two main roles – Maria in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins in the eponymous film of the same name. So, it’s easy to forget all the other things she’s done. Andrews has been around a long time, and is like a living, breathing remnant from an era when Hollywood was quieter and slightly less scandalous.

22. Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton just might have a good claim on being one of the most beloved woman on Earth. She’s a very talented singer of course, but the talent has also donated millions to good causes throughout the course of her long career. This photo may spark nostalgia, but it’s knowing what’s coming for this pretty young woman that is exciting, too.

21. Paul Newman

Paul Newman was a very handsome man, but it was those eyes that got the most attention. They were bright blue, soulful and gorgeous. Many a woman of the 1960s and ’70s dreamed of having those eyes looking at her. Ironically, Newman was actually colorblind, but he ruined by comparison most blue-eyed actors to come.

20. Dorothy Dandridge

Dorothy Dandridge made history in 1955 when she became the first black woman ever to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. You might have heard Halle Berry reference her when she became the first African-American lady to win in 2002. When Dandridge wasn’t acting she was being a style icon, as you can no doubt tell from the photograph.

19. Freddie Mercury

To this day, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is instantly recognizable as a singer who took the world by storm. His voice, that look – all of it was unforgettable. Queen’s Live Aid performance in 1985 is considered one of the most iconic in rock music history – and for good reason. Just looking at this picture of Mercury is enough to make you feel like you can hear the crowd roaring!

18. Jamie Lee Curtis

Back in the ’80s Jamie Lee Curtis was known as “the Scream Queen” because of how many horror movies she starred in. She did Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and more. Though if you know her background, then it’s not surprising that’s the path her career took. Her mother was Psycho star Janet Leigh, after all.

17. Sidney Poitier

You’ve almost certainly heard the name Sidney Poitier even if you haven’t seen any films he was in. He was the first black winner of a Best Actor Academy Award back in the ’60s and also pretty much the first African-American movie star of Hollywood. He’s considered to have had a massive impact on the filmmaking world.

16. Ursula Andress

Ursula Andress was the very first Bond girl, and certainly there’s still some people for whom she’s the best. Other Bond girls have walked out of the water in a sexy bikini, but no one did it quite like her. Undoubtedly, images of her clad in just her swimwear adorned many a wall back in the day.

15. Rock Hudson

Rock Hudson wasn’t necessarily a great actor at first – one line from him in 1948’s Fighter Squadron reportedly required 38 takes! But the actor had charisma, and he learned. By 1956 Hudson had received an Oscar nomination. You might also know his name, though, because it later transpired he was gay, and now he’s considered an LGBT icon.

14. Barbara Eden

Barbara Eden had a run of very average films in the ’50s and might have been doomed to obscurity had it not been for the show I Dream of Jeannie. The program ended up utilizing her comedic talents and made her a TV icon. And looking at a photograph of her brings back memories of nights curled up in front of a tiny television watching Jeannie’s antics.

13. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Looking at a young Arnold Schwarzenegger throws you back to a different era of moviemaking. Back then, impossibly muscle-bound men mowed their way through hordes of enemies and dispensed them with witty quips, and the audience loved it. Yep, a whole generation of kids grew up pretending to be the Terminator on the playground.

12. Raquel Welch

Is there a more iconic image of a bikini-clad actress than this one of Raquel Welch? It’s from when she starred in the 1966 movie One Million Years B.C. wearing little else but a furry and strategically torn, uh, garment. Even though plenty of time has passed since then, she’s still very much associated with it today.

11. Ann-Margret

Swedish actress Ann-Margret possessed the kind of beauty that ’60s audiences went wild for. But she was talented, too. She starred opposite Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas and allegedly had an affair with him. Elvis’ wife Priscilla has said she was so furious on hearing about it that she hurled a vase across the room!

10. Pam Grier

Pam Grier was an icon of 1970s moviemaking and the “blaxploitation” trend. She also brought some spectacular fashion trends along with her during her rise to the top. The jeans, prints, jumpsuits, the big earrings – all of those things probably make you think of the ’70s, and Pam Grier wore them all.

9. Bruce Willis

For some, even just the name “Bruce Willis” conjures up hazy images of the 1980s and ’90s. He was in so many big movies of that era: Pulp Fiction, Armageddon, The Sixth Sense and of course Die Hard along with its sequels. Not only that: Willis also helped usher in a new era of high-octane, big-budget action films.

8. Goldie Hawn

Any of you around in the 1970s will know that Goldie Hawn was huge. She starred in, among other things, the comedies Shampoo and Overboard. The star was a breath of fresh air to many, since she was both beautiful and unapologetically silly. Oh, and Hawn is also the mom of actress Kate Hudson, who just so happens to have inherited her mother’s ’70s style.

7. Lauren Bacall

Those familiar with the Golden Age of Hollywood will remember Lauren Bacall well. She was beautiful, but the actress also had a smooth and seductive voice which audiences were captivated by. Even if you’re too young to have seen her in her heyday, you might know Bacall’s famous line from 1944’s To Have and Have Not. She says, “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.”

6. Sylvester Stallone

Look at a picture of young Sylvester Stallone and it’s hard not to hear the rousing chorus of “Eye of the Tiger” echoing in your head. Or perhaps you see John Rambo running around in war zones with a big gun. Either way, it’s hard to undersell the impact this one actor had on a generation of movie goers.

5. David Bowie

David Bowie spanned so many decades that arguably everyone has some fond nostalgic memories of him in their head. Perhaps you remember him as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane or as Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth. But no matter what persona Bowie was exhibiting, he was always doing it with style.

4. Catherine Bach

The stunning Catherine Bach played Daisy in 1979’s The Dukes of Hazzard and made one particular piece of clothing very famous along the way. The tiny cutoffs she wore in the show are now called “Daisy Dukes,” and it’s hard to pull on a pair of the leg-baring shorts without thinking of Bach!

3. Elvis Presley

Back in the ’50s Elvis Presley changed the face of popular music forever. Some people were outraged by his sexy dancing, but more were captivated by his singing voice and good looks. When he was drafted into the army in 1958, photographers eagerly snapshotted every second of his shipping out – such was his level of fame. And he’s still a legend today, of course.

2. Michael Jackson

Undoubtedly you already know the Michael Jackson story. Over the years the pop superstar started to look more and more unrecognizable. What caused him to want to alter his face so drastically? Though his talent was still evident in Jackson’s performances. Here’s a picture of him in the era before everything changed.

1. Marilyn Monroe

Perhaps no one invokes nostalgia the same way Marilyn Monroe does. The star was a celebrated beauty, but she was smart and snarky, too. This photo shows her posing in a potato sack, because a critic had slammed her appearance in a low-cut dress and said she might as well have worn a sack. These days, Monroe would’ve posted that pic up on Instagram. And you could only imagine the amount of likes she’d get!