# Cause of facial abnormality? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527 "2011-11-10T19:18:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527/21 "2012-01-29T02:58:20Z")
[Here is the grandson of his first cousin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7h52LAgkJ8), Nicolas Emilfork who is a noted classical guitarist. You can (I think) actually see some of the family resemblance in his face, especially around the mouth. They are just not a handsome crew. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527/22 "2012-01-29T03:57:20Z")
bear in mind that some of those images are from the movies he’s acted in - so you may be seeing make-up to accentuate peculiarities of his face. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527/23 "2012-01-30T00:33:00Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Given he’s apparently old, healthy and intelligent I’d be inclined to go with “not handsome” vs it being some congenital genetic issue. Actually, he died in 2006. Vincent Schiavelli also died, a year earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527/24 "2012-01-30T06:07:21Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I don’t agree at all - as I said, in another thread, two months ago: > > Believe me, I analyze the facial features of everyone I see probably more than anyone else in the world. Faces fascinate me and always have. I think the majority of faces that I see are average to good looking; the other circumstances surrounding them, like fat, posture and hairstyle, are often poor. > > Daniel Emilfork has _very_ atypical facial features. Ah, OK, my apologies; I didn’t realise you were the world’s expert on who’s ugly and who’s normal. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527/25 "2012-01-30T08:46:51Z")
I don’t find him ugly, but my first thought was that he has classic Jewish features. Wikipedia confirms that his parents were Jewish. Unusual combination of features? Possibly. But he, like all character actors (see: Steve Buscemi), plays up the ugly for the camera. Even with the gauntness, I still think he was handsome in his younger days. His face reminds me of Jackie Earle Haley, the guy who played the child molester in _Little Children_ (I think they added the pockmarks for the movie, although I’m not 100% sure). FWIW, I also think Haley is very handsome with facial hair and with glasses on. But you know, character actors often emphasize what makes them different in order to get roles. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527/26 "2012-01-30T12:35:29Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > (see: Steve Buscemi) He’s funny lookin’ … in a general sort of way. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527/27 "2012-01-30T16:06:57Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Ah, OK, my apologies; I didn’t realise you were the world’s expert on who’s ugly and who’s normal. I think we should just feel blessed the world’s foremost expert asked us, yes US, for information on the very topic he knows so much about. I feel all swoony. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527/28 "2012-01-30T17:55:05Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I don’t find him ugly, but my first thought was that he has classic Jewish features. Wikipedia confirms that his parents were Jewish. Unusual combination of features? Possibly. Funny, my thought was that he was very clearly _French_, which of course doesn’t rule out Jewish features, but he makes me think of a lot of non-Jewish Frenchmen in my family and in TV/movies that I’ve seen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-facial-abnormality/602527.md?page=1)