# Famous Ugly People
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [October 7, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366 "2010-10-07T16:01:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/1 "2010-10-07T16:01:01Z")
[http://www.rateitall.com/t-22109-famous-ugly-people.aspx](http://www.rateitall.com/t-22109-famous-ugly-people.aspx)
Just ran across this site. Without looking at their list (unless you already did!) see how many of their 67 (as of this post time) you can name. I’ll be amazed if we can’t double that number here!
Pictures appreciated on those of questionable “celebrity” – but not required.
Who knows, we might even get a poll together! Who’d a-thought it?
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### Author:  [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/2 "2010-10-07T16:11:51Z")
Steve Buschemi is always the first person I think of when coming up with actors who’ve succeded despite being fairly ugly.
(and I call shenanigans on the linked list, some of those people are fairly good looking, and a few are simply older folks who were fairly good looking when they came to prominence).
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### Author:  [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/3 "2010-10-07T16:13:17Z")
Did I miss [Marty Feldman](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5Qcl1S1MdQQ/SSAhriw3jWI/AAAAAAAANNY/BY-Da3283-I/s400/MartyFeldman.jpg)on that list?
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/4 "2010-10-07T16:20:08Z")
> [@Casey1505](#):
>
> Did I miss [Marty Feldman](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5Qcl1S1MdQQ/SSAhriw3jWI/AAAAAAAANNY/BY-Da3283-I/s400/MartyFeldman.jpg)on that list?
#68! 😃
I didn’t see Jack Elam either:
[http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Djack%2Belam%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701&w=211&h=242&imgurl=www.newprophecy.net%2FJack\_Elam.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sculu.com%2Fgint-a-cuffs-take-2-17-20-beardys-gaze-36008&size=6KB&name=jack+elam&p=jack+elam&oid=19d21357d5c04406935da1e5955c08d7&fr2=&no=3&tt=5180&sigr=121vlqofu&sigi=111917sib&sigb=12e1ja6t9](http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Djack%2Belam%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701&w=211&h=242&imgurl=www.newprophecy.net%2FJack_Elam.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sculu.com%2Fgint-a-cuffs-take-2-17-20-beardys-gaze-36008&size=6KB&name=jack+elam&p=jack+elam&oid=19d21357d5c04406935da1e5955c08d7&fr2=&no=3&tt=5180&sigr=121vlqofu&sigi=111917sib&sigb=12e1ja6t9)
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### Author:  [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/5 "2010-10-07T16:21:35Z")
Danny DeVito and his lovely bride, Rhea Perlman.
Speaking of Perlmans…Ron Perlman
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/6 "2010-10-07T16:26:48Z")
> [@Simplicio](#):
>
> Steve Buschemi is always the first person I think of when coming up with actors who’ve succeded despite being fairly ugly.
>
> (and I call shenanigans on the linked list, some of those people are fairly good looking, and a few are simply older folks who were fairly good looking when they came to prominence).
Good point. However, I’d love to see a young picture of [Anne Ramsey](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001649/) to see what age could do.
Something tells me the “younger” pictures on this page are of different people:
> **[anne ramsey - Yahoo Image Search Results](https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=anne%2Bramsey&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-701)**
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/7 "2010-10-07T16:30:47Z")
Lance Henrikson
[http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images%3F\_adv\_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dlance%2Bhenriksen%26fr%3Datt-portal&w=259&h=348&imgurl=farm1.static.flickr.com/98/270395587\_e2aa46024a.jpg&rurl=http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/stephaniecolle/interesting/&size=58KB&name=Lance+Henriksen+...&p=lance+henriksen&oid=3c7aff54db4a744f1fc44e9f796e9f6f&fr2=&no=3&tt=17000&sigr=121n6i02m&sigi=11jfh2fu2&sigb=12th54uhr](http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dlance%2Bhenriksen%26fr%3Datt-portal&w=259&h=348&imgurl=farm1.static.flickr.com/98/270395587_e2aa46024a.jpg&rurl=http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/stephaniecolle/interesting/&size=58KB&name=Lance+Henriksen+...&p=lance+henriksen&oid=3c7aff54db4a744f1fc44e9f796e9f6f&fr2=&no=3&tt=17000&sigr=121n6i02m&sigi=11jfh2fu2&sigb=12th54uhr)
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/8 "2010-10-07T16:31:18Z")
> [@Zeldar](#):
>
> > [@Simplicio](#):
> >
> > Steve Buschemi is always the first person I think of when coming up with actors who’ve succeded despite being fairly ugly.
> >
> > (and I call shenanigans on the linked list, some of those people are fairly good looking, and a few are simply older folks who were fairly good looking when they came to prominence).
>
> Good point. However, I’d love to see a young picture of [Anne Ramsey](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001649/) to see what age could do.
Given that her roles listed on the IMDB page from the 70s (when she would have been in her 40s) included “Battleaxe” and “Massive woman”, I’d guess she was never exactly a classical beauty. (For those who don’t feel like clicking through, she was “Momma” in _Throw Momma from the Train_.)
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### Author:  [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/9 "2010-10-07T16:31:05Z")
They don’t have pictures of any of these people. That makes the whole exercise kind of annoying from a spectator’s point of view.
I did see Lincoln on their list. At the time of his election, copies of his photo were sold in Paris to the credulous as photos of the notorious murderer Martin Dumollard, who had just been convicted for strangling six young girls. It was an era when people foolishly assumed one’s appearance reflected one’s inner good or evil, not unlike our own.
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/10 "2010-10-07T16:45:15Z")
> [@Simplicio](#):
>
> Steve Buschemi is always the first person I think of when coming up with actors who’ve succeded despite being fairly ugly.
I seem to recall that one of Buscemi’s early movie rolls was in a Woody Allen film, in which is plays a “pretty boy” actor. Funny, that.
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/11 "2010-10-07T16:50:42Z")
> [@Sailboat](#):
>
> I did see Lincoln on their list. At the time of his election, copies of his photo were sold in Paris to the credulous as photos of the notorious murderer Martin Dumollard, who had just been convicted for strangling six young girls. It was an era when people foolishly assumed one’s appearance reflected one’s inner good or evil, not unlike our own.
Wonderful point. I’d really love to see photos or credible artwork of famous people of the past whose names are household but whose faces are only created out of whole cloth in my imagination or else aided by less-than-helpful things like coins and such.
People like:
Genghis Khan
Alexander the Great
Julius Caesar
Jesus Christ
I’ve even wondered if there would be as much fascination with Jesus if he looked more like Vincent Gallo.
> **[vincent gallo - Yahoo Image Search Results](https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0PDoTCE9K1MThQAMZyJzbkF?p=vincent%2Bgallo&fr=yfp-t-701&ei=utf-8&x=wrt&y=Search)**
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### Author:  [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/12 "2010-10-07T16:52:54Z")
I noticed Janis Joplin on that list. I have read that she found herself unattractive. I have no idea why. To me, she seemed to have average looks.
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/13 "2010-10-07T16:53:18Z")
Ernest Borgnine
Sammy Davis
Lily Tomlin
Barbra Streisand
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/14 "2010-10-07T16:57:53Z")
There are quite a few people on that list who I’d never describe as “ugly.” Having one or two atypical features doesn’t qualify as “ugly.”
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/15 "2010-10-07T16:59:53Z")
Well, I’m 1 for 4.
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### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/16 "2010-10-07T17:01:42Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#):
>
> Given that her roles listed on the IMDB page from the 70s (when she would have been in her 40s) included “Battleaxe” and “Massive woman”, I’d guess she was never exactly a classical beauty. )
She was married to actor Logan Ramsey, not a familiar name, but a familiar [character actor face.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Logan_Ramsey_Claudiusmarcus.jpg) Her father-in-law [Logan’s dad,](http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/lcramseysr.htm), had a role in a pivotal moment in history.
For my own contributions:
Mike Mazurki and Harry Wilson, both ugly goons. You can see them together in “Some Like It Hot.”
Kim McGuire, aka “Hatchet Face”
Madeline Sherwood
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/17 "2010-10-07T17:04:49Z")
[Tom](http://www.popcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/tom_petty_old.png) [Petty](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NtWch3yJJeg/TD8onhSWTpI/AAAAAAAAC68/llCUCBjMxA8/s400/Tom+Petty.jpg)
[Ric](http://www.thewvsr.com/ocasek.jpg) [Ocasek](http://cbgb.com/cbgbwp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/ric-ocasek.jpg) of The Cars
[Patti](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NHGO6tuELU/SzWAPY5iuQI/AAAAAAAADu0/RaChzegncfs/s400/patti-smith.jpg) [Smith](http://www.postmodern.com/~fi/pattipics/images/tate_photo.jpg)
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### Author:  [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/18 "2010-10-07T17:05:22Z")
One of my favourite actors but he was no dreamboat.
Walter Matthau
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/19 "2010-10-07T17:06:12Z")
> [@panache45](#):
>
> There are quite a few people on that list who I’d never describe as “ugly.” Having one or two atypical features doesn’t qualify as “ugly.”
There’s also definitely an element of “we hate them, so we’ll call them ugly.” How else to explain the presence of Camilla Parker (hardly a genuine celebrity in the first place), Yoko Ono, or Paris Hilton, or a number of others who are, if not raving beauties, no worse than plain?
No one on that list can touch [Rondo Hatton](http://www.classicscreams.com/Celeb_Pages/Celeb_Pics/Hatton_Rondo_03.jpg).
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-ugly-people/556366/20 "2010-10-07T17:07:58Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#):
>
> [Tom](http://www.popcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/tom_petty_old.png) [Petty](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NtWch3yJJeg/TD8onhSWTpI/AAAAAAAAC68/llCUCBjMxA8/s400/Tom+Petty.jpg)
>
> [Ric](http://www.thewvsr.com/ocasek.jpg) [Ocasek](http://cbgb.com/cbgbwp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/ric-ocasek.jpg) of The Cars
>
> [Patti](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NHGO6tuELU/SzWAPY5iuQI/AAAAAAAADu0/RaChzegncfs/s400/patti-smith.jpg) [Smith](http://www.postmodern.com/~fi/pattipics/images/tate_photo.jpg)
Zounds! These ought to be top of the list over there!
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