# What's with the bump on Harry Dean Stanton's forehead??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 9, 2006, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005 "2006-05-09T02:29:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/1 "2006-05-09T02:29:01Z")
I don’t know when I first noticed that huge bump on Harry Dean Stanton’s forehead, above his right eye. Maybe it was one of the times I saw him performing music, and I would have just thought he had recently had an accident. Maybe it was in a particular film, and I would have thought that he had recently had an accident before filming and the filmmakers just decided not to cover it- or maybe I though that the bump was not Stanton’s but rather the character’s and that the make-up department put it on for effect. But, no. That bump has been there for years and it’s not going away. What kind of swelling just never subsides? What could have been the original cause? What about it makes it (seemingly) permanent? Couldn’t find too many images where it was really obvious (but it’s obvious when you watch him on T.V. or in a movie). You can kinda see it in these too pics, but if you watch “Big Love” or “She’s so Lovely” you’ll definitely see it. [Stanton bump](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/3630/Events/3630/HarryDeanS_Cohen_6077004_400.jpg?path=pgallery&path_key=Stanton,%20Harry%20Dean) [Harry Dean bump](http://www.sffs.org/levin/gallery42/b/main/B01_STANTON_ETHEREDGE.jpg) Once the OP has been answered feel free to morph this into a “Harry Dean Stanton Appreciation Thread”. It would be well deserved. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/2 "2006-05-09T04:51:02Z")
Some people’s heads are just shaped that way. A friend of mine had a bump on her head, albeit smaller. When I asked her about, she just said it was some growth that happens to people. I resisted the urge to take a hammer and flatten it out. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/3 "2006-05-09T14:49:01Z")
Well, that’s not very exciting. I was hoping for a cool story about a bar room brawl. Unless someone’s got better info than **BobT** , I guess we can move on to making this an “appreciation Thread”. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/4 "2006-05-09T15:37:18Z")
My mom has a similar looking bump on her shoulder. It’s a fatty tumor (or fatty cyst? I forget), and it’s been there for something like 7 years, ever since her father died. Her father had the same thing (in the same spot) for over 40 years. Don’t know if it’s the same sort of thing, of course. But as long as we’re wildly speculating, here… ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/5 "2006-05-09T15:38:56Z")
Well, I for one very much appreciate the bump on HDS’s head. Seriously, though, it’s a very good question. I find it hard to believe his \*skull \* is shaped that way. And growths may just happen, but it’s curious that one wouldn’t have it removed / fixed, especially if they were in a profession where looks are so important. It’s not like he can’t afford it. While I’m at it, what’s the deal with the growth between[Russell Crowe’s](http://www.murphsplace.com/crowe/images19/Russell%20Crowe%20HQ%20Magazine2.jpg) eyebrows? Very distracting. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/6 "2006-05-09T15:47:26Z")
My husband has one of those bumps, on his forehead. He can’t remember when it got there – it’s been years. The doctor said he could remove the fatty tissue, but there would probably be a slight depression where the bump used to be. So he’s leaving it be. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/7 "2006-05-09T16:44:58Z")
You know how when you bruise yourself, you get a knot (it’s under the skin but kind of moves around a little if you push on it) there that stays for years? I’ve got one in the middle of my forehead from falling on my face a lot when I was little :rolleyes: :smack: It’s not big like HDS’s bump, but it’s noticeable if you’re looking for it. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/8 "2006-05-09T16:56:12Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > it’s curious that one wouldn’t have it removed / fixed, especially if they were in a profession where looks are so important. It’s not like he can’t afford it. Have you _seen_ Harry Dean Stanton? I don’t think his career was built on good looks… ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/9 "2006-05-09T16:58:24Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > You know how when you bruise yourself, you get a knot (it’s under the skin but kind of moves around a little if you push on it) there that stays for years? > > I’ve got one in the middle of my forehead from falling on my face a lot when I was little :rolleyes: :smack: It’s not big like HDS’s bump, but it’s noticeable if you’re looking for it. I did not know that. What is it made of? I mean, is it scar tissue or sac like? Does it ever hurt? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/10 "2006-05-09T17:19:39Z")
I have a bump kind of like that (but smaller) on my forehead. I’ve had it at least since I was 10. I think it’s a sebaceous cyst- I had one of those on my back that got inflamed a few years ago, and I had it removed. I suspect if I had the one on my forehead removed, there would probably be a scar, which might not be a great improvement, looks-wise. ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/11 "2006-05-09T18:31:55Z")
Steven Burkoff has one, too. It’s very distracting. The hyperlink button isn’t working for me right now so here’s my unadorned link to a photo: [![](https://lyceum.org.uk/sites/press/images/Steven%20Berkoff/Steven%20Berkoff%20800.jpg) ](https://lyceum.org.uk/sites/press/images/Steven%20Berkoff/Steven%20Berkoff%20800.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/12 "2006-05-09T18:56:07Z")
Jazz great [Eric Dolphy](http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/1114/pics/edolphy1.jpg) had a major forehead bump. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/13 "2006-05-09T19:02:45Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I did not know that. What is it made of? I mean, is it scar tissue or sac like? Does it ever hurt? It doesn’t hurt, it’s like a blob under the skin, that keeps its own shape but can be smushed around a little in location. Maybe it is a cyst and Mom was just telling stories, but once time I was playing softball and hit my finger on the backstop (don’t ask). A little area puffed up and someone told me I would have a bump under the skin for years, and I do. It’s tiny compared to the one on my head, but very similar in how it feels. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/14 "2006-05-09T19:13:22Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I did not know that. What is it made of? I mean, is it scar tissue or sac like? Does it ever hurt? Mine is soft- I can press it down, but it pops back up when I let the pressure off. Sebaceous cysts are only painful if you get unlucky with the location of them, or if they get infected or inflamed. The one I had on my back was where my bra band hits, and I think that might have had something to do with it getting inflamed. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-bump-on-harry-dean-stantons-forehead/356005/15 "2006-05-09T19:28:56Z")
Jean Claude van Damme (JCvD to his fans) has a [big one](http://www.celebrity-pictures-world.com/pictures/j/jean-claude-van-damme/jean-claude-van-damme-002.jpg). It contains what passes for the acting talent centre of his brain, enabling him to affect two entire facial expressions. This is why he is so frequently cast in dual roles; it allows him to show off his whole acting range. Tom Cruise is rumoured to have one that he straps on when he needs to pretend to be drunk.