throwback-celebrity-yearbook-photos-mid-1900s
throwback-celebrity-yearbook-photos-mid-1900s

Last Updated on September 14, 2025 by Matt Staff

If you were to go ahead and crack open a yearbook dating back to the mid-1900s, you’d be struck by just how different fame looked back then. You might go so far as to say that it looked downright ordinary. This throwback collection of celebrity yearbook photos from the mid-1900s brings with it its own deepened sense of classic nostalgia. Enjoy the historical trip.

1. Elvis Presley – Class of 1953, Humes HS

A black-and-white high school yearbook page with portraits and signatures, featuring a larger inset portrait of a young Elvis Presley in a suit and tie on the left.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

2. Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean) – 1941

A young woman with dark, curly hair adorned with flowers smiles warmly at the camera. She wears a light-colored top and a heart-shaped necklace. The photo is black and white with a soft, vintage feel.
Marilynmonroe / via reddit.com

3. Tina Turner (Anna Mae Bullock) – Class of 1958, Sumner HS

Black and white portrait of a young woman with short, curly hair, wearing a patterned scarf and a dark blouse, looking slightly past the camera with a neutral expression.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

4. Jack Nicholson – Class of 1954, Manasquan HS

Black and white portrait of a young man with short, neatly styled hair, wearing a suit jacket, white shirt, and tie, smiling and looking slightly to the side.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

5. Clint Eastwood – Class of 1949, Oakland Technical HS

Black and white portrait of a young man with neatly styled hair, wearing a suit and tie, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

6. James Dean – Class of 1951, Fairmont HS

Black and white photo of a male basketball player in a Lakers uniform, crouched and dribbling a basketball with one hand while extending his other arm for balance.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

7. Dolly Parton – Class of 1964, Sevier County HS

Black and white portrait of a woman with light-colored, voluminous, curled hair, styled with a hair clip. She is smiling and wearing an off-the-shoulder top, looking slightly to the side.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

8. Bob Dylan – Class of 1959, Hibbing HS

Black and white yearbook-style portrait of a young man in a suit with neatly combed hair. The name "Robert Zimmerman" is printed below the photo. Part of another word is visible at the bottom edge.
mildlyinteresting / via reddit.com

9. Janis Joplin – Class of 1960, Thomas Jefferson HS

Black-and-white portrait of a woman with light skin and her hair pulled back in an updo, wearing a dark top and small hoop earrings, looking slightly to the left of the camera with a neutral expression.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

10. Jim Morrison – Class of 1961, George Washington HS

Black and white yearbook-style portrait of a young man with short dark hair, wearing a suit jacket, white shirt, and tie, looking straight at the camera with a neutral expression.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

11. Jimi Hendrix – Class of 1961, Garfield HS

Black and white portrait of a young man with short hair, wearing a light-colored collared sweater, looking slightly upward and to the side against a plain background.
jimihendrix/ via reddit.com

12. Johnny Cash – Class of 1950, Dyess HS

A sepia-toned yearbook page shows black-and-white portrait photos of young men and women arranged in a grid, each facing forward and dressed formally.
johnnycash / via reddit.com

13. William Shatner – Class of 1947, West Hill HS, Montreal

A black-and-white yearbook page features three students’ portraits, each with a short biography and favorite activities listed beside their photos. The largest, clearest section highlights "Shatner, William" with a smiling headshot.
thewaywewere / via reddit.com

14. Meryl Streep – Class of 1966, Bernard HS

A black-and-white split image shows a young woman smiling in a portrait on the left, and dressed as a cheerleader holding a megaphone on a sports field on the right.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

15. George Lucas – Class of 1962, Downey HS

A young man wearing a graduation cap and gown poses for a formal portrait, facing the camera with a neutral expression and a light background behind him.
imagesofthe1960s / via reddit.com

16. Harrison Ford – Class of 1960, Maine East HS

A young man in a black-and-white portrait, wearing a suit and tie, with short, neatly styled hair, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

17. Robin Williams – Class of 1969, Redwood HS

Black and white portrait of a young man wearing a suit and tie, with neatly combed hair, looking at the camera and smiling slightly.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

18. Bruce Springsteen – Class of 1967, Freehold HS

A black-and-white yearbook photo of a young Bruce Springsteen in a suit and tie, with handwritten messages and signatures in blue ink filling the space above his image.
brucespringsteen / via reddit.com

19. Jane Fonda – Class of 1955, Greenwich Academy

Black and white portrait of a young woman with short, wavy hair, smiling, wearing a light-colored top and a necklace, photographed against a plain background.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

20. Morgan Freeman – Class of 1955, Broad Street HS

Black and white portrait of a young boy wearing a suit and tie, looking slightly to the side with a neutral expression against a plain background.
Oldschoolcool / via reddit.com

Explore more celebrities’ content:

From prom-pose grins to proto-rock-god scowls, these yearbook portraits bottle the exact moment before ordinary turned iconic. In the mood for more celebrities’ scrolls? Try these 20 Celebrities That Ruled the Golden Age of Hollywood, or these 15 Historic Lawmen Who Inspired Hollywood Legends. You may also enjoy these 20 Robin Williams Quotes That Reveal the Man Behind the Laughter.