Newsfeed
Beards
The 25 Most Influential Beards of All Time

The 25 Most Influential Beards of All Time

1 minute read

ZZ Top Perform At SSE Arena Wembley — ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, left, and Billy Gibbons, right.Rob Ball—Getty Images

By Kenneth Bachor and Denver Nicks

November 6, 2015 5:14 PM EST

This weekend marks the National Beard and Moustache Championships in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Nov. 7, 2015. The stated purpose of the event? To “to find and honor the best facial hair in America,” of course.

To celebrate some of the most important facial hair throughout history, we compiled a list of the 25 most influential beards of all time. From musicians like ZZ Top to world leaders, each of the men on this list played a key role in shaping history, politics and culture.

Abraham Lincoln — Abraham Lincoln.National Archives/Getty Images

ZZ Top Perform At SSE Arena Wembley — ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, left, and Billy Gibbons, right.Rob Ball—Getty Images

Chuck Norris — Chuck Norris.Jon Kopaloff—Getty Images

Mr. T — Mr. T.Ray Tamarra—Getty Images

Gandalf — Gandalf.New Line Cinema/Getty Images

Zach Galifianakis — Zach Galifianakis.Douglas Gorenstein—Getty Images

Fidel Castro — Fidel Castro.Getty Images

Leonardo da Vinci — Leonardo da Vinci.Getty Images

Billy Mays — Billy Mays.Paul Drinkwater—Getty Images

Jesus — Jesus.DEA Picture Library/Getty Images

Karl Marx — Karl Marx.Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images

Kyp Malone TV on the Radio — TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone. Chris Weeks—Getty Images

Jerry Garcia — Jerry Garcia.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Jeff Bridges — Jeff Bridges. Tom Williams—Getty Images

Santa Claus — Santa Claus.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Claude Monet — Claude Monet.Getty Images

Rick Rubin — Rick Rubin.Michael Kovac—Getty Images

Brigham Young — Brigham Young.Culture Club/Getty Images

Dave Grohl — Dave Grohl.Kevin Winter—Getty Images

Anthrax Scott Ian — Anthrax's Scott Ian. Jason Squires—Getty Images

Slayer Kerry King — Slayer's Kerry King. Daniel Karmann—Getty Images

Mario Batali — Mario Batali.Jemal Countess—Getty Images

Osama bin Laden — Osama bin Laden. AFP/Getty Images

Don Young — Rep. Don Young.Tom Williams—Getty Images

Walt Whitman — Walt Whitman.Getty Images

More Must-Reads from TIME

Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness

Contact us at letters@time.com