ADVERTISEMENT

If you have never heard the term before, a mug shot is a portrait photo of a person from the shoulders up. Usually, it includes both a front and profile view. Mug shots are taken after a person is arrested and are included in the police case files. In some cases, when officers are still in pursuit of the criminal, they might find it appropriate to use previously existing police mug shots to warn the public or ask for their assistance.

If you were wondering, no, coffee mugs have nothing to do with the term. In fact, “mug” is an English slang word for face, and this is where this type of photo got its name from. It is believed that the first country to start using mugshots in law enforcement was Belgium, as far back as the early 1840s. Later, in 1888, French police officer Alphonse Bertillon standardized the light and angle, and this is what police officers around the world use till today. Sometimes, though not necessarily, people in mugshots also hold a plate with essential identification information. 

Since the development of the internet, a lot of mugshots can be found online. Among mug shots of infamous criminals, serial killers, and drug lords, you can also come across some celebrity mugshots. These, however, should not be confused with headshots. While the general form is the same for both types of photos, they have completely different functions. Headshots serve to promote the person, and actors often use them to apply for a role. And though sometimes celebrities do get in trouble with the law, at other times they may also take funny mugshots or even crazy mugshots just for fun.  

For this article, we collected some mugshots of famous people that have been around for a long time or were taken on an occasion that would go on to become very important in history. How many of them do you recognize?

#1

David Bowie

David Bowie mugshot

David Bowie was arrested over a drug charge with Iggy Pop in 1976.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Amanda Cruz
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ya it was pot, were pretty proud of that here. Most bars have that picture up

#2

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash mugshot

Mugshot of Johnny Cash taken at Folsom Prison in 1966, the first time he performed there, taken as a joke with the guards.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#3

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe mugshot

Marilyn Monroe was arrested in 1954 for driving too slow and without a license.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
R B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Too slow? In 1954? Ok. She was ahead of her time clearly.

#4

Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant mugshot

Hugh Grant was arrested in 1995 for "'lewd conduct" in a public place (in his car).

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Report

Add photo comments
POST
Nathaniel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He was not alone in the car. I still remember her name. Divine Brown.

Nilsen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And I still wonder why he paid her, or anyone for that matter. At that time he could have shouted "I'm famous and want to get laid" and he'd get a dozen offers

Load More Replies...
John Anderson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wasn't he married to Elizabeth Hurley at the time? She's still hot

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#5

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra mugshot

Back then a 23-year-old Frank Sinatra was arrested and booked for Seduction in 1938. The charge was eventually dropped when it was discovered that the supposedly single woman was in fact married. Later that year, armed with this new information, the original charge was revised slightly, and Sinatra was again arrested, this time for Adultery.

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#6

Robert Downey Junior

Robert Downey Junior mugshot

Robert Downey Junior was arrested in 1996 for possession of heroin and cocaine.

California Department of Corrections Report

#7

Pablo Escobar

Pablo Escobar mugshot

Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar was arrested in Medellín, Colombia in connection with drug crimes. 1977.

Colombian National Police Report

#8

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley mugshot

On December 21, 1970, Elvis Presley paid a visit to President Richard M. Nixon at the White House in Washington, D.C. The meeting was initiated by Presley, who wrote Nixon a six-page letter requesting a visit with the President and suggesting that he be made a 'Federal Agent-at-Large' in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, all of which led to the famous mugshots.

Wikimedia Commons Report

Add photo comments
POST
R B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What? So by asking to be made a Federal agent at large , it lead to an arrest

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#9

Bill Gates

Bill Gates mugshot

Bill Gates was arrested in 1977 for speeding (back then he was 19 years old).

Albuquerque, New Mexico police department Report

Add photo comments
POST
Amy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How fast do you have to be going to get arrested for speeding??

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#10

Mickey Rourke

Mickey Rourke mugshot

Mickey Rourke was arrested in 1994 after allegedly threatening police during a shouting match.

Report

#11

Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger mugshot

Mick Jagger got arrested in 1967 for drug possession.

Report

#12

James Brown

James Brown mugshot

James Brows was arrested in 1988 for failing to stop for a police officer (during a car chase) and aggravated assault.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Hugh Cookson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, and probably for the charge of being in S Carolina and being black ...... no corruption here at all then ...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#13

Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin mugshot

An American singer and musician, Janis Joplin, was arrested for vulgar and indecent language.

Report

#14

Jake Lloyd

Jake Lloyd mugshot

In 2015, an American former actor who portrayed young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace", Jake Lloyd was arrested for fleeing the police in South Carolina in a high-speed chase.

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#15

Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy mugshot

An American serial killer, Ted Bundy, was electrocuted January 24, 1989 for the murder of 12 year old Kimberly Diane Leach.

Florida Department of Corrections Report

Add photo comments
POST
Nathaniel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The others have been celebrities, this guy was just a sick k******d and a serial killer, he does not belong on this list.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#16

Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes mugshot

Wesley Snipes, an American actor and film producer, was arrested and charged with felony tax fraud and conspiracy charges.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Marette
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Umm, Monroe Hutchen is a character Wesley Snipes played in a movie?

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#17

Khloe Kardashian

Khloe Kardashian mugshot

An American media personality and socialite, Khloe Kardashian, was arrested for DUI in 2007 in California after she was pulled over by police and failed a series of sobriety tests.

Report

#18

Blac Chyna

Blac Chyna mugshot

An American model and socialite, Blac Chyna, was arrested and charged with felony possession of ecstasy in Texas, 2016.

Report

#19

Travis Scott

Travis Scott mugshot

American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer, Travis Scott, was arrested on Saturday, May 13, 2017, on charges of inciting a riot, disorderly conduct and endangering the welfare of a minor.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
J Rob
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seems as though he didn't learn his lesson; Astroworld Festival

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#20

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel mugshot

The infamous gangster poses while being held in New York. February 12, 1928.

New York Police Department Report

#21

Scott Disick

Scott Disick mugshot

American media personality and socialite Scott Disick was arrested and charged with DUI after he crashed his car in Riverhead, New York after a night of drinking.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Celeste De Oliveira
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Another from the same family, hahaha. This looks like a Kardashian family album.

#22

Lee Harvey Oswald

Lee Harvey Oswald mugshot

Lee Harvey Oswald, a U.S. Marine veteran, was arrested for the murder of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. November 23, 1963.

Dallas Police Report

Add photo comments
POST
Lisa H
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, this list should include on famous people, not INfamous 🙄

#23

Meek Mill

Meek Mill mugshot

Rapper Meek Mill is being booked to the Chester Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania in 2017 after a parole violation.

Philadelphia Police Department Report

Add photo comments
POST
#24

John Anglin

John Anglin mugshot

In 1958, John, Clarence, and Alfred Anglin robbed the Columbia Savings Bank Building in Columbia, Alabama. All received 35-year sentences, which they served at Florida State Prison, Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, and then Atlanta Penitentiary. After repeated attempts to escape from the Atlanta facility, John and Clarence were transferred to Alcatraz.

US Federal Government Report

Add photo comments
POST
Kate
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

From which they disappeared and may or may not have drowned in the bay.

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#25

Kiari Kendrell "Offset" Cephus

Kiari Kendrell "Offset" Cephus mugshot

Mugshot of an American rapper, Offset, following his charges for battery and inciting a riot.

Georgia Dept. of Corrections Report

Add photo comments
POST
#26

NeNe Leakes

NeNe Leakes mugshot

American television personality, actress, presenter, businesswoman, author, and fashion designer, NeNe Leakes, pictured in 1992 after her first arrest, which came with three felony and one misdemeanor counts of 'theft of services' from a phone company and during the two year probation period.

Report

#27

Patty Hearst

Patty Hearst mugshot

Granddaughter of American publishing magnate, later a member of Symbionese Liberation Army, Patty Hearst was arrested in San Francisco on September 18, 1975, charged with bank robbery and other crimes.

fbi.gov Report

#28

Todd Harrell

Todd Harrell mugshot

A judge in Nashville ordered an ex member of  a rock band "3 Doors Down", Todd Harrell, to be placed on house arrest in view of his second DUI arrest in D'Iberville pending trial on vehicular manslaughter, 2014.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#29

Eddie Deezen

Eddie Deezen mugshot

Original “Grease” actor Eddie Deezen was arrested at a Maryland restaurant for refusing to leave and throwing plates and food at police.

Report

#30

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson mugshot

American country musician Willie Nelson was arrested for speeding and driving without a license by the police department of Pasadena, Texas.

Pasadena Police Department Report

#31

Butch Cassidy

Butch Cassidy mugshot

Butch Cassidy, an American train and bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Wild Bunch" in the Old West, was arrested at Lander, Wyoming, for stealing horses and possibly for running a protection racket among the local ranchers there.

Wikimedia Commons Report

Add photo comments
POST
#32

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor mugshot

In 1963. an American stand-up comedian and actor Richard Pryor was arrested and sentenced to 90 days for attacking a woman.

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#33

George “Machine Gun” Kelly Barnes

George “Machine Gun” Kelly Barnes mugshot

Mugshot of an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, from the Oklahoma City Police Department following his arrest in 1933.

fbi.gov Report

Add photo comments
POST
#34

Jussie Smollett

Jussie Smollett mugshot

American actor and singer, Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 30 months of probation, including 150 days of jail time, for staging a hate crime against himself and lying to police about it.

Report

#35

Clyde Barrow

Clyde Barrow mugshot

Clyde Barrow, American criminal was arrested for attempted car theft in 1926.

Dallas Police Dept. Report

Add photo comments
POST
#36

Rip Torn

Rip Torn mugshot

Rip Torn, an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years, was arrested for breaking into a local bank with a loaded weapon.

Report

#37

Lisa Robin Kelly

Lisa Robin Kelly mugshot

An American actress, best known for her role as Laurie Forman on the TV series "That '70s Show", Lisa Robin Kelly was arrested on suspicion of DUI, 2012.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#38

Stacey Dash

Stacey Dash mugshot

American actress Stacey Dash was arrested on domestic battery charge in Florida.

Report

#39

Steve Wilkos

Steve Wilkos mugshot

Steve Wilkos, an American television personality, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a former law enforcement officer with the Chicago Police Department, was arrested for DUI after a car crash.

Report

#40

Laura McCulloch

Laura McCulloch mugshot

Australian actress Laura McCulloch was arrested by the Santa Monica Police Department for public intoxication and resisting arrest.

Report

#41

Michelle Branch

Michelle Branch mugshot

An American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Michelle Branch was arrested for domestic assault.

Report

#42

Jason Alexander

Jason Alexander mugshot

Britney Spears' ex, Jason Alexander was arrested on a misdemeanor, 2021.

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#43

Jason London

Jason London mugshot

In 2013, Jason London, an American actor, known for his roles as Randall "Pink" Floyd in director Richard Linklater's film "Dazed and Confused", was arrested in Arizona and charged with assault and disorderly conduct.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#44

Hopper Penn

Hopper Penn mugshot

Hopper Penn, and American actor and producer, was arrested on drug charges in Nebraska.

Report

#45

Michael Lohan

Michael Lohan mugshot

Michael Lohan, an American television personality, best known as the father of actress Lindsay Lohan, was arrested for patient brokering.

Report

#46

Thomas Ravenel

Thomas Ravenel mugshot

Thomas Ravenel, an American politician and reality television star, has been charged with assault and battery, 2018.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#47

Shaun Weiss

Shaun Weiss mugshot

Shaun Weiss, an American actor, well known for his roles in The Mighty Ducks movies, was arrested for burglary.

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#48

Jenelle Evans

Jenelle Evans mugshot

In 2015, TV personality Jenelle Evans was charged for domestic violence.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#49

Ariana Biermann

Ariana Biermann mugshot

American singer's, Kim Zolciak-Biermann's daughter was cited for DUI, Improper/Erratic Lane Change and Underage Consumption of Alcohol.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
#50

Bug Hall

Bug Hall mugshot

Most popular as a child actor during the 1990s, Bug Halll was taken to Parker County Jail on charges of possession for use to inhale/ingest a volatile chemical, 2020.

Report

Add photo comments
POST