Austin Powers/Seinfeld/The Adaams Family
Here is a list of famous fictional bald characters in TV, books and the movies.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, Professor Charles Xavier is a telepathic mutant who founded the X-Men to promote peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants. Patrick Stewart, who portrayed him in films, was cast after a comic fan noted his striking resemblance to the character.
Launched in 1958 by Procter & Gamble, Mr. Clean was illustrated by Harry Barnhart as a bald, muscular cleaning brand mascot. Barnhart drew inspiration from a disciplined U.S. Navy sailor's clean-cut appearance.
Saitama was created by manga artist ONE in 2009 for his webcomic "One-Punch Man.” Saitama is a superhero who could defeat any opponent with a single punch. The character’s iconic baldness resulted from his extreme training regimen of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run daily for three years.
Dr. Evil, created by writer/actor Mike Myers for the 1997 film "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.” The character was a comedic parody of James Bond villains, complete with his iconic pinky-to-mouth gesture that Myers based on a similar mannerism his father displayed when telling jokes.
Designed by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. in 1967 for The Amazing Spider-Man #50, Wilson Fisk/Kingpin emerged as a ruthless crime lord in Marvel Comics. He was known for his massive physical strength and tactical genius. Vincent D'Onofrio would later portray the character’s distinctive voice on filmmaker Orson Welles.
Lord Voldemort was invented by J.K. Rowling in 1997 for the Harry Potter series. In the series he is portrayed as a dark wizard who sought immortality and pure-blood wizard dominance, with his snake-like appearance symbolizing his gradual loss of humanity through dark magic.
Walter White was a chemistry teacher who turned into methamphetamine kingpin "Heisenberg" in AMC's Breaking Bad (2008-2013), created by Vince Gilligan, White underwent a profound moral descent symbolized by his deliberate head-shaving, which actor Bryan Cranston maintained throughout filming.
Superman's brilliant billionaire nemesis, Lex Luthor, was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1940. Luthor began as a red-haired character but was permanently depicted as bald after artist Leo Nowak mistakenly drew him without hair in Superman #10.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard was created by Gene Roddenberry for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). He was played by Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart whose natural baldness became an iconic part of the character despite producers initially wanting him to wear a hairpiece.
Caillou was a bald four-year-old protagonist created by Hélène Desputeaux in 1989 for her children's books. The books became a Canadian animated series in 1997. The character was designed without hair to make him relatable to children with cancer.
The Kurgan, a sadistic immortal warrior portrayed by Clancy Brown in the 1986 film "Highlander" (directed by Russell Mulcahy), was the primary antagonist hunting fellow immortals to absorb their power. Brown's now-iconic villainous laugh being completely improvised during filming.
George Costanza, created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld for the sitcom "Seinfeld" (1989-1998), was a neurotic, balding character whose misfortunes drove many storylines. Jason Alexander famously acted out the character. His many bald subplots were in reference to Larry David's real-life baldness insecurities.
Created by Akira Toriyama in 1984 as Krillin for the Dragon Ball manga series. Krillin is Goku's loyal and comedic ally who served as Earth's strongest human warrior despite lacking the Saiyan powers of his friends. Toriyama accidentally forgot to give him a nose when illustrated the character.
Dr. Manhattan was created by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons in 1986 for DC Comics' "Watchmen" graphic novel. Dr. Manhattan was a blue-skinned, godlike being with atomic manipulation powers who became increasingly detached from humanity throughout the Cold War narrative. His blue glow represented the quantum physics phenomena that are invisible to the human eye.
Uncle Fester, created by cartoonist Charles Addams for The New Yorker in 1938, became an eccentric electricity-loving character in the 1964 TV series. Actor Jackie Coogan invented the iconic lightbulb-in-mouth trick that became Fester's signature gag.
Dr. Robotnik/Eggman was invented by Sega game designer Naoto Ohshima in 1991 for the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The character was a bald, mustachioed mad scientist obsessed with conquering the world using mechanized armies. His first name was "Eggman" in Japan before Western localization changed it to "Robotnik" until Sonic Adventure (1998) standardized the Eggman name globally.
Kratos was the revenge-driven Spartan warrior created by David Jaffe for Sony's God of War series in 2005. He became an iconic PlayStation character whose baldness emphasizes his Spartan heritage and brutal nature.
Agent 47 was a fictional character created by IO Interactive in 2000 for the stealth game "Hitman: Codename 47.” He was a genetically engineered assassin identified by the barcode tattooed on his head, whose design emphasized clinical efficiency through his bald appearance and immaculate suit.
Designed by writer-artist Jim Starlin for Marvel Comics in 1973, Thanos became a central antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he sought universal balance through genocide. Actor Josh Brolin performed the character in a bald cap to emphasize the character's alien features.
Dr. Nefario, Gru's quirky scientist sidekick in Illumination Entertainment's "Despicable Me" (2010), created by screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, was voiced by Russell Brand who deliberately adopted an "un-Russell Brand" tone to portray the elderly, hearing-impaired inventor responsible for developing the Minions' weapons and gadgets.
The Brain was created by Tom Ruegger for Warner Bros. Animation in 1993 as part of "Animaniacs" before spinning off into "Pinky and the Brain.” The Brain was a genetically-enhanced laboratory mouse who plots world domination nightly. He was voiced by Maurice LaMarche, whose performance were inspired by Orson Welles's distinctive speech patterns.
Mr. Potato Head was invented by George Lerner in 1949 and featured in Pixar's Toy Story franchise beginning in 1995. Mr. Potato Head was a beloved toy character with detachable parts who was originally sold as add-on pieces for real vegetables. Hasbro manufactured him as a plastic toy in 1952. His removable features became a recurring gag in Toy Story 3 when he temporarily loses his body parts.
Agent Smith, the cold, calculating balding AI antagonist from "The Matrix" film trilogy (1999-2003), was created by the Wachowski siblings as a rogue program hunting Neo within the simulated reality. The movie featured Hugo Weaving's unscripted robotic vocal delivery that became one of the character's most remembered traits.
The Collector (Taneleer Tivan) first appeared in Marvel Comics' Avengers #28 in 1966. He was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck, and gained film prominence in 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy" where Benicio del Toro portrayed the eccentric cosmic being who obsessively hoards rare artifacts across the universe.