Male pattern baldness, the name of a phenomenon as annoying as it is common, affects one in five men in their 20s, one in three in their 30s, and half of all men by the time they are forty, according to statistics from the National Institute of Health.
Losing your hair is one thing, but hundreds of thousands noticing it and constantly pestering you about it is an entirely different experience.
Hollywood stars are constantly being told what to do about their appearance: a little surgery here, some Botox there. A new outfit, new clothes, a new attitude. Gain weight, lose weight. Sometimes, they are told to get a new haircut.
But what if there’s no hair to work with in the first place?
That’s where wigs and hair transplants come in, the latter of which is an industry on the rise, with a net worth of $4.5 billion in 2021.
Here’s a list of famous male celebrities who decided to say “screw you” to mother nature and decided to get hair transplants.
#1 Burt Reynolds
The late American actor, renowned for his charismatic screen presence and signature mustache, was also the subject of much speculation regarding his hair. Known for his rugged good looks, Reynolds initially sported a full head of thick hair that became a defining aspect of his persona.
However, as he aged, rumors of hair thinning began to circulate. It was later revealed that Reynolds used hair replacement systems to maintain his appearance. Over time, he became more open about his use of toupees, even sharing humorous anecdotes about his hairpieces and giving advice to fellow users.
“Most guys with toupees overcompensate. They want too much hair. They end up piling it high, looking like a weird flower,” he said.
Image credits: TNT
#2 Ted Danson
Danson, beloved for his roles in Cheers and The Good Place, has long navigated the challenges of hair loss while maintaining a successful career.
Despite often appearing with a full head of hair on screen, the actor has openly acknowledged his use of a toupee, a choice that began during his time on Cheers and became an integral part of his public image.
Far from trying to hide it, the hairpiece became the subject of a gag on one of the show’s episodes, where he briefly removed it to reveal a bald spot.
Image credits: Ted Danson
#3 Elton John
In his 2019 memoir Me, the singer revealed that after starting to lose his hair in the mid-70s, he decided to try different methods with varying degrees of success.
“Some people are blessed with the kind of face that looks good with a bald head,” he wrote. “I am not one of those people. Without hair, I bear a disturbing resemblance to the cartoon character Shrek.”
At first, he tried a hair transplant, but the result left much to be desired.
“A writer noted that I looked like I had a dead squirrel on my head. He was mean, but, I was forced to concede, he also had a point.”
Ultimately, he decided to wear wigs, saying, "People were obsessed with my hair, or lack of it, for years. Then I started wearing a wig, and virtually no one’s mentioned it since."
Image credits: eltonjohn
#4 Sean Connery
The iconic Bond actor was open about losing his hair at around age 35.
He once said, "It’s not the end of the world. It’s not that important, really. The really foolish thing is seeing someone with a whisper of hair about 8 feet long, curled around and nailed to the back of his head, looking like a snake trying to take off."
That said, Connery did wear a hairpiece in all his Bond films. Yes, every single one of them. Mainly due to suffering from alopecia earlier than most, at just 17 years of age, and believing his hair loss would affect his acting career.
Image credits: MGM Distribution Co.
#5 Jimmy Carr
In 2020, the British comedian discussed his hair transplant, explaining, "I shaved my head, and they took hair from the back and put it in the front. I had enough hair; it was just in the wrong place. It was a bit of a redistribution."
The end result of his procedure has been cited as an example by some clinics.
“We were happy to see that Jimmy had a very natural result,” states a professional from HEVA, a hair clinic in Turkey.
“Hairlines have to follow the shape of the forehead and not be overdone, or overly dense.”
Image credits: Netflix
#6 William Shatner
The legendary Star Trek actor has had a storied career spanning over seven decades, earning him numerous awards along the way. But one question has persisted among his fans: Does William Shatner wear a wig?
The answer, according to internet sleuths, is yes.
A blog called Shatner’s Toupee has dedicated over ten years to unraveling the mysteries of the captain’s hairline.
The site features photos where the edges of the hairpiece appear to be holding on for dear life under the actor’s forehead sweat, while others try to explain how he went from a lighter, wavy style in the original series to darker, curlier hair in the later films.
Image credits: Disney+
#7 Wayne Rooney
Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer faced public scrutiny for his hair loss, which began in his late teens. By the time he was 25, his receding hairline was notorious, prompting him to take matters into his own hands.
“Just to confirm to all my followers. I have had a hair transplant. I was already going bald so, why not? I’m delighted with the result,” he said in a 2011 video.
He opted for the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) technique, which relies on the health of the hairs found on the back of the patient’s head. A unit is a small segment of follicles, which sometimes can contain up to three hairs each.
Sadly for Rooney, his units were of low quality, and he had very few, thin hairs in them. This meant the end result was far from ideal.
Still, after several more interventions, he managed to keep a full head of hair.
Image credits: Wayne Rooney
#8 James Nesbitt
The actor from Northern Ireland has been very open about his transplant due to heavy hair loss sustained during his 20s.
By the time he was in his 30s, his hairline had receded to a Norwood Stage 5. He decided to get his first procedure done in 2008, showing significant improvement two years later on a gala appearance.
As Nesbitt went from having almost the entire front of his scalp gone to a full head of hair, the massive before-and-after difference led medical experts to speculate that the actor might have had upwards of six procedures done.
Image credits: ITV
#9 Tyga
The rapper faced hair thinning at a young age, likely due to a combination of styling choices and male pattern baldness.
After being called out by Nicki Minaj on social media, Tyga candidly admitted to undergoing a hair transplant, choosing to address his hair loss head-on.
He was so grateful to his surgeon, Dr. Craig Ziering, that he gave him a shoutout on X.
“The plug. Tell’ em Tyga sent you,” he wrote in a 2018 post.
Image credits: Tyga
#10 Cheyenne Jackson
The American Horror Story actor revealed in a 2020 Instagram post that he had undergone five hair transplants after starting to lose his hair at 22.
He wrote, "I’ve dreaded this day for 17 years—the day my horrible secret would be revealed. No, this gnarly scar across my head isn’t from life-saving brain surgery, nor did I narrowly survive a shark attack. It’s worse. (At least in Hollywood...) I had hair transplant surgery. Five of them, to be exact, over 14 years."
The scar he was referring to was from a slightly different procedure than others on this list. Instead of extracting singular units, the Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) procedure involves taking a strip of skin from the back of the patient’s head, leaving a wide, horizontal scar.
Image credits: mrcheyennejackson
#11 Bobby Berk
In 2019, the Queer Eye host addressed questions about his changing hairline, confirming that he had a hair transplant.
Having struggled with hair-loss control medication like Finasteride, Biotin, Rogaine, and others, the designer ultimately decided to go under the knife, and the results speak for themselves.
Image credits: Bobby Berk
#12 Joel Mchale
In a 2020 podcast with Justin Long, the comedian shared that he had undergone three hair transplants.
"I’d be totally bald without them. We’re not all born with luscious locks like you," he joked, mentioning that he started losing his hair as a teenager.
"Three surgeries later, check out my hair! The technology these days is insane."
Joel had a Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) procedure done, in which hair is taken from the back of the head, a zone usually unaffected by male pattern baldness, and transplanted into the affected areas of the scalp.
Image credits: Joel McHale
#13 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal, one of the most celebrated tennis players with 20 Grand Slam titles, has faced speculation about his hair loss and a possible hair transplant.
Known for his signature dark locks, Nadal’s hair began thinning noticeably as he aged, leading to rumors of a hair restoration procedure.
In 2016, Nadal reportedly underwent a 10-hour FUE session in Madrid, where 4,500 follicles were transplanted to the top of his scalp. The procedure successfully covered the front of his head, but that didn’t stop the rest of his hair from falling out.
By 2023, his hair loss was evident again, showing that while transplants can be effective, one intervention is usually not enough.
Image credits: Rafael Nadal
#14 Louis Walsh
Walsh, known for his role as a judge on The X Factor, faced a personal confrontation about his hair loss from Simon Cowell.
“Simon Cowell came up to me and said, ‘You know, you’re starting to lose your hair, dear.’ I said, ‘I am not, dear! And anyway, you’re going grey!’ But Cowell persisted, ‘Darling,’ he sighed. ‘You are. You’re losing your hair.’”
Walsh went on to explain that the extra definition of modern television shows and the fact that he often shares the screen with younger celebrities made him want to get a transplant.
“It’s called maintenance. It’s not a wig or a syrup of figs or an Irish jig. It’s just me, with my own hair, feeling better. I saw what it had done for other people. I saw James Nesbitt before and after, and I thought, ‘Hey, he looks better.’”
Image credits: ITV
#15 Jon Cryer
In a 2013 appearance on Conan, the Two and a Half Men star joked about his hair, saying, "It’s gone now. This is an elaborate illusion, the work of several talented professionals making the most of, like, four hairs. It’s amazing what they can do.
"I’m not wearing a wig or anything, but it’s a long, involved process that starts with something like shoe polish that they coat your scalp with."
Image credits: Jon Cryer
#16 Andre Agassi
The tennis legend wore a wig after starting to lose his hair at 19.
In his autobiography Open, he revealed the pain he experienced after having associated his long hair with his fame.
“Every morning I would get up and find another piece of my identity on the pillow, in the wash basin, down the plughole,” he wrote.
He then decided to wear a wig for all his public appearances, including those on the tennis court, a decision he would later regret.
When he lost the 1990 French Open final against Andres Gomez, all he could think about was his wig falling off.
“During the warm-up training before play I prayed. Not for victory, but that my hairpiece would not fall off,” he explained.
Image credits: Andre Agassi
#17 Jason Alexander
Alexander, best known as George Costanza from Seinfeld, has intrigued fans with his evolving hairline over the years.
Once bald, Alexander surprised many by appearing with a fuller head of hair, sparking rumors of a hair transplant. However, the actor has never publicly confirmed whether he underwent such a procedure, leaving fans to speculate about his methods for managing hair loss.
The transformation in Alexander's hair has led some to believe that he may have used a semi-permanent hairpiece rather than opting for a hair transplant.
Image credits: Jason Alexander
#18 Alexander James
The Backstreet Boys member shared some before and after photos of his procedure back in 2013.
"Some girls get breast implants, some guys get ab implants, all to make themselves happy! This was the one thing I did for myself, and I couldn’t be happier. Thanks, Dr. G!" he wrote.
The singer went from having almost the entire front half of his scalp bald to a full head of hair.
Image credits: Alexander James
