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 was arrested over a drug charge with Iggy Pop in 1976.
unknown
Report43points
#2 Johnny Cash
Mugshot of Johnny Cash taken at Folsom Prison in 1966, the first time he performed there, taken as a joke with the guards.
unknown
Report42points
#3 Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was arrested in 1954 for driving too slow and without a license.
unknown
Report42points
#4 Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant was arrested in 1995 for "'lewd conduct" in a public place (in his car).
40points
#5 Frank Sinatra
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.
unknown
Report39points
#6 Robert Downey Junior
Robert Downey Junior was arrested in 1996 for possession of heroin and cocaine.
39points
#7 Pablo Escobar
Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar was arrested in Medellín, Colombia in connection with drug crimes. 1977.
38points
#8 Elvis Presley
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.
Report
38points
#9 Bill Gates
Bill Gates was arrested in 1977 for speeding (back then he was 19 years old).
37points
#10 Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke was arrested in 1994 after allegedly threatening police during a shouting match.
unknown
Report36points
#11 Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger got arrested in 1967 for drug possession.
unknown
Report35points
#12 James Brown
James Brows was arrested in 1988 for failing to stop for a police officer (during a car chase) and aggravated assault.
South Carolina Department of Corrections
Report33points
#13 Janis Joplin
An American singer and musician, Janis Joplin, was arrested for vulgar and indecent language.
unknown
Report32points
#14 Jake Lloyd
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.
unknown
Report31points
#15 Ted Bundy
An American serial killer, Ted Bundy, was electrocuted January 24, 1989 for the murder of 12 year old Kimberly Diane Leach.
25points
#16 Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes, an American actor and film producer, was arrested and charged with felony tax fraud and conspiracy charges.
unknown
Report25points
#17 Khloe Kardashian
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.
unknown
Report24points
#18 Blac Chyna
An American model and socialite, Blac Chyna, was arrested and charged with felony possession of ecstasy in Texas, 2016.
unknown
Report24points
#19 Travis Scott
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.
unknown
Report24points
#20 Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
The infamous gangster poses while being held in New York. February 12, 1928.
23points