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?
#21 Scott Disick
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.
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#22 Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald, a U.S. Marine veteran, was arrested for the murder of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. November 23, 1963.
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19points
#23 Meek Mill
Rapper Meek Mill is being booked to the Chester Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania in 2017 after a parole violation.
18points
#24 John Anglin
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.
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17points
#25 Kiari Kendrell "Offset" Cephus
Mugshot of an American rapper, Offset, following his charges for battery and inciting a riot.
16points
#26 NeNe Leakes
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.
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#27 Patty Hearst
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.
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16points
#28 Todd Harrell
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.
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#29 Eddie Deezen
Original “Grease” actor Eddie Deezen was arrested at a Maryland restaurant for refusing to leave and throwing plates and food at police.
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#30 Willie Nelson
American country musician Willie Nelson was arrested for speeding and driving without a license by the police department of Pasadena, Texas.
7points
#31 Butch Cassidy
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.
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7points
#32 Richard Pryor
In 1963. an American stand-up comedian and actor Richard Pryor was arrested and sentenced to 90 days for attacking a woman.
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#33 George “Machine Gun” Kelly Barnes
Mugshot of an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, from the Oklahoma City Police Department following his arrest in 1933.
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5points
#34 Jussie Smollett
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.
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#35 Clyde Barrow
Clyde Barrow, American criminal was arrested for attempted car theft in 1926.
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5points
#36 Rip Torn
Rip Torn, an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years, was arrested for breaking into a local bank with a loaded weapon.
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#37 Lisa Robin Kelly
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.
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#38 Stacey Dash
American actress Stacey Dash was arrested on domestic battery charge in Florida.
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#39 Steve Wilkos
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.
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#40 Laura McCulloch
Australian actress Laura McCulloch was arrested by the Santa Monica Police Department for public intoxication and resisting arrest.
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