Ugliest Celebrities

Originally Published in ‘Georgian Journal’. Issue No.16 (101)
Original Link: http://www.kvirispalitra.ge/gj-site/2009/16-2009/stardust.html

We live in times when celebrities rule the world. They use their status to speak out about various issues concerning our planet, dictate to us what to eat, what to wear, where to go, what is good and what is bad, and quite often, by trying to affect one of the most fundamental rights of democratic society, they also suggest to us who to vote for. Either by nature or their personal choice, this category of mere mortals – who are often said to be just like us (but in reality, they are not) – are rich and famous but yet… Who said you have to be hot to be famous? So, meet the world’s ugliest and still famous celebrities…

Brian Hugh Warner, who is better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is a well-known American musician and artist and the lead singer of the eponymous band. In addition to the already scandalous fact that his stage name was formed from the names of actress Marilyn Monroe and convicted murderer Charles Manson, his stage persona and the entire image as the lead singer is equally controversial. From the ghostly white makeup on his black collar to the funky blue eye and impossibly full blood-red lips, Marilyn Manson is a freak and that’s all. However, the most dramatic part of this story is that he’s ugly by choice.

 

Marilyn Manson

Jocelyn Wildenstein, otherwise known as Jocelyn Cano is a wealthy socialite who has frequently been talked about by the tabloid press because of her numerous cosmetic surgeries. Her appearance has led the press to giving her a lot of nicknames, including ‘The Bride of Wildenstein,’ as a reference to The Bride of Frankenstein and moreover, despite the fact that Wildenstein has reportedly spent $4,000,000 on cosmetic surgery over the years (all paid by her husband, the billionaire international art dealer Alec Wildenstein), in 2004 she was named the world’s scariest celebrity on the website of British tabloid the Daily Mail, while the talk show host Craig Ferguson often uses a photo of her as part of a comedy bit on ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’, proclaiming her picture to be that of singer Kenny Rogers, who has also undergone plastic surgery.

 

Jocelyn Wildenstein

Yet, quite often, human ugliness is cause by a certain disease. Like in the case of an LA born actor Michael Berryman, who suffers from Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia, a rare condition, which left him with no sweat glands, hair, fingernails or teeth. But this physical state didn’t stop him from choosing acting as his career. He played Pluto in Wes Craven’s 1977 horror film The Hills Have Eyes and has also made an appearance in numerous science fiction and fantasy movies such as My Science Project (1985), Weird Science (1985), Armed Response (1986) and Evil Spirits (1990) and other. It should also be noted that he also appeared in the five Academy Awards winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, one of the greatest films in the history of American cinema. The actor generally portrays mutant bikers, evil undertakers, monsters and other frightening characters.

 

Michael Berryman

Here’s yet another terrible case. Marty Feldman was an English writer, comedian and BAFTA award winning actor, who was notable not only for his acting skills but also for his bulging eyes, which were the result of a thyroid condition known as Graves Disease. He wrote situation comedies such as The Army Game, Bootsie and Snudge for the BBC and later had a series of his own on the BBC called Marty. He also appeared in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother and Mel Brooks’ Silent Movie; he also directed and starred in The Last Remake of Beau Geste. He also guest-starred in one of the episodes of The Muppet Show.

 

Marty Feldman

Clint Howard, however, has no weird disease excuse; he’s just plain ugly and he can’t help that. But then, again, it is probably what made him famous. Born in 1959, the actor appeared in Cocoon, Steve Martin’s Parenthood, EdTV, Apollo 13, Austin Powers, and That Thing You Do among others. In 1998, Howard was awarded the MTV Lifetime Achievement Award along with past recipients such as Godzilla and Chewbacca. The Phoenix, a Boston-based newspaper, listed Howard as 22nd in its list of ’100 unsexiest men in the world,’ one spot behind his brother Ron. But despite the things mentioned here, actor had two successful marriages; maybe trying to show us that looks don’t matter.

Clint Howard

English soul, jazz, and R&B singer and songwriter, Amy Winehouse, is probably one of those people in the world who doesn’t really care about her looks. The saddest part of this fact is that she’s not tying to be cool or something; it’s because she simply has no time to realize how ugly she looks as there aren’t too many days in a year, when she enjoys the joy of being sober. Yes, she’s just another drug and alcohol victim. However, despite everything her distinctive style became the muse for fashion designers such as Karl Lagerfeld. The singer’s problems with her addictions as well as self-destructive behavior didn’t stop her from winning six Grammy Awards. In addition to messy hair, being way too skinny and missing a tooth, she also has a number of ‘old school’ tattoos of naked women on her body. When asked about them, she was quoted as saying ‘I like pin-up girls. I’m more of a boy than a girl in that way. I’m not a lesbian, though – not before a Sambuca anyway.’

 

Amy Winehouse

 

And finally, Michael Jackson. Did you expect anyone else? Once known as a stellar musician and dancer, now he’s most notorious for scaring adults and children alike with both his artificially destroyed appearance and his beyond bizarre behavior. Probably the biggest victim of plastic surgery, Jackson now looks like an albino alien whose nose appears to change on a daily basis and this shows us what can happen if we are too critical of our looks… So, why don’t we just enjoy the way we look and if it helps, we can always recall that there are much worse looking people out there and that the fact had no major effect on them during their journey to their fabulous celebrity lives.

 

Michael Jackson