26 Then Vs. Now Photos Of Famous Female Actors That Are Just So Much Fun To Look At

BuzzFeed

September 28, 2022 at 9:16 PM·5 min read

Here's what Winona Ryder looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '80s:

Ryder posing for a portrait in 1986 — Aaron Rapoport / Getty Images

And here's what Winona Ryder looks like now:

Ryder at the "Stranger Things 4" premiere — Cindy Ord / Getty Images

Here's what Jennifer Lopez looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'90s:

Lopez in a floral dress in New York City in 1995 — New York Daily News Archive / Getty Images

And here's what Jennifer Lopez looks like now:

Lopez at the "Halftime" premiere — Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Here's what Uma Thurman looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '80s:

Thurman posing with Anthony Michael Hall for "Johnny Be Good" in 1988 — Orion Pictures / Getty Images

And here's what Uma Thurman looks like now:

Thurman at the Oscars — Kevin Mazur / WireImage / Getty Images

Here's what Jada Pinkett Smith looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

Pinkett Smith posing for a portrait in the early '90s — Eric Robert / Sygma via Getty Images

And here's what Jada Pinkett Smith looks like now:

Pinkett Smith at the Oscars — Taylor Hill / FilmMagic / Getty Images

Here's what Sandra Bullock looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

Bullock in the early '90s — Nbc / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

And here's what Sandra Bullock looks like now:

Bullock at the "Lost City" premiere — Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images

Here's what Gemma Chan looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'00s:

Chan at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London in 2006 — Harold Cunningham / WireImage / Getty Images

And here's what Gemma Chan looks like now:

Chan in Cannes — Jacopo M. Raule / Getty Images for Tory Burch

Here's what Jamie Lee Curtis looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '70s:

Jamie Lee Curtis in "Halloween" (1978) — Compass International Pictures / Courtesy of Everett Collection

And here's what Jamie Lee Curtis looks like now:

Curtis at the "Everything Everywhere All At Once" premiere — Tim Mosenfelder / Getty Images

Here's what Viola Davis looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '90s:

Davis on "City of Angels" in 1999 — Cbs Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images

And here's what Viola Davis looks like now:

Davis at the Cannes Film Festival — Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images for Kering

Here's what Michelle Yeoh looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

Yeoh in "SUPERCOP" in 1992 — Dimension Films / Courtesy of Everett Collection

And here's what Michelle Yeoh looks like now:

Yeoh at the "Minions: The Rise of Gru" premiere — Rodin Eckenroth / WireImage / Getty Images

Here's what Jean Smart looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'80s:

Smart posing for a portrait for "Designing Women" — Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

And here's what Jean Smart looks like now:

Smart at the Emmys — Evans Vestal Ward / NBC via Getty Images

Here's what Meg Ryan looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '80s:

Portrait of Ryan from the early '80s — Cbs Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images

And here's what Meg Ryan looks like now:

Ryan in 2022 — Jerod Harris / Getty Images for Netflix

Here's what Tracee Ellis Ross looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'90s:

Ross backstage at a benefit in 1996 — New York Daily News Archive / NY Daily News via Getty Images

And here's what Tracee Ellis Ross looks like now:

Ross on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" — Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Here's what Jenifer Lewis looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

Lewis on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" — NBC / Getty Images

And here's what Jenifer Lewis looks like now:

Lewis at PaleyFest in LA — Rodin Eckenroth / FilmMagic / Getty Images

Here's what Ana de Armas looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '00s:

Armas at "Private Practice" screening in Madrid in 2007 — Lalo Yasky / Getty Images

And here's what Ana de Armas looks like now:

Armas at the "Blonde" premiere — Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Netflix

Here's what Maya Rudolph looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '00s:

Rudolph at the 2001 VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards — Evan Agostini / Getty Images

And here's what Maya Rudolph looks like now:

Rudolph at the "Crush" premiere — Jerod Harris / Getty Images

Here's what Nicole Kidman looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '80s:

Kidman in 1983 — Patrick Riviere / Getty Images

And here's what Nicole Kidman looks like now:

Kidman at the Oscars — Future Publishing / Future Publishing via Getty Images

Here's what Tessa Thompson looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'00s:

Thompson at the Vibe Awards in 2005 — Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage / Getty Images

And here's what Tessa Thompson looks like now:

Thompson at the Venice Film Festival — Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

Here's what Sarah Michelle Gellar looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

ABC Photo Archives / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

And here's what Sarah Michelle Gellar looks like now:

Gellar smiling with her hand on her hip — Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Here's what Cate Blanchett looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

Blanchett at the Sydney Critics Awards in 1994 — Patrick Riviere / Getty Images

And here's what Cate Blanchett looks like now:

Blanchett at the Venice Film Festival — Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

Here's what Sandra Oh looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'90s:

Oh posing for a portrait in New York City in 1998 — Rick Eglinton / Getty Images

And here's what Sandra Oh looks like now:

Oh at the Emmys — Evans Vestal Ward / NBC via Getty Images

Here's what Sheryl Lee Ralph looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '70s:

Ralph posing for a portrait in 1979 — Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

And here's what Sheryl Lee Ralph looks like now:

Ralph at the 2022 Emmys — Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Here's what Cher looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '60s:

Cher at a press conference for "Good Times" in 1967 — Santi Visalli / Getty Images

And here's what Cher looks like now:

Cher at the premiere for "Sidney" — Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images

Here's what Jennifer Coolidge looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

And here's what Jennifer Coolidge looks like now:

Coolidge in LA — Hollywood To You / Getty Images

Here's what Cameron Diaz looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

Diaz at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 — Eric Robert / Sygma via Getty Images

And here's what Cameron Diaz looks like now:

Diaz on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" — Nbc / Todd Owyoung / NBC via Getty Images

Here's what Mindy Kaling looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'00s:

Kaling at the Kodak Theater in 2005 — Kmazur / WireImage / Getty Images

And here's what Mindy Kaling looks like now:

Kaling at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party — John Shearer / Getty Images

And finally, here's what Olivia Wilde looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '00s:

Wilde at the 2003 Teen Choice Awards — Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images

And here's what Olivia Wilde looks like now:

Wilde at the "Don't Worry Darling" premiere in Spain — Jb Lacroix / WireImage / Getty Images

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Here's what Winona Ryder looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '80s:

And here's what Winona Ryder looks like now:

Here's what Jennifer Lopez looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'90s:

And here's what Jennifer Lopez looks like now:

Here's what Uma Thurman looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '80s:

And here's what Uma Thurman looks like now:

Here's what Jada Pinkett Smith looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

And here's what Jada Pinkett Smith looks like now:

Here's what Sandra Bullock looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

And here's what Sandra Bullock looks like now:

Here's what Gemma Chan looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'00s:

And here's what Gemma Chan looks like now:

Here's what Jamie Lee Curtis looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '70s:

And here's what Jamie Lee Curtis looks like now:

Here's what Viola Davis looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '90s:

And here's what Viola Davis looks like now:

Here's what Michelle Yeoh looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

And here's what Michelle Yeoh looks like now:

Here's what Jean Smart looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'80s:

And here's what Jean Smart looks like now:

Here's what Meg Ryan looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '80s:

And here's what Meg Ryan looks like now:

Here's what Tracee Ellis Ross looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'90s:

And here's what Tracee Ellis Ross looks like now:

Here's what Jenifer Lewis looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

And here's what Jenifer Lewis looks like now:

Here's what Ana de Armas looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '00s:

And here's what Ana de Armas looks like now:

Here's what Maya Rudolph looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '00s:

And here's what Maya Rudolph looks like now:

Here's what Nicole Kidman looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '80s:

And here's what Nicole Kidman looks like now:

Here's what Tessa Thompson looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'00s:

And here's what Tessa Thompson looks like now:

Here's what Sarah Michelle Gellar looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

And here's what Sarah Michelle Gellar looks like now:

Here's what Cate Blanchett looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

And here's what Cate Blanchett looks like now:

Here's what Sandra Oh looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'90s:

And here's what Sandra Oh looks like now:

Here's what Sheryl Lee Ralph looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '70s:

And here's what Sheryl Lee Ralph looks like now:

Here's what Cher looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the late '60s:

And here's what Cher looks like now:

Here's what Jennifer Coolidge looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

And here's what Jennifer Coolidge looks like now:

Here's what Cameron Diaz looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '90s:

And here's what Cameron Diaz looks like now:

Here's what Mindy Kaling looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the mid-'00s:

And here's what Mindy Kaling looks like now:

And finally, here's what Olivia Wilde looked like in the beginning of her acting career in the early '00s:

And here's what Olivia Wilde looks like now:

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