The 35 Manliest Mustaches of All Time

by Brett & Kate McKay on November 1, 2009 · 174 comments

Albert Einstein

The “m” in E=mc² stands for “mustache.”

Zorro

The Spanish vigilante Zorro struck fear in the hearts of evil land barons and other bad guys with his fox-like cunning, his agility, and of course, his debonair pencil mustache.

Harry Longabaugh, aka, The Sundance Kid

When you’re robbing trains, you need an appearance that commands respect. The Sundance Kid understood this, so he grew a mustache.

Swedish Chef

Zee Svedeesh Cheff ves zee munleeest mooppet ooff zeem ell. Bork, bork, bork!

Burt Reynolds

Let’s face it. The real star is Burt Reynold’s Mustache. Burt Reynolds can thank his mustache for his film and TV career. If only his mustache had talked him out of plastic surgery.

Lanny McDonald

Lanny McDonald’s iconic red walrus mustache threw open ice body checks that put his opponents in the hospital. Oh, and it also helped him score 98 goals in a season.

Augustus McCrae

Wanna poke? Grow a mustache.

Pancho Villa

Pancho Villa started life as a poor Mexican sharecropper on a hacienda. He grew a mustache, put on some bandoliers, and became the Mexican version of Robin Hood. His mustache inspired thousands of oppressed Mexicans to revolt against the oligarchy and establish a more democratic Mexico.

Joshua Chamberlain

Legend has it that Chamberlin’s famous swinging gate attack at Gettysburg was whispered to him by his mustache.

Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa did some crazy stuff with the guitar. His style has influenced countless musicians today. But with a mustache like that, you wouldn’t expect anything less. Sadly, Frank died of prostate cancer in 1993. It’s a reminder why initiatives like Movember are so important. Please remember to donate to the AoM Team to help fight prostate cancer.

Yosemite Sam

When your entire face is a mustache, you can be assured you have a manly mustache. Nibble on that, Bugs.

Robert Goulet

Robert Goulet’s mustache was so iconic, so world-changing, that the American Mustache Institute named their annual award, which is presented to the person best representing or contributing to the Mustached American community each year, the “Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year” award.

Sean Connery

In the Untouchables, Sean Connery taught us that you should never bring a knife to a gun fight, but you should always bring your mustache.

Sam Elliot

Anytime Hollywood needs a cowboy with a mustache, they call Sam Elliot.

Carl Weathers

Sadly, not even his epic mustache could save Apollo Creed from getting killed by the Commie Russian in Rocky IV. Thankfully, the ghost of Carl Creed’s mustache gave Rocky the strength to avenge him.

Bill the Butcher

Bill “The Butcher” Cutting from Gangs of New York was a mean SOB. Xenophobic, ruthless, and deadly with a knife, his 19th century mustache ruled over Lower Manhattan’s Five Points district.

Wilford Brimley

Wilford Brimley’s mustache has been fighting dee-a-beet-us since 1990. He feeds his stache Quaker Oats to make it strong and virile.

Theodore Roosevelt

You didn’t think we would make a list of manly mustaches and not include Theodore Roosevelt, now did you? Whether he was going after robber barons or charging up San Juan Hill, TR’s mustache was there giving him the vim and vigor he needed to live the strenuous life. Bully for his mustache!

What mustaches do you think should be on the list? Drop a line in the comment box.

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{ 169 comments… read them below or add one }

← Previous Comments

101 Fred December 26, 2009 at 2:27 am: OMAR SHERIF!!! the one he sported in “Dr.Zhivago” is legendary
102 LeonidasStokely December 29, 2009 at 12:44 pm: If the father of modern cricket W.G. Grace is not on a beardier version of this list I will eat my cap.
http://freespace.virgin.net/jill.hewett/gifs/grace.gif
103 James January 2, 2010 at 12:28 am: If Fingers is on the list he should be coupled with Catfish Hunter. 72, 73, and 74 World Series dynasty won by Oakland’s ‘stache clad bullpen.

And I vote Cheech Marin. Potheads don’t make the manliest of men, but hilarious none the less.
104 Rick January 4, 2010 at 11:58 pm: You guys are forgetting Keith Hernandez and Clyde Frazier. Also as much as I despise him as a baseball announcer, but back in the day Al Hrabosky had pretty nice stache as well.
105 Dennard January 7, 2010 at 6:35 pm: This is a great list. My dad wore a mustache for more than twenty years, but, sadly, shaved it off when it started turning grey.
106 Janneke January 8, 2010 at 1:38 pm: Difinitely agree on Tom Selleck :)
107 Will January 11, 2010 at 8:01 pm: What about the great australian cricketers of the late ’80′s and early ’90s? Now there were some incredible national icons of mustaches lore!!! David Boon and Merv Hughes will always be the ‘stached heros of cricket.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2009/7/17/1247840973038/David-Boon-001.jpg

http://about.theage.com.au/150images/1989_04b.jpg
108 Jeff January 12, 2010 at 2:54 pm: Missed out on Arthur Saxon’s moustache.
http://sandowplus.co.uk/Competition/Saxon/saxon.gif
109 Baboo January 12, 2010 at 2:59 pm: Well, I’d like to make him soup but I guess it’s impossible now…..Baboo!
110 Jon January 15, 2010 at 2:41 am: jamie from mythbusters!
111 Katie January 20, 2010 at 4:28 am: Glad to see Wilford Brimley with the diabeetustache. He was my second thought upon reading the title of this post.

First thought went to Freddy Mercury. I know, I know, his homosexual tendencies and falsetto vocals aren’t necessarily the manliest things out there, but let’s face it: if anybody knew how to rock a mustache and excessive body hair, it was this guy.
112 Michael January 21, 2010 at 10:12 pm: Kaiser Wilhelm II had a special barber whose sole function was to trim and wax Wilhelm’s moustache daily.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Kaiser_Wilhelm_II,_1905.jpg
113 S-D January 25, 2010 at 7:07 pm: I would like to point your eyes towards the manliest moustache worn by the manliest Canadian to ever live – Lt. Gen (ret) Romeo Dallaire, former Commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Rwanda.

http://k9freakingout.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/17674.jpg
114 EDP January 26, 2010 at 12:48 pm: Salvador Dali
William Faulkner
Edger Allan Poe
William Shakespeare
Charlie Chaplin
115 Will February 2, 2010 at 1:20 am: Second Salvador Dali and Freddie Mercury. Regardless of what insecure boys say, gay does not mean not manly.
116 KI February 5, 2010 at 4:14 pm: I agree with some of the ones left off the list, e.g Lech Welesa, Salvador Dali, Charlie Chaplin, Freddy Mercury, Gomez Addams, Walt “Clyde” Frazier and definitely Billy Dee Williams. I agree, however, that it is way too US focused….one of the greatest mustaches of all time belongs to Indian film star RAJNIKANT! Remember, the mustache lives on as a sign of mainstream manliness in India. Police officers are paid a BONUS to grow mustaches in India!

One other mustache that was left off is someone known as the ‘stache….Adam Morrison! He shaves his ‘stache = his career declines precipitously…

And one other one….Tony Stark (pre-Robert Downey goatee style) always sported a debonair stache to attract the ladies and defeat the villains!
117 Tim February 6, 2010 at 1:28 am: Ossian Everett Mills. Ask any Sinfonian.
118 Ryan February 10, 2010 at 11:29 pm: For shame. You forgot Lee Marvin in “Paint your Wagon.”
119 Adam Sell February 14, 2010 at 5:21 pm: The description of Chamberlain’s mustache just made my day…
120 Mark February 15, 2010 at 1:46 pm: Once you had Tom Selleck and Sam Elliot, the mustache list was pretty complete. All others are also-rans.
121 Christofer February 23, 2010 at 12:21 am: Agree with Matt. There are million great suggestions, but my vote goes to Otto Von Bismark’s mustache. You can never wear a pointy metal hat like this and look serious without looking like a real MAN. Just look at his mustache and disagree with that.

http://www.mdln.hws.edu/german/moderne/Bismarck-1871.gif
122 Jess March 2, 2010 at 3:23 am: Sexuality aside, I’m appalled that Freddie Mercury’s mustache was not included in this list. Despite the fact that Freddie did dudes, his attractiveness to the ladies and the epic status of his ‘stache are undeniable. The album cover of “I Was Born to Love You” contains scientific proof.

http://991.com/newGallery/Freddie-Mercury-I-Was-Born-To-Lov-156285.jpg
123 Derek March 13, 2010 at 10:41 pm: Oliver Wendell Holmes, former Supreme Court Justache…. any mustache that is wider than your face without using wax is manly by default. Also, he rocked it most of his adult life.

http://www.phillwebb.net/Topics/Society/Holmes/Holmes.htm
124 David March 22, 2010 at 1:46 pm: You forgot the most famous mustache in history: Adolph Hitler.
125 Will March 27, 2010 at 11:36 am: what about Orville Wright?
126 Damian April 1, 2010 at 11:24 am: It’s been said on here already, but seriously Keith Hernandez had one of the manliest mustaches in baseball history, and smoking while playing baseball just adds to the man-stique.

http://www.bronxbrasstacks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/keith-hernandez-baseball-demotivational1.jpg
127 George April 5, 2010 at 7:57 pm: Jamie Hyneman from the Mythbusters
128 Bryan April 11, 2010 at 3:00 am: No John Holmes huh? I think the chicks loved him for his mustache…
129 MAN O STEEL? April 16, 2010 at 3:31 pm: Stalin why doesn’t the man of steel have recognition for his stash of steel.
130 Caroline April 18, 2010 at 8:43 pm: Loving the J. L. Chamberlain appreciation! Now there was an heroic ‘tache.
131 MeisterJ May 14, 2010 at 3:25 pm: George E. Ohr, an abstract potter http://northernwebdesign.com/gohr1/01.jpg His mustachio was over a foot long. He was known as The Mad Potter of Biloxi and made some pretty trippy pieces.
132 JG July 12, 2010 at 7:56 am: Józef Piłsudski

and he had a sweet hair cut to boot!

http://www.e-kultura.pl/upload/jozef_pilsudski.jpg
133 kyle September 25, 2012 at 12:24 pm: Can’t believe Freddy mercury isn’t on this list
134 Michael G October 2, 2012 at 8:38 pm: Jamie Hyneman needs to be on this list.
135 Davud October 4, 2012 at 8:05 pm: 3 words:
Lee. Van. Cleef.
Criminally overlooked in the Realm of Immortal Moustaches .
136 Erik S October 13, 2012 at 6:37 am: Ron Swanson!
137 Carnie October 22, 2012 at 12:35 pm: John Waters. Most pencil-y of all pencil mustaches in the universe. Ever.
138 Ben October 24, 2012 at 10:45 pm: What about John L. Sullivan and Ambrose Burnside. Drop Will Farrell off the list, he couldn’t be manly if he tried.
139 Dan November 1, 2012 at 9:36 pm: How about Freddie Mercury
140 scott November 9, 2012 at 10:23 pm: Dale Earnhardt
141 fraser November 12, 2012 at 7:36 am: cheech marin and hulk hogan
142 phill November 13, 2012 at 12:18 pm: cheech is a good one, how about Freddie mercury? i think im gonna go with the handlebars fro movember.
143 David November 22, 2012 at 8:10 pm: No Burt Reynolds?

Shame.
144 jared December 1, 2012 at 10:04 pm: Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters!
145 Angelica December 8, 2012 at 12:09 pm: Salvador D A L I ~ of course!!!
146 Juan Diego d'Anconia January 7, 2013 at 2:25 am: Daniel Plainview is the character who’s veing interpreted… The actor–owner of the mustache–is Daniel Day-Lewis.
147 Ron January 16, 2013 at 5:05 am: Freddie Mercury definitely. Do I have to say anything else?
148 Thunderpeel January 18, 2013 at 5:19 am: This list is more “Iconic” Than “Manly”
149 Frederik January 23, 2013 at 8:11 am: Like many others I feel like Salvador Dali is missing
150 John Doe January 27, 2013 at 10:57 am: Bruce Lee

http://data.whicdn.com/images/2356692/Bruce-Lee-Photo-2_large.jpg
151 Kris January 29, 2013 at 12:50 pm: I’d also like to submit this robot’s ‘stache for review. I think it’s pretty manly :-{D
https://twitter.com/i/#!/TheRobotsLAB/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2Fs6CXVNrx
152 jon February 10, 2013 at 9:16 pm: What about:
Mike Ditka
Wayne Newton
and, most importantly..
LEMMY!!
153 Sami February 13, 2013 at 11:27 am: Dieter Meyer: the vocalist of the super-duo Yello, well known for that mindblowing “Oh Yeah”. Dieter’s the gentleman of music industry and a man of both perfect voice and moustache.
154 ctrewski February 13, 2013 at 8:49 pm: http://youtu.be/DAH8XMsrdL0
It’s all about the stache!
155 Brian of Nazareth February 26, 2013 at 1:07 pm: Where the hell is Adolf Menjou?? If you’re gonna be the legendary “best dressed man in Hollywood”, it’s pretty much a given that you’re gonna have an equally manly mustache! Oh, and swap out Eddie Murphy for Billy Dee Williams fer cryin’ out loud.
156 Kyle February 27, 2013 at 11:14 pm: Definitely Kaiser Wilhelm II. He certainly had a mustache becoming of his position in the German Empire.
157 tom broster March 7, 2013 at 1:21 am: I don’t know how it started but I have loved moustaches from way back. A fellow squaddie when I did my military service George ?? always turned me on. I tried to grope him. He just brushed me off in a friendly way.
158 btown March 16, 2013 at 8:35 pm: Saddam Hussein
159 abe April 1, 2013 at 7:18 pm: mexican actor cantinflas
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&biw=1138&bih=538&tbm=isch&tbnid=arv1FcdmfNQlHM:&imgrefurl=http://felixcasanova.blogspot.com/2010/05/cantinflas-todo-un-genio-del-humor.html&docid=PvojymGX1kur7M&imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5QdF-3c1Ae4/S99I38bHZGI/AAAAAAAABoI/mirJJt9OWNo/s1600/cantinflas.jpg&w=347&h=450&ei=aiNaUeCgCef0iQLCv4DQDQ&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:3,s:0,i:93&iact=rc&dur=1972&page=1&tbnh=170&tbnw=140&start=0&ndsp=13&tx=41&ty=102
160 John Buttram April 9, 2013 at 9:35 pm: I know this is a really old article, and I didn’t read through the comments but Andy Williams from Every Time I Die often times sports a ridiculous mustache. Sometimes it is accompanied by a beard.
161 Joe-Dog Lapka April 10, 2013 at 12:35 pm: Jacob Crossley- best anchor mustache ever. end of story.
162 Ms. Pixie April 22, 2013 at 11:38 am: Um, helloooo? GROUCHO MARX. Sure, in the beginning his mustache was grease paint, but he eventually grew out his mustache and it was FABULOUS.
163 Ethan April 24, 2013 at 9:20 am: Ron Swanson and Derek Walcott must be added
164 Fez April 26, 2013 at 9:12 am: Lanny McDonald never came close to 98 goals in a season….
165 Annonymus42 April 27, 2013 at 3:09 pm: I cant believe u did not add … Kaiser Wilhem II and George V , Tsar Nicholas II

Those in my opinion are awesome moustaches .
166 Srinivas Kari May 4, 2013 at 3:53 pm: Could you post an update where you give a list of styles that are more in touch with today’s times? Mustaches that would be considered cool according to present trends…
167 Daniel Son of William May 9, 2013 at 11:54 am: I scrolled through the first 2/3 of the list terrified that Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain wouldn’t be on here. Thank God
168 Tigran May 16, 2013 at 10:52 pm: Stalin should be on here.

I mean, just look at that mustache

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wxdgAiRcjHg/TmGF3cAnttI/AAAAAAAAGEM/fYvHGh8e2b8/s1600/stalinDM2109_468x551.jpg
169 Wasim May 20, 2013 at 4:27 pm: How is Freddie Mercury not on there?!