History Main / BeardnessProtectionProgram

* ''ComicBook/IncredibleHulk'': Bruce Banner has tried once shaving his head, and another time growing a beard, to disguise himself from the authorities pursuing him. Consequently, we got to see a bald Hulk and a fuzzy-faced Hulk.

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* An unusual version in an old ''ComicBook/SupermansPalJimmyOlsen'' story; Jimmy has been trying to invent something and he comes up with a mixture that causes fast hair growth while trying to make some kind of fuel. Later in the story, he sees that a couple of men are coming to get him and uses the mixture to grow a beard for a fast disguise.

* In ''Film/AnneOfTheIndies'', Pierre grows a beard before going to Port Royale, so the British will associate him with the clean shaven French naval officer turned privateer.

* In ''[[Film/TheAssignment1997 The Assignment]]'' (1997), two men wear fake beards and wigs when [[OvertRendezvous meeting in an East Berlin café]]. The KGB photograph the meeting and use FacialRecognitionSoftware to remove the beards and match their faces with those of terrorist Carlos the Jackal (currently under KGB protection) and a known CIA agent. [[BatmanGambit This was the CIA's plan all along]]; 'Carlos' is actually a {{doppelganger}} and the fake beards make the meeting look suspicious while increasing the chance that the computer will give a false positive result.

%%* The ''Literature/JamesBond'' novel ''Literature/{{Moonraker}}'' has an example of the prepared-in-advance version.

* ''Series/BlackSaddle'': In "Client: Tagger", Tagger has grown a beard so the man responsible for sending him to prison won't recognise him as tagger stalks him.

* Inverted in the Series/MasterpieceTheatre series of Franchise/LesMiserables, where Javert fails to recognize Valjean because he's shaved the thick beard that he had in prison and conversely let the hair on his head grow out.

* ''Film/{{Serpico}}'' wears a large mustache, and later the hippy beard made famous in the movie, at a time when so-called plainclothes cops are [[PaperThinDisguise wearing regulation haircuts and shoes]]. When attached to Vice however he adopts a long flowing beard that works too well -- word soon spreads among the hookers to beware of "The Beard", and Serpico has to shave again on seeing prostitutes fleeing a bearded man trying in vain to pick them up.

* In the final two episodes of ''Series/BreakingBad'', Walter grows a full beard and all his hair back when hiding in New Hampshire, which helps no one initially recognizing him as Heisenberg when he returns to Albuquerque.

* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', a variation on the idea of growing a beard just to be able to shave it off for an easy disguise is the reason the McNinja family all [[HighlyVisibleNinja wear ninja facemasks at all time]]. If no-one knows what they look like, then when they really need to, they'll be able to take their mask off and disappear. Unfortunately for the good doctor, one of his arch-enemies [[spoiler:Frans Rayner]], has learned what he looks like under the mask. Now he's just waiting for an opportunity to use it to his advantage.

** Jaime keeps the beard he acquired in captivity, then shaves his head for good measure. It doesn't seem to fool anyone.

WigDressAccent is another variation on the theme.

* In the film version of ''Film/TheFugitive'', the second thing Dr. Kimble does after escaping from prison is shave off his beard. (The first thing is to ditch his orange jumpsuit.) That is, Harrison Ford begins the film with a beard only to lose it after 20 minutes and look like himself for the rest of the film. It pays off -- despite having a picture of Kimble ''in his hand'' as he speaks to him, a state trooper doesn't recognize him. This is an inversion from an early draft of the script, where Kimble would have ''grown'' a beard to conceal himself.

* [[http://i55.tinypic.com/snnv2w.jpg Vladimir Lenin]], plus a wig.
* [[UsefulNotes/CheGuevara Che]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Che_Guevara_bajo_identidad_Adolfo_Mena_Gonz%C3%A1lez_-_1966.jpg Guevara]]

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* An unusual version in an old ''ComicBook/JimmyOlsen'' story; Jimmy has been trying to invent something and he comes up with a mixture that causes fast hair growth while trying to make some kind of fuel. Later in the story, he sees that a couple of men are coming to get him and uses the mixture to grow a beard for a fast disguise.

* French WorldWarTwo SerialKiller Marcel Petiot grew a long, black beard after his crimes were found. The disguise was so effective that he was able to join TheResistance, and was even tasked to [[HiredToHuntYourself find Petiot]] before someone recognized him.
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** In ''The Nine Tailors'', [[GentlemanThief Nobby Cranton]] grows a beard before going to look for a diamond necklace he'd stolen some decades before.

* In ''Don't look now... We're being shot at!'', Sir Reginald shaves his iconic "Big Mustache" because it looks too British and would make him stand out.

* In ''Videogame/DeadSpace3'', we see that Isaac Clarke grew one between the second and third ''Dead Space'' games whilst trying to avoid EarthGov.

* The French WW2 SerialKiller Marcel Petiot grew a long, black beard after his crimes were found. The disguise was so effective that he was able to join TheResistance, and was tasked to [[HiredToHuntYourself find Petiot]] before someone recognized him.

* At the start of ''Series/ThePunisher2017'', Frank Castle has an unkempt beard that causes him to be mistaken for a {{hipster}}. It's implied to also be a BeardOfSorrow given that Frank has lost his purpose now his RoaringRampageOfRevenge has ended. When he discovers it hasn't he shaves the beard, joking that he doesn't like hipsters or being mistaken for one.

* At the start of ''Series/ThePunisher2017'', Frank Castle has an unkempt beard that causes him to be mistaken for a {{hipster}}''. It's implied to be combined with BeardOfSorrow given that Frank has lost his purpose now his RoaringRampageOfRevenge has ended. When he discovers it hasn't he shaves the beard, joking that he doesn't like hipsters or being mistaken for one.

* Inverted on ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'', when Dr. Mike fails to recognize her presumed dead fiancé when he comes to town looking for her because of the thick beard he's grown.