Famous men and their beards

TODAY's Matt Lauer, Carson Daly, Willie Geist and Al Roker grew their beards out in November 2013 in an effort to raise awareness for men's health issues.

The men around you may stop shaving for a variety of reasons throughout the year, especially in "Movember." For male celebrities, facial hair may be required for a role, or it may just add to the mystique of being a star.

Honoree Matthew McConaughey looks all right while attending the 28th American Cinematheque Award event at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Oct. 21, 2014. His laid-back persona is only accentuated when he stops shaving.

"Sons of Anarchy" star Charlie Hunnam attends the season six premiere of the FX series at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Sept. 7, 2013. The blond leading man's pointy biker beard fits his California character well.

Brad Pitt attends a private reception as costumes and props from Disney's "Maleficent," starring his wife Angelina Jolie, are exhibited at Kensington Palace in London on May 8, 2014. Pitt's beard has fluctuated over the years from full-on scraggly to well-groomed goatee. He is rarely clean-shaven.

"The Dark Knight" star Christian Bale arrives on the red carpet for the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House in London on Feb. 16, 2014. Batman Bale clearly lurks in darker shadows than 5 o'clock ones.

"The Walking Dead" star Andrew Lincoln arrives at an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences event in Beverly Hills, California, on Oct. 4, 2013. Who has time to shave when zombies who look a lot worse are on your tail?

Australian actor Hugh Jackman appears on stage during an event before the Japanese premiere of "X-Men: Days of Future Past" in Tokyo on May 27, 2014. Jackman is always messing with his handsome mug, growing carefully crafted facial hair for assorted roles. Wolverine muttonchops anyone?

Normally clean-cut actor Jake Gyllenhaal is in full-beard mode as he attends the "Enemy" premiere at the Palafox cinema in Madrid, Spain, on March 20, 2014. "Enemy" of a razor, apparently.

Actor Ryan Reynolds attends Angel Ball 2014 hosted by Gabrielle's Angel Foundation at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on Oct. 20, 2014. Reynolds is going to be a new dad with wife Blake Lively. Baby might have to get used to daddy's scruffy whiskers.

Another "Dark Knight" actor with a tendancy to get scruffy is Tom Hardy, here attending "The Drop" premiere during the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on Sept. 5, 2014.

Perhaps playing a clean-shaven 1950s ad man on "Mad Men" is what drives Jon Hamm to go beard-o so often, like here at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Aug. 25, 2014, in Los Angeles.

Actor Idris Elba can have grey in his beard or pink or green for all we care -- it always looks good. Here he attends the 8th Annual Clinton Global Citizen Awards at Sheraton Times Square in New York on Sept. 21, 2014.

Dude! Actor Jeff Bridges just wouldn't bein character as himself if he didn't have a beard. Bridges attends a premiere on Sept. 9, 2014, in Hollywood, California.

What's funnier than a funny guy with a beard? Actor Seth Rogen speaks at an event during The New Yorker Festival on Oct. 10, 2014, in New York.

Phil Robertson, Jase Robertson, Si Robertson and Willie Robertson from, "Duck Dynasty." The family tradition was to grow their beards out during hunting season but it became the show's signature.

Actor George Clooney, seen here arriving at the Oscars on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles told US Weekly that his salt-and-pepper beard makes him look and feel older.

Zach Galifianakis of "The Hangover" movie series has previously shaved his trademark beard, but once kept a handlebar mustache for an upcoming movie.

Ben Affleck shaved his beard after winning the Best Picture Oscar for "Argo."

Actor Joaquin Phoenix grew his scruffy beard when he claimed he was quitting acting to become a rapper a few years ago.

Bassist Dusty Hill, drummer Frank Beard and guitarist Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Their beards are in a class by themselves.

Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead performs on Nov. 11, 1978. His grizzly beard could be called "hippie classic."

In 1969 Beatle John Lennon and Yoko Ono held Bed-Ins for Peace. The weeklong event seen here took place in Amsterdam. A well-known Lennon quote, "The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight," was recirculated in 2011 during the Occupy Wall Street movement.