With celebrities being larger-than-life figures, it's often thought that many seem shorter in person that they do on screen or while performing on stage. But that's not always the case. There are plenty of celebrities who aren't just tall but taller than you might expect, from singers and actors to reality stars and royalty.
There could be a few reasons for the discrepancy between how tall you assume a star is and how tall they really are. Maybe you're used to seeing them on the big screen with other tall actors. Maybe red carpet photos haven't provided a point of comparison. Maybe they have just always seemed like they'd be short in your imagination. Whatever the reason, read on to find out if you're surprised by the heights of these 24 celebrities.
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1 | Taylor Swift
DFree / Shutterstock.comDid you know Taylor Swift is nearly six feet tall? The 5'11" pop singer spoke to Girls' Lifeabout her height back in 2008. "I didn’t like being tall when I would walk up to a group of girls, and they were all a head shorter than me," she said. But her feelings changed as she got older. "When I can put on a pair of four-inch heels and walk into a room and be taller than everybody else, now I look at it as a good thing."
2 | Brooke Shields
Cubankite / Shutterstock.comBrooke Shields was a fashion model, so it's probably not a surprise that she's statuesque, but you still might not have known she's quite as tall as she is. The actor is 6'.
3 | Tyler Perry
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.comDirector, actor, and producer Tyler Perry is 6'5". This means he's even taller than some of his tall co-stars, including Christian Bale (6') in Vice and Ben Affleck (6'4") in Gone Girl.
4 | Ben Affleck
DFree / Shutterstock.comSpeaking of Affleck, at 6'4", he might be taller than you realized. This makes him almost a foot taller than girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, who is 5'5".
5 | Geena Davis
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.comGeena Davis is 6', and it's something she lied about at the beginning of her career. "When I started to model, I went to a couple of agencies and they said, 'No, you won't fit the clothes,'" she told Ladies' Home Journal in 2001 (via AP). "So I started saying I was 5-foot-10 and it worked out better in interviews. I kept that up for a long time. But then a couple of years ago, I said, 'To hell with it. My career is working. I'll admit I'm six feet tall.' Now I've noticed the press saying I'm six-feet-two. I'm growing. In a few years I'll be 6'4"!"
6 | Clint Eastwood
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.comDirector and actor Clint Eastwood isn't just tall, he's very tall—6'4", to be exact. The screenwriter William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride) wrote in his 2000 book Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade (via the Sydney Morning Herald), "I am hopelessly smitten with finding out the truth about how tall performers are. Most movie stars are short. (I'm six-one, and the only major stars who are taller that I have met are [Clint] Eastwood and [Sean] Connery)."
7 | Sean Connery
Everett Collection / Shutterstock.comAnd while we're on the topic of Connery, he might have been taller than you assumed too. The late James Bond actor was 6'2".
8 | Venus Williams
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.comIt's not uncommon for tennis players to be tall, but Venus Williams is particularly so. At 6'1", she's four inches taller than sister Serena Williams.
9 | Mandy Moore
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.comSinger and actor Mandy Moore wasn't always confident about being 5'10", but she learned to enjoy her height. "When I was 12 or 13, I grew four inches over the summer, and I developed terrible posture because I was taller than all the guys and uncomfortable in my skin," she told Shape in 2017. But, she continued, "I've come to love my height. [Husband] Taylor [Goldsmith] is a bit shorter than I am, but I'll put on those four-inch heels and be 6'2"!"
10 | John Corbett
Eugene Powers / Shutterstock.comAt 6'5", John Corbett is one of the tallest actors in the business. The Sex and the City star is over a foot taller than his wife, Bo Derek, who is 5'3".
11 | Adele
Tinseltown / Shutterstock.comAdele might be the shortest person on this list, but she's taller than you might expect. At 5'9", she towers over many fellow pop singers.
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12 | Liam Neeson
lev radin / Shutterstock.comLiam Neeson is 6'4", and he says his height was the reason he was turned down for a major role. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2020, he said he didn't get the part of Fezzik in The Princess Bride because he was too short. "I went into the office in London, and [director] Rob Reiner looked at me and said, 'He's not a giant. What height are you?' I said 'Six foot four.' [He said], 'That's tall. He's not a giant.'" The role went to André the Giant, who was 7'4".
13 | Blake Shelton
DFree / Shutterstock.comBlake Shelton has been listed as 6'5" at times, but he told Entertainment Weekly in 2014, "Man… I think I’m 6’4”, and I’ve had people tell me they think I’m 6’5”, but that’s with my boots on." The country singer added of shorter celebrities, "It’s easier for them to find clothes. That’s the sucky thing about being tall and being a fat-*** at the same time. Nothing fits. If you see me on red carpets and I’ve got a look of disgust on my face, it’s because I’m uncomfortable with whatever I have to be wearing."
14 | Aisha Tyler
DFree / Shutterstock.comActor and comedian Aisha Tyler is six feet tall. The former The Talk co-host told Stephen Colbert in 2019 that if she were going to teach a MasterClass, perhaps she'd do one for tall people. "Maybe one on navigating places when you really tall and trying not to scare tiny babies and dogs," she joked.
15 | Chevy Chase
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.comComedian Chevy Chase is 6'4". As a point of comparison, this makes him four inches taller than Three Amigos! co-star Steve Martin and nine inches taller than the third in that trio, Martin Short.
16 | Prince William
Cubankite / Shutterstock.comQueen Elizabeth might stand at only 5'4", but her grandson and the future King of England is nearly a foot taller. Prince William is 6'3", slightly edging out younger brother Prince Harry, who is 6'1".
17 | Kate Middleton
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.comWilliam's wife, Kate Middleton, is also above average when it comes to her height. The Duchess of Cambridge is 5'9". In December 2020, People reported that the duke and duchess' son, Prince George, appeared to be taking after his parents in the height department.
18 | Leslie Jones
DFree / Shutterstock.comFormer Saturday Night Live cast member Leslie Jones was taller than many of her costars at six feet tall. The comedian, who played basketball for Colorado State University, told People in 2016, "I never had a problem with [my height] until I discovered boys. Then I really became aware of it. It took me a while, but I’m totally into it now. I wear six-inch heels.”
19 | Allison Janney
Tinseltown / Shutterstock.comAnother six-foot-tall actor is Allison Janney. "I say I'm 5-feet-12 inches. I'm definitely six feet," she told Fresh Air in 2014. "In my heels I'm six-feet-three inches ... [As a kid], I was always sort of a late bloomer in a lot of things. I always felt that way. I felt like my career started late and I think it was because of my height—and maybe some of my confidence issues."
20 | Tom Hiddleston
Tinseltown / Shutterstock.comYou might not notice it when he's onscreen alongside his Marvel co-stars, but at 6'2" Tom Hiddleston is taller than a lot of them. For instance, Robert Downey Jr. is 5'9", Mark Ruffalo is 5'8", and Chris Evans is 6'.
21 | Nicole Kidman
ShutterstockNicole Kidman's stature is apparent when she poses on the red carpet, but do you know just how tall she is? The actor is 5'11". The actor told Glamour UK in 2020 that she was insecure about her height when she was a teen. "I was a teenager who wouldn’t conform, but I had a lot of fears and insecurities because I was very tall. I was 5-feet-10 inches by the time I was 13 years old."
22 | Uma Thurman
Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.comAt 5'11", Uma Thurman has said that she was self-conscious about her height for a long time. "Was my height an issue? At nearly six feet tall, with large feet, of course it was!" she told The Sun in 2012 (via Stuff). "Once you get a job, you will feel different about yourself and establish your own identity. It took me until about 35 to walk without being self-conscious."
23 | Khloé Kardashian
Tinseltown / Shutterstock.comIt's well known that Khloé Kardashian is taller than her older sisters, Kim Kardashian (5'2") and Kourtney Kardashian (5'1"), but do you realize just how big the difference is? Khloé is 5'10"... almost. In May, she tweeted in response to a fan, "I am between five 9 1/2 and 510 thank you very much. Ok really 5’9.5 but I think 5’10 sounds nicer."
24 | Sigourney Weaver
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.comSigourney Weaver is just shy of 5'11" and has said that she reached that height when she was only 11 years old. "I was this tall when I was 11. Like a giant spider," she told The New York Times in 2020. She said her parents were so concerned by her growth spurt that they sent her to the doctor for tests. "I think they were afraid I’d just keep growing," the star added.