How Serial Killer Ted Bundy Looked Throughout The Years

Ted Bundy was many things: a sexual predator, a convicted murderer, and one of the most notorious serial killers in recent memory. He was also, some would say, a chameleon, and many believed that his ability to drastically change his appearance helped him evade capture for as long as he did.

Netflix’s new four-episode docu-series, “Conversations with A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes,” delves deep into Bundy’s story. A man often described as handsome and charismatic, Bundy may have seemed friendly — but he routinely preyed on young women. Experts have pointed to his deceptive charm and pleasant appearance as something that allowed him to lure his victims away and carry out at least 30 murders before he was finally captured.

Journalists Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth referred to Bundy as “chameleonlike” in their book, “The Only Living Witness: The True Story Of Serial Sex Killer Ted Bundy.” The authors recalled an occasion where Bundy, facing a lineup, switched up his appearance so that he’d look different than he originally appeared in his mugshot, no doubt in the hopes of confusing the witness.

“He had his hair cut off and he changed his part from one side to the other, and he made himself look completely different,” Michaud recalled for the Netflix special.

It was a trick that Bundy pulled out again and again. Here are some of his most recognizable faces.

With unremarkable features and short hair, Bundy looked like an average young man, even though, by then, he had already discovered an interest in violent pornography.

With no facial hair and short, tidy hair, this image of Bundy being sworn in as he takes the witness stand is the Bundy that many remember.

As seen in his first mugshot photo taken in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1975, Bundy grew out his hair and sideburns somewhat, a subtle departure from the clean-cut look many knew him for.

For his second set of mugshots in Salt Lake City that same year, Bundy had returned to his short hair and was clean-shaven.

Bundy had cut his hair short and grew a mustache by the time he stood for a booking photo in Pensacola, Florida in 1978.

This image of Bundy seen in the FBI’s Most-Wanted poster featured a Bundy with unkempt facial hair.

Bundy, who often chose to represent himself in court, commonly wore a suit, perhaps to lend an air of credibility to his decision to act as his own defense.

Bundy may have managed to fool many of the people around him, but his carefully constructed persona as a respectable bachelor came crumbling down once he was forced to don a prison jumpsuit.

Bundy often attempted to appear normal when in the presence of others. He maintained a neat appearance and was viewed by many as charismatic and friendly, further building a facade as an average Joe.

[Photo: Netflix; Getty Images]