The 1970s didn’t do quiet. With counterculture clashes to headline crimes, the decade left behind mugshots that feel like live wires, like stark flashes where celebrity, politics, and panic all show on a single face.
This gallery revisits 21 unforgettable 1970s mugshots of rock stars, radicals, kingpins, and “Public Enemy” holdovers. Each image feels like a time capsule of the era’s turbulence.
1. Henry Hill
Hill was the real-life mob associate behind Goodfellas, and he later flipped to become an FBI informant. His arrests trace a path from the Lufthansa heist era to the chaos of witness protection.
2. Kathy Boudin
Boudin was a former Weather Underground member. She was also arrested after the 1981 Brink’s robbery and served decades. When she was released, she became an advocate and academic.
3. The Five Watergate Burglars
G. Gordon Liddy, E. Howard Hunt, James McCord, Bernard Barker, and Frank Sturgis were arrested in 1972 for the DNC break-in, igniting the Watergate scandal.
4. John Wayne Gacy
Gacy was a contractor, and his 1978 arrest revealed one of America’s most horrifying serial murder cases. He was convicted and executed in 1994.
5. Steve McQueen
McQueen was the “King of Cool” who had a 1972 Anchorage bust for a minor offense. Even his booking photo looks like a movie still.
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6. Jerry Lee Lewis
Lewis was a rock ‘n’ roll wild man with multiple scrapes with the law across decades. His 1970s bookings cemented a rowdy legend.
7. Nicky Barnes
Barnes was Harlem’s heroin kingpin, nicknamed “Mr. Untouchable”, until a late 1970s conviction brought down his drug empire.
8. Sara Jane Moore
Moore was arrested in 1975 after attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford. She received a life sentence and was paroled decades later.
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9. Ed Kemper
The “Co-Ed Killer” surrendered in 1973 after a string of murders in California. His calm mugshots remain chilling.
10. Ted Bundy
Bundy was a serial killer who was captured after multiple escapes in the mid-to-late 70s. He was executed in 1989, and became a grim symbol of the era’s true-crime fears.
11. Sid Vicius
The Sex Pistols bassist was arrested in 1978 in connection with Nancy Spungen’s death. The subsequent drug charges kept him in the headlines until his fatal overdose.
12. David Berkowitz
Better known as “Son of Sam”, Berkowitz was arrested in 1977, ending a summer of terror in New York City. He’s serving multiple life sentences.
13. Keith Richards
Richards was nabbed in Toronto in 1977 on a drug charge that nearly derailed the Rolling Stones. He returned to the stage after a plea deal and some community service.
14. Mick Jagger
The Stones’ frontman saw multiple busts around the late 60s and early 70s. The run-ins fed a rebel image as much as any riff.
15. Frank Salemme
“Cadillac Frank” was a New England mob boss with lots of 1970s cases on his sheet. He spent years cycling through arrests, trials, and prison terms.
16. Bernardine Dohrn
Dohrn was a Weather Underground leader who spent years hidden before surrendering in 1980. Her 1970s arrest images became part of protest-era lore.
17. John Gotti
The flashy Gambino boss beat early cases in the 70s before he was convicted in 1992, ending the Teflon era.
18. Dennis Hopper
Hopper was Hollywood’s counterculture icon and had a few 1970s scrapes tied to hard living. Even his mugshots look like method acting.
19. Huey P. Newton
Newton was the Black Panther Party cofounder. His 1970s arrests kept him in headlines between community organizing and courtroom battles.
20. Angela Davis
Davis was a scholar and activist. She was arrested in 1970 and later acquitted. Her booking photos became global symbols of resistance.
21. Frank Lucas
Lucas was Harlem’s drug lord whose arrest in 1975 ended a flashy run. His story later inspired American Gangster.
Explore more historical content:
If these flashbulb moments pulled you back to a wilder time, keep the nostalgia rolling with these 44 Photos That Reveal What Life Was Really Like in 1945, or these 20 Throwback Celebrity Yearbook Photos from the Late 1900s. You can also check these 20 Traditions ‘70s Dads Lived By.
