Hollywood has always had an interesting relationship with beer, one that has grown considerably over the years.

For decades, movie stars carefully protected polished public images, and being photographed with a beer wasn’t always considered glamorous. Whiskey came with sophistication, martinis carried mystery, and champagne symbolized success. Beer was seen as  a blue-collar drink, not something a movie star would ever turn to.

But that perception slowly changed as America changed.

When television exploded in the 1950s and 1960s, breweries realized celebrities could sell beer just as effectively as the athletes who were already in the game.

By the 1970s and 1980s, beer commercials had become miniature Hollywood productions. Big budgets, recognizable faces, memorable catchphrases, and cinematic storytelling transformed thirty-second advertisements into cultural events.

Paul Newman

Few celebrities became more closely associated with beer than Burt Reynolds. During the height of his career, Reynolds appeared in memorable campaigns for Miller Lite alongside sports stars and fellow entertainers. His easygoing Southern charm fit perfectly with the brand’s relaxed personality and helped define an era when celebrity beer commercials became must-watch television.

Paul Newman took a different path. Although he wasn’t known for major beer endorsements, the Oscar-winning actor was frequently associated with beer through his racing career, his laid-back public persona, and films that celebrated blue-collar America.

Like Newman, Steve McQueen’s connection to beer was entirely organic. Instead of premium spirits, the Hollywood icon famously preferred inexpensive American lagers, reinforcing his image as an ordinary guy who just happened to be a movie star. Old Milwaukee was reportedly his favorite beer. He drank it by the case when he first arrived in Hollywood and, according to friends, never really gave it up.

Actor Jeff Bridges, beloved for his iconic stoner role as ‘The Dude’ in the Cohen brothers’ cult classic. The Big Lebowski struck gold once again hyping beer for some of the world’s biggest brewers. In 2019 Bridges dusted off his Big Lebowski ‘Dude’ persona for a Stella Artois Super Bowl commercial alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, who reprised her role as Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City.

Robert Pattinson, the versatile English actor known for blockbuster films like The Batman and acclaimed independent movies such as The Lighthouse, has also gotten into the beer business. After rising to international fame as the vampire heartthrob of the Twilight franchise, he became the global ambassador for the premium French beer brand 1664.

( Jesse Plemons: Courtesy Shiner Beer)

In 2025, Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Plemons (Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Civil War) leaned into his Texas roots in cinematic, narrative-driven commercials for the independent Texas beer brand Shiner Bock. And Spiderman’s Tom Holland has co-founded and launched his own BERO non-alcoholic beer brand and he actively promotes the brand in person including at high-profile pop-up gigs.

Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction) has lent is distinctive voice to Miller Lite’s “Legendary Moments Start with a Lite” campaign. And Escape from New York’s Kurt Russell fronted a Michelob Ultra ad that was the talk of Super Bowl LX.

But no discussion of Hollywood and beer would be complete without mentioning the countless fictional beers that became stars in their own right.

Duff Beer from The Simpsons is probably the world’s most famous fictional beer. Although it began as a joke, Duff eventually inspired licensed versions sold around the globe. Fans who grew up watching Homer Simpson practically made the fictional lager part of American pop culture.

Then there’s Pawtucket Patriot Ale from Family Guy, Buzz Beer from The Drew Carey Show, and Alamo Beer from King of the Hill. None were real when they first appeared on television, yet they’ve become famous in their own unique ways.

Hollywood and beer have come a long way together. What was once considered a blue-collar beverage has become part of the entertainment business itself, with actors starring in beer commercials, representing global brands, and even creating breweries and non-alcoholic beers of their own. Whether it’s Burt Reynolds selling Miller Lite, Jeff Bridges channeling The Dude, or Tom Holland building BERO from the ground up, one thing is clear. In Hollywood these days, beer isn’t just a prop. It’s part of the story.