For as long as he’s been a comedian, Larry David has had one look: slightly disheveled, with a ring of curly hair around a bald dome, big circular glasses, and a penchant for offending people over minor inconveniences. This look has been remarkably consistent since he was a young man, and while I haven’t seen any photos of him as a baby, I choose to believe he was born looking like the textbook definition of “curmudgeon.”

This comedic persona is just an act, at least according to his longtime friend and “Seinfeld” co-creator Jerry Seinfeld, but the look certainly is not. His penchant for blazers and cashmere sweaters has turned him into an unlikely style icon, thanks in part to how consistently he composes his look both on screen in his hilarious HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and off-screen in interviews. Because he sports the same look day in and day out, Larry knew the funniest thing he could do when making his HBO comedy “Clear History” was shed that look for something completely unrecognizable.

Well, shed might be the wrong word here because Larry did the unthinkable: he gave himself a full head of hair.

Larry David has produced episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” off and on since the show premiered in 2000 until it came to an end in 2024. Never in a rush to get another season off the ground, the show would take multi-year gaps where Larry wouldn’t do much besides make a cameo on “Hannah Montana.” (Yes, that actually happened.)

The gap between seasons 8 and 9 was different: rather than produce another season of the show where Larry David played Larry David, he instead wrote and produced a film that premiered on HBO called “Clear History.” Directed by Greg Mottola (“Superbad”), Larry played the part of Nathan Flomm, a Bay Area marketing executive for a fledgling electric vehicle company founded by Jon Hamm. While Flomm might not literally be Larry David, he shares David’s habit of taking minor disagreements way too far, and he has a falling out with Hamm over his decision to name the car “the Howard.”

Insisting that that’s a stupid name for a car, Flomm puts his money where his mouth is and sells his shares in the company to prove he’s serious about his dire prospects in the company. Unfortunately for Flomm, the Howard is a massive success, and his stunt costs him a billion dollars.

Sporting a big bushy beard and long flowing hair, the fallout of his mistake causes Flomm to spend the next decade turning into the Larry David we know and love. 10 years later, Flomm’s trying to create a new life for himself on Martha’s Vineyard when Hamm unexpectedly arrives as his newest neighbor, but with his old/new look, Hamm doesn’t recognize him, opening up an opportunity for Flomm to get his revenge.

Like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the film gives Larry plenty of opportunities to improv his way through uncomfortable situations, with a cast of celebrities ranging from Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, and Kate Hudson to comedy stars like Bill Hader and Danny McBride. And of course, “Curb” superstar J.B. Smoove is there to ruffle Larry’s feathers.

While “Clear History” doesn’t hit the highest highs of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” it’s still well worth a watch for any Larry David fan out there who wants to see what he looks like with a full head of hair.