Zach Galifianakis shaves his famous beard

While hosting Saturday Night Live, Zach Galifianakis covertly shaved his trademark beard.

The 40-year-old comedian slipped backstage while the show's musical guest, Vampire Weekend, performed. When Galifianakis emerged for the next sketch, his shaggy, reddish beard was gone, with a moustache in its place.

When Galifianakis returned to wave farewell at the end of the show, he'd changed yet again, donning a fake beard much like his original.

Galifianakis, who co-starred in The Hangover, has often made his beard a focal point in his standup and has rarely shaved it. In a 2008 interview, he joked: "I would shave, but then I look like Jodi Foster."