It is hard to tell an actor's size or height when they are performing unless they are standing next to someone. Leading men are often shorter than they appear on the screen, so they are either pared with someone shorter or camera or staging tricks are used to make us see what they want us to see.

For some reason, our society likes the standard of men as being taller than women - but that is not always the case. In fact, many of our favorite leading men are short, such as Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman and Daniel Radcliffe and many of our female hotties are tall - think Charlize Theron.

We thought it would be fun to put together a list of 19 of the tallest and the shortest celebrities. Some are surprises and some are not. See what you think. The list is from shortest-tallest to tallest-tallest, followed by the shortest-shortest to the tallest-shortest. If you followed that, you are in good shape.

19. Brooke Shields - 6'0"

It is no small wonder that Brooke became a star on many fronts. She is beautiful, smart and very talented. She started modeling when she was 11 months old - an Ivory Soap commercial. By the time she was 12, she was in Pretty Baby, her first feature film. She then became a fashion model. Her 6'0" lanky figure was perfect for modeling and the sexy Calvin Klein jeans ad proved it. She temporarily left the business to go to Princeton and then ultimately returned to acting, modeling and writing.

18. Jane Lynch - 6'0"

Jane is statuesque and wears her 6'0" body with style. Her down-to-earth demeanor is so fresh, that she is hilarious even when she is acting "mean", like her character Sue Sylvester in the hit TV show Glee. She has been working in Hollywood since getting her real start in Christopher Guest's spoof-documentary, Best in Show.

17. Tilda Swinton - 6'0"

As you can see from this photo, Katherine Mathilda Swinton - better known as Tilda - is not shy about her height. Her hairstyle adds to her height and not only does she look perfectly comfortable, she dazzles in her golden ensemble. Tilda is most known for her work in Michael Clayton when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

16. Uma Thurman - 6'1"

When Uma Thurman was only 15, she became a fashion model with the Click Model agency. With her tall, slender figure and gorgeous visage, she was a shoo-in. Although, once she became an actress, finding parts that fit her height wasn't quite as easy. Luckily, her talent prevailed and she nailed it in the Kill Bill series, as well as a few other favorites, like Dangerous Liaisons.

15. Jim Carrey - 6'2"

Funny man, Jim Carrey is much taller in person than he appears on-screen, which is generally the opposite.  His height has neither helped nor hindered his career. With a showcase of hit movies, such as The Truman Show, Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber, Jim can not go wrong in the eyes of his fans. It seems there isn't a character he can't play.

14. Bill Murray - 6'2"

Bill Murray's career took off when he won an Emmy Award for his comedic role on Saturday Night Live. So his success was instant and this 6'2" comedian was able to parlay his talents into a high profile movie career, with hits like Meatballs, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. Although he has towered over many of his co-stars, it was never obvious. He always captures our attention with his sheer talent.

13. Conan O'Brien - 6'4"

Conan got his real start as a comedic writer for Not Necessarily the News, after serving as president of the Harvard Lampoon when he attended Harvard. He continued as a comedic writer until he got the go-ahead to replace David Letterman as the host of his own Late Night show. He then moved to The Tonight Show for about a year. Now, his 6'4" body towers over most of his guests on his current talk show Conan, which has been running for nearly four years and has been extended through 2018.

12. Joel McHale - 6'4"

Italian-born Joel McHale has become a significant comedian, actor, writer, producer and personality. It's not surprising that in high school, 6'4" Joel was a football player playing tight end. He has a master's degree of fine arts from the Professional Actors Training Program and got his start in comedy. He is most known for hosting E-TVs, The Soup, but has also performed in feature films, such as Spider-Man 2, Spy Kids and Ted.

11. Jason Segel - 6'4"

Jason Segel is both funny and tall. His 6'5" frame definitely helped him in high school when he became a member of the CIF state champion boys' basketball team. He found his way into television with his role as Nick Andopolis on the NBC series Freaks and Geeks. Since that time, Jason has been in several television series and movies, such as the lead role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I Love You, Man.

10. Vince Vaughn - 6'5"

Vince Vaughn was raised in Buffalo Grove, IL, and by the time he was in high school he had reached his 6'5" height. He became actively involved in football, baseball and wrestling. But he never believed he was any good at it and instead turned to musical theater, which he loved. It took a while before Vaughn became well known, it was more of a gradual success which started with his role in Swingers with Jon Favreau.

9. Snooki - 4'8"

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is one of the shortest celebs, but before she settled down it was rare to see her without platform heels. Her 4'8" petite body looks quite tiny next to her best friend and co-star, JWoww. She is now the mother of two with husband, Jionni LaValle, who is around 5'6", so we are guessing the kids will be short based on the couple's genes.

8. Danny DeVito - 4'11"

Danny has a large personality and career for someone who is 4'11". He has been a success since he caught the industry's attention when he played Louie DePalma on Taxi.  He won an Emmy and Golden Globe for his performance and went on to act and direct in many outstanding films. His production company, Jersey Films, was responsible for favorites, like Pulp Fiction and Freedom Writers.

7. Hayden Panettiere - 5'0"

She might tower over Snooki by four inches, but at 5'0" Hayden is a very petite celebrity. Her talents are big, however, and she has been in the business since she was in a television commercial when she was barely a year old. Currently she can be seen singing and acting on ABC's series Nashville.

6. Anna Kendrick - 5'0"

Petite Anna is a 5'2" American singer and actress. She gained her real fame when she played the role of Natalie Keener alongside George Clooney in Up in the Air. Her performance was so good, she received Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG nominations. She has gone on to co-star in the Twilight series, Perfect Pitch and What to Expect When You're Expecting. 

5. Lady Gaga - 5'1"

Gaga is one little superstar. When in character, Lady Gaga has been known to sport 18" high heels, similar to those seen in this photo. Lady Gaga came up through the ranks and started performing in high school. Once she became noticed for her singing ability she signed a deal with Interscope Records and KonLive Distribution and her debut album, The Fame (2008), was a huge success. The rest is superstar history.

4. Kristen Bell - 5'1"

Brought up in a Detroit suburb, 5'1" Kristen Bell was the star in many of her high school musicals and her parents learned she could sing and act. By the time she was 13, she had a local agent and worked in commercials and print advertising.  She ended up getting a part in the Broadway musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and others but ended up moving to Los Angeles and later became our very own little high school detective, Veronica Mars.

3. Reese Witherspoon - 5'2"

Reese Witherspoon started modeling when she was only seven, which was the beginning of her career. Her 5'2" stature never seemed to hamper her ability to get parts. In fact, her first feature film was The Man in the Moon, where she was cast in the female lead role. Her career continued as she grew up until she became the leading lady in more mature roles. The Legally Blonde films are legendary, and her career has continued to soar with an Oscar win for her role in Walk the Line.

2. Eva Longoria - 5'2"

Eva Longoria is most famous for her role in Desperate Housewives when her small, 5'2" frame had the power to wreak havoc on all of her neighbors on Wisteria Lane. She has been married and divorced twice - once to Tyler Christopher and then Tony Parker -  both very tall men. Currently she is dating multimillionaire, Jose Antonio Baston, whose height is much more proportional to her own.

1. Seth Green - 5'4"

Seth Green has always been such a likeable short guy, so much that his height has become part of his charm. Actually, when you see photos of Seth and actress-wife Clare together it is clear height has never been an issue. She continues to wear her stilettos and they look adorable together. Seth started out in the business at a young age and continued moving up in supporting roles. Most recently, Seth co-starred in a Fox series, Dads, which was unfortunately canceled after one season.