Bushy League

In “The Dictator,” which opened Wednesday, Sacha Baron Cohen plays Aladeen, a despot known for his ruthless assassinations, his devotion to opulence and his gigantic facial hair — which will surely rank among these, the best beards in cinematic history.

Rubeus Hagrid
In all the Harry Potter movies, Robbie Coltrane plays Hagrid, the half-giant with the heart of gold and the beard that ate Hogwarts.

Ming the Merciless
In the 1980 stinker “Flash Gordon,” Max von Sydow plays the comic-book villain whose two-pronged beard signifies his evil intentions. “Never trust a man with a two-pronged beard,” that’s our motto.

Davy Jones
Bill Nighy vanished under a mountain of octopuslike tentacles in 2007’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” “Never trust a man with an octopus beard” is our other motto.

Gandalf
Appearing in two varieties (gray and white), Ian McKellen’s beard conveyed strength and wisdom and awesomeness through all the “Lord of the Rings” films.

Alan
It’s probably a good idea Zach Galifianakis sports a beard in all his movies — including “The Hangover” flicks — because we’re pretty sure he looks like he’s 12 behind all that hair.