By Debbie Emery - Breaking Celebrity News Reporter

James Holmes' dazed expression, cold demeanor and dyed orange hair have been imprinted into the minds of the nation as the face of a killer, but Breaking Celebrity News has never-before-seen photos of The Dark Knight Rises shooter that show he once looked just like a regular, mild-mannered teenager.

In the year book photos from his years spent at middle school and then Westview High School in San Diego, Calif., the now 24-year-old can be seen smiling warmly at the camera, with friendly eyes and neatly combed hair separated in a center-parting — a look that is a world away from the manic mass shooter who appeared in court on Monday.

As Breaking Celebrity News previously reported, Holmes is accused of killing 12 movie-goers and wounding 58 during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises at the Century 16 cinema theater in Aurora, Colorado in the early hours of Friday morning.

Now known for his expertise with explosives, Holmes was a PhD student in the highly selective neuroscience program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver up until a month before the attack, however, newspaper clippings from his teenage years show he had a passion for sports.