Blonde Ambition
Nowhere is blonde hair more idolized than Hollywood—from golden tones all the way to platinum, these iconic stars have set the standard for blondes across the nation.
Carole Lombard
With her halo of pale blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, Carole Lombard was destined to be a star—and her tumultuous marriages to screen legends William Powell and Clark Gable meant that she was a tabloid magnet as well. She was also a fixture in the WWII war effort before her untimely death in a plane crash in 1942.
Catherine Deneuve
Wide eyes and a voluminous blonde do were just two of the elements that made this French actress one of the most iconic performers of her generation—not just in her home country, but in Hollywood, too.
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson cemented her legend status in Baywatch and has had legions of devoted fans ever since. Though she embraces a natural beauty regime today, she still keeps up her color the way so many other (un)natural blondes do once they realize how expensive and high-maintenance blonde hair is: At home, using a Garnier bleach kit.
Frederic Legrand, Shutterstock
Doris Day
America’s original Sweetheart starred in beloved romantic comedies and nostalgic period musicals. The actress and singer had a long career and lived to the age of 97.
William P. Gottlieb, Wikimedia Commons
Shelley Long
Cheers turned the “dumb blonde” stereotype on its head—sort of. Long starred on the sitcom as a book smart—if not street smart—blonde idealist and foil/love interest for the character of Sam Malone.
Though her career didn’t quite take off as expected following her exit from the show, the popularity of Cheers during her tenure on it can’t be overestimated.
White House Photographic Collection, Wikimedia Commons
Brittany Murphy
Like Claire Danes, Murphy’s star-making role in the 90s—this time Clueless—had her as a redhead. However, she really found her footing in Hollywood as a blonde, in films like 8 Mile and Uptown Girls, before her tragic and untimely death.
Shannon Renfroe, Wikimedia Commons
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth is best known as a redhead, but spent many years in Hollywood sporting bleach blonde locks. The legendary actress was born Margarita Cansino, and was forced to use hair dye, among other, more barbaric methods, to cover up her Latin heritage.
Robert Coburn, Wikimedia Commons
Cameron Diaz
With her sharp features, pale blonde hair, and tanned skin, it was like Cameron Diaz was destined to become a star—something she cemented when she burst onto the screen in The Mask.
New Line Cinema, The Mask (1994)
Claudia Schiffer
In the 1990s, Schiffer’s teased platinum blonde and smoky kohl-rimmed eyes made her one of the most striking supermodels of the era.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Meg Ryan
The star of some of the most beloved romantic comedies ever, Meg Ryan’s flippy little bob in the 1990s was copied about a billion times over by women looking for the ultimate fun, flirty hairstyle.
Kate Moss
Blonde hair is often associated with bombshell sex appeal or girl-next-door types, but in the 1990s, Kate Moss proved that blondes could be edgy and cool too.
Farah Fawcett
Farah Fawcett was THE ultimate pin-up in the 70s and her feathered ‘do had women flocking to the salon to try and replicate it. Fawcett’s sandy blonde was enhanced by a squeeze of lemon juice, which would add natural highlights in the sun.
Mae West
The OG blonde bombshell courted controversy wherever she went and never shied away from her favorite subject: S-e-x. She even wrote a scandalous play about it in 1926 and ended up arrested on morals charges!
Paramount Pictures, Wikimedia Commons
Naomi Watts
Over the past two decades, Watts has become a Hollywood stalwart—and all the way back in 2010, she was the original choice to play Marilyn Monroe in the film project that eventually became 2022’s Blonde (which ended up starring Ana de Armas).
Christina Aguilera
The platinum pop princess behind “Dirrty” has occasionally added in some black streaks—but growing up, she had dark honey blonde hair.
Jayne Mansfield
This actress and Playboy Playmate never met a publicity stunt she didn’t like—but sadly, her life ended in tragedy after she perished in a car crash.
Her children—including future Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay—were in the car with her, but luckily survived.
Comet Photo AG (Zürich), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lauren Conrad
“LC” found her claim to fame starring in Laguna Beach and The Hills—each of which could’ve been subtitled “The Battle of the Blondes”. Thousands of women have copied her dirty blonde with light highlights combo ever since.
Scarlett Johannson
Throughout her time in Hollywood, ScarJo has tried almost every shade of blonde, from the lightest platinum to a dark honey—but one of her most famous roles, the MCU’s Black Widow, had her dye her hair a bright copper.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
Britney Spears
In the late 90s, Britney Spears ushered in a new era of bottle-blonde pop stars—and things haven’t been the same since. Though she’s had to deal with being called a “dumb blonde,” Spears’ natural hair color is actually black.
Jean Harlow
Harlow’s platinum, almost-white blonde was like a halo for her features on the silver screen—and it really popped off in black and white. To achieve her iconic look, Harlow used actual bleach on her hair.
Betty Grable
Betty Grable was THE blonde icon of the 1940s—even starring in a film called The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend.
Her swimsuit promo photos ended up in the lockers of many a soldier during WWI, and rocketed her to stardom.
Studio Publicity, Wikimedia Commons
Faith Hill
In the 1990s, CMT probably played at least 10,000 hours of Faith Hill videos alone. The country superstar had a string of hits and a high-profile marriage to Tim McGraw. Recently, fans got confused when promo photos for the Yellowstone prequel 1883 showed Hill with brown hair—but the show’s creator is a stickler for historical authenticity, and women weren’t spending hours in the salon getting blonde highlights back then.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Taylor Swift
Following in Hill’s footsteps was Taylor Swift, who broke into music as a country star before becoming the pop phenomenon we know today.
Though she’s experimented with many shades, she’s spent a lot of time sporting a medium/dark ash blonde that’s flattering on many skin tones.
Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley was one of the original supermodels and starred in the video for husband Billy Joel’s hit “Uptown Girl”.
These days, the 70-year-old has slowly embraced grey hair over the bright blonde that she maintained for so many years.
The Heart Truth, Wikimedia Commons
June Allyson
June Allyson was a bright, vivacious Old Hollywood star who embodied the “girl next door” archetype in her early career before going on to an Oscar nom for Best Actress. Her natural blonde locks were a part of her signature look for her entire Hollywood tenure.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Princess Diana
Blue eyes, blonde hair, great style, Princess Diana seemed to have it all. Throughout the years—from her engagement to Prince Charles to their wedding and even after their divorce and separation—“Di” inspired thousands of women to hit the salon and attempt to replicate her iconic hairstyles, from the fluffy bobs to the sleek pixie cut.
John Mathew Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sienna Miller
No one embodies “boho blonde” like Sienna Miller—whether she’s starring in slick action movies or edgy indie fare…or traipsing through the mud at Glastonbury, setting the style standard for tons of copycats.
Claire Danes
Though her star-making role in My So-Called Life had a teenaged Claire Danes sporting red hair, she’s actually a natural blonde who returned to her OG color soon after, before going on to star in Homeland.
The Olsen Twins
Though they’ve dipped their toes into the brunette pool, these twin child stars-turned superstar fashion designers have mostly stuck to blonde hair over the past three decades.
David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Zsa Zsa Gabor
She was the very picture of glamor, she had nine husbands, and she lived to the age of 99. No one quite did it like Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was also famous for hilarious quips like “I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house”.
Meryl Streep
From her unforgettable turn in Manhattan all the way up through hits like Mamma Mia and The Devil Wears Prada, Streep has remained faithful to her flaxen locks—though, in recent years, she has finally embraced white hair.
Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons
Madonna
Madonna may be known as a blonde pop icon—but she started out as a natural brunette. Through the years, she’s gone through many shades, but also leveraged her natural color for unforgettable looks with platinum locks, dark roots, and dark eyebrows.
Dolly Parton
When it comes to blonde hair, it’s usually quality vs quantity—but Dolly Parton’s sky-high dos have both. After all, the higher the hair, the closer to God.
RCA Records, Wikimedia Commons
Goldie Hawn
This California blonde’s tousled waves have long been a part of her iconic look—and it’s all natural. Hawn has said she’s never colored or chemically treated her hair.
Veronica Lake
She may have ended up with red hair, but one of the main inspirations for the bombshell cartoon character Jessica Rabbit was Veronica Lake, a bombshell in her own right, best known for appearing as a femme fatale in films noir.
A. L. Whitey Schafer, Wikimedia Commons
Sarah Jessica Parker
Long before she was Carrie, Sarah Jessica Parker was a teen star with natural brown curly hair—but it was a bleach job that truly made her the TV icon we know and love today.
ALA The American Library Association, Flickr
Drew Barrymore
Throughout her long career—she appeared in her first feature film at the age of five—Barrymore has had pretty much every shade of blonde, brunette, and red. Most recently, she returned to a light blonde that channels the look she sported for the 2000 premiere for Charlie’s Angels.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
Anna Nicole Smith
She was taken from the world far too soon, but Anna Nicole Smith’s iconic Guess ads, where she looked like the living reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe, will live on forever as proof that she was one of the most iconic blonde bombshells in history.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon isn’t just blonde—she’s Legally Blonde. What’s more iconic than that?
Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett—alongside Meryl Streep and quite a few other entries on this list—is living proof that blonde hair does not preclude one from being a “serious” actress…though her appearance in a dark bob in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was something of a mark against that on her resume.
Margot Robbie
You know your blonde hair is iconic when they cast you as Barbie.
Heidi Klum
Klum’s long, luscious blonde locks would have anyone reaching for their salon’s number. If she hadn’t made it as a supermodel and Victoria’s Secret Angel, she could’ve been the star of 1,000 shampoo commercials.
Michelle Williams
Few people can pull off icy blonde hair—and pixie cuts, while we’re at it—like the acclaimed actress.
Debbie Harry
When your look is so iconic, your band names themselves after you. Debbie Harry is the bleach blonde songstress and founding member of Blondie.
After Harry bleached her hair, she’d get catcalls calling her “Blondie”—leading her band to pick it for their name.
Nicole Kidman
One of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation, Nicole Kidman has sported all sorts of shades of blonde throughout the years—though her natural color is a dark strawberry blonde.
Carrie Underwood
This pop-country princess has had golden locks since she was a kid—but it was her turn on American Idol that made her a star.
Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow was famous for her so-called “platinum blonde” hair—in fact, it was her stardom that helped first coin the shiny term.
When he was promoting Harlow in one of his films, director Howard Hughes publicized her hair color as new-fangled “platinum,” quickly turning Harlow into the original Blonde Bombshell.
Faye Dunaway
Who could forget Faye Dunaway’s sleek blonde bob under a beret in Bonnie & Clyde? This icy blonde has shown her chops playing nuanced, complicated characters over the course of her career.
Jennifer Aniston
Though the “Rachel” was more about the cut than the color, Aniston over the years has gone from pin-thin highlights to full-on blonde—proof that blonde can be addictive.
Jessica Simpson
One of many blonde pop princesses who emerged during the late 1990s, Simpson at first positioned herself as a pure Christian virgin with a heart of gold—until her Newlyweds reality show with then-husband Nick Lachey portrayed her as more of a dumb blonde.
Though she’s had her hair share of personal battles since then, her 2020 book proved that she’s anything but dumb.
Bette Midler
Though one of her most beloved roles in The First Wives Club had her as a redhead, The Divine Miss M has put in the time as a blonde, often sporting a perfectly-coiffed shoulder-length cut.
Marilyn Monroe
What is there to say about the ultimate blonde bombshell—who might also be the most iconic blonde of all time? When it came time for her to sit in the salon chair, Monroe always requested a blonde so light she called it “pillow case white”.
Eugene Kornman, Wikimedia Commons
Emma Stone
We know her best as a redhead, but Emma Stone’s natural color is actually a fair blonde. Luckily, we think she looks great in any color.
Featureflash Photo Agency , Shutterstock
Michelle Pfeiffer
When it comes to all-time great looks in film, few can beat Michelle Pfeiffer’s iconic golden-blonde bob in Scarface. This natural beauty is still as stunning as it gets well into her 60s.
Thelma Todd
When it comes to the iconic blondes of Hollywood's Golden Age, people think of Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, or Jayne Mansfield—but few remember Thelma Todd, the “ice cream blonde”. She was a prolific actress and Hollywood party girl before her untimely and extremely mysterious death at the age of 29.
Lana Turner
Lana Turner had a true Hollywood rags-to-riches story—but with those looks and that blonde hair, was there ever any question she’d be a star? Early in her career, she dyed her hair platinum and never looked back.
Elizabeth Montgomery
The star of Bewitched had honey blonde hair in the early black and white seasons, which was later lightened when the show went to color—though the animation in the title sequence portrayed her with more of a strawberry blonde.
Blake Lively
The daughter of a beloved acting coach, Blake Lively has been a screen juggernaut since her early roles in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Gossip Girl—and when her next project, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s blockbuster novel It Ends With Us, comes out, it’s likely she’ll continue to move up the list of top-earning stars.
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani was THE platinum blonde cool girl in the 1990s, mixing Old Hollywood style with edgier elements.
Though she’d made forays into other colors—notably, blue and pink—she’s mostly kept her hair platinum since.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
Twiggy
Twiggy had one of the most iconic looks of the 60s. Her signature pixie haircut and bold lashes transformed her into one of the most sought-after models in the world. Initially, however, the British model didn’t want to cut her long blonde locks.
Sitting in the chair of the famous hairstylist, Leonard of Mayfair, Twiggy was too shy to reject the experimental chop—and it changed her life forever.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth’s icy blonde pin-straight hair in the 1990s appeared on many a stylist’s inspiration board. Though the actress’s natural color is a brownish-blonde—or blondish brown?—she’s kept a light-blonde tone through most of her career.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Brigitte Bardot
There’s Dolly Parton volume, and then there’s Brigitte Bardot volume. The French actress’s sultry, tousled locks telegraph a wanton “just been rolling around in bed” vibe that drove men crazy in the 60s and 70s. She was also known for her messy beehive, which was nicknamed “choucroute”. That’s French for…sauerkraut.
Grace Kelly
You can’t publish a list about iconic blondes without including Grace Kelly, who exemplified understated elegance during her all-too-brief life.
Colouring: Pierre Tourigny, Wikimedia Commons
Beyonce
The superstar looks good in any color she chooses—but few could deny that she’s absolutely stunning as a blonde.
Parkwood Pictures Entertainment, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was the blonde beauty that no one in Hollywood took seriously…until they finally opened their eyes and saw that a legend-in-the-making was standing in front of them. From passionate affairs with A-listers to her sometimes-questionable “method” acting, to getting married on her literal deathbed, Winters’ life had more twists and turns than any movie.
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