- Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum, Misty Holland
- Film News
Beitia Archives/Digital Press Photos/Newscom/The Mega Agency
Only about two percent of the world’s population has natural red hair, so it’s not surprising that the rest of us are a bit fascinated by the few who are born with it, and why so many entertainers choose that color to distinguish themselves from their competition. Today, we celebrate some of our favorites on “Kiss a Ginger Day” for January 12.
Red hair has been a color of choice for many leading ladies, with vibrant shades from strawberry blond to deep auburn, either from nature or a bottle, lighting up both the big and small screens. Several leading ladies from the Golden Era of Hollywood were known for their red tresses, most notably Irish-born Maureen O’Hara and WWII pinup favorite Rita Hayworth. Currently, there are dozens of actresses who are either natural-born redheads or have sported the color for most of their careers, including Jessica Chastain, Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon and Julianne Moore. On the small screen, redheads seem to stand out in comedy, with greats such as Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett becoming icons of the genre.
And let’s not forget some of our favorite men who are gingers! With their red hair and freckles, Prince Harry, Ron Howard and Ed Sheeran are all adorable and prove that redheads are some of the coolest people around. Tour our gingers photo gallery to see all of our 25 choices.
There are some famous redheads who I knew weren’t natural, but there were a few who I was surprised to discover were born with another color. But I admire their ability to carry it off, because red can be one of the most difficult colors to get just right with a dye job. So, blow your favorite ginger a kiss today, and enjoy reading about some of our favorite celebrity redheads.
25. Susan Sarandon
This award-winning actress is not only known for her talent, but also for her sultry looks and fiery spirit. Her auburn-hued curls have become her trademark, and she is still rocking them at 74.
24. Alyson Hannigan
All of the female leads in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” started out with brown hair, and creator Joss Whedon suggested someone change to red for variation, and Hannigan smartly went for it. The red hair perfectly suited the quirky Willow, and Hannigan has had quite a career as a redhead.
23. Amy Adams
Although she was born with blond hair, Adams dyed it early in career, saying the change had a huge impact on her career. With her fair skin and blue eyes, Adams wears the color as naturally as a true ginger, and her red hair has become such a trademark for her it’s hard to imagine her without those fiery locks.
22. Conan O’Brien
With the last name “O’Brien,” his shock of red hair comes as no surprise. The talk show host and comedian is almost as well known for his hair as he is for his dry sense of humor.
21. Christina Hendricks
Hendricks was born a blonde, but, inspired by the book “Anne of Green Gables,” started coloring her hair red at age ten. As Joan Holloway in “Mad Men,” Hendricks turned heads with her fiery red mane and voluptuous figure.
20. Rita Hayworth
In “Gilda,” Hayworth flips that fabulous red mane in one of the most iconic scenes in film history. Although she was a natural brunette, Hayworth dyed her hair red early on, and it became her trademark. It’s easy to see why Morgan Freeman is transfixed by the “Love Goddess” in the “Shawshank Redemption.”
19. Ellie Kemper
She went brunette for her role on “The Office,” but went back to her natural red for the title role on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” Even though she’s adorable either way, her red hair makes her stand out, and she’s even commented that she was treated differently when she had brown hair, saying that people took her more seriously as a brunette and tend to laugh at her more with her red hair!
18. Ed Sheeran
With a slew of Top Ten hits and a bevy of adoring female fans, Sheeran has made being ginger cool. Early on, he was encouraged to dye his hair darker and change his singing style to be more mainstream, but he stayed true to himself and proved that being original will get you noticed.
17. Marcia Cross
With her pale skin and rust-colored hair, Cross is a natural red-headed beauty. As Bree Van De Kamp Hodge on “Desperate Housewives,” there was never a red hair out of place on that perfectly coiffed head.
16. Tina Louise
In 1958, Louise was named the “World’s Most Beautiful Redhead” by the National Art Council, and it’s not hard to see why. The stunning natural redhead is best remembered for her role as the aptly-named “Ginger” on the sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” and is now the last surviving member of the beloved sitcom.
15. Reba McIntire
With her red hair and perky smile, she stands out among the queens of country music. In her almost 50 years of entertaining, she has sported a variety of hairstyles, but the color is always some form of her natural red, and she is still stunning at age 65.
14. Rupert Grint
Harry Potter’s goofy friend Ron Weasley has become one of the most famous fictional redheads (along with his entire ginger clan), and Grint brought the character to life in glorious color in eight films. Grint is a proud ginger who is easy for his fans to spot in a crowd.
13. Debra Messing
As Grace Adler on “Will and Grace,” her hair was a big part of the show, with her roommate Will often giving her advice on how to manage the fiery mess of curls. Although she’s not a natural redhead, she’s known for her red hair, much like another funny lady from one of our favorite sitcoms, Lucille Ball.
11. Jessica Chastain
This natural redhead has learned to embrace the trait that makes her stand out. She sports her natural color in most of her roles, and chooses to wear a wig instead of dying her locks when a role calls for a different hair color, such as when she donned a brunette wig to play the real-life Molly Bloom in “Molly’s Game.”
12. Bryce Dallas Howard
Not only does Howard get her red tresses from her famous dad Ron Howard, but her mother is also a ginger. Although the shade may vary, she always boast a beautiful color that makes her stand apart in a crowd.
10. Madelaine Petsch
Although Archie Andrews is the more famous redheaded character from the comics, on the show “Riverdale,” Petsch’s natural red hair makes her stand out as Cheryl. Petsch has said that she was made fun of growing up because of her red hair, but she’s getting the last laugh now. Not only does she rock her red mane, but her red lipstick is as iconic as her hair.
9. Molly Ringwald
She was born a brunette – shocking, I know! – but was encouraged early on to dye her hair red to “stand out.” And she did just that, becoming the queen of teen films in the 1980s, starring in such classics as John Hughes’s “Sixteen Candles” and “Breakfast Club.” Her red hair has become her trademark, making her the perfect fit as Archie Andrews’s mom on “Riverdale.”
8. Nicole Kidman
Three decades ago, she blazed across our screens in films like “Dead Calm” and “Days of Thunder,” her flaming mass of ringlets quickly making her stand out and become a beauty icon. Over the years, she has changed it up several times, recently favoring straight blond hair. However, she is back to her roots in her series “The Undoing,” once again causing a furor over her red curls.
7. Carol Burnett
Her red hair and comedic timing made her stand out at a time when men dominated comedy. The feisty Burnett was a trailblazer for women, proving that a woman could be the star of a comedy variety show, making it a success that lasted for eleven years, and becoming an icon for the generations of women who have followed.
6. Maureen O’Hara
Technicolor was made for the likes of Maureen O’Hara. With her flaming red hair, porcelain skin and vivid green eyes, O’Hara was one of the most beautiful women of the Golden Era of Hollywood. Her personality matched her hair – full of fiery temperament and passion that lit up the screen in glorious color in such films as “The Quiet Man” and made her an even match to leading men such as Tyrone Power and John Wayne.
5. Ron Howard
As a child, he was the moppy-headed adorable Opie Taylor, and then grew into the All-American teenager Richie Cunningham, affectionately dubbed “Red” by his best friend Fonzie. Now an award-winning director, Howard has had a long and successful career and, even though he remains primarily behind the camera these days, he will always be remembered fondly by generations as a sweet freckled-faced redheaded boy.
4. Ann-Margret
This Swedish-born entertainer is a natural brunette, but dyed her hair early in her career at the recommendation of her hairstylist. Her red locks combined with a voluptuous figure made her a standout in such films as “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Viva Las Vegas.” She has enjoyed a long career as an actress, singer and dancer, and is still a beauty at 79.
3. Julianne Moore
A true redhead, Moore only dyes her hair when a role calls for it – which is rarely, thank goodness! Moore rocks her vibrant hair, freckles and fair skin, but was teased as a child, and has since written a series of children’s books following the adventures of “Freckleface Strawberry,” who is bullied for having freckles.
2. Prince Harry
With his impish grin, boyish charm, and shock of red hair, Prince Harry has been entertaining the world with his antics since he was a toddler. His parents each have a line of gingers in their families (even Prince Philip had a touch of red in his younger days), so his red hair is really no surprise. He’s just as adorable now that he’s grown into a man with a wife and a beautiful baby boy – who looks like he may have inherited his dad’s famous hair.
1. Lucille Ball
Ball actually was a natural brunette who often appeared as a blonde in her early modeling and movie days. She dyed her hair a “golden apricot” color for the 1943 film “DuBarry Was a Lady,” and later achieved her trademark flaming red ‘do with a stash of henna that her hairstylist kept in a safe. Although “I Love Lucy” was filmed in black and white, the wacky housewife’s red “Poodle-style” hair was a defining characteristic, and Ball would maintain this legendary color until her death in 1989.
