Jamie Lee Curtis has experienced a remarkable Jamie Lee Curtis hair transformation throughout her extensive career, spanning iconic films like the Halloween series, The Bear, and the eagerly awaited Freaky Friday sequel. In 2023, she achieved a significant milestone by winning her first Oscar for her role in the unique indie film Everything Everywhere All at Once. Despite Hollywood‘s usual challenges for aging actresses, Curtis has embraced this stage of her professional and personal life with confidence and freedom.
While Curtis has moved past vanity regarding her looks, she remains an influential hair icon. Over the years, she has displayed a variety of striking hairstyles, reflecting her evolving style and character choices. Acknowledging the importance of hair in one’s identity, Curtis has highlighted both the joys and struggles of changing hairstyles throughout her life and career.
Early Hair Styles and Celebrity Roots
Born on November 22, 1958, Jamie Lee Curtis grew up in a highly notable family, the daughter of Hollywood stars Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. This upbringing set the stage for her future in acting and public life. Curtis herself has acknowledged her status as what she refers to humorously as an “OG Nepo Baby,” a nod to her early start and family legacy in the industry.
As a child, Curtis was often photographed alongside her famous parents, showcasing a simple yet elegant early hair style. Her natural brown hair was cut into a short style consistent with a porcelain doll-like image her parents favored for her. By 1966, she experimented briefly with a mid-length bob with bangs, but she soon returned to a shorter cut before trying longer styles as she grew older.
Transition to Longer Hair in Youth and School Years
In the early 1970s, as a preteen, Curtis decided to grow her hair longer, adopting layered cuts typical of the era that framed her face. This longer, feathered hairstyle remained consistent through her high school years. During this time, she attended several schools, including a New England prep school for her senior year, which was a challenging adjustment for her, compounded by her evolving personal identity.
Curtis reflected on this period, describing herself as a California girl feeling lonely and unsure amidst the new environment and experiences. Photographs from this era reveal a hairstyle that was mainly straight or softly feathered at shoulder length.
Film Debut and Hairstyle Adjustments for Roles
By the late 1970s, Curtis was beginning to build her acting résumé, which led to her breakout role as Laurie Strode in the 1978 horror classic Halloween. Initially, the look Curtis brought to the role was altered slightly for the character. While she had a perm when meeting director John Carpenter, the production preferred a less curly style. To achieve this, Curtis used hot rollers to tame her hair, resulting in the signature straight, shoulder-length look associated with Laurie Strode, a style which wigmakers later recreated to maintain continuity in the film series.
Jane Fonda’s Influence on Curtis’ 1980s Hair
Following the success of Halloween, Curtis became a prominent figure in horror films throughout the 1980s, appearing in titles such as The Fog, Prom Night, and Terror Train. Alongside her acting career, she also evolved her hairstyle, adopting the popular “Klute cut” popularized by Jane Fonda in the 1971 film Klute. This shag haircut, characterized by full bangs and feathered layers, was mirrored in Curtis’s look during photoshoots and roles at the time.
Curtis later shared throwback images on Instagram from her 1978 photoshoot during the film Road Games, humorously recalling her attempt to channel Jane Fonda’s style without the aid of professional stylists or glam teams.
Hair Damage Leads to the Signature Pixie Cut
Despite her varied and often glamorous hairstyles, Curtis faced challenges with hair damage. In the early 1980s, after a damaging combination of a perm over bleached hair caused her locks to break dramatically, she opted for a drastic cut. The hairstylist José Eber gave her a shorter haircut that became the foundation of her iconic pixie style.
In 2025, Curtis revisited this pivotal moment in a photoshoot with Paul Jasmin, explaining how seeing a portrait of film star Berry Berenson with a similar haircut encouraged her to embrace this new look fully and confidently.
Soft Bangs and Evolution Through the Late 1980s and Early 1990s
Jamie Lee Curtis continued evolving her hairstyle by softening her pixie cut and wearing it with gentle bangs during the late 1980s and into the early 1990s. Following her acclaimed turn in the comedy Trading Places, Curtis combined her range of roles with a versatile hairstyle.
On red carpet events like the 1989 Emmys and the 1990 Golden Globes — where she was honored for her work on the sitcom Anything But Love — Curtis’s style featured soft, elegantly pinned back hair with bangs framing her face, a look that resonated with both glamour and simplicity.
Experimenting with Style and Length in the 1990s
The 1990s saw Curtis transform her appearance further as she balanced major film roles with her evolving hairstyle. In True Lies (1994), for example, her pixie cut was slicked back during a memorable scene, a mark of her character’s tough persona. Offscreen, Curtis experimented with shorter, wavy bobs and layered cuts that framed her face softly, frequently balancing refinement with ease.
At events like the 1995 Golden Globes and on screen in Fierce Creatures (1997), she embraced subtle sophistication with layered, low-maintenance hairstyles that suited her roles and public appearances alike.
Defining the Edgy Pixie Cut Style of the 2000s
In the 2000s, Jamie Lee Curtis became synonymous with a bold pixie cut that aligned with the era’s varied hair trends. This look was prominently featured in the 2003 Freaky Friday remake, where Curtis played Tess Coleman opposite Lindsay Lohan. Initially sporting a dark red, classic pixie cut, Curtis quickly shifted to a more daring, spiky pixie with red and blond highlights, supported by hairstylist Sean James.
Despite the last-minute nature of the role, Curtis embraced the style fully, as she recounted to The New York Times in 2025, describing her rapid hair color transformation before filming began, managing the challenge of playing a teenager while parenting young children.
Though the bright red eventually gave way to a more natural look, Curtis stayed loyal to the pixie cut for its ease and authenticity, appreciating how it complemented her makeup-free lifestyle and minimal fuss.
Choosing to Embrace Natural Gray Hair
After years of chemical processing and occasional hair damage, Jamie Lee Curtis made the conscious decision to stop dying her hair. This transition became more visible following Freaky Friday, as gray accents emerged in her signature pixie cut. Initially met with criticism—some people warned it would age her—Curtis was later vindicated as perceptions changed over time.
She openly shared her distaste for the hair salon routine, describing the experience as humiliating and questioning the purpose behind extensive hair treatments. Curtis’s acceptance of her natural hair color reflected a broader commentary she has made on beauty standards and aging within Hollywood.
The ‘Ice Queen‘ Look Shines at the 2019 Golden Globes
By the late 2010s, Curtis had fully embraced her silver hair and experimented with a striking new color—vibrant platinum white. At the 2019 Golden Globes, she debuted her “Ice Queen” hairstyle, a variation of her pixie cut swept back elegantly and paired perfectly with her white gown.
This bold look was carefully planned, as her longtime hairstylist Sean James explained the month-long collaboration leading up to the event, with the hair color chosen to match the gown’s bright white tone and create a standout red-carpet statement.
Adjusting Her Pixie Cut Length in Recent Years
In early 2025, Curtis appeared at the Palm Springs International Film Awards with a longer pixie cut, a departure from her usual shorter style. She clarified on Instagram that this was a temporary look related to work commitments, expressing happiness at attending the event and supporting Nicole Kidman.
Within a few months, Curtis reverted to the shorter pixie style that she identifies closely with. Posting a selfie in April 2025, she shared her gratitude for hairstylist Sean James and expressed how returning to the cropped cut made her feel authentically herself.
The Role of Wigs in Curtis’s Screen Appearances
Jamie Lee Curtis‘s commitment to her natural hair style contrasts with her frequent use of wigs in various film roles. Characters like Laurie Strode in the 2018 Halloween reboot, Deidre Beaubeirdra in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Donna Berzatto in The Bear have all featured distinct wig styles.
Her wigs for the Freakier Friday sequel also attracted attention for their seamless quality, especially the longer gray hair look that sparked debate among fans about whether she had grown out her hair or not. Curtis revealed that the shaggy cut worn in the film was inspired by musician Pat Benatar, embracing a throwback aesthetic for the character Tess Coleman.
“Well, I guess the secret is out,”
—Jamie Lee Curtis
“I think Tess is really, really into Pat Benatar and may have stolen her look for ‘Freakier Friday.'”
—Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie’s hair evolution exemplifies her resilience and willingness to embrace change, demonstrating a powerful blend of personal style and professional adaptability that continues to inspire fans and colleagues alike.
