22 of the Most Famous Blonde Actresses in Hollywood
They say blondes have more fun, and that appears to be true when talking about the most famous blonde actresses in Hollywood. Whether they were born with blonde hair or dyed it to get roles, these women are at the top of their game in the movie industry.
Blonde actresses always stand out due to their hair color, but there is more to these women than that. They are exceptionally talented individuals who captivate audiences with their beauty and acting skills. Similar to redheaded actresses, there is more to them than their appearance.
The likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Jean Harlow, Blake Lively, Jane Fonda, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Julia Garner are just some of the best actresses with blonde hair strutting their stuff on the big screen and in television series.
We want to showcase these amazing actresses, so have collected 22 of the best that have made their mark over the years.
Marilyn Monroe
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No list about blond bombshells is complete without including Marylin Monroe. A sex symbol who had America under her spell during the 50s and early 60s, Monroe was a major part of the sexual revolution that occurred during that time. Her films grossed over $200 million, which in today’s money, is around $2 billion!
While many just saw her as nothing more than a sexy blonde, Monroe was passionate about acting and her career. She started her own production company and even studied method acting under famous teacher Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. Monroe starred in some of the biggest films to come out of that era, such as The Seven Year Itch, The Prince and the Showgirl, and Some Like It Hot.
But like so many young actresses, Monroe became consumed by Hollywood and had a troubled private life. She suffered from addiction and began to cause trouble on set. All there of her marriages ended in divorce which impacted negatively her mental state. She would have many high-profile affairs, including one with President John F. Kennedy, and sadly died of a drug overdose at the age of 36.
Jennifer Lawrence
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Spotted by a talent scout at age 14 while on holiday with her family, Jennifer Lawrence dropped out of school, moved to Los Angeles, and kick-started her acting career. After several years of small bit parts, she scored a recurring role on the sitcom The Bill Engvall Show. A few years later she secured her first movie role in the drama Garden Party.
Lawrence’s breakthrough came in Winter’s Bone alongside John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, and Garret Dillahunt. The flood gates opened and Lawrence soon become Hollywood’s new it girl. She’s played a lead character in both the Hunger Games and X-Men franchises, appeared in horror Mother!, and even won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance inSilver Linings Playbook.
As well as being a fantastic actress, Lawrence possesses a very down-to-earth personality that makes her super relatable, while also being an advocate of women’s rights and other notable causes.
Margot Robbie
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Aussie actress Margot Robbie rose to fame after appearing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. Previously getting her start on classic Australian soap Neighbors, Robbie is now one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses. She has received much acclaim for her roles as Harley Quinn in both Suicide Squad movies and spin-off Birds of Prey, figure skater Tonya Harding in the drama I, Tonya, and as Queen Elizabeth I in the period dramaMary Queen of Scots.
Robbie’s cheeky smile and versatility as an actor make her a favorite with critics and fans alike. As well as acting, Robbie runs a production company with her husband, filmmaker Tom Ackerley, having produced the likes of Promising Young Woman and upcoming blockbusters Barbie and Tank Girl.
Jane Fonda
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While she might be grey on top these days, throughout her movie career Jane Fonda was known for her blonde locks. That’s what scored her the role in the strange 60s sci-fi flick Barbarella, turning her into a superstar. While her early foray into movies was dominated by comedies, it was her work as a dramatic actor that got critics talking.
The New Yorker was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning two (for Klute in 1971 and Coming Home in 1978), before transitioning into the fitness game in the 80s. She released 22 fitness videos across 13 years, selling over 17 million copies. Eat your heart out Jillian Michaels!
Retiring from acting in the 90s, Fonda has appeared sporadically in movies and TV shows over the past two decades. She’s also been a high-profile activist throughout her career, protesting everything from the Vietnam War (that got her blacklisted in Hollywood for a short time) to various feminist causes and everything in between.
Blake Lively
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Gossip Girl helped boost many young actor’s and actresses’ careers, Blake Lively included. The teen drama was a huge hit in the mid-00s and helped Lively get cast in movies such as romantic comedy New York, I Love You, Ben Affleck heist flick The Town, and superhero movie Green Lantern, where she met her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Over the past decade, Lively has stepped back from acting, choosing instead to spend time raising her children. Hopefully, as they get older, the blonde-haired Lively will get back into the acting game, as she is a talent we all want to see more of.
Michelle Williams
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Blonde actresses don’t get much better than the star of My Week With Marylin. Michelle Williams is an incredible talent who got her start in Dawson’s Creek. Since then she has gone on to star in a wide range of films, often playing characters with a troubled past. Some of her best performances are in the movies The Greatest Showman, Blue Valentine, Brokeback Mountain, and Manchester by the Sea.
As well as being a star on the big screen, Williams has had much success on Broadway in the playsCabaret and Blackbird. While yet to win an Academy Award, she has been nominated four times and has won a Golden Globe for Blue Valentine and a Primetime Emmy for Fosse/Verdon.
Saoirse Ronan
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American-born, Irish-raised actress Saoirse Ronan was born in New York and is another young blonde actress who is making moves. She first got noticed for her role in Atonement, leading to a Best Actress nomination at the 2007 Academy Awards. She was just 13 at the time, with her performance stunning critics. As you can imagine, she has had her choice of roles since then. This has enabled Ronan to appear in a vast variety of movies where she can flex her acting talents.
When discussing her best performances, roles in films like Hanna, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Lady Bird, Little Women, and The French Dispatch must be mentioned. Similar to Michelle Williams, Ronan is still yet to claim an Academy Award (although she has won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in the 2017 film Lady Bird), but it’s only a matter of time before she takes the big one home.
Jayne Mansfield
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She might not be a natural blonde, but Jayne Mansfield was known for her golden locks during her time in the spotlight. The Playboy centerfold was another sex symbol of the 50s and 60s who holds the record of being the first major American actress to partake in a nude scene in the post-silent era of film.
As well as movies, Mansfield appeared in several big-budget TV shows and also performed dance routines in nightclubs. She released two studio albums and was married four times. Sadly, like Marilyn Monroe, Mansfield passed at a young age. She died in a car crash at 34 in 1967.
Amy Adams
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Although she is often seen with red hair, Amy Adams is actually a blonde. She credits the change of color in helping her gain more roles, telling People, “Based on roles that I was getting, called in for, people were responding to certain types of characters with me as a blonde and the minute I went red, it was quirky and fun instead of flirtatious and dumb.”
Since going red Adams’ career has gone from strength to strength. The dual Golden Globe winner has appeared in some monster hits, including the likes of Arrival, Doubt, The Fighter, American Hustle, and Vice.
Scarlett Johansson
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There are few better blonde actresses over the past two decades than Scarlett Johansson. She is the highest-grossing actress of all time and starred in a slew of huge hits, including Isle of Dogs, Under the Skin, The Jungle Book, and The Prestige. Her most notable role to date is as superhero Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, having featured in nine Marvel films in 12 years since first popping up in Iron Man 2.
While she came under fire for whitewashing in the anime adaptation Ghost in the Shell, it hasn’t impacted Johansson’s career, with the mother of two next to be seen in the Wes Anderson comedy Asteroid City.
Cameron Diaz
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Before becoming a movie star, Cameron Diaz got her start as a model while in high school. Her first acting role was with Jim Carey in the 90s hit Mask, which instantly catapulted her into the mainstream at the age of 21. She soon found more success in the comedies My Best Friend’s Wedding and There’s Something About Mary.
While initially cast due to her looks, Diaz soon proved she was more than a blonde bimbo. Roles in Being John Malkovich, Any Given Sunday, Gangs of New York, Vanilla Sky, and The Holiday showed how good an actress she really is.
Diaz has been on hiatus for the past eight years, preferring to focus on her family and writing a couple of health-related books. She is set to return to acting next year in Netflix action-comedy Back in Action with good friend Jamie Foxx.
Kate Hudson
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The daughter of Bill Hudson and Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson is another fantastic blonde actress. Although she hasn’t been in as many films as some of her peers throughout her 25-year career, Hudson never disappoints when on the big screen. Films such as Almost Famous, How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Four Feathers, and The Killer Inside Me show her acting range and how talented she is.
As well as acting, Hudson has written a couple of books, developed her own fashion line, launched her own vodka, and started a podcast with her brother.
Reese Witherspoon
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Reese Witherspoon is one of the many actresses whose natural hair color isn’t blonde. She is actually a brunette but has enjoyed a successful career as a blonde. Coming to most film fan’s attention in Cruel Attention and Legally Blonde, Witherspoon has a varied filmography that includes a wide range of roles in both movies and television series.
Witherspoon won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as June Carter in Walk the Line, received rave reviews for her part in the TV seriesBig Little Lies, and is currently wowing audiences in the Apple+ series The Morning Show. She is clearly not only one of the best blonde actresses, but one of the best actresses hands down.
Thelma Todd
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Known as “The Ice Cream Blonde” and “Hot Toddy,” Thelma Todd was a massive star during her short career. The American actresses starred in about 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, which is a hell of a lot of acting in a short space of time. The majority of her roles were in comedic films, with some of her most loved movies being the Marx Brothers’Monkey BusinessandHorse Feathers, Speak Easily with Buster Keaton, and Laurel and Hardy film Fra Diavolo.
Todd is another actress who died young, suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning at the age of 29. While deemed an accident and a possible suicide, there are many theories that Todd may have been murdered.
Charlize Theron
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When you talk about famous blonde actresses, you have to mention Charlize Theron. The South African is one of the greats of the past three decades. Originally training to be a ballet dancer, a serious injury forced her to change career paths, with acting her next port of call.
Like many young actresses who went on to be famous, Theron got her start in horror films. Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest to be exact. She followed in the footsteps of Jennifer Aniston (Leprechaun), Renee Zellweger (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, and Angela Bassett (Critters 4), all actresses whose first couple of movies were horrors.
Theron has come a long way since then, winning an Academy Award for Best Actress in Monster, playing the lead in the fourth Mad Max flick Mad Max: Fury Road, and becoming part of the Fast and Furious franchise. Theron is super talented with a diverse filmography that displays why she is one of the best in the business.
Drew Barrymore
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One of the hottest blonde actresses of all time is Drew Barrymore. The Hollywood veteran has been on our screens for over 40 years and has literally done it all. From child actress in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to teen temptress in Poison Ivy to kick-ass secret agent in Charlie’s Angles, Barrymore has played just about every type of role there is.
Over the past ten years, Barrymore hasn’t been as prolific when it comes to movies, instead focusing on the small screen. Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet was a big hit while her talk show The Drew Barrymore Show has been widely received by fans. She remains one of the great blonde actresses with a bubbly personality that has been instrumental in her success.
Amanda Seyfried
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With striking blond hair and dazzling green eyes, Amanda Seyfriend is one beautiful woman. But she’s also one of the best actresses in Hollywood with a decorated film career that is only just beginning. Another model turned actress, Seyfried was first seen by many in soap operas As the World Turns andAll My Children. Her first film role came in the early 00s classic Mean Girls alongside Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Tina Fey.
Seyfried has built an impressive resume over the years, finding both commercial and critical success in the films Mamma Mia!, Dear John, Les Misérables, and Mank. Seyfriend has often sung in many of her films and contributed to several movie soundtracks, although she has never released an album of her own. She can currently be seen in the Hulu series The Dropout, based on the true story of Elizabeth Holmes and the rise and fall of her company Theranos.
Veronica Lake
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Known for her iconic look that featured her blonde locks falling over her right eye, Veronica Lake was a big star during the early days of American cinema. She often played the role of a femme fatale in film noirs and starred in classic movies The Gun for Hire, The Glass Key, and The Blue Dahlia.
During the 40s Lake’s popularity began to falter as her alcoholism began impacting her work. She was arrested several times for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct and struggled to find work. All three of her marriages ended in divorce. The release of her memoir, Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake, in 1969, gave Lake one final chance to be in the spotlight.
Lake passed away at 50 in 1973 from liver failure and acute hepatitis, caused by her years of drinking. While her demise was tragic, Lake’s legacy is part of motion picture history.
Meg Ryan
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Meg Ryan rarely appears on camera these days, but in the late 80s and 90s, she was everywhere. Ryan burst onto the scene opposite Billy Crystal in relationship comedy When Harry Met Sally… after small roles in blockbusters Top Gun and Innerspace. She was praised for her roles in The Doors, Sleepless in Seattle, and City of Angles, although Ryan found herself typecast in romantic comedies.
While she pops up now and then in films and on television, Ryan mainly keeps to herself. She prefers directing to acting these days and appears happy to stay out of the limelight and enjoy her success.
Brie Larson
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At just 32, blonde actress Brie Larson has a filmography many would be jealous of. Not only has she appeared in some tremendous movies, but she has won all of the major film awards. She took out an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role in Room, while also nabbing a Primetime Emmy Award for The Messy Truth VR Experience.
Larson is an accomplished actress who first rose to fame in the television series United States of Tara. Small roles in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, and Trainwreck found her quickly taking on lead roles in Room, The Glass Castle, and Kong: Skull Island. She’s also entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Captain Marvel and has joined the Fast and Furious franchise.
Emma Roberts
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The daughter of Eric has carved out her own career as a successful blonde actress. Making her debut at age ten in 2001 drug caper Blow alongside Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz, Roberts has gone on to star in over 35 films while also appearing in five seasons of the hit horror television series American Horror Story.
As well as performing on-screen, Roberts took a stab at singing in the early 00s. She released one album, Unfabulous and More, and several singles, but things didn’t work out and she stuck with acting, which seems to be for the best.
Julia Garner
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Julia Garner’s naturally curly blonde hair makes her stand out from the pack, but it’s her amazing acting skills that will blow you away. At just 26, Garner is already one of the leading talents in the business. If roles in the FX drama The Americans and commercially successful The Perks of Being a Wallflower and critically praised The Assistant haven’t sold you, then do yourself a favor and watch Ozark.
The Netflix drama about money laundering is akin to Breaking Bad and features some fantastic acting talent, with Garner leading the pack. She is mesmerizing in the series and one of the main reasons it’s a must-watch.
