Famous Redhead Actresses: 19 Stars With Iconic Red Hair
From Julianne Moore and Amy Adams to Sadie Sink and Jessica Chastain, meet 19 famous redhead actresses whose red hair is as iconic as their roles.
Let's be honest, a redhead on the red carpet is hard to miss. Only about 1 to 2 percent of people are born with red hair, so when an actress shows up with copper waves or a fiery bob, every camera swings her way.
Some of the stars below were born ginger. Others went red for a role and never looked back. Either way, the color has become a huge part of how we picture them.
We've updated our list with 19 famous redhead actresses, from Hollywood legends to the Gen Z stars running your favorite shows.
Amy Adams:
Amy Adams has six Oscar nominations, which honestly feels a bit unfair to everyone else. She charmed us as Giselle in Enchanted, broke our hearts in Arrival and went full intense in American Hustle. She's a natural strawberry blonde, but the warm red shade she's worn for most of her career is the one everybody remembers.
Christina Hendricks:
Two words: Joan Holloway. Christina Hendricks turned her Mad Men character into a style icon, with that flame-red hair and those curve-hugging 60s dresses. Fun fact: she's actually a natural blonde who started dyeing her hair red as a kid. Since then, she's starred in Good Girls and become one of TV's most recognizable red haired actresses.
Emma Stone:
Here's the twist: Emma Stone is a natural blonde. She went red early on for Superbad and Easy A, and fans have treated it as her signature color ever since. Two Oscars later, for La La Land and Poor Things, she's still switching between red, blonde and brunette depending on the role.
Isla Fisher:
Isla Fisher stole pretty much every scene in Wedding Crashers, then led the rom-com Confessions of a Shopaholic and joined the Now You See Me films. Born in Oman and raised in Australia, she's known for her bubbly energy and bright copper hair.
Bella Thorne:
Bella Thorne first got noticed on Disney's Shake It Up, then moved into horror and comedy with films like The Babysitter. She's switched hair colors more times than we can count, but her fiery red era is the one fans keep coming back to.
Julianne Moore:
Julianne Moore is basically the patron saint of famous redheads. She won an Oscar for Still Alice, starred in Boogie Nights and Far From Heaven, and even wrote a children's book series, Freckleface Strawberry, about growing up with red hair and freckles. Recently, she joined the cast of Netflix's Sirens.
Madelaine Petsch:
If you watched Riverdale, you know Cheryl Blossom, and you definitely know that hair. Madelaine Petsch played the role for seven seasons, then moved into horror with The Strangers films. And yes, that red is completely natural.
Lindsay Lohan:
For a lot of millennials, Lindsay Lohan's freckles and red hair in The Parent Trap and Mean Girls were the original redhead inspo. After years away, she's had a proper comeback with Netflix rom-coms and Freakier Friday, the sequel nobody thought would happen.
Catherine Tate:
Am I bovvered? British comedy legend Catherine Tate made schoolgirl Lauren Cooper a catchphrase machine on The Catherine Tate Show. She then traveled through time as Donna Noble in Doctor Who and popped up as Nellie Bertram in the US version of The Office. Her red hair is as much a part of her brand as the jokes.
Sadie Sink:
Most of us met Sadie Sink as skateboarding Max in Stranger Things, and she's been on a serious run since. She held her own opposite Brendan Fraser in The Whale, earned a Tony nomination for John Proctor Is the Villain on Broadway, and joined the Marvel world with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Her natural copper hair stole the show when Sadie Sink covered NYLON's July 2026 issue in Prada, Versace and Marni.
Holland Roden:
Teen Wolf fans will never forget Lydia Martin, the smartest girl in Beacon Hills. Holland Roden played her for six seasons and came back for Teen Wolf: The Movie in 2023. Her strawberry red waves were basically a character of their own.
Bridget Regan:
Bridget Regan has played a warrior, a spy and a villain. She was Kahlan in Legend of the Seeker, the sneaky Dottie Underwood in Agent Carter, and Rose in Jane the Virgin. Through all of it, that rich red hair has been her signature.
Sophie Turner:
Sophie Turner spent eight seasons as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, then played Jean Grey in the X-Men films. Plot twist: she's a natural blonde who went red for Westeros. She later starred as real-life jewel thief Joan Hannington in the drama Joan.
Lana Del Rey:
Okay, Lana Del Rey is a singer first, but her early Born to Die era gave us some of the most iconic red hair in pop culture. She also starred in her own short film, Tropico, and that vintage, Old Hollywood redhead look is still all over Pinterest.
Kate Walsh:
Kate Walsh became a fan favorite as Dr. Addison Montgomery in Grey's Anatomy, then got her own spinoff, Private Practice. A whole new generation now knows her as Emily's no-nonsense boss Madeline in Emily in Paris. Sleek red hair, sharp style, zero nonsense.
Jessica Chastain:
Jessica Chastain might be the first name that pops into your head when you think of red head actresses today. She won an Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, earned nominations for Zero Dark Thirty and The Help, and was up for a Tony for A Doll's House on Broadway. Her natural red hair, usually in soft Old Hollywood waves, is pure movie star.
Bryce Dallas Howard:
Bryce Dallas Howard ran from dinosaurs in the Jurassic World films and starred in the much-talked-about Black Mirror episode Nosedive. She's also become a go-to director for The Mandalorian. And that bright red hair? All natural.
Karen Gillan:
Scottish actress Karen Gillan became a fan favorite as Amy Pond in Doctor Who. Marvel fans know her as the blue-skinned Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy, which is funny, because her red hair is half the reason people recognize her. She's also a regular in the Jumanji films.
Molly Ringwald:
If the 1980s had a redhead queen, it was Molly Ringwald. Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink made her the face of John Hughes movies. A whole new generation later got to know her as Archie's mom in Riverdale, alongside Madelaine Petsch.
Final Thoughts
Natural or dyed, copper or strawberry, these actresses prove red hair is never just a hair color. It's a whole personality, and somehow it looks just as good on Sadie Sink as it does on Julianne Moore.
Want more hair-color inspo? Check out our lists of 19 famous blonde actresses, 20 famous brunette actresses and famous actresses with black hair, from Sydney Sweeney to Demi Moore.
