Lucille Ball, a natural brunette, experimented with different hair colors early in her career, including being a platinum blonde model in the 1930s. It wasn't until she was dyed flame red by stylist Sydney Guilaroff for the 1943 musical Du Barry Was a Lady that she found her signature color, which "photographed well" and suited her eyes. Ball went on to star in several popular TV shows, including I Love Lucy, and spoke about her experience playing the character of Lucy in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1983. According to Ball, she decided to stop playing the role after realizing it was becoming too old-fashioned.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-08,
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Story summary
Lucille Ball, who starred in the hit TV show I Love Lucy, wasn't born with red hair, but rather had it dyed for a role at RKO Radio Pictures. In fact, early in her career, she experimented with different colors, including blonde, and even wore a long blonde wig for the 1933 movie Roman Scandals. It was only later that she found her signature color, red, when working with hair stylist Sydney Guilaroff, who reportedly dyed her hair flame red. Despite having "always been the bane of my existence", Ball went on to become one of the most iconic redhead stars in television history.
Written for “Lucille Ball's Red Hair Secret” on 2026-09-08,
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We independently select everything we recommend.
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we → select → everything
Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work.
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which → buy → work
I Love Lucy may have featured one of the most famous redheads on television, but its star didn’t always love her hair.
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star → feature → hair
In fact, Lucille Ball is naturally a brunette and early in her career experimented with tresses in multiple hues.
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Ball → experiment → hues
“My hair has always been the bane of my existence,” she told Rolling Stone in 1983, per People.
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she → tell → People
“I have never known what to do with my hair.
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I → know → hair
When Ball first arrived in Hollywood, she went by the name of Diane Belmont and found work as a model with blond hair.
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she → arrive → hair
“You had to be a platinum blond then,” explained Ball.
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Ball → have → ?
“They wanted you to be a platinum blond, so I was a platinum blond.”
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I → want → ?
Ball later landed a gig as part of the Goldwyn Girls dance group, which was backed by film producer Samuel Goldwyn.
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which → land → Goldwyn
She wore a long blond wig for the 1933 movie Roman Scandals, according to Parade.
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She → wear → Parade
It was only when Ball became a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures that she found her signature colour.
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she → become → colour
Hair stylist Sydney Guilaroff was the first person to dye Ball’s hair flame red, according to People, and she reinvented Ball’s appearance for the 1943 musical Du Barry Was a Lady.
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Barry → dye → musical
Ball loved the look and decided to keep it.
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Ball → love → it
“Red was a happy colour,” she explained to Rolling Stone.
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she → explain → Stone
“It was good with my eyes, and it photographed well.
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it → photograph → eyes
It turned out to be a successful colour.
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It → turn → ?
With her star on the rise, Ball and husband Desi Arnaz starred on the CBS sitcom I Love Lucy.
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I → star → Lucy
The show aired from 1951 to 1957 and was later reimagined as The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (a.k.a. The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour), which ran until 1960.
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which → air → 1960
Ball went on to headline The Lucy Show, Here’s Lucy, and Life with Lucy.
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Lucy → go → Lucy
In her interview with Rolling Stone, Ball reflected on her most famous character.
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Ball → reflect → character
I could still be playing that part.
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I → play → part
Before I quit working in 1974, my ratings were high, and they wanted me to sign on for another five years of Here’s Lucy,” she revealed.
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she → quit → Lucy
“I said, ‘That’s ridiculous.’
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That → say → ?
The Lucy character is too old to run around like an idiot.
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character → run → idiot
I’d probably still be playing Lucy if I’d signed that contract, but it was silly to keep playing the same thing.”
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it → play → thing
Ball added that she nevertheless looked back on Lucy and her time in television fondly.
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she → add → television
“But now I miss her,” she said.
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she → miss → her
“I miss my arena.
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I → miss → arena
I miss getting up and going to work every day.
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I → miss → work
I have my charities, and I’m getting my house in order, but it’s not the same.”
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it → have → order
Ball died in 1989 at age 77.
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Ball → die → age
