The Best In Blonde: Breaking Down Alfred Hitchcock’s Most Iconic Blondes

Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899, and in honor of the famed auteur’s 115th birthday, we’ve declared it Hitchcock Week on Decider. Click here to follow our coverage.

The Hitchcock Blonde. If I say it, you know exactly the type of woman I’m talking about. She’s got platinum blonde locks, big blue eyes, impeccable style and a cool, aloof manner that suggests — and betrays — a sinister secret. You’re probably thinking of Grace Kelly, Tippi Hedren or Janet Leigh. But what really defines a Hitchcock blonde? Is it the peroxide or her predisposition for trouble?

We decided to break down the blondes on a sliding scale from “Not Really Blonde” to “Natural Blonde” to “Bottle Blonde” and all the way to “Hitchcock Blonde.” What we discovered was that Grace Kelly wasn’t as blonde as we remembered her being, it’s hard to gauge the level of peroxide used on someone’s hair when they were filmed in black & white and that Kim Novak‘s all-important drastic dye job in Vertigo might have made her the blondest Hitchcock Blonde of all time. Not only is her hair an alarming shade of platinum, but her look is iconic and her character is shifty, alluring and hiding a lot.

So, the Hitchcock Blonde is not who you think she is, but then again, that’s exactly who Alfred Hitchcock wanted all of his muses to be. She’s a woman you can’t pin down.

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Priscilla Lane
Who's Priscilla Lane? Just a British actress who had the honor of being one of Hitchcock's first blondes in 1942's 'Saboteur.'Everett Collection
Madeleine Carroll
Maybe 1936's 'Secret Agent' was filmed in black & white, but thanks to the film's poster, we know that star Madeleine Carroll was a bottle blonde.Everett Collection
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Yes, Alfred Hitchcock directed the original 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' (1941) and yes, it was a comedy! Beautiful blonde Carole Lombard insisted on hiring Hitchcock and helped him find footing in the Hollywood system.Everett Collection
Joan Fontaine
Joan Fontaine was one of Hitchcock's first leading ladies in Hollywood, and while she looked naturally blonde in 'Rebecca,' this color-treated promotional photo from 1942's 'Suspicion' reveals that her hair was a very dirty blonde.Everett Collection
Ingrid Bergman
The luminous Ingrid Bergman worked three times with Hitchcock, but she was at her most dazzling in 1946's 'Notorious.'Everett Collection
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Anne Baxter
You don't usually think of 'All About Eve' star Anne Baxter as a blonde, but it looks like she doused her brown locks in peroxide for Hitchcock's 1953 film 'I Confess.'Everett Collection
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly is often considered the platonic ideal of a Hitchcock platinum blonde. Here she is in a promo for 'Rear Window' (1954) and she's not yet at full platinum. Interesting...Everett Collection
Kim Novak
We don't want to spoil the film for you, but Kim Novak's blonde (or brown) hair plays an important part in 1958's 'Vertigo.' Everett Collection
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Eva Marie Saint was cool, sexy and very, very blonde in 'North by Northwest' (1959). In short, she was the perfect Hitchcock woman.Everett Collection
Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh went short and blonde for 1960's 'Psycho,' and became one of the director's most iconic heroines--or should we say, victims?Everett Collection
Tippi Hedren
If Hitchcock couldn't keep Grace Kelly as his muse, he tried to create a new one out of Tippi Hedren in 1963's 'The Birds.'Everett Collection
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Julie Andrews
The naturally blonde Julie Andrews was not at her brassiest when she starred in Hitchcock's 1966 film, 'Torn Curtain.'Everett Collection
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To find out where you can stream Vertigo, visit GoWatchIt.

Art by Jaclyn Kessel, photos courtesy The Everett Collection