Top 28 Best Characters with Curly Hair

Hollywood certainly prefers its heroes and heroines with straight hair! The more you watch Sci-Fi, action, mystery, and comedy TV series and movies, the more you notice the absence of characters with curly hair. It’s like Hollywood is actually afraid of curly hair. What’s more infuriating is that even the main characters with curly hair in the first season or movie, especially females, will have it straightened by the second season.

Having said that, let’s concentrate on the good! Quite a few characters with curly hair on top of their head have still managed to sneak their way into the heart of pop culture. In this list, I present the 28 best fictional characters with curly hair who thanks to them, little curly-haired girls and boys think they totally have awesome hair. And let’s get one thing STRAIGHT – They do!

1. Mia from The Princess Diaries Movie

characters with curly hair mia the princess

A movie character with curly hair, Mia Thermopolis is probably one of the best examples of Hollywood’s fear of curly hair. She starts the film as the ugly duckling with frizzy hair on her head, but soon receives a makeover with straight locks that turns her into Princess of Genovia. Now, what kind of message does that sends to little curly-haired girls? The one that says that curly hair is simply a problem to be solved.

2. Dustin Henderson from Stranger Things Netflix TV Show

characters with curly hair dustin henderson

Dustin is my favorite curly character, sure, Eleven and Steve are pretty awesome, too, but Dustin is my favorite in Stranger Things for a number of reasons. For example, in Season one, he was practically one of the only things holding the group together. Throughout the whole series, he is the heart and soul of the group. Also, he’s got some of the best hilarious one-liners in the show and he is the most fun to watch! I’m sure he would be a great person to hang around with in real life.

See also: 10 Movies Like The Goonies: Heroic Kids

3. Elaine from Seinfeld NBC TV Show

characters with curly hair elaine

Could those be the most famous curls on TV ever? Elaine Benes is a close friend of Jerry Seinfeld and one of the guys in a group of friends that includes Jerry, George Costanza, Kramer, and herself. Elaine is intelligent and assertive, but she’s got a temper that not many can accept.

4. Seth from Superbad Movie

characters with curly hair seth

Another movie character with curly hair, Seth’s main ambition in life is to be with a girl. For that, he would do anything, including getting alcohol with a fake ID card. Seth is very short-tempered, constantly expressing offensive thoughts that he should keep to himself, which burns a lot of bridges for him. Luckily, he has his BFF Evan, who seems to be able to tolerate Seth’s crude behavior and see through his rough exterior.

5. Frodo Baggins from The Lord Of The Rings Movies

characters with curly hair frodo

A movie character with curly hair, Frodo Baggins is a character of subtlety and depth! He is empathic, visionary, and friendly though reserved. Throughout the entire story, he is treated with much respect by all good people with whom he crosses paths, like Gandalf, Elrond, Aragorn, and Faramir. He manages to yearn for hope in the face of all odds, which is especially impressive considering he was under the effect of the One Ring for so long. Like most Hobbits, Frodo has thick, curly brown hair.  

6. Mirabel Madrigal from Encanto Disney Animated Film

characters with curly hair mirabel madrigal

A Disney character with curly hair, Mirabel is the only member born into the Madrigal family since receiving their miracle to not have received a magical gift. Therefore, Mirabel is cursed with feelings of desperately trying to help her family, to show that she’s “good enough”. And not only did she not get power, but she also didn’t get her room, either! How can life be so cruel? Of course, eventually, Mirabel saves the day and shows her family what matters. Mirabel has thick curly black hair that goes down to her chin.

7. Jon Snow from Game of Thrones HBO TV Show

characters with curly hair jon snow

The only bastard of Eddard Stark, Jon grew up like a trueborn Stark but still got left out because of his bastard status. That’s why he chose to go to the Wall and join the Night’s Watch, searching for what he can’t find where he is. He later was elected Lord Commander, but because of some controversial decisions, such as showing humanity to Wildlings, he was murdered in a mutiny. However, he was then resurrected by The Red Woman Melisandre. The rest is history!

See also: Top 26 Unforgettable Characters With Black Hair

8. Princess Merida from Brave Disney Animated Film

characters with curly hair merida

Another Disney character with curly hair, this time the red hair princess of the Scottish kingdom of DunBroch. However, her behavior is far from royal, as she is too much independent and feisty. She doesn’t want to marry anyone and would much rather spend her days practicing archery and riding horses. I just love her more for being what she is. Also, the fact that she doesn’t sing like Ariel, Mulan, and Moana is a big plus in my book.

9. Steve Sanders from Beverly Hills, 90210 Fox TV Drama

characters with curly hair steve sanders

On the exterior, Steve is a careless, fun-loving guy who loves to party. However, his problematic relationships with his parents have left him confused and bound for mistakes. Fortunately for him, his new friend Brandon has a very good influence on him. Throughout the series, Steve sported his famous curly blonde mullet.

10. Otto Mann from The Simpsons FOX Animated TV Show

My name is Otto, and I love to get blotto!” Springfield Elementary’s famous bus driver, Otto is a true Metalhead. He loves heavy metal and classic rock and dreams of starting his rock band to become a celebrity. His long black curly hair kind of resembles former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. Otto is known for his party tendencies and for calling others slang such as “dude”, “lady”, or “pops”. He is also notable for his crazy driving style and for getting the school bus into trouble one time after another.

11. Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride Movie

characters with curly hair inigo

My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” A great movie character with curly hair, Inigo has dedicated his life to the study of fencing, under all of the greatest sword masters of his time. He squeezed rocks to make his wrists strong and practiced skipping and dodging and moving quickly. His dedication and implacable will have made him a Sword Wizard – a rank beyond master in swordsmanship. He did all that to kill the Six-Fingered Man who slew his father and left him defeated and humiliated. Surely a character for the hall of fame!

12. Usopp from One Piece

characters with curly hair usopp

I know this isn’t an anime list, but just look at Usopp’s black curly hair! Could I possibly leave him off this list? Usopp is the sniper of the Straw Hat in the popular pirate anime One Piece. And I say that because his character is the most realistic in the whole show. For example, he is a coward! That’s right when he sees something as frightening giant fish, ten times bigger than his ship, he does what we all would have done: he runs away. I can relate to that. He is weak, he is a liar, he is a coward, and yet has the most pride of all and he never gives up on his responsibility. He is always beaten down, yet he rises again and again. That makes a great character IMO!

13. Starfire from (80s version) DC Comics

characters with curly hair starfire

Much like Superman, Starfire derives her powers from the ultraviolet light that comes from a yellow sun. Among her powers she can casually survive in deep space, can outfly jets, and run as fast as Supergirl. She could even fight on even footing with Wonder Woman. As such, she is regarded as the second most powerful Titan on the Teen Titans superhero team after Raven.

14. Norm from Cheers NBC TV Show

characters with curly hair norm

One of the most beloved characters on Cheers, Norm Peterson is an accountant who likes to hang out in the Cheers bar and drink cold beers as an escape from his boring job and his wife Vera. Norm was so popular at the bar that anytime he entered through the front door everyone in the bar would call out “NORM!” in greeting.

15. Kitty Pryde from Marvel Comics   

characters with curly hair kitty pryde

A mutant with phasing powers, Kitty was approached by both the Hellfire Club and Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters to join their respective teams. Because of Kitty’s friendship with X-Man Storm, she chose Xavier’s School. Because of her tremendous powers, she quickly became a valuable member of the X-Men. She later formed a romance with her teammate Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus. Even though things were weird at first because of their notable age difference, we got to see that Kitty and Piotr were meant for each other romantically and made a very cute couple.

16. Jessie Spano from Saved by the Bell NBC TV Show

characters with curly hair jessie spano

Just look at these beautiful 90s curls! Jessie is a student at Bayside High School and a member of Hot Sundae, an all-girl vocal group that she started. She is also the student body president, so she has a very busy schedule. With the pressures that come from being in the best social circles at school and trying to get accepted to an elite university, I would say that Jessie’s biggest challenge is dealing with stress. For a time she was even addicted to caffeine pills, which she used to stay awake and stuff more into every day. That’s what happens when you’re taking too much on yourself!

17. Napoleon from Napoleon Dynamite Movie

characters with curly hair napoleon dynamite

A cult movie character with curly hair, Napoleon is an eccentric and awkward high school student in Preston, Idaho. He hates school to the point that for him every day spent there is “the worst day of his life”. Napoleon was laughed at his entire life, but now he has his new friends Pedro and Deb by his side so maybe he can still get the last laugh in high school.

18. Nadia Vulvokov from Russian Doll Netflix TV Series

characters with curly hair nadia vulvokov

Just take a look at those thick, gravity-defying brown-reddish curls and tell me Nadia doesn’t deserve a place in the curly hair hall of fame! Seriously, even King Mufasa would be proud of such a majestic mane. In the show, Nadia is caught in a time loop in which she repeatedly dies and relieves the same night. The entire show revolves around her attempts to solve the situation. Her sarcastic, confident personality makes everything so much fun to watch.  

19. Ralph Hinkley from The Greatest American Hero TV Show

characters with curly hair ralph hinkley

They don’t make shows like The Greatest American Hero anymore! When a group of aliens gives Ralph a red suit that gives him superhuman abilities, the red superhero takes on the mission of making the world a better place. With the suit, he can lift cars and even a spaceship, run at about seventy miles per hour, and outfly a Mach six jet.

20. Gratuity ‘Tip’ Tucci from Home Dreamworks Animated Film

characters with curly hair gratuity

Voiced by the one and only singer Rihanna, Tip is a medium-length curly brown hair girl with green eyes. Just like Rihanna, Tip is originally from Barbados, but she and her mother moved to NYC. There, she befriends an alien named Oh.  

21. Nadine from Uncharted Video Game

characters with curly hair nadine

Nadine Ross begins her voyage in the Uncharted series as a secondary antagonist in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. In this game, she was a very interesting villain, as everything you see from her feels plausible and sensible, even if guided by some serious rage. In Uncharted: The Lost Legacy she becomes the deuteragonist. Nadine’s curly ebony hair is the single best graphics design in Uncharted 4. You would be impressed every time she appears on the screen.

22. Tatsumaki from One Punch Man Anime

characters with curly hair tatsumaki

Well, I know Tatsumaki’s hair only curls up on the ends, but it still looks curly to me. Also, how else would I get someone with green curly green hair on this list?  Aka Tornado of Terror, Tatsumaki is an S-Class Rank 2 professional hero, which makes her one of the three most powerful heroes of the Hero Association, behind Saitama and probably Blasts.  Tatsumaki is not only the most powerful telekinetic user in the show, but she’s one of the most powerful telekinetic characters of all time. For example, she lifted a city block-sized monster that was actively resisting her efforts into the air and crushed it into a ball about ten feet across. Both beautiful and powerful, Tatsumaki is a great character with curly hair.

23. Tia and Tamera Landry from  Sister, Sister TV show

characters with curly hair tia and tamera

Here we get twice the amount of curls! As you can probably tell by their looks, Tia and Tamera are identical twin sisters. However, while Tia is the intelligent twin, Tamera is the boy-crazy twin. Tia and Tamera are reunited during a casual meeting while shopping at a clothing store. The twins soon move in together with their adoptive parents and the rest is history.

24. Takurou Sakakiba from Persona: Trinity Soul Anime Series

characters with curly hair takurou sakakiba

Another anime character with curly hair, Takurou is a loyal guy who cares deeply for the ones he loves. Takurou is a good friend to his classmate Shin Kanzato, who is the protagonist of the series. When Takurou’s Persona awakens, he struggles to control it, until he learns to wield it properly by the end of the series.

25. Bruno Martelli from Fame TV Series

characters with curly hair bruno

I had to cut some of Bruno’s curls to fit his head into the screen! Fame told the story of some of the students and faculty at the New York Art School. And Bruno was so damn talented with the piano he used to charm us all with his special delivery. The actor who played him, Lee Curreri, is a professional keyboardist and composer. Believe it or not, his hair is still large and bouncy.

26. Reed Rothchild from Boogie Nights Movie

characters with curly hair reed rotchild

Want to hear a poem I wrote? I love you, you love me. Going down the sugar tree. We’ll go down the sugar tree, and see lots of bees: playing, playing. But the bees won’t sting, because you love me. That’s it.” Reed Rothchild, beautify performed by actor John C. Reilly, is the one who introduced Dirk Diggler to the partying side of the industry. Although not the brightest bulb in the box, Reed comes up with some original ideas throughout the story, like his musical endeavor with Dirk, and works well with him.  Although he has a small part in the movie, he sure does have a big head of curly hair.

27. Richard Lestrange from The Blue Lagoon Movie

characters with curly hair richard lestrange

He may pale by comparison to his co-star Brooke Shields, but actor Christopher Atkins did a great job as Richard in The Blue Lagoon. Together, the two got marooned on a tropical paradise island as children and spent the time the best they could. That includes learning the way of the birds and the bees on their own and having a kid. Anyone who’s ever watched this film will never forget Richard’s blonde curly hair and tanned body.

28. Vernita Green from Kill Bill Vol. 1

characters with curly hair vernita green

Codename Copperhead, Vernita Green is a former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad led by Bill. Unfortunately, this curly-headed assassin was involved in the Massacre at Two Pines, where members of the squad slaughtered all those who attended Beatrix Kiddo and her fiancé’s wedding rehearsal. That act got Vernita to be named on the Death List Five made by Beatrix Kiddo.

Pop-culture obsessive girl. She worked professionally in the entertainment and media industry in Los Angeles. Edited many prime-time TV shows and award-winning documentaries. Worked for companies such as HBO, CBS, NBC, FOX, RESHET.