Sally Field Makes The Transition To Gray Hair Look Stunning & Effortless

Of all the beloved actors of the '80s and '90s, few won over our hearts like Sally Field. From the moment she famously told the Academy Awards crowd, "You like me!" upon winning her Oscar in 1985, Field established herself as a Hollywood treasure, and that was even before she took on unforgettable roles in cult classics like "Steel Magnolias" and "Mrs. Doubtfire." Now approaching 80, the cinematic icon is still killing it on red carpets, this time by owning her seamless transition to gray hair. 

Of course, 2025 isn't the first time we've seen the "Not Without My Daughter" actor with gray locks. For the 1994 flick "Forrest Gump," Field donned salt-and-pepper hair along with aging makeup to play the titular character's elderly mother. While some people do go gray in their 20s, Field was nearly 50 at the time and still had her signature raven bob outside of her costume, which she's continued to sport for most of her career. As the 2010s came to an end, Field began leaving her roots their natural gray and coloring her hair different shades of brown, including an ashy tone that was less stark against her lighter part line. After the COVID-19 pandemic, she seemed to be coloring her hair less and less, and in 2025, she looks as stunning as ever with an all-over gray hue.

In May 2025, Sally Field attended a special screening of "Clown in a Cornfield" donning a cute blazer and knit. Her signature feathery bob remained the same, only this time she was rocking her natural gray. Then, in August, she attended the Television Academy's 27th Annual Hall of Fame Ceremony, where her gray 'do was the perfect accompaniment to her navy dress and pearls. 

Back in 2016, Field addressed the press coverage surrounding her hair, which was getting increasingly gray at the time, telling NPR, "I mean I appreciate them saying [that wearing gray hair is 'brave'] rather than them trying to chop me to pieces. But I'm an old woman, 70 is old, and that's okay." She added that it's what the gray hair represents, rather than the aesthetic of the color itself, that she loves: "I've gathered strength behind my years, I owned them, I've earned them, I've deserved them, I have a right to have them. ... Behind my years I have value that doesn't come when you're 50 or 40 or 30 or 20, it doesn't come until you've been in that saddle for a number of years."

There's no single correct way to transition to gray if you're thinking of following in Sally Field's footsteps. While a subtle evolution that starts with gray roots or perhaps incorporates herringbone highlights — the gray hair technique of the future — can work, you could also just stop dyeing it one day. As the "Hello, My Name Is Doris" star told the outlet, it's not necessarily a "brave" move to be openly gray, but simply a normal one. And as she's proven, you can look just as stunning with gray hair as you can with any other color. For more inspo, check out these other celebrities who proudly show off their gray hair.