Michelle Williams Looks Different Without Her Signature Short Hair

Actor Michelle Williams has come a long way since her breakout role in the late '90s as Jen Lindley in the WB teen drama "Dawson's Creek." It's rare that a network television star successfully transitions from a young actor on a soapy show to a 5-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner. However, that's exactly what Williams did. Not only were many of her performances nominated for the most prestigious awards in the entertainment industry, but her work required her to transform into Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe.  

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Williams transformed off-screen, too.  Michelle Williams' hair has quietly evolved through her career, with the most drastic change being the debut of her short blonde bob in early 2007. Before 2007, Williams was known for the long blonde hair she wore as Jen Lindley. But, although she's worn her hair in many different styles in the nearly two decades since debuting the short hair, she's kept her hair above shoulder length.

So, Williams looks like a completely different person in throwback photos from before 2007, like at a 2006 Donna Karan fragrance event. Not only did the "Manchester by the Sea" star wear her hair past her shoulders at the time, but she styled it with waves, a look that's nearly impossible to achieve with short hair. The new look came soon after she attended her first Academy Awards ceremony as a nominee in 2006. So, basically, as she started on a new career path and was getting more prominent roles, she embraced a more sophisticated look. 

Michelle Williams met Heath Ledger while filming "Brokeback Mountain" in 2004. They played partners on-screen and started an off screen romance, welcoming their daughter Matilda in 2005. The couple broke up in September 2007, just months before Ledger's January 2008 death. No matter that they broke up or why, Ledger's death remains one of more tragic details of Williams' life.

The "My Week with Marilyn" star debuted her short hair during her relationship with Ledger, and she told Elle in 2011 (via ABC News) that he's one of the reasons she stays with the style. In the interview, she said she thought her then young daughter Matilda would love for her to grow her hair out, but she wouldn't entertain the idea. "I've really grown into it — I feel like myself with short hair. And it's been a really long time since I had long hair, five years," she said, adding that women and gay men seemed to love the look on her, but many straight men didn't, except for the late "The Dark Knight" star. "I cut it for the one straight man who has ever liked short hair and I wear it in memorial of somebody who really loved it." She didn't say his name, but was referring to Ledger. That's such a bittersweet, touching reason to keep a haircut. But, it looks so good on her it became her signature.