'80s Star Debra Winger Traded Her Brunette Curls For Sleek Gray Hair

Back in the '80s, Debra Winger was one of Hollywood's favorite leading ladies. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for three different films: "An Officer and a Gentleman" in 1983, "Terms of Endearment" in 1984, and "Shadowlands" in 1994. These days, we're seeing a bit less of her. When we do see her, though, her transformation proves that she fits in flawlessly with the actresses of her generation who have aged like fine wine.

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Lately, we've seen more and more women in Hollywood rocking trendy gray hair transformations. Winger, who turned 71 years old in 2026, has joined this growing club. She left her dark curls in the past and moved on to long, flowing gray waves. Rocking your gray hair can be an empowering change. For many people, like Winger, though, it can really alter your look. Yet she and many of her fellow stars are living proof that taking the plunge to gray hair can be totally worth it.

Like many women of a certain age these days, Debra Winger is definitely pulling off her natural hair look. But this isn't simply a style statement for Winger. She appreciates being able to say no to anti-aging practices. "You are wasting your time," she said of trying to look younger as you age in a 2026 interview with The New York Times. Winger acknowledged how jarring and difficult aging is as a woman in our society. " I keep asking my friends who are ... older, 'what's the next change I'm to look for?'" She explained, "For a woman, it's shocking. It's something to lose your estrogen or to have to replace it. It's something to think, 'Do you keep putting this poisonous dye on your hair?' It's something to think, 'How much makeup looks right, now that it's sitting in the wrinkles?' And can I dress like that anymore, or is it disgusting?" She added, "Men don't quite have as many issues." 

Evidently, Winger makes it a point not to worry too much about looking young. That doesn't mean, though, that she doesn't work hard to feel her best. " Vitality? That's something I'm interested in," she said, adding, "when I lose my vitality, I've really got to look at what's sucking it, where am I leaking energy. We've all seen people in their 80s, 90s, very vital." And we can tell that she's going to be one of them.