Carrie White (hairdresser)

Carrie White was born as Carole Enwright, on Burton Way in Beverly Hills. Her family moved to Pacoima, California when she was seven, and moved back to Hollywood when she was fifteen. At Hollywood High, she studied art with June Hardwood and drama with John Engle and Martin Landau. After graduating high school, she supported herself while pursuing a cosmetology degree by working at Bob's Big Boy, modeling hats downtown in the garment district, and trying out for Playboy; she was selected by Playboy as Playmate of the Month in July 1963.[7]

White began her hairdressing career in 1964, in Beverly Hills, working with Billy Grimes, Gene Shacove, and Richard Alcala. James Galanos recommended her to Jennifer Jones. Through this connection, White took over George Masters's clientele, which included Nancy Reagan, Betsy Bloomingdale, Edith Mayer Goetz, and the wives of Hollywood society, including television and film stars.

She appeared as herself on television on To Tell the Truth, in 1968.[8]

Upon the recommendation of hairdresser Mr. Kenneth, in New York, clients, such as Betty Furness, Babs Paley, Mrs Milton Greene started seeing White. On the recommendation of hairdresser Alexandre de Paris, Ursula Andress and Capucine went to White, when they were visiting Hollywood.

In 1967 photographer Melvin Sokolsky commissioned White to act as hairdresser for Yardley commercials shot in London, with Jean Shrimpton, and India, with Donna Mitchell.[9] This launched White as a hairstylist for film stars, as she did many American beauty product television commercials, from 1967 to 1977. She also did platform shows for Revlon and Clairol, on such stages as Century Plaza Ballroom and the Hollywood Palladium.

Film credentials include Model Shop, styling Anouk Aimée, The Goodbye Girl, styling Marsha Mason, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, styling Ellen Burstyn, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, styling Louise Fletcher, Dollars, styling Goldie Hawn, Being There, styling Peter Sellers, Coma, styling Geneviève Bujold; she was technical advisor on Shampoo, working with her clients, actors Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, and Goldie Hawn, and writer Robert Towne.[10] She has also styled Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, Nancy Reagan, Michael Crichton; more recently, she hair colored Brad Pitt, and for seven years styled Sandra Bullock. George Hamilton remained a client from 1970, among many others frequenting her exclusive Beverly Hills salon, which opened in 2005.[11]

She has appeared for Dewey Nicks in GQ, modeling, on separate occasions, with Foo Fighters and Jon Favreau. She has been in a Target commercial and a commercial for Fantastic Sams. For ten years she sold Tova Borgnine haircare products on QVC.

Carrie was also an author. She self-published poetry booklets and authored at least one children's book, Why a Hairy Me?, which is unpublished. In addition, she collaborated with her fiance Alex Holt on a Bildungsroman horror novel called Disposable Teens, which has not yet been published but is being shopped for a limited television series.[12]

As a child White survived abandonment, alcoholism and sexual abuse, participating in gangs as a teenager, and having three husbands and five children before the age of 29. She also suffered from alcohol and drug addictions, which led to her losing everything - her business, her family, her home, and even her car. In 1983, lying on her apartment floor, having vomited and defecated on herself, she sent her 12-year-old daughter out to try to get more drugs from her dealer.[13]

White recovered from addiction, however, and started her business from scratch. She worked in other salons, before opening Carrie White Hair, based in Beverly Hills, in 2005.[13]

She died from cancer on May 3, 2022.[12]

• Scholarship to Chouinard Art Institute
• Friendly House Extraordinary Service Award
• Writers in Treatment Experience, Strength and Hope Award[14]

• "Carrie White at United Farm Workers fundraisers". Getty Images.