Last Updated on March 12, 2017 by Robert Price
James Spader enjoyed a lush, full head of hair well into his 40s. Then I remember seeing him on The Office a few years back and thinking, okay, James’ perfect hairline finally got slapped back a little bit. But no big deal, he’ll retain a relatively full head of hair for the rest of his life, most likely. But boy was I wrong! James Spader is now essentially a bald man, and this article will examine his long, strange journey to baldness.
James in the seminal 1986 film Pretty in Pink. Perfect, flowing, long hair.
I’m an older millennial. And I first became familiar with James’ talent and range as an actor in the 2002 movie, Secretary, starring Maggie Gyllenhall (and her shockingly unkempt and shaggy, well, you know). He was approaching his mid 40s at that point and still appeared to have a full head of hair. Then I watched him on the TV show Boston Legal with notorious toupee-aficionado, William Shatner. Another good show. The hair was still there, mostly, but in reality, I think he was starting to show signs of follicular distress, i.e. thinning, around this time — perhaps even sooner.
James on Charlie Rose in 2002. He’s about 44 here I believe. And he’s showing signs of significant thinning at the hairline, with his hair combed forward perhaps to conceal the issue.
In the early 2000s, James’ hair never looked anywhere near that thin on film or on television, to my knowledge. But we have to keep in mind that his hair was given the full-on “Hollywood” treatment prior to all his movie and TV appearances. And those Hollywood hair stylists can work miracles, without question.
It’s also possible that James used a discreet hair system (toupee) of some kind to add density to his frontal, receding hairline. Charlie Sheen was known to wear a hair system on Two and Half Men — and so was Jon Cryer, who is in fact almost completely bald.
Here’s a pic from James’ Boston Legal years in the early 2000s, I believe. Some fairly mild thinning up front, which is likely minimized thanks to a professional stylist. There are many effective receding hairline style techniques, which I’m sure James learned how to utilize given his profession.
James is a handsome SOB, hair or no hair. But his hairline really doesn’t take a noticeably upward turn until around 2010 or so, when he made a guest appearance on The Office.
James on The Office, hairline clearly receding and thinning.
Next up is the money shot. Wait for it. Ready? Alright.
Here we go….
Here’s James on his new show The Black List. He went from a mild type III to a full-on type 5, maybe even a 6 on the Norwood scale in just a few years! Remarkable. Very unusual, too.
As I say in my hair loss 101 post, men have approximately 20% of experiencing hair loss in their 20s, a 30% chance in their 30s, 40 in the 40s, 50 in the 50s, and so on. And most severe cases of male pattern baldness start when men are young, either in their teens or early 20s. James is an exception to that rule, clearly! He retained a full or relatively full head of hair well into middle age. Now, he has a fairly severe case of male pattern baldness and is essentially a bald man.
He looks good bald, without a doubt. He’s a handsome man. But I’m surprised he didn’t take the transplant route, honestly. The bald head makes him look a solid decade older, and Hollywood is notoriously prejudiced against balding guys. Hair loss doesn’t matter in most other professions — but in that one, it usually does, sorry. Either way, I salute you, James!
What do you think about James’ odd hair loss course and new look? Should he have opted for a hair transplant? Is he past the proverbial point of no return and should he just buzz it off completely? Cast your vote and leave a comment below.
Robert Price is a writer, consumer advocate, and hair loss researcher with thousands of hours of experience in the field. His goal is to keep you out of the hair loss rabbit hole, underworld, or whatever you want to call it. He founded Hair Loss Daily, the unbiased hair loss blog, in 2016. You can learn more about Robert in the my story section of this website.
I believe he should of went with some hair replacement bc it would make him look younger he’s my favorite actor especially the movies he played in the 80′,s was awesome!!
My ‘ex’ husband had two hair replacement sessions (one at age 35 and the second at age 37). By age 52 he has lost all of the ‘plugs’ and is well on his way to losing most of the ‘original’ hair that is left…..so sometimes the hair replacement just doesn’t work! Of course, he’s an alcoholic and I’m pretty sure he was using steroids as well and I’ve read that hair replacements do not do well with those two things…..so there’s that too. BTW……love James Spader in Boston Legal!!! And I actually really enjoy Blacklist as well!
Could it be within the realm of possibility that… maybe James Spader was bald all along and what you saw during his younger years were actually good-quality hairpieces? I suspect that that may have also been the case with George Michael, as well — which would explain why he never allowed anyone other than his sister (Melanie) to ever cut his hair.
Certainly possible, Wayne! Good point, may be worth digging deeper into that theory…
I read that he shaved his head to distinguish characters while working on tv*, which, looks true according to the pics posted here.
He shaved his head for Blacklist.
I’m actually watching Stargate right now and for the first time in many, many viewings I’m beginning to think he could be wearing a really good quality hair piece on top. If you look at the screen shot from Boston Legal, that definitely looks like he’s wearing one. Maybe even the whole ‘hair club for men’ thing going on at that time.
Very possible, Chris. I agree that going back in the photo archives, it can look like he’s wearing a piece at times.
Pretty sure it’s a hair piece. I find him sexy no matter his hair… that was never what made him sexy to me anyway! My husband, a nurse, has explained about severe infections that can happen with hair replacement & perhaps he chose to be natural
He obviously put on a tasteful piece for those Boston Legal and Office appearances. He looks good bald but looks even better with the hair system. Something to think about. Forget the transplant.
I’ve read that he shaved his hair for The Blacklist?
Sorry, but I think he looks awful bald. Much older, and it’s especially jarring since he had such gorgeous hair. I would have suggested the transplant route, since he could certainly afford it.
No doubt about it, Spader’s ‘ mop ‘ was definitely a major contribution to his looks.
I was always envious but never jealous.
I’m hooked on Blacklist. Onto Series 6 now.
An intelligent and talented actor. Of course he would look better with hair but
wouldn’t anybody : me included.
Anyway, he’s well off, talented and probably has a nice lifestyle.
So, the hair issue is not an issue.
Hair loss seems to be happening everywhere I look (with men) these days, as though it’s getting more common. Personally, it has become much less of an issue having passed 60, though I used to worry about it constantly.
Hair today,
gone tomorrow.
Who cares? People age. Baldness happens whether we like it or not. I prefer actors to age gracefully instead of wearing wigs trying to pretend they are young. Sean Connery proved you can still be bald and handsome.
I think he should have gone with a hair transplant, like Elton John did. He looks years older than he is with his current hair…(what’s left of it!)
I’m glad he didn’t shave it off completely. To me, a totally shaved head looks very working class. At 55 years old, I have almost identical hair to James’s and had similar hair to his in the ’80s. I can’t think of any white American with totally shaved off hair who retains any sense of sophistication or intellectual demeanour. Maybe Stanley Tucci might be an exception. Gentler people like Prince William, Ron Howard, and me will retain at least long “stubble” on the sides and back.
Interesting perspective Andrew, thanks! I tend to agree with you — overall, the fully shaved look does give off a slightly “blue collar” or working class vibe. I think that can be offset to some degree when a guy wears nice pair of glasses or has a good overall sense of style. But I’d never really made the connection before your comment, so appreciate you sharing your thoughts!
James Spader oozes sex appeal, finesse, humor, charm, intellect, mystery and his desire for experimentation. The amount of hair is moot. He can drop his drawers by my bed any day.
Well, Im bald, clean shaven, and by the comments on here, I guess Im a blue collar, P.O.S., common, working class smuck then. Learn something new every day. Thank you everyone for pointing that out to me.
And Andrew Jacobson, thanks for pointing it out, that people like me(clean shaven) do not have any sophistication or intellectual demeanour. Thank you for your sophisticated and intellectual demeanor thinking and saying this. Really classy…..
James is sexy no matter what his hairstyle. I think he doesn’t really care about the Hollywood hype and prefers to be his natural self. He was a good looking young man but a gorgeous sexy man now. No change is necessary. He’s the total package.
It’s common knowledge he shaved his head for the role. It’s also obvious his hair was thinning. Depends who you believe but it was planned for the character.