Henri Paris; Hairdresser to the Stars Had Hands Insured for $1 Million

Henri Paris, 90, hairdresser to stars who were traveling through the Midwest from the 1930s to the 1950s, died April 30 in Chicago of heart failure.

Before airlines replaced trains as the most popular mode of travel from coast to coast, Chicago served as the mid-continental pit stop for entertainers traveling from New York to Los Angeles.

Born on Chicago’s South Side, Paris had a 60-year career as a hairdresser and became the hairdresser of choice for such stars as Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Veronica Lake and Ava Gardner. He even tended to professional wrestler Gorgeous George’s tousled curls.

Paris became so popular that in 1941, Lloyds of London insured his hands for $1 million. He became a featured attraction on the lecture circuit at conventions and trade shows around the country, billing himself as “The Man With the Million-Dollar Hands.”