Loulia (Lou) Sheppard, 15th October 1944 - 28th January 2025 Hair designer/hair stylist

 

Lou was an outstanding period hair stylist whose passion and dedication to her craft inspired and shaped the careers of many in the industry . Incredibly hard working and generous with her expertise she was a master of every

period style. Her knowledge of the history of hair was immense and unmatchable.

 

Her long career spanned almost 60 years. Beginning as a teenager in a hairdressers she went on to work as a wig dresser at Wig Creations and then Wig Specialities. During the 1980s she was teaching at the BBC makeup and hair school and at London College of Fashion where Lou taught many of the most celebrated hair designers working today.

 

She supervised crowd rooms on major film and TV productions in the UK and internationally and her rooms were always warm, welcoming and fun for those that worked in them.

 

She was personal hairstylist to some of the world’s most famous actors and actresses and responsible for some of the most iconic hair and wig creations ever seen on screen.

Nominated for three Prime Time Emmy awards, a Gold Derby Award and a 2018 BAFTA and Academy Award nominee for her hair design work on Victoria and Abdul she was respected and loved by those that worked with

her. Her sense of fun was infectious and she leaves many, many happy memories for all the friends, colleagues and actors who were lucky enough to have known her.

She was co-author of the bestselling book Timeless - A Century of Iconic Looks published in 2017 which has become an industry bible and is on the reading list of makeup and hair courses all over the UK.

Her work can be seen on leading actresses in such films as The Duchess (Keira Knightly), La Vie en Rose(Marion Cotillard), Vanity Fair (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs Henderson Presents (Dame Judi Dench), Gosford Park (Dame Maggie Smith) Salma Hayek (The Eternals) and Scarlett Johansson

(The Avengers- Age of Ultron).

 

Lou supervised crowd rooms on films and series including Florence Foster Jenkins, Dolittle, The Sandman, The Marvels and Loki. A true legend in the industry, she leaves a body of work that will inspire future generations. She will be greatly missed by all that knew her.