Leslie Cavendish, The Beatles’ hairstylist

Leslie Cavendish has been The Beatles’ hairstylist, and he worked for many other celebrities as well. He started when he was 15 “not even knowing to hold a comb and scissors.” Later, his first contact with The Beatles was Paul McCartney, a starting point of a successful career as a celebrities hairdresser. This is his story.

Q. You were 15 when you got a job with Vidal Sassoon. Could you ever have imagined then that within a few years you would be cutting the Beatles' hair?

A. I started at Sassoon not even knowing how to hold a comb and scissors. As a junior — washing hair and sweeping the floor — I slowly learned. When I was 16, I went to see The Beatles in concert at a small club with about 150 people, never imagining that a few years later I would be cutting the hair of the very group I had been watching on stage.

Q. What do you remember about that first visit to cut their hair? And did you realise at the time that something as simple four men's hair was going to be a significant part of British culture?

A. My first contact with a Beatle was Paul McCartney. I went to his house in London, had tea with him in his front room, and then went upstairs to his bathroom to wash his hair in the wash basin. A few weeks before they had just finished their last live concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, so they were already world‑famous. Their hair wasn’t just part of British culture — it was part of world culture.

Q. As their hairdresser, you knew John, Paul, George and Ringo better than anyone did on their TV screens. What can you tell us about the four people behind 'The Beatles'?

A. They were like a marriage — four people with normal problems. You can see why they became the most important group in the world: they had humour, fashion, and they knew how to write songs that will last for generations.

Q. Do you have a favourite icon or star that you have cut hair or styled? Someone that perhaps gave you free reign and trusted you and your talent allowing you to create fabulous looks?

A. All of my clients were stars. They allowed me the freedom to create styles that suited their face and personality.

Q. Not referring to any of your own work, unless you want to, but has there been any hair trends you look back on and wish it had never left the salon? 

A. The only hairstyle at Sassoon that required real caution was the graduated asymmetric bob. A client once came in and asked for that style. The stylist cut it exactly as she wanted. When he finished and showed her the back with the mirror, she said nothing — but she also hadn’t mentioned that she was blind in one eye. The long shape of the cut covered her good eye, which meant she couldn’t see a thing. Perhaps that’s a question for Jean Claude, my Sassoon colleague. 

Q. Starting at the young age of 15 and in a world where AI is feared to take over various jobs, what advice would you give someone thinking of a career where they use their hands, such as in hairdressing?

A. Learn everything there is to know about hairdressing. Cutting and styling are only part of it. If you want to open your own salon one day, you must also learn colouring ...and how a salon is run — because if your colourist can’t come in and has a full day of clients, you’ll be able to look after them without anyone feeling let down.”

Don’t ask too many questions unless the client wants to chat. And if you think a hairstyle won’t suit her, don’t be afraid to suggest an alternative and explain why. 

As Sassoon always said: “If you don’t look good, we don’t look good.” And who knows — maybe AI can help you. I’m glad it wasn’t around when I was doing hair, because we worked everything out ourselves. 

There are many more stories I can share about The Beatles and life as a hairdresser, and I look forward to telling some of them in Gibraltar. 

Event details 

Leslie Cavendish will be appearing at the Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival on Friday, 13 November 2026 at 2:00 PM at Grand Battery House. 

Event Details Event: In Conversation with Gerry Foley 

Date & Time: Friday, 13 November 2026 at 2:00 PM  

Venue: Grand Battery House, Gibraltar 

Some press info from the 60s (courtesy of Leslie Cavendish):