Top 10 Oldest Actors to Play Teenagers in Movies
Why do some of these teens have crow's feet and stray grays…? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Oldest Actors to Play Teenagers in Movies. For this list, we're focusing on adult actors that were specifically cast to play teenage characters.
Special thanks to our users ninou78for submitting the idea using our interactive suggestion tool at http://www.WatchMojo.comsuggest
Top 10 Oldest Actors to Play Teenagers in Movies
Why do some of these teens have crow’s feet and stray grays…? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Oldest Actors to Play Teenagers in Movies. For this list, we’re focusing on adult actors that were specifically cast to play teenage characters. That means we’re excluding Channing Tatum from “21 Jump Street,” as the character he played was an undercover cop who was pretending to be a high school student.
#10: Denise Richards in “Wild Things” (1998) Born: February 17, 1971
In a film about sex crimes and sexy times, it was a deceptive high school student that ran the show. And given the provocative nature of John McNaughton’s erotic thriller, it became increasingly clear that a then-unknown Denise Richards was a couple of years removed from Senior Prom. In fact, she was 27 years old at the time of the film’s release. Playing the overtly sexualized Kelly Van Ryan, Richards steamed up the screen as the plot revealed much more than just the character’s bisexual love affair and scheming behavior. No, Richards didn’t win any Golden Globes for the performance, but she did participate in one of the most provocative nude scenes ever seen on the big screen.
#9: Sissy Spacey in “Carrie” (1976) Born: December 25, 1949
By the time Brian De Palma’s iconic horror film reached theaters, his lead actress was just shy of her 27th birthday and perhaps best known for her role in the 1973 film “Badlands.” But after Sissy Spacek’s frightening turn as the social outcast Carrie White, well, nobody could forget her blood-curdling screams or even perhaps even more so, her blood-drenched body. Blessed with a youthful presence and schooled in method acting at the famous Lee Strasberg’s Acting Studio, Spacey stepped into the shoes of the strange puberty-stricken social outsider and effectively ravaged the psyches of frazzled moviegoers.
#8: Winona Ryder in “Girl, Interrupted” (1999) Born: October 29, 1971
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While James Mangold’s coming-of-age film featured a teenaged Elisabeth Moss long before her casting in “Mad Men,” the star of “Girl, Interrupted” was already in her late 20s and at the pinnacle of her career when she booked the role. Although years older than her onscreen counterpart, Winona Ryder's pristine appearance made her the ideal choice to play a disturbed yet talented 18-year old Susanna Kaysen, the real-life woman on whom the film was based. With a young Angelia Jolie coming into her own, “Girl, Interrupted” was an important film for Hollywood leading ladies, but also reminded us of Ryder's timeless movie star charisma.
#7: Judd Nelson in “The Breakfast Club” (1985) Born: November 28, 1959
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Today, John Bender may seem like an over-the-top outcast to some. However, back in the mid-‘80s, he was the prototypical high school rebel that challenged his fellow breakfast clubbers to think outside the box... possibly thanks to a heavy dose of weed. The man behind this whacked out persona was a 25-year-old Judd Nelson, in what was just his third feature film. He would soon become associated with Hollywood’s “Brat Pack,” but in “The Breakfast Club,” Nelson managed to combine a sense of James Dean cool with an intellect that made John Bender wise beyond his years - and that’s because it was the truth.
#6: Stacey Dash in “Clueless” (1995) Born: January 20, 1967
Ten years after appearing as Denise’s teenage friend in “The Cosby Show,” Stacy Dash once again played a high school student, albeit inless organic fashion as she was 28 by the time the film hit theaters. Even so, the character of Dionne Davenport boasted a knack for both the vogue and valley girl slang, all the while etching herself into the memories of admiring moviegoers. Decades later, Dash continues todemand attention with her timeless beauty, and much like her “Clueless” character, she’s well versed on the political topics of the day.
#5: Andrew Garfield in “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) Born: August 20, 1983
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When Andrew Garfield was cast as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, North Americans scratched their heads and tried to figure out where exactly they had seen him. Oh yeah, he was Eduardo Saverin from “The Social Network”.... a natural selection for the super hero film. However, at 27 years of age when filming began, Garfield had accumulated the necessary skills to exude the youthful charm and composure of one teenaged Peter Parker while crawling his way directly to the bank; just as Tobey Maguire did when tackling the role at 26 years of age for the 2002 film.
#4: Rachel McAdams in “Mean Girls” (2004) Born: November 17, 1978
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The same year she made audiences weep thanks to “The Notebook,” Rachel McAdams first appeared in another cult classic playing Regina George, the supreme diva of the clique known as “The Plastics.” At 25 years of age, McAdams channeled her inner sass to corrupt a new arrival, and she was quite convincing as the blonde princess. By 2004, it had been a couple years since McAdams had made her big screen debut, but it was “Mean Girls” that established McAdams as one of the emerging bad-ass talents of the decade.
#3: Leonardo DiCaprio in “Catch Me If You Can” (2002) Born: November 11, 1974
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By 2002, Leonardo DiCaprio had entered the Scorsesian phase of his career, even if the world still viewed him as the pretty boy actor from “Titanic.” To mark the beginning of a new era, the 28-year old gave moviegoers two cinematic gifts: “Gangs of New York” and “Catch Me If You Can”, the latter a collaboration with Steven Spielberg, in which he played a teenage con artist. With prior too-old-to-be-a-teenager experience in “The Basketball Diaries,” DiCaprio managed to capture the same sense of unflappable, ignorant wonder in his role as real life Frank Abagnale, Jr.
#2: Alan Ruck in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) Born: July 1, 1956
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Sure, Matthew Broderick functioned as the obvious driving force behind “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” but it was his depressive best friend that offered a healthy amount of comic relief. About to turn 30 years old at the time of the film’s premiere, Alan Ruck sported a clean-cut look and donned a Detroit Red Wings jersey to capture the essence of Cameron Frye, who was a kid dominated by fear and unaware of his true independence. Life moves pretty fast in Hollywood, and despite this being only his third feature, Ruck stood his ground alongside a truly iconic performance. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Ralph Macchio in “The Karate Kid” (1984) Born: November 4, 1961 Malcolm McDowell in “A Clockwork Orange” (1971) Born: June 13, 1943 Shirley Henderson in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002) Born: November 24, 1965 Michael J. Fox in “Back to the Future Part III” (1990) Born: June 9, 1961 Jennifer Grey in “Dirty Dancing” (1987) Born: March 26, 1960
#1: Olivia Newton-John in “Grease” (1978) Born: September 26, 1948
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She released a dozen albums during the ‘70s, but everybody knows Olivia Newton-John for her iconic performance in the 1978 film “Grease.” At almost 30 years of age and yet still four years younger than co-star Stockard Channing, she starred as the unassuming blonde bombshell Sandy Olsson, a high school senior that charmed audiences with a sweetheart persona that was complemented by moments of leather-clad sensuality. With big hair, penetrating eyes and an accent that would make any American high school kid drool, Olivia Newton-John represented the high school experience and the multitude of emotions that teenagers endure in this classic musical romantic comedy. Do you agree with our list? Who is your favorite adult actor to play a teenager in movies? For more mind-blowing Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com. 
