Another Top 10 Actors Who Look Young for Their Age

Frodo Baggins is undoubtedly the name that comes to mind when this thespian’s brought up in conversation. And it may come as a surprise to some that the first entry in The Lord of the Rings trilogy came out way back in 2001. But the special effects aren’t the only part that’s aged well, as its central character, Frodo Baggins, didn’t look a day over 20 upon its release… even though Frodo was 33 at this time, according to the first book. While actually in his 30s in the 2010s, Elijah still has that same youthful aura, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

There’s a small, elite squad of men who’ve won People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive twice, and although Brad Pitt’s first win was in 1995, he looks more or less the same in his 50s. Unlike some stars, Pitt hasn’t been afraid to tackle characters that are legitimately old, as in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Despite this, he continues to appear the same age in the tabloids. With few if any gray hairs in sight, Pitt continues to win the war against time, and is unlikely to change much in the near future.

Cera made it big in 2007 with the smash comedy Superbad, and soon after with the critically acclaimed hit “Juno.” In both films, Michael played an awkward teenager, who’d yet to fully transition from little kid to adult. Six years later, he played himself in “This is the End,” and still didn’t look a day past 19. While in his late 20s in the mid-2010s, Cera is still likely to be scrutinized when checking out at a liquor store, which is becoming less and less of a bad thing with each passing year. It’s anybody’s guess when he’ll play his last role as a high schooler, but we’re pretty confident it won’t for a while.

Early in his career, Wahlberg made waves as an underwear model for Calvin Klein, and he could easily transition back to that line of work over two decades later. His biggest physical change since then is a little more bulk and some facial hair. Of course, with his success as a recording star and a critically acclaimed Hollywood resume, he doesn’t really need to go back to the tighty whitey scene. Marky Mark may have turned 45 in June of 2016, but aside from a birth certificate, there’s little evidence that would suggest this. Still remaining as down to earth and pleasant as ever, it’s hard to hold his perpetual youth against him.

He first started turning heads with his “Star Trek: The Next Generation” work in the 1980s. And at the turn of the 21st century, Patrick Stewart’s performance as Professor X in the first “X-Men” film was captivating, enthralling, and charming. Years later, in his 7th Professor X appearance in 2017’s “Logan”, he hasn’t changed one bit. With few wrinkles in sight, Stewart appears to be in the clear for years to come, despite turning 76 in 2016. Not many actors are able to stay relevant in the action genre after age 50, but decades later he continues to make waves and appear younger than he is at the same time.

Morgan Freeman claims the accolade of oldest entry on our list, but he hasn’t really changed physically in years. As a point of reference, “The Shawshank Redemption” was released in 1994, and over two decades later he could slip into the role again easily. With a voice of gold, and a reputation as a grandfather of Hollywood, Freeman could have simply sat back and aged freely while picking up a narrating role every few years. Instead, he’s made his intentions clear to pop up in movies several times each year, never looking a year past 60.

In 1996, McGregor made it big with his portrayal of a heroin junkie in the critically acclaimed drama-comedy, “Trainspotting.” His troubled and emaciated character brought him center stage, and McGregor has seemingly made a point of looking younger and younger with every year since then. Even as his older “Revenge of the Sith” iteration of Obi-Wan Kenobi, he would likely be carded at the Mos Eisley Cantina, assuming Tatooine has a drinking age. In his mid-40s in the mid-2010s, he’s yet to show the subtlest signs of aging, as evidenced by 2017’s “T2 Trainspotting”.

As far as anyone who’s seen Leo in the public eye is concerned, he’s been two ages his entire life. He appeared as a teen/early 20-something in films like “Romeo and Juliet” and “Titanic”. He then turned 30 for films like “Inception” and “The Revenant” and hasn’t aged a day since then. It may come as a surprise that DiCaprio won his first Oscar at age 41. Leo has figured out how to maintain a youthful vibrancy while taking on mature roles again and again. We suspect that he’ll have more than a few appearances in front of the Academy before revealing any noticeable gray hairs.

To properly understand Denzel’s keen sensibility for maintaining his youth, a close look at his breakout role in “Glory” juxtaposed with “The Magnificent Seven,” which debuted 27 years later, is required. It’s hard to say if any other actor has gone such a long period of time with so little change. With his hairline and hair color both largely the same then and now, Denzel has done in his over 60 years what is difficult for most men to do at 40. He’s yet to reveal any secret, or any plans to relax and let his age catch up, which is impressive to say the least.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- John Cho
Born: June 16, 1972

- Ryan Phillippe
Born: September 10, 1974

- Patrick Dempsey
Born: January 13, 1966

While Denzel nearly topped our list for looking 40 for over two decades, Ryan Reynolds takes the cake for maintaining a collegiate youthfulness, even at age 40 in 2016. For those who follow the celebrity on Twitter, it may have initially been shocking to hear his remarks about children, as he hardly looks old enough to rent a car. His upbeat personality helps maintain this impression of youth, while also upholding his hilarious reputation. It took enormous disfigurement in “Deadpool” to make him look older than 30, and even then he’d still look youngest at a typical high school reunion.