Top 10 Actors Who Are WAY Older Than You Realized

Wait, they’re HOW old?! Welcome to MsMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 actors who are way older than you realized.

For this list, we’ll be going over some of the actors whose appearance is much older than their appearance would suggest, or who are just older than people remember or realize them to be.

Few actors have as long a resume as Samuel L. Jackson and while he’s certainly hard working, having nearly 200 acting credits to his name, he’s also been acting for quite a long time! Jackson is 71 years old, as of 2020, and despite his septuagenarian status, he still looks at least 20 years younger. Maybe it’s his skin care routine or maybe all the swearing he does in films keeps him feeling young. Regardless of how he’s staying fit, Jackson shows little sign of slowing his career down any time soon.

Sure this darling of the internet got his start in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but it can be hard to keep that in mind when the actor barely looks like he’s aged at all since then! Currently 55, Keanu Reeves remains an in-demand action star, despite his advancing age; appearing in the successful “John Wick” franchise and still doing many of his own stunts and weapons training. Along with his appearances in video games and his return to some of his most popular roles, Reeves is definitely young at heart, as well as in appearance.

This youthful actress has hardly aged a day in 20 years! Gabrielle Union is 47, but she certainly doesn’t look it! Known these days for her appearances in films like “Breaking In” and the TV series “Being Mary Jane,” as well as her brief hosting role on “America’s Got Talent,” Union is still as gorgeous as she was back at the turn of the millennium when she got her big break. In interviews, she has credited her long-lasting beauty with hydration, among other things. If she keeps up her drinking regimen, she’ll be staying beautiful for years to come.

Salma Hayek may have passed the half century mark, and be due to turn 54 in 2020, but she is still one of the most gorgeous women in the world! The Mexican American actress has been in the spotlight for nearly 30 years, yet she has remained hardly touched by time over the decades. Even in roles where she is not as heavily made up, Hayek’s natural charm remains in evidence. And with so many diverse roles in her repertoire, Hayek is certainly more than a pretty, and surprisingly timeless, face.

Sure, she’s been a name actress for practically 30 years, but when you realize that Sandra Bullock is 55, it can be a little hard to believe. Just like her “Speed” co-star whom we’ve already discussed, Bullock hardly seems to have aged since the ‘90s. Even putting her next to her “Gravity” co-star George Clooney, who’s quite the catch himself and only a few years older than her, Bullock looks much younger. It’s small wonder that People magazine voted her the most beautiful woman when she was 50 in 2015!

Nooooo! Paul Rudd is not 51! Shut up! That’s…there’s no way…right? The actor and comedian has a boyish charm, but it seems like he’s also bathed in the fountain of youth, given that he looks almost the same as he has for the last 2 decades! Whatever his skincare secrets, Rudd has also stayed in shape, in part because of his role in the superhero Marvel Cinematic Universe, cutting out carbs and even alcohol for long periods of time. We’ll give it a try ourselves and get back to you. Oh, and we mustn’t forget the orange slices! “Does anyone have any orange slices?”

“Patrick Stewart looks great for his age!” we can hear you saying. Of course, people have been saying that for decades now! The veteran actor’s career spans 60 years, so he’s been around for a while, but it’s can still be difficult to wrap our heads around the fact that he’s 79-years-old. And given the fact that he’s appearing in multiple movies, TV shows, not to mention stage plays on an annual basis, Stewart as a vigor and drive that people decades his junior would envy! We can only hope we’re as active and successful once we’re almost 80.

Angela Bassett has always seemed like something of an old soul, and definitely a beautiful one. And as time has gone on, Bassett’s age has caught up with this vibe, even if her outward appearance has remained pretty much the same for the last couple of decades. At the age of 61, most of us probably won’t look like the regal, confident queen that Bassett does, or be able to pull off playing a fictional one at that! Bassett remains as fierce as ever, both onscreen and in real life.

Perhaps it’s the fact that he spent over a decade playing a genius man-child on “The Big Bang Theory,” but it’s a little hard to place how old Jim Parsons is. At first glance, you’d probably think that he’s in his late 30s at most, right? However, the actor is actually 47! Parsons may not be as intelligent as his most famous part, but whatever he’s doing to stay looking so young is pretty smart in its own right. Either that, or he’s an android built by Sheldon and sent to our reality. We wouldn’t put it past him…

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Helen Mirren
74 Years Old and Looking Smoking!

Tom Cruise
57 and Still Doing His Own Stunts?

Julianne Moore
How is She Pushing 60?!

Pharrell Williams
20s? Nope. 30s? Nope. Late 40s?! Whaaaaat?!

Cate Blanchett
But Seriously Though – She’s a Real Elf! A 51-Year-Old Elf!

While plenty of actors specialize in teen dramas, most of them, you know, stop being able to play teenagers at some point! Not so with Bianca Lawson! The actress is 41 years old, but you’d never know it for looking at her, because she hasn’t aged in 20 plus years; being able to convincingly play a teen practically ever since she was a teen! It’s oddly fitting that many of her roles have been on supernatural TV series too, as there’s something eerie about how timeless her appearance has remained.