Top 10 Actors Who Became Famous When They Were Old

While this Harvard-educated Texan did receive multiple Emmy nominations throughout the ‘80s, not many people remember him for roles in “Lonesome Dove” or “The Executioner’s Song.” In 1991, at 45 years of age, Jones turned heads in Oliver Stone’s “JFK,” and in 1993, he earned an Oscar for his portrayal of Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the “The Fugitive.” Oh, and he’s one-half of the “Men in Black.” This distinguished actor often plays existential characters and his cinematic persona stays closely connected to his old age. “Older” age, that is.

While Nielsen earned a great deal of acclaim among his peers, and even starred opposite Debbie Reynolds in the 1957 film “Tammy and the Bachelor,” he was seen as a character actor rather than a leading man for years. Everything changed in 1980, however, when Nielsen starred as the oblivious Dr. Rumack in the disaster spoof, “Airplane!” Well beyond 50 years of age with decades of credits to his name, Nielsen embarked on a new career in absurdist comedy, a career that would last another 30 years until his death.

Beginning in 1939, Betty White hustled away in the Hollywood industry and by the mid-‘50s she became the first woman to produce her own sitcom. Although her accomplishments were groundbreaking, mainstream America still didn’t know who she was for at least a couple of decades. She earned a larger following at over 50 years of age upon landing a role on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the ‘70s. Betty White’s career reached new heights in the ‘80s with her role as the dimwitted Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls,” and she continued strong well past ninety years of age.

There are a couple of reasons why North Americans were stunned by this man’s performance in “Inglourious Basterds.” One: he was terrifying, yet strangely likable, as Hans Landa. Two: nobody had seen him before. Waltz’s filmography mainly consisted of German titles such as “Wahnfried” and “König der letzten Tage.” However, Waltz studied method acting in the ‘70s under the great Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler in America. By the time he won an Oscar at the age of 53 for “Inglourious Basterds,” and another in 2012 for “Django Unchained," he had certainly paid his dues.

Dench earned this official label of “Dame” in 1988 after decades of hard work. She was primarily a stage performer in the ‘60s and ‘70s, but at over 50 years old, she earned a BAFTA nomination for the star-studded adaptation of “A Room with a View.” Roughly a decade later, Dench took over as M, the leader of MI6, in “GoldenEye.” What followed was a plethora of Academy Award nominations, including a Best Supporting Actress win for “Shakespeare in Love.” She’s since shown no signs of slowing down, and doesn’t look like she’ll retire anytime soon.

In 1991, Carell was performing at Chicago’s “The Second City” with Stephen Colbert as his understudy and made his feature debut that same year in “Curly Sue.” In his late 30s, he nabbed a gig as a “Daily Show” correspondent, and soon after, he appeared as the intellectually challenged Brick Tamland in “Anchorman.” But in 2005, at age 43, Carell landed two iconic roles, one as a 40-year-old virgin and one as an inept office manager. Now with an Oscar nomination to his credit, Carell has proven that he’s an actor that only gets better with age.

A few years after being an usher at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral, Jackson made his film debut in 1972’s “Together for Days.” Over a decade of stage work later and he was still unknown to mainstream audiences. By 1989, at over 40 years old, Jackson appeared in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” and Martin Scorsese’s “GoodFellas” the following year. Now one of the most entertaining actors ever to grace the big screen, he’s also one of the most bankable, as no other actor has equaled Samuel L. Jackson’s box office success.

Can you name a film Ian McKellen starred in pre-1991? Probably not. By then, Sir Ian was already in his 50s, but the best was yet to come. Throughout the ‘90s, he starred in numerous box office hits and landed the lead role in “Richard III.” However, these performances would all be trumped by his roles as Magneto in the “X-Men” franchise and Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings” franchise. The early 2000s were a transformative period for the aging actor and retirement was thankfully not in the works.

The year the original “Star Trek” series debuted, this man became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. After 20 years as a successful stage performer, Jean-Luc Picard would make Patrick Stewart a household name before his 50th birthday. While this particular role wouldn’t define his career, artistically speaking, Picard was most certainly an iconic character for all the trekkers of the world. Stewart became even more well known when he took to a wheelchair to play the “X-Men”’s Professor X in 2000. In some circles, Stewart may be perceived as an actor’s actor, but many will always associate him with “Star Trek” and the “X-Men” – and hey, it’s not a bad gig.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Lucille Ball
- Bea Arthur
- Alan Rickman
- Rodney Dangerfield
- Angela Lansbury

By the 1970s, Morgan Freeman was certainly a seasoned performer given his 780 appearances on “The Electric Company.” Believe it or not, he was 50 years old when he starred as a pimp in 1987’s “Street Smart,” and the performance led to his first Oscar nomination. Freeman gained further acclaim in “Driving Miss Daisy” and stunned Hollywood with his poignant performance in “The Shawshank Redemption.” With an iconic voice and an overdue Academy Award win for “Million Dollar Baby,” Freeman’s got a certain kind of charisma that’s all his own.

Do you agree with our list? Who’s your favorite actor that became famous when they were old? For more mind-blowing Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.