Top 10 Celebrity Late Bloomers

#10: Andrea Bocelli

This Italian classical tenor has brought significant attention to opera and classical music over the years, and his collaborations with pop stars such as Celine Dion have won him praise and awards. Bocelli began playing the piano at six and started developing his signature tenor voice at seven, but it wasn’t until 1992, when Andrea was 34, that he sent a demo tape to Italian rocker Zucchero. Tenor Luciano Pavarotti heard the tape and kickstarted Bocelli’s career, and he has since sold over 150 million albums and has won multiple awards for his music.

#9: Kathryn Bigelow

Acclaimed film director and producer, Kathryn Bigelow has directed some of the best movies of recent years, such as “The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty.” But it took a while for her to reach that celebrated destination. She had humble beginnings, the only child of a librarian and a paint factory manager. Her first feature-length film, “The Loveless,” wasn’t released until she was 30, but the two that followed, while critical favorites, were box office bombs. It wasn’t until “Point Break” that Bigelow saw mainstream success, just four months before her 40th birthday.

#8: Peaches

Merrill Beth Nisker, aka Peaches, is an electronic musician, known primarily for her sexually suggestive lyrics, crude content and for naming her band “The Shit”. Before her music was featured in films like “Mean Girls” or “Jackass Number Two,” she was a part of a small group named Mermaid Cafe. Her first solo album, Fancypants Hoodlum, was released when she was 27, and it wasn’t until her second album, when she was nearly 32, that she took on the Peaches moniker, released The Teaches of Peaches and saw her career finally take off.

#7: Stan Lee

While it may seem that Stan Lee has been a comic book virtuoso for his entire life, he didn’t actually see popularity and mainstream success until he neared middle age. Lee became an assistant at the company that would later become Marvel at 16 and wrote his first filler piece, “Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge,” at 18. After a few small creations, he became editor-in-chief just a few years later. However, DC saw a surge in popularity, which urged Lee to release the Fantastic Four in retaliation, a month before he turned 39. The rest, as they say, is history. ‘Nuff said.

#6: Charles Bradley

No, not the basketball coach. We’re talking about the late blooming R&B singer Charles Bradley, who has not only seen worldwide success but was also the subject of a documentary titled “Soul of America.” In 1962, when Bradley was 14, he saw James Brown perform live, kickstarting his passion for the performing arts. He only played small shows and worked to make ends meet for most of his life, until he was noticed doing a James Brown impersonation at a small club in New York. His debut album, No Time for Dreaming, was released in 2011 when Bradley was 63.

#5: Tim Thomas

This time, we are talking about the sports guy. A free agent, Tim Thomas has played as a goalie for the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars. Thomas played college hockey from 1993 to 1997, until moving to Finland to goal-tend in that country's equivalent of the NHL. He didn’t make his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins until 2002, when he was 28 years old. But it wasn’t until several years later in 2005-06that he became the Bruins’ starter. Your early 30s might not seem too old on paper, but it can often be retirement age for hockey players.

#4: Ang Lee

A film director, writer, and producer, Ang Lee has made major waves in Hollywood with the successes of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Brokeback Mountain,” among others. Born and raised in Taiwan, Lee moved to the United States when he was 25 to follow his passion for drama. His first feature movie, “Pushing Hands,” was released in 1992 when Lee was 38, and was a success in Taiwan. It wasn’t until 1995’s “Sense and Sensibility”, however, that Lee began his lucrative career in Hollywood and saw mainstream American success at 41.

#3: Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen is a true jack-of-all-trades: songwriter, musician, monk, painter, poet, and novelist. You name it; he’s done it. Known primarily for his music, Cohen’s work has appeared in movies like “Natural Born Killers,” and his song “Hallelujah” is considered a masterpiece. Disappointed with his writing career, Cohen moved to New York and became a member of Andy Warhol’s Factory group in the 1960s. Columbia Records took notice, and he released his first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, at 33. Over forty years later and now in his 80s, Cohen is still going strong.

#2: Martha Stewart

Before the whole stock trading fiasco which landed her in jail, Martha Stewart saw major success in business ventures, cookbooks, and television shows. Stewart started as the co-founder of a catering company, until she was hired to cater a book release party for Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Fate was on her side, as it was there she met Alan Mirken, the head of a publishing company, who asked her to write a cookbook. Entertaining was released in 1982, when Stewart was 41! It was that book that began her ascent to fame and fortune, so it was definitely “a good thing.”

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone released at 32
The National
Quit Day Jobs to Form the Band and Found Success with 3rd Album Alligator in their 30s
Danny Brown
First Solo Studio Album, The Hybrid, Released at 29
James Murphy
LCD Soundsystem’s Self-Title Album Released at 35

#1: Susan Boyle

When Susan Boyle sauntered onto the stage of “Britain’s Got Talent” in April 2009, she was literally laughed at by the hosts, judges, and audience members alike. It wasn’t until the 48 year old perfectly belted out ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ that everyone fell slack jawed and clapped in amazement. Seven months later, her debut album I Dreamed a Dream was released, charting at #1 across the world. A true underdog story, Susan Boyle is an inspiration to us all, showing us that we can follow our dreams and to stay strong, even in the face of laughter.

Do you agree with our list? Who are you favorite celebrities that had a late start? For more inspirational top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.