8 Celebrities Who Became Famous After 50 and Proved It’s Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams

A study shows that we can do the best work of our career at any age, as there is no distinct age to reach our professional peak. And when we look at the filmography of some of the biggest names in Hollywood, we might be surprised to learn that their breakthrough role appeared much later than we anticipated. Because even if youth has the energy and the drive, sometimes, to create a masterpiece, we need experience and maturity, which only age can give us.

Bright Side believes that age is just a number when it comes to creativity and productivity. Here are some beloved actors and actresses who made it big after reaching 50.

Betty White

The beloved late actress who started acting in the ’40s has had one of the longest careers in Hollywood. But she truly rose to stardom in 1973 when she was cast as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She got the role at 51 years old and had it for 4 years.

Christoph Waltz

The Austrian and German actor began acting in his early twenties. But it wasn’t until 30 years later, when he was 53, that he got his breakthrough role as Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. This role earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2010, and since then, Waltz has starred in many more acclaimed movies, such as Django Unchained and Spectre.

Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren had been a well-respected actress in Britain for decades. But she became universally known decades later when, at 50 years old, she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Academy Awards for her role in The Madness of King George. Her success has only been growing ever since, and at 62, she even won an Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying the title role in The Queen.

John Mahoney

John Mahoney was a stage actor for many long years before he started appearing in TV series and movies at 42 years old. But it was at 53 that he got his most popular role, portraying Martin Crane, the main character’s father in the popular sitcom, Frasier.

Joy Behar

The now-79-year-old started her career in show business in the early 1980s as a receptionist and later, a producer. Later on, at the age of 40, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a stand-up comedian. But her true big break came in 1997, at 54, when she landed a spot as one of the hosts of the daytime talk show, The View.

Jane Lynch

Even though she had roles in many different movies throughout the years, it was the musical TV series, Glee, that gave Jane Lynch her breakthrough role. She started portraying the cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, and received an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for this performance when she was 50 years old.

Lisa Vanderpump

The British restaurateur and designer joined the cast of the reality TV franchise, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, when she was 50. She remained on the show for 9 years and then went on to star in the spin-offs, Vanderpump Rules and Vanderpump Dogs.

Judi Dench

The 87-year-old Dame Judi Dench is regarded as one of Britain’s best actresses. She started her career as a stage actress, and it was later on that she started to appear in films and on TV. However, her most prominent role was in 1995, when she took on the part of ’’M’’ in the James Bond movie, GoldenEye, when she was 61-years-old. After this, she appeared in even more James Bond films, which sealed her popularity with a mainstream audience.

Who would you add to this list? Do you believe that success can come to us all at any age?