The celeb way of life is fascinating, irrespective of age and gender. The spotlight however, always remains on the young and hip stars; with older screen stars getting the "look who's still alive!" look. But, here are some celebrities who still are the center of attention, no matter what their age or gender is.
"Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty - they merely move it from their faces into their hearts." Martin Buxbaum
Old is gold. However in Hollywood, the reverse seems true. The film industry is especially harsh to its senior members, especially with female Hollywood stars. The older you get, the more doors close in your face, the less parties you get invited to and everyone seems anxious to give you a lifetime achievement award.
More and more stars seem to fade into the backdrop with the advance in age. But not the ones listed in our round up of famous old celebrities. In fact they seem to be brighter and display more talent, even as they grow older.
Famous Old Celebrities - Women
Meryl Streep
Born: June 22, 1949 Talent, class, sophistication and beauty, in short Meryl Streep. From an ultra-cold difficult boss in The Devil Wears Prada to a loving and traumatized mother in Sophie's Choice, she is the epitome of the varying shades of womanhood. On stage, television or the big screen, this actress never fails to captivate.
Not just a dramatic actress, she even has a flair for music and comedy with her turn in Mamma Mia! Her most recent captivating character performance was as the iron-willed Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, for which she won a Best Actress Oscar.
Most famous for: Unique accents and dialects in movies like
New York snob - The Devil Wears Prada
Danish land owner - Out of Africa
Italian wife - The Bridges of Madison County
Upper-crust English lady - The Iron Lady
Julie Powell - Julie and Julia
Dame Helen Mirren
Born: July 26, 1945 The British are famous for their class and elegance with impressive dramatic power. With people like Helen Mirren, no wonder. She has won a lot of awards, she's a sparkling example of wit and beauty with age and has acted in nearly every genre of film and television.
Most famous for:
Playing royalty in The Queen
Comedic and flaky in Calendar Girls
Evil malevolence in Excalibur
Jewish woman in Woman in Gold
Milonia Caesonia, Roman Empress in Caligula
Sarah Winchester in Winchester
Dame Judi Dench
Born: December 9, 1934 She is easily Britain's top actress. 10 times BAFTA winner, 1 Oscar, 1 Tony and 2 SAG's and 2 Golden Globes, phew! This Dame of the British Empire has that distinctive regal and proud carriage of the English, a sharp acerbic tone and even with her miniature stature, manages to look down her nose at you!
Truly one of Britain's finest screen presences. In the film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, she plays a widowed housewife, who decides to retire and settle down in India. In her latest film's, 'Victoria and Abdul', she got to enact Queen Vicroria of the Great Britain. It was a biographical film about the life of Queen Victoria and her servant Abdul Karim.
Most famous for:
The stern and all-wise M in the latest Bond series
Conniving and sly in Notes on a Scandal
Classically English with Pride and Prejudice, The Importance of Being Earnest, Shakespeare in Love and Victoria and Abdul
Princess Dragomiroff in Murder on the Orient Express
Betty White
Born: January 17, 1922 This all-American actress is still going strong in the film and television industry. She is an American TV icon for Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Whether it's a ditsy dame or devious lady, Betty White sparkles in the spotlight, especially with her wicked sense of humor.
Her stint as host for Saturday Night Live endeared her even more to the public.
Most famous for:
Her hilarious portrayal of a crazy psychiatrist in Ally McBeal
Lovable but slightly loony Rose on Golden Girls
Desperate and deadly Sue Ann Nivens on the The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Gammy (the grandmother, Annie) in The Proposal
Here are some equally famous senior female celebrities:
Susan Sarandon: Born on October 4, 1946
Bette Midler: Born on December 1, 1945
Blythe Danner: Born on February 3, 1943
Barbara Streisand: Born on April 24, 1942
Vanessa Redgrave: Born on January 30, 1937
Julie Andrews: Born on October 1, 1935
Angela Lansbury: Born on October 16, 1925
Margaret Natalie Smith (Maggie Smith): Born on 28 December, 1934
Fionnula Flanagan: Born on 10 December, 1941
Julie Christie: Born on 14 April, 1940
Debra Winger: Born on May 16, 1955
Annette Bening: Born on May 29, 1958
Famous Old Celebrities - Men
Samuel L. Jackson
Born: December 21, 1948 The coolness quotient of any movie is judged by his presence. Alongside any other star, be it Bruce Willis in Die Hard 3 or John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson holds his own and most of the time, ends up stealing the whole show. His characters are amusingly foul-mouthed, street-wise with a wise Zen-like knowledge.
Most famous for:
"I don't like you because you're gonna get me killed!", from Die Hard 3
Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction
Nick Fury in The Avengers
Engineer 'Ray' in Jurassic Park
Robert De Niro
Born: August 17, 1943 An acting legend, from comedy to drama to sci-fi, you name it, he's done it. Plus he's a director, producer and restaurant owner and was the President of the Jury for the 64th Cannes Film Festival. The entire landscape of American cinema would be different without his classics like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull to name a few.
He's put the city of New York and Italy on any movie goer's map.
Most famous for:
"You talkin' to me?", angry anti-establishment Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver
"I've done a lot of bad things, Joey", from Raging Bull.
Al Pacino
Born: April 25, 1940 Without this Italian-American, there wouldn't be a Godfather Trilogy. There wouldn't be Scarface or Heat or Carlito's Way or Serpico. Following the Method school of acting, Al Pacino is an actor's actor. One minute he's a calm, steely force, the next he's a raging inferno.
Never the one to be pigeonholed, Al Pacino has played gangster, Shakespeare, the Devil, disabled, sportsman and cop. His bitter, dry rasp, expressive body language, his very screen presence, there aren't enough words to describe this man's talent.
Most famous for:
"It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business." - Michael Corleone in the Godfather
"Don't be sorry. How would you know? You've been watching MTV all your life." - Colonel Slade in Scent of a Woman
"Say hello to my little friend!" - Tony Montana from Scarface
Clint Eastwood
Born: May 31, 1930 They don't make em' as tough and macho as this lean machine of a man. The strong, silent type, steely glint in his eye, mouth in a permanent scowl, hat on firmly, gun at his belt, this is Clint Eastwood's signature style and act.
From rebellious, violent cops (Dirty Harry, The Enforcer) to the lone ranger cowboy (Pale Rider, Unforgiven), this octogenarian is also a director and producer with over 30 films under his belt. His directorial ventures (Mystic River, Invictus) have a classic 40s and 50's flair to them, with thoughtful and bittersweet storylines.
Most famous for:
"I'll blow a hole in your face then go inside and sleep like a baby.", bitter old war veteran in Gran Torino
"Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" the meanest cop in town, Dirty Harry
Western classics like Pale Rider, Unforgiven
The list of famous old celebrities of the male gender continues with each being a legend in his own right.
Sylvester Stallone: Born on July 6, 1946
Steve Martin: Born on August 14, 1945
Harrison Ford: Born on July 13, 1942
Sir Ian McKellen: Born on May 25, 1939
Dustin Hoffman: Born on August 8, 1937
Morgan Freeman: Born on June 1, 1937
Jack Nicholson: Born on April 22, 1937
Woody Allen: Born on December 1, 1935
Sir Michael Caine: Born on March 14, 1933
Robert Duvall: Born on January 5, 1931
Kirk Douglas: Born on December 9, 1916
Eli Wallach: Born on December 7, 1915
Richard Gere: Born on 31 August, 1949
Daniel Day-Lewis: Born on 29 April, 1957
Kevin Spacey: Born on July 26, 1959
Liam Neeson: Born on 7 June, 1952
Sean Penn: Born on August 17, 1960
Tom Hanks: Born on July 9, 1956
It's hard to adjust to your favorite celebrities growing old. Young angry Al Pacino striding about, yelling "Attica, Attica!" or Harrison Ford with trademark black hat and whip in the Indiana Jones series, some movie memories and screen legends are eternal!