Back in the day when film making was basic, and acting was quirky, a generation of performers came into the industry, grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, and turned it into the behemoth of an industry it is today. These performers defined what is now known as the golden age of Hollywood. They churned out some of the first big blockbusters, created some of the most iconic films, and without them, we doubt Hollywood would be what it is today. Here we pay tribute to their achievements and find out what exactly they have been up to in their old days.
Max Baer Jr. - 82 Years Old - Retired But Still Doing Business
As an actor, Max Baer is best remembered for his role as the well-meaning Jethro Bodine in the ’60s series The Beverly Hillbillies. He was a crucial part of the show, acting in it for the entire nine-season run, before making a name for himself as an astute film businessman.
Baer made two successful films: the 1974 film Macon County Line, which made $25 million at the box office on a budget of $110, 000 and Ode To Billy Joel in 1976, which made $29.65 million off $1.1 million. He also bought the right to the Beverly Hillbillies brand and is building an empire on themed casino games and venues.
Dick Van Dyke – 94 Years Old - Still Active
Dick Van Dyk was a Radio announcer for the US Army during WWII, entertaining the troops in the continental US. He took these skills into mainstream radio before moving into Broadway and later TV. His TV claim to fame was his role in the self-titled The Dick Van Dyk Show.
The show won Van Dyk three Daytime Emmy’s for the leading actor while the series itself won four for Outstanding Comedy Series. He is also famous for his role in the 1964 adaptation of Mary Poppins, where his energetic performance was praised, but his cockney accent was slammed. Van Dyk had a role in the 2020 film Capture The Flag.
Tippi Hedren – 90 Years Old - Semi-Retired and Animal Activism
Starting in modeling, Tippi Hedren became one of Hollywood’s leading ladies after Alfred Hitchcock cast her in his acclaimed 1963 film The Birds. She won a Golden Globe for that role and went on to star in over 80 films, also earning a Jules Verne Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
She also starred in Charlie Chaplin’s final film called A Countess From Hong Kong and turned to animal right s activism after discovering the plight of lions while shooting the film Roar in Africa. Hedren started an NPO called the Roar Foundation, and in 2020 still looks after several lions with her granddaughter Dakota Jonhson.
Christopher Plummer – 90 Years Old - Still Active
Christopher Plummer is fondly remembered for playing the popular character Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. He has also won many accolades for roles in films like Waterloo and the Man That Would Be King, including Oscars, Emmy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. Plus, Plummer is the only Canadian to win the Triple Crown of Acting.
His career spans 40 years, and he became the oldest person to win an Oscar at 82 in 2011 for his role in the 2010 romantic comedy, Beginners. In 2018, Plummer became the oldest person to be nominated at 88 for playing J. Paul Getty in All the Money In The World.
Julie Andrews - 84 Years Old - Still Active
Dame Julie Andrews earned a DBE for her contribution to the arts and sciences. She was also known as Britain’s Youngest Prima Donna. Andrews was 13 when she made her West End debut, and 19 when she made her Broadway debut in the play The Boy Friend.
On Broadway, she played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and Queen Guinevere in Camelot. Andrews took Hollywood by storm, starring in Mary Poppins in the title role and winning the Oscar for Best Actress. She also did voice acting on Despicable Me 3 and is set to lend her voice to franchise again in Minions: The Rise Of Gru.
Barbara Walters - 90 Years Old - Retired
With a back catalog of jobs in a 64-year career that includes hosting Today, ABC Evening News, 20/20, and The View, Barbara Walters has earned the title as one of the most influential TV personalities in history. Walters continued to report for ABC news for 11 years after retiring.
Besides her work as an anchor, she also created a special called Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People, where she profiles ten prominent names in various fields. Above that, she is also a successful author with the best selling 2008 autobiography. Walters did her last on-air interview with the then-presidential candidate, Donald Trump, in 2015.
Sophia Loren – 85 Years Old - Still Active
More than just a beautiful woman, Sophia Loren has won several awards, including an Oscar for Best Actress in 1962 for the film Two Women, the first for a foreign language film. She started as a model, appearing at a beauty pageant at the age of 14. Loren began acting in 1950, eventually signing a lucrative contract with Paramount Pictures in 1956.
In her career, she would also win a Grammy Award, five Golden Globe Awards, and A BAFTA, among others, for her starring roles in films like The Pride and The Passion and It Started in Naples. Loren was cast in an upcoming movie called The Life Ahead.
Angela Lansbury – 94 Years Old - Still Active on Stage
Most people will recognize Angela Lansbury as writer and detective Jessica Fletcher in the mystery series, Murder She Wrote between 1984 and 1996. Lansbury is one of the last surviving members of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and has been nominated for two Oscars and also has a golden Globe Awards.
A prolific actress, she and her family fled to America during WWII in the ’40s to escape the Blitz in the UK. Both of her parents were actors, and she also followed in their footsteps. Some of her notable roles include 1963s The Manchurian Candidate and, more recently, in 2018s Mary Poppins Returns.
Kim Novak - 85 Years Old - Retired But Still Makes Appearances
While on a modeling tour for a refrigerator company in 1953, Kim Novak and a few friends decided to audition as movie extras during a stop in Chicago. During the audition, she was picked up by an agent and signed to a long term deal with Columbia Pictures.
The studio hoped that Novak would give them what Marilyn Monroe gave 20th Century Fox. What she gave them was a starring performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and several blockbuster performances alongside leading men such as Frank Sinatra and Kirk Douglas. Novak was honored with two Golden Globe Awards and a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. She retired in 1966.
Jerry Lee Lewis – 84 Years Old - Still Active
“Goodness gracious, great balls of fire” is probably one of the most iconic lyrics in rock n roll history. We can thank the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis for delivering it so astutely. Lewis isn’t a one-hit-wonder either, and his songs include Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On, Breathless, and High School Confidential.
His hits earned him several accolades, including a lifetime achievement Grammy Award and induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. The All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology box set was included in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. In 2019 Lewis suffered a stroke but recovered and only had to miss a few appearances.
Sidney Poitier – 93 Years Old - Retired
Sidney Poitier is more than an actor. He is a boundary-breaking pioneer who will go in the history books as the first African American to win an Oscar for Best Actor. Over and above this, he is currently the oldest living person to have won the award period.
While his role in Lillies In The Field won him the Oscar, he is also noted for his work on films like Porgy and Bess (1959) and The Defiant Ones (1958). Poitier is also an astute businessman and has also worked in politics, most prominently working as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan.
Loni Anderson - 75 Years Old - Still Active
After a small role in the 1966 film Nevada Smith opposite Steve McQueen, actress Loni Anderson went a decade without getting any acting roles. She slowly started getting small parts in shows like SWAT, Phyllis, and the popular show, Three’s Company. It wasn’t until 1978 that she got her big break.
That came on the show WKRP in Cincinnati, where she starred as receptionist Jennifer Marlowe. Her performances in the role earned her three Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy nominations. Anderson’s career fizzled out after the show was canceled. In 2020, she appeared in the TV series called My Sister Is So Gay in an episode titled Unsocial Distancing.
Ann-Margret – 79 Years Old - Still Active
Ann-Margret was billed as the female version of Elvis Presley. She also starred alongside the King of Rock 'n Roll in the critically acclaimed Viva Las Vegas. Margret also had roles in classic films like the Cincinnati Kid, Train Robbers, and Grumpy Old Men.
She wasn’t billed as the female Elvis for her acting ability. Margret has released more than ten studio albums, including a hugely successful 2001 gospel album called God Is Love: The Gospel Sessions. In 2019 she dabbled in voice acting with a role in the adult animated series Happy! and has been cast in the upcoming movie Welcome To Pine Grove.
Terry Kilburn - 93 Years Old - Retired
Terry Kilburn was a prolific child actor whose first role was at 11-years-old as the character Tiny Tim in the 1938 version of the holiday story, A Christmas Carol. He landed the role one year after moving to the united states from Britain.
In the space of two years, between 1938 and 1940, Kilburn had roles in nine films, including Lord Jeff, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes, and The Swiss Family Robinson. Kilburn retired from acting in 1969. He became the Artistic Director of the Meadow Brooke Theatre at Oakland University from 1970-1994, which does an annual rendition of A Christmas Carol.
Bob Barker — 96 Years Old - Retired
Bob Barker is a celebrated game show host and a face many watchers love, especially in his days as the host of the Price Is Right between 1972 to 2007. He also hosted the game show Truth Or Consequences and Simon Say. Barker also hosted the Miss USA pageant form 1967 to 1987, the longest stint as a host.
He is a proud animal rights activist and threatened to walk out on his hosting duties if they didn’t remove fur prizes from the 1987 Miss America. They refused, and he pulled out. Barker also has an organization called the DJ&T Foundation, named in honor of his wife, that provided some assistance for injured, hurt, and abandoned animals.
Elinor Donahue - 83 Years Old - Retired
Elinore Donahue is best known for her role as the eldest daughter Betty Anderson in the 1950s sitcom Father Knows Best. As an ABC actress, she also had several guest roles in a few of the network’s other sitcoms, including The Ray Bolger Show and the anthology series Crossroads.
Donahue continued doing small and guest roles in the ’60s and 70’s on shows like Dennis The Menace and The Odd Couple. She also had a three-season contract with the Andy Griffiths show, but she only starred in 12 episodes as Ellie Walker before asking to have her contract cut short. Donahue retired in 2011 to spend time with her husband, Lou Genevrino.
Bette Midler - 74 Years - Still Active
Bette Midler’s 50-plus year career can be traced back to off-Broadway plays and a stint singing at a gay bathhouse called the Continental Baths. Between then and now, she has won three Grammy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, three Emmy Awards, and, most recently, a Tony Award for her role in Hello Dolly.
Some of her hit songs include renditions of The Wind Beneath My Wings, Do You Want To Dance, and From A Distance. She made her acting her debut in a movie called The Rose, which also earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win. Midler is starring in the upcoming film The Glorias.
Jack Nicholson – 83 Years Old - Still Makes Appearances
Jack Nicholson called time on his 60-year career in 2013, after starring in his last film in 2010 called How Do You Know. He retired as the male with most Oscar nominations and one of only three men to win three Academy Awards Statuettes.
In his career, he was known to play outsiders but also held some iconic roles in films like a Few Good Men and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Nicholson is also renowned as the original love action Joker in the Batman films and played Jack Torrance in the cult classic film The Shining, in which he dropped the iconic, unscripted line, “Heeeere’s Johnny.”
Richard Chamberlain - 86 Years Old - Still Makes Appearances
Before Matt Damon made the character of Jason Bourne Hollywood-famous, it was played by Richard Chamberlain in the 1988 TV show The Bourne Identity. The role isn’t Chamberlain’s magnum opus, though.
The role that turned him into a teen idol was the one that he played in the ’60s medical drama, Dr. Kildare. It led to more roles in films like Shogun, Julius Caesar, and a version of The Three Musketeers and its subsequent sequels. Besides acting, Chamberlain also sang, releasing singles like All I Have To Do Is Dream and the theme song to Dr. Kildare.
Barbara Mandrell - 71 Years Old - Retired
The ’70s and ’80s was a booming period for country musician Barbara Mandrell. She released some of her best songs like Sleeping Single in a Double Bed, and I Was Country Before Country Was Cool. Mandrell also had her TV variety show at this time, which also made her famous and exposed her vocal ability.
Mandrell, who had been touring with the likes of Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash, later formed part of the family band called The Mandrell Family Band. She has won two Grammy’s and seven American Music Awards along with plenty of others. In 2018 Mandrell was inducted into the Music Hall Of Fame.
Connie Stevens - 82 Years Old - Still Making Appearances
In 2019, actress and icon Connie Stevens returned to acting after a three-year break from the industry. She needed a break since she had been working in the industry since the’50s. Stevens has been known to take time away from acting but was also one of the busiest actresses in the late ’50s and early ’60s.
In that period, she starred in films like Young And Dangerous, Eighteen And Anxious, Rock-A-Bye-Baby, and The Party Crashers. Besides acting, Stevens also has her line of cosmetic products. She also had a minor singing career with her highest-charting single called sixteen Reasons. Her last acting role was in the film Just Before I Go.
Barbi Benton - 70 Years Old - Retired In The ’80s
Barbi Benton came and went with a whirlwind career in the entertainment industry that lasted all of 16 years and included appearances in adult magazines and a popular TV show. During this busy period in her career in the ’70s, the actress, model, and singer gained notoriety for being regularly featured in Playboy Magazine.
She dated Hugh Hefner for several years and featured on the adult magazines cover four times. But she turns that into mainstream success and had a four-season run on the popular variety show Hee Haw while releasing several competent music albums. But after marrying real estate developer, Geroge Gradow, she retired to raise her family.
Linda Evans - 77 Years Old - Retired
Don’t let the white hair catch you. Linda Evans is not only beautiful and a picture of youth at 77, but she also has the powerful aura that made it possible for her to pull off her role as powerful and tough matriarch Krystle Carrington in Dynasty. She spent eight years in the part and even won a Golden Globe in 1981.
Evans also had a prominent role in the ’60s western TV series called The Big Valley, playing the role of daughter Audra Barkley. She subsequently went into semi-retirement after she left Dynasty, focusing on her fitness and health, also opening fitness centers across the US. Her focus on health goes hand in hand with her youthful looks.
Robert Fuller - 87 Years Old - Retired To Raise Horses
Robert Fuller used his deep raspy voice to good effect as the perfect western actor in shows like Laramie and Wagon Train in the 1960s. The actor also starred in several movies such as Teenage Thunder, The Hard Ride, and Incident At Phantom Hill.
Fuller also had a lead role in the medical drama Emergency as Dr. Kelly Bracket. By the start of the ’80s, he began doing less work, with a recurring role in Walker Texas Ranger, the only significant, consistent role he had in the ’90s. In 2001 Fuller retired from acting and is now a horse rancher in Mississippi.
Gene Hackman - 90 Years Old - Retired But Still Making Appearances
Despite studying journalism and television production, Gene Hackman and his friend Dustin Hoffman were both dubbed the least likely to succeed in the Pasadena Playhouse. Both of them were determined to prove them wrong. Hackman did just that and became a Hollywood heavyweight, winning two Oscars, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Bafta awards.
He earned these awards while starring in classics and blockbusters like Bonnie and Clyde, The French Connection, and the western Unforgiven. Hackman is also famous for playing Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor in the original Superman movie series. Since his retirement, he has focused on fishing, painting, and a new career as an author.
Norman Lloyd – 105 Years Old - Retired
Norman Lloyd is an actor and director who worked with the likes of Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock and was at one point friends with Charlie Chaplin. He has also worked across most factions of the industry, including radio, theatre, films, and television. Lloyd started his career in 1928 and earned his first significant acting role in the 1942 Alfred Hitchcock film Saboteur.
Then the Hollywood blacklist ended his acting career, but, while most other directors wouldn’t give Lloyd a gig, Hitchcock gave him a chance and even asked for his expertise as a producer and director on his series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. At 105, he most likely won’t be interested in any acting work.
Robert Englund- 73 Years Old - Still Active
Robert Englund would most probably answer you if you met him in public and called him Freddie instead of Robert. The actor became world-famous thanks to his portrayal of the iconic horror villain in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddie Kruger.
He’s played Kruger in eight films, including the collaboration with the Friday the 13th franchise called Freddie vs. Jason. Despite starring in other films such as The Mangler and 1989’s Phantom Of The Opera, most people still only recognize Englund for playing Freddie. Look out for him in the upcoming Harvest Moon film and the Puppet Horror Abruptio.
Linnea Quigley – 62 Years Old - Still Active
Linnea Quigley made a name for herself in the ’80s as an accomplished scream queen in B movies. These included horrors like Silent Night, Deadly Night, and The Return of the Living Dead. She repeatedly worked with directors David DeCoteau and Kevin Tenney, famous for their B movie horrors.
While Quigley was competent at her B movie roles and made good money, she decided to try different career directions. She tried out comedy in two films in the Vice Academy franchise but still kept being typecast. Besides acting, she also has three published works and is an active member of PETA, devoting most of her later years to animal welfare.
Alex Cord – 87 Years Old - Retired
Alex Cord is most famous for his role as Archangel in the cult classic TV show Airwolf, but if it weren’t for his dedicated parents, he wouldn’t have had a Hollywood career at all. Cord suffered from polio, which affected his spinal cord and left him partially paralyzed.
But his parent followed a doctor’s advice and got him to ride horses. The therapeutic exercise helped him recover entirely by the age of 16. Besides Airwolf, he also had small parts in Walker Texas Ranger, Murder She Wrote, and Jake And The Fat Man. Cord has retired and currently raises horses in Texas.
Richard Simmons - 72 Years Old - Semi-Retired
Known for his flamboyant personality and high energy workout videos, Richards Simmons is also the man who made Eddie Murphy’s Nutty Professor say, “Yes I can.” He also played himself on the soap opera General Hospital and later on campaigned for non-competitive physical education in schools.
Simmons also made appearances in TV series like Arrested Development and Whose Line Is It Anyway. He also frequently featured on late night shows like The Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show. Although Simmons took a back seat for a bit, he surfaced on YouTube during the Covid-19 lockdown with some videos to help people stay fit during the quarantine.
Cybill Shepherd – 70 Years Old - Still Making Movies
Cybil Shepard was an instant Hollywood hit after her first film, called The Last Picture Show and also starring Jeff Bridges, earned several Oscar nominations. Her performance won her a Golden Globe Award, and she just went from strength to strength.
Shepard would go on to star in the series Moonlight alongside Bruce Willis and also have her show called Cybill, both of which she would win Golden Globe Awards for. She also had more recent roles in shows like The L Word and Psych. Shepard is set to star in the 2020 film Love Is Love Is Love.
Morgan Fairchild - 70 Years Old - Still Willing To Act
Morgan Fairchild may be described as dainty, but she is also one of the hardest working actresses of her generation. Her main gig was soap operas, and she starred in plenty: from Search for Tomorrow to Dallas, Flamingo Road, and Paper Dolls.
Fairchild won a Golden Globe Award for her role in Flamingo Road and was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her guest appearance in the comedy show Murphy Brown. She would be nominated for the same award in her roles as Angelica Deveraux in Days Of Our Lives. Look out for her in the upcoming Spring Break ’83.
Ursula Andress – 83 Years Old - Retired
No matter what happens, Ursula Andress will go down in history as the first-ever Bond girl. She played Honey Ryder alongside Sean Connery in the iconic first Bond film, Dr. No. Andress was also a renowned model and starred in American, British, and Italian films.
After the Bond film shot her into stardom, she had another leading role in the movie She, which was followed up with a sequel the Vengeance of She. Andress also had a supporting role in the critically acclaimed What’s New Pussycat. She was last seen playing Madonna in a 2005 German film.
Terry Moore — 91 Years Old - Still Mildly Active
One of the last living stars of the golden age of Hollywood, Terry Moore was once nominated for an Oscar for her role in the American drama Come Back, Little Sheba. She started her career as a child model and later as an actress getting her first film exposure as an 11-year-old in the 1940 film Maryland.
Moore would have bit-part roles throughout her youth but later would earn some gravitas in films like Mighty Joe Young, The Great Rupert, and Two Of A Kind. Her work in film was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Look out for her in the upcoming American Superman.
Jackie Mason – 92 Years Old - Still Making Appearances
Jackie Mason is ranked at number 63 on the Comedy Central list of 100 greatest comedians of all time. This recognition is mostly due to the award-winning one-man show, The World According to Me that earned him an Emmy Award, Tony Award, an Ace Award, and A Grammy nomination.
He has at least six Broadway one-man shows to his name and won another two Emmy’s: one for a particular show called Jackie Mason On Broadway and another for voice acting he did on The Simpsons. He also won an Ace Award for Jackie Mason On Broadway and is still active on the circuit.
Arlene Dahl — 95 Years Old - Retired
Another one of the last surviving stars of the golden era of Hollywood, Arlene Dahl, is most likely more famous for two things: starring in the cult classic film Journey To The Center Of The Earth and as the mother of actor Lorenzo Lamas.
Dahl continued to have various roles throughout the ’50s and ’60s but turned her attention to business focusing primarily on the beauty industry. Her own company didn’t last long, but she did become vice-president at ad agency Kenyon and Eckhardt. In the ’80s, she would star in one of her longest-standing roles in Soap Opera One Life To Live; this was after she filed for bankruptcy.
John Astin – 90 Years Old - Retired
Although the late great Raul Julia is renowned for making the Role of Gomez Addams his own, the original blueprint was laid down by veteran legend John Astin. Astin played the character in the ’60s version of the TV show, which is where the iconic theme tune is also derived.
But Astin was more than an Addams. He also had a role in the 1961 West Side Story and the 1976 rendition of Freaky Friday. Astin was also married to actress Patty Duke for 13 years, and he became stepfather to her son Sean Astin, who is notable for playing the hobbit Samwise Gamgee in The Lord Of The Rings.
Robert Wagner - 90 Years Old - Still Active
Robert Wagner’s career has crested and troughed numerous times in his life. But his most prominent period in terms of career was between the late ’60s and Mid-’80s when he starred in Sitcoms like It Takes a Thief, Switch, and Hart to Hart. Before this, he had roles in films like Pink Panther and The Towering Inferno.
His next significant period was in the late ’90s and ’00s when he had a supporting role in the Austin Powers Series as number 2, and then a host of recurring roles on popular series. Some of these include Two and A Half Men and NCIS. Wagner even has a movie coming out in 2021 called Trail Blazers.
Janis Paige – 97 Years Old - Retired
Though she started as a singer at a Military club called the Hollywood Canteen, Janis Paige gained prominence as an actress. She initially starred in low budget musicals but gained prominence after leaving Hollywood for Broadway, and then returning after successful roles in The Pajama Game and Remains To Be Seen.
Paige returned to Hollywood and received much more respectable roles compared and starred alongside Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings and Doris Day in Please Don’t Eat The Daisies. She, however, couldn’t resist the allure of singing and acting in theatre, so she returned to Broadway 1963.
Clint Eastwood – 90 Years Old - Still Making Movies
If his movie roles are anything to go by, Clint Eastwood is one of the toughest guys in the world. From his role as The Man With No Name in the Dollar Trilogy to his roles as anti-hero cop Harry Calahan aka Dirty Harry, the man oozes a sense of toughness and straight talk that makes him intimidating.
It’s unclear if that tough exterior is so tough in person, but he has managed to produce the success he had on screen, behind the lens as well with his Oscar-winning films Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. His last work was on the film Richard Jewel, which picked up an Oscar nomination in 2020.
Glynis Johns — 95 Years Old - Retired
Glynis Johnson was such a creative mind that she created a character in a play called A Little Night Music. The character’s name was Desiree Armfeldt, and Johnson would play her so distinctly that she won a Tony Award for it. The singer and actress, born in South Africa while her musician parents were on tour there, is also noted for other roles.
Johnson played Winifred Banks in the 1964 Mary Poppins movie alongside Dick Van Dyk and was also nominated for an Oscar for her work on the 1960 film The Sundowners. After Olivia De Havilland passed away in 2020, Johnson became the oldest living Oscar nominee.
Jacqueline Bisset - 74 Years Old - Still Active
1968 was an excellent year for actress Jacqueline Bisset. She put in three stellar performances in three top movies named The Detective, Bullit, and The Sweet Ride. For the last one, she received a Golden Globe nomination for best newcomer. This respect led to more roles and another Golden Globe nomination, this time for her role in the 1984 film Under The Volcano.
Bisset would eventually break her Golden Globe duck 45-years after her fist nomination when she won a Best Supporting Actress Gong in 2013. Besides her brilliant acting talent, she is fluent in English, Italian, and French, and she is currently filming a movie called Birds Of Paradise.
Cara Williams — 95 Years Old - Retired
Cara Williams took Hollywood by storm in the ’50s, starring in films like The Great Diamond Robbery and The Defiant ones. Her role in the latter earned her an Oscar nomination, and she would also earn an Emmy nomination for her role as Gladys Porter in the popular if short-lived show Pete and Gladys.
But by 1978, she did her last film and opted to retire and become an interior decorator instead. She had a turbulent with two failed marriages; she did spend a large part of her life married to one man. That was to entrepreneur Asher Dan, with whom she stayed with from 1964 until he died in 2018.
Mildred Kornman — 95 Years Old - Retired
Mildred Kornman is probably best known because of her sister Mary. The elder Kornman was well known as the main character of the famous silent kids series. Mildred would often join her sister on episodes where crowds are needed, but she did eventually carve out her legacy in the industry.
She did this mostly as an adult and with a name change. Mildred worked under the pseudonym Ricky VanDusen and worked for various magazines, including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. But most of her roles were either small or uncredited, and she decided to retire and settle down with her family.
Bob Newhart – 91 Years Old - Still Making Appearances
If you’ve ever watched Big Bang Theory and wondered whether the show Professor Proton was real, then wonder no more. It wasn’t a real show, but the man who played him is a comedy legend. Bob Newhart was renowned for a deadpan style of comedy that brought him great success in the ’60s and ’70s.
He starred in shows like the Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart and another eponymous show called the Bob Newhart Show. Despite Professor Proton only being a character for the Big Bang Theory, it is a character that won Newhart his first Primetime Emmy Award in 2013. Newhart also has three Grammy Awards for comedy recordings.
Johnny Crawford - 74 Years Old - Retired
Johnny Crawford was a teen heartthrob before they were a big deal. By the age of 13, he was one of the original Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeers. Crawford had an Emmy Award nomination for his role in the successful Western TV show called The Rifleman.
By the time he was 23, Crawford could also boast a string of musical hits that include Cindy’s Birthday, Rumors, and Your Nose Is going To Grow. Essentially he was a teen heartthrob, but he slowly faded out of the limelight before resurfacing in 1992 as the leader of the band Vintage Dance Orchestra. In 2019 Crawford was reportedly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Ali MacGraw - 81 Years Old - Inactive But Still Willing to Act
Just two films into her career and Ali MacGraw had picked up two Golden Globe Awards and an Oscar nomination. During the late ’60s and early ’70s, her performance in the movie, Goodbye, Columbus, and Love Story, catapulted her onto the bigtime earning her starring roles opposite the likes of Steve McQueen and Kris Kristofferson.
By the ’80s, McGraw had moved into TV roles with the acclaimed TV mini-series The Winds Of War and the ’80s version of the soap opera Dynasty. Despite her early achievements, McGraw only starred in 11 films between 1969 and 1999. She still does the odd theatre production but focuses primarily on animal welfare.
Bo Derek – 63 Years Old - Semi-Retired
Bo Derek burst onto the scene in the late ’70s with a masterful performance in the romantic comedy, 10. She continued her starring roles through the ’80s in films like Ghosts Can’t Do It, Tarzan The Ape Man, and Bolero. Her then-husband, John Derek, directed them, and all were critical failures.
This started a run of critical and financial film failures, earning her two Golden Raspberry Awards. She was even nominated for the Worst Actress of the Century Golden Raspberry but lost out to Madonna. Bo is still a Wounded Veteran advocate and an active animal activist. In 2020, she was a guest on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.