These 12 Stars Didn't Hit It Big Until After 40 — And One Waited Until 62
12View galleryHollywood loves a young star. Every year, a new crop of twenty-somethings is crowned the next big thing, and it’s easy to believe that if you haven’t made it by 30, you never will.
These 12 people prove otherwise. Some spent decades in small roles, others worked ordinary jobs, and a few changed careers completely. All of them found fame after their 40th birthday. The last one on our list didn’t get his big break until he was 62.
1. Samuel L. Jackson: Famous at 45
Today he’s one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, but Samuel L. Jackson spent almost two decades in theater and small film parts. Things turned around after he got sober in the early 1990s.
His role as a man struggling with addiction in Jungle Fever (1991) earned him a special award at the Cannes Film Festival. Three years later, at 45, he played Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction. The role earned him an Oscar nomination and made him a star.
2. Steve Carell: Leading Man at 42
Steve Carell spent years in improv comedy at Chicago’s Second City and as a correspondent on The Daily Show. He stole scenes in Bruce Almighty, but he wasn’t a household name.
That changed in 2005, when he was 42. That year he became Michael Scott in NBC’s The Office and starred in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which he co-wrote. Both were hits, and a supporting actor became a leading man almost overnight.
3. Bryan Cranston: Breakthrough at 43, Legend in His 50s
For years, Bryan Cranston was the actor you recognized but couldn’t name. He was the dentist on Seinfeld and did countless guest spots. At 43 he landed Hal, the lovable dad on Malcolm in the Middle.
His defining role came even later. In 2008, at 51, he became chemistry teacher Walter White in Breaking Bad. The part won him four Emmy Awards for Lead Actor and made him one of the most respected actors in the world.
4. Vera Wang: Designer at 40
Before she designed a single dress, Vera Wang was a competitive figure skater. When she missed out on the 1968 U.S. Olympic team, she turned to fashion and spent about 17 years at Vogue, rising to senior fashion editor.
When she got engaged at 40, she couldn’t find a wedding dress she liked, so she designed her own. In 1990 she opened a bridal boutique in New York. Her name is now among the best known in bridal fashion.
5. Leslie Jones: SNL at 47
Leslie Jones did stand-up comedy for more than 25 years, playing clubs across the country while fame kept passing her by. Chris Rock was among the comedians who championed her.
In 2014, Saturday Night Live hired her, first as a writer and soon after as a cast member. She was 47, one of the oldest people ever to join the cast. She went on to star in Ghostbusters (2016) and earned several Emmy nominations.
6. Julia Child: Bestselling Author at 49
It’s hard to believe, but America’s most famous TV chef didn’t learn to cook until her late 30s. During World War II, Julia Child worked for the Office of Strategic Services, a forerunner of the CIA.
After moving to Paris with her husband, she enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu at 37. She was 49 when Mastering the Art of French Cooking came out in 1961. Two years later, The French Chef began airing on public TV, and she became a legend.
7. Jane Lynch: Star at 48
Jane Lynch built a long, steady career as a character actress. She was memorable in Christopher Guest comedies like Best in Show and in dozens of guest roles, but the spotlight usually went to someone else.
Then, in 2009, she was cast as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester in Glee. She was 48. The role won her an Emmy and a Golden Globe, and it opened doors to hosting and headline roles she’d waited decades for.
8. Martha Stewart: First Book at 41
Martha Stewart’s early career was a mix of jobs: she worked as a model and later as a stockbroker on Wall Street. In the 1970s she started a catering business from her home in Connecticut.
Her first book, Entertaining, came out in 1982, when she was 41. It was a hit and laid the foundation for a magazine, TV shows and a company that went public in 1999, making her a billionaire on paper.
9. Christoph Waltz: International Star at 52
The Austrian actor worked steadily for decades in German-language television and film, but audiences outside Europe had never heard of him.
That changed in 2009, when Quentin Tarantino cast him as Colonel Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. Waltz was 52. He won the Best Actor award at Cannes and an Oscar for the role, then won a second Oscar a few years later for Django Unchained.
10. Melissa McCarthy: Breakout at 40
Fans of Gilmore Girls knew Melissa McCarthy as the lovable chef Sookie, but for years she was mostly a supporting player.
In 2011, everything happened at once. At 40, she stole the show in the comedy Bridesmaids, which earned her an Oscar nomination. A few months later she won an Emmy for the sitcom Mike & Molly. She went on to headline a string of box-office hits.
11. Morgan Freeman: Oscar Nominee at 50
After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Morgan Freeman spent years on stage and in television. Many viewers first knew him from the children’s show The Electric Company in the 1970s.
His film breakthrough came with Street Smart, which earned him an Oscar nomination at 50. Driving Miss Daisy and The Shawshank Redemption followed. He finally won the Academy Award at 67 for Million Dollar Baby.
12. Colonel Sanders: Started Franchising at 62
Harland Sanders worked as a railroad fireman, sold insurance and ran a service station in Corbin, Kentucky, where he started serving fried chicken to travelers in the 1930s. When a new highway bypassed his restaurant in the 1950s, his business dried up.
Instead of retiring, he hit the road with his secret recipe. In 1952, at 62, he signed his first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. He sold the company in 1964 for $2 million, and his face is still on the bucket today.
It’s Never Too Late
Every person on this list heard “no” for years before they heard “yes.” They kept working, and their big moment came later than most people expect.
If you think your best years are behind you, remember Vera Wang designing her first gown at 40, and Colonel Sanders starting over at 62.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, cropped. Samuel L. Jackson: Daltoncitys (CC BY-SA 4.0). Steve Carell: Kevin Paul (CC BY 4.0). Bryan Cranston: PhilipRomano (CC BY-SA 4.0). Vera Wang: David Shankbone (CC BY 3.0). Leslie Jones: slgckgc (CC BY 2.0). Julia Child: Lynn Gilbert (CC BY-SA 4.0). Jane Lynch: Peterb1234 (CC BY-SA 4.0). Martha Stewart: Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0). Christoph Waltz: LucaFazPhoto (CC BY-SA 4.0). Melissa McCarthy: greg2600 (CC BY-SA 2.0). Morgan Freeman: U.S. Department of Defense (public domain). Colonel Sanders: Edgy01/Dan Lindsay (CC BY-SA 3.0).
