An incredibly competitive business, at any given time there are loads of people out there who are trying hard to find their big break in the acting world. Due to that fact, even the people who’ve managed to become stars tend to feel a lot of pressure to stay on top of their game, both in terms of their acting chops and looks.
Considering the acting industry has some of the most attractive people in the world in positions of power, it should come as no surprise that many performers of both genders age insanely well. That said, even among that group, there are some female actors who have managed to stand out because of how amazing it is that they look amazing year after year. With that in mind, it is time to look at this list of 20 celebrity women who are defying age.
In order for someone to be considered for possible inclusion on this list, they first and foremost need to be someone that turned fifty years old by the time the year 2018 began. Next, they need to be well-known as an actor to at least a sizeable group of people. For the purposes of this list, however, it doesn’t matter what medium they were a part of when they did the work that earned them a fan base. As such, you may find people that audiences most associate with acting in movies or television shows included here.
20 Melora Hardin Has Been Around Long Before "The Office"
An actor that has worked since the mid-'70s, Melora Hardin is someone that a lot of viewers recognize even if they are not quite sure where they know her from. Probably best known for her recurring on The Office, over several seasons of that popular sitcom she played Jan Levison, the on again off again boss and girlfriend of Michael Scott. Currently one of the stars of a Freeform original series called The Bold Type, it seems certain that she will continue to pop up in TV shows and movies for many years to come. As gorgeous as ever, Melora is 51 years old at the time of this writing and if anything she looks more vibrant today than she did a decade ago.
19 Mariska Hargitay Is An OG
From one TV actor to another, this time around we are looking look at the star of a long-running and popular police procedural show. Cast as series lead Olivia Benson from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska has been playing that character ever since the series debuted all the way back in 1999. While playing a beloved character for nearly 20 years is a gigantic achievement, she has also made her mark on a long list of other shows including the likes of ER, Falcon Crest, and several others. The type of person that everyone stares at when she walks into a room, at 54 years old Mariska looks a lot like the way she did when Law & Order: Special Victims Unit first began airing.
18 Jamie Lee Curtis Has Branched Out
Someone that helped define what it means to be a scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis made her movie debut as the star of one of the best horror films of all-time, Halloween. Continuing to work in that genre for several years after that, she was fantastic as a horror movie mainstay, but she went on to prove she was capable of so much more. After all, she would star in a slew of classic comedies like Trading Places, family movies like My Girl, and several other beloved movies. Someone that seems to have remained true to herself throughout her career and life, at 59 years old, Jamie exudes absolute confidence in herself which helps her to look as stunning as ever.
17 Lisa Bonet Looks More Youthful Than Most
One of the most outspoken people in the acting business from a young age, back when Lisa Bonet was the star of one of the most popular sitcoms in the world she became a controversial figure. Unwilling to take the route of least resistance, unfortunately, it seems like her unwillingness to play the game has hindered her career. A true shame since more often than not she creates nuanced characters with a real depth to them when she takes on a role, hopefully, she will get the respect she deserves sometime soon. Someone who has only refined her look more and more throughout her life, at 50 years old, Bonet looks more youthful than many people who are decades younger than her.
16 Michelle Pfeiffer Will Always Be A Blonde Bombshell
A major part of several films that have passed the test of time, Michelle Pfeiffer’s career is the envy of almost everyone not named Meryl Streep. For instance, any actor worth their salt would be overjoyed to have appeared in films like Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Batman Returns, and I Am Sam. On top of that, in recent years she has managed to have a career resurgence due to appearing in movies like The Wizard of Lies as well as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Digitally de-aged in scenes from the latter of those two films, that must have been easier than it would be with other actors since Michelle looks so young even though she is 60 years old.
15 Helen Mirren Is Always Classy
The oldest person to appear on this list by a single year, it is simply amazing to think about the fact that Helen Mirren made her movie debut all the way back in 1966. Still working consistently decades later, if we attempted to list her stand out films here that would be a fool’s errand since it would take up so much space.
Suffice to say, years after she became one of the most respected English actors in the world, Mirren has continues to surprise people with the fascinating roles she continues to take on.
Such a beautiful woman, it almost seems impossible to believe, at 73 years old Helen looks as good as she does.
14 Gina Gershon Is Quite A Beauty
The kind of actor that has spent the majority of her career bubbling under the surface of celebrity, Gina Gershon has had a pivotal role in the success of a long list of memorable movies. More often than not cast as women with an edge to them, there is something about her that makes it seem like it would be a huge mistake to trifle with her. Best known for movies like Cocktail, Showgirls, Bound, Face/Off, The Insider, and several others, she assured her place in film history a very long time ago. Also associated with the hit show Riverdale recently, that has revived her career, but even as she was on a professional downturn, her looks remained as impressive as ever.
13 Susan Sarandon Continues To Light Up The Room
An academy award winning actor whose mantlepiece is stuffed to the gill with loads of other trophies, if there is an accolade in her business that Susan Sarandon hasn’t won it seems hard to believe. If that weren’t enough, she also managed to turn herself into a star due to movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bull Durham, Thelma & Louise, The Client, and Stepmom. Making more of an impact on TV than anywhere else these days, her turn in Feud: Bette and Joan got people talking about her and Hollywood history again. Someone that barely seems to age a day, at 72 years old, Susan continues to light up the red carpet whenever she steps on it.
12 Julianne Moore Is Extremely Diverse
From one of the most famous Hollywood redheads to another, it could easily be argued that Julianne Moore’s career has an awful lot in common with Susan Sarandon’s.
Also incredibly respected for her acting chops by her peers, Moore has given one acclaimed performance after another, sometimes in films that are incredibly challenging.
Also no slouch in the world of big-budget filmmaking, she played an important role in movies like The Hunger Games series, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Kingsman: the Golden Circle. Every bit as stunning as she was when she first took the acting world by storm, at 57 years old Julianne shows no signs of slowing down either in her career or obvious beauty.
11 Rene Russo Continues To Amaze Us
Someone whose career is pretty baffling in some ways, for some reason Rene Russo has never quite seemed to get the respect that she so obviously deserves. Absolutely fantastic in the 2014 thriller Nightcrawler, if that alone wasn’t enough to make her one of the most in-demand actors of her generation nothing will. Thankfully, if you want to see Rene in action, she has appeared in several beloved movies including the Thor and Lethal Weapon franchises, Major League, Ransom, and In the Line of Fire. The kind of person that easily could have made a living as a model, at 64 years old, she continues to look superb whenever she struts her stuff on the red carpet.
10 Monica Bellucci Is An International Beauty
An international superstar, Monica Bellucci has managed to become a big part of several North American movies that made a mint at the box office. For instance, she played an important role in The Passion of the Christ which is one of the most successful independent movies of all-time and she also is a Bond girl and part of the Matrix trilogy.
In addition to that, in her homeland of Italy, she has remained near the top of the acting world for years on end and several of her films have now seen as almost being mandatory viewing.
Easily one of the most beautiful women in the world to this day, at 54 years old Monica still turns heads everywhere she goes.
9 Demi Moore Looks The Same After All These Years
No longer the star she once was, over the majority of the 2010s Demi Moore has appeared in only a single film per year. For that reason, it is far too easy to forget that at one time she was such a big star that she was paid more to appear in a film than any other actress had been before her. The star of movies like Ghost, Indecent Proposal, Disclosure, and G.I. Jane, at the height of her career she was in the running for all of the most in-demand roles for leading ladies. Clearly someone that works hard to stay physically fit, at 55 years old, Demi looks like her workouts would put just about all of her peer’s routines to shame.
8 Lea Thompson Looks Like She Travelled In Time
These days, someone that only appears in mainstream movies if she takes on a minor role, in the past Lea Thompson made her mark in movies like Red Dawn, Some Kind of Wonderful, and Howard the Duck. From there, she made the transition to the television world when she played Caroline in the City’s titular character from 1995 until 1999. Of course, if you know anything about Lea’s career it likely is this — she will go down in history as the person that played Marty’s mom in the Back to the Future trilogy. Still sporting the red hair that helped make her a star, at 57, Lea continues to look like one of the loveliest people to ever make a living as an actor.
7 Carrie-Anne Moss Is Underrated
From one actor whose career is best known for starring in a trilogy to another, in this case, it is time to look at someone from the Matrix franchise. Briefly turned into a movie star due to the immense success of those films, as Trinity she made audiences root for her love story while also believing she could kick the butt of almost anyone on screen.
Unfortunately, her career has never reached those heights again even though she was part of some stellar movies like Memento and plays a recurring role in the MCU Netflix shows.
Perfectly cast in Jessica Jones as a lawyer that rules over her profession, at 51 Carrie-Anne hasn’t missed a step and continues to light up the screen.
6 Marisa Tomei Will Always Hold A Place In Heart
The focus of one of Hollywood’s longest-running urban legends, somehow a false rumor about Marisa Tomei mistakenly getting an Oscar she didn’t win defined her reputation for many years. That is simply awful since there is no truth to that myth and she is a supremely talented actor who was astonishingly good as a part of In the Bedroom and The Wrestler.
Finally given the respect she deserves in recent years, now that she plays Aunt May in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she is a part of the highest grossing film franchise in history.
Someone currently that looks like she would be right at home on a walkway, at 53, Marisa truly does look better than ever, which is really saying something.
5 Halle Berry Is One Of Hollywood's Most Beautiful Women
Someone with a fascinating career, throughout the majority of her time in the spotlight Halle Berry has been known for her work in mainstream movies and blockbusters. For instance, she first rose to fame after appearing in films like The Last Boy Scout and Boomerang before she went on to appear in major movies like the X-Men series as well as Die Another Day.
Despite all of that, she also is an Oscar winner because she gave a once-in-a-lifetime performance in the difficult-to-watch,, but compelling film Monster’s Ball.
While it is too bad that she has never been given another character of that caliber to play, she continues to have an important place in Hollywood and be a dazzling beauty.
4 Julia Roberts Will Always Be America's Sweetheart
Referred to as America’s sweetheart throughout most of her career, a title like that could have been hyperbole but in the case of Julia Roberts that is an accurate description. One of the most bankable movie stars of all-time, her work in movies like Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, and other romantic comedies stole the hearts of millions. Blessed with one of the best laughs in Hollywood history, she also hasn’t been overly reliant on that as she was great in dramatic movies including Erin Brockovich, Closer, and August: Osage County. Possessing one of the best smiles we’ve ever seen, at 50 years old, her grin is still delightful and that is to say nothing about how magnificent her looks are otherwise.
3 Sandra Bullock Continues To Shine
Someone that has pulled off arguably the hardest trick in the world of celebrity, Sandra Bullock has earned respect from pretty much everyone and has remained popular for years on end. Turned into a big deal after she stole attention in every scene from Speed she appeared in, since then she starred in other hit films like Miss Congeniality, The Lake House, and The Heat.
On top of that, she also received international acclaim for her work in films like Crash, The Blind Side, and Gravity among others.
A master of all sides of being a star in the movie industry, she is a true pro whose looks stand out pretty much wherever she goes at 54 years old.
2 Elizabeth Hurley Is Still A Beauty
A former model and actor that has been employed for decades, despite that, Elizabeth Hurley first became famous for one thing, she is an insanely attractive woman. After all, she became an absolute sensation after the world first got to see her on a red carpet with her then-boyfriend Hugh Grant.
Thankfully, once she began appearing in mainstream movies and viewers got to see her in Austin Powers, Bedazzled, and The Royals, her acting skills were also worthy of appreciation.
Still, all of these years later at 53 years old, if she became completely anonymous and seen on a red carpet we could totally see people taking note of her, in the same way, all over again.
1 Angela Bassett Blows Us Away
One of the best actors of her generation, let alone of all-time, every time the world makes the mistake of forgetting how talented Angela Bassett is, she blows us all away again. Best remembered for movies like Malcolm X, What's Love Got to Do With It, Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and The Rosa Parks Story, she deserves all the respect in the world. Brought back into the forefront after starring in the critical and box office smash Black Panther, hopefully, producers line up to offer her the meaty roles she deserves. Someone who seems physically incapable of aging like the rest of us, at 60 years old it is hard to see a single blemish on Angela’s practically perfect face.
References: refinery29.com, mentalfloss.com
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