Famous After 40
9 members
Hollywood chases youth. These nine put in decades of work before the right role found them, then hit so hard it felt inevitable. Patience isn't the story Hollywood tells, but sometimes it's the best one.
Members (9)
Samuel L. Jackson
77
Broke through at 45 with Pulp Fiction
Christoph Waltz
69
Won his first Oscar at 52
Bryan Cranston
70
Became Walter White at 52
Ke Huy Quan
54
Won his Oscar at 51, 39 years after his debut
Alan Rickman†
1946-2016
Got his first film role at 42 in Die Hard
Kathy Bates
77
Won Best Actress at 42 for Misery
Morgan Freeman
88
Didn't get famous until his 50s
Steve Carell
63
Became Michael Scott at 43
Melissa McCarthy
55
Broke through at 40 in Bridesmaids
Aftermath
Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor for Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2023, nearly 40 years after his acting debut.
Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz both starred in Django Unchained, the first time they shared a Tarantino film.
Bryan Cranston won the Tony Award for Best Actor for All the Way in 2014, playing Lyndon B. Johnson on Broadway.
Kathy Bates won an Emmy for American Horror Story: Coven in 2014, crediting Ryan Murphy with giving her a third act.
Melissa McCarthy earned a second Oscar nomination for Can You Ever Forgive Me? in 2019, this time for drama.