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« The "Original Song" Eligibility List. Hum Along | Main | Linkomaniac »
Monday
Dec162013

100 of the Oldest Living Screen Stars of Note

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Reader Comments (233)

I was about to say Silvia Pinal, who is Mexico's only living legend, but she was born 9/12/31. So she's too young for this.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterFernando Moss

This post is crazy impressive. And also sad, knowing some of the mystery has been removed from "who's next."

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterHayden W.

I thought of your list of oldest living Oscar nominees after the one-two punch of O'Toole and Fontaine. Plus Parker. I forgot that you did it on Luise Rainer's birthday every year. It's amazing that she'll be 104! The last of an era will be gone once she, de Havilland, and Rooney pass because there aren't really any stars left from way back in the 1930s.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterSean Troutman

Ellen Burstyn! And Max Schell won in the lead cat. What a starry roster!

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterbrookesboy

i didn't know Adam West was that old

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commentereduardo

Since the list doesn't seem to be exclusively for film stars I think Doris Roberts deserves to be there as well. But of course it's never been fully established whether she was born in 1925 or 1930.

Also you're probably going with 1932 for Sylvia Miles, which never felt right for me but apparently there's no evidence for 1923.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterhcu

Wow! that's a lot of talent. Amazing list.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterTucker

And adding to the list, just this past week, MANOEL DE OLIVEIRA turned 105 (!!!) years old.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJorge Rodrigues

I can't with Kirk Douglas because of the Natalie Wood story. Is that rumor true? I guess we won't know for sure until he passes.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterBia

Excellent list. But it says that Kirk Douglas was nominated for a best actress award. Maybe he changed gender to obtain that nomination!

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterPedro

Great listt! A couple of corrections: the Kirk Douglas entry says Best "Actress" and Maximilian Schell won for lead Actor in Judgment at Nuremberg, not supporting.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commentergwynn1984

Please consider Setsuko Hara, Yasujiro Ozu's muse, now 93, the Noriko in the Noriko trilogy (Late Spring, Early Summer and Tokyo Story).

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commentercal roth

Pedro & Gwynn -- lol. corrected.

Jorge -- that is incredible but this is an actors list

HCU --good catches.... but what's with those birthdates. damn actresses and the lying about ages? (sorry, anika noni rose, don't hate me)

December 16, 2013 | Registered CommenterNATHANIEL R

Something I've always found interesting is the longevity of the 1961 acting Oscar winners. They're all still alive: Maximilian Schell (83), Rita Moreno (82), George Chakiris (79), and Sophia Loren (79). Of course, it helps that they were all young when they won.

The next earliest date where all 4 acting winners are still alive is 1978.

By contrast, all 4 of the 1981 winners have been dead for some time now.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commentergwynn1984

Deanna Durbin, whom you mentioned in Mickey Rooney's paragraph, passed away in April of this year

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterLarsErik

Your short definitions are priceless!

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterPeggy Sue

Perennial sitcom guest star/singing nun/rapping grandma Ellen Albertini Dow, 95 (or 100 depending on whether you trust IMDB or Wikipedia more), is still going strong!

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterGraeme

Don't forget Gina Lollobrigida, co-star of Rock Hudson in Come September. She's 86.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commentercal roth

OMG, two French masters: Michel Bouquet, who just starred in France's Oscar submission, Renoir, is 88 (please see Claude Chabrol's Just Before Nightfall, awesome work); MIchel Piccolli, who starred We Have a Pope (wonderful in Chabrol's Wedding in Blood, star of several Buñuel movies including Belle de Jour) is 87.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commentercal roth

I believe Joan Leslie is still with us.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterross

Greek legend Irene Papas, starred in best picture nominees Zorba the Greek, Z, and The Guns of Navarone. She's 87.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commentercal roth

you forgot voice actress june foray. she may have not appeared in many films. but she is an icon in Hollywood. i believe she is now 96 years old. don't forget june foray !!

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterjohn michaud

And Gloria DeHaven, Ann Robinson (from The War Of the Worlds), Sir Donald Sinden (Mogambo).

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterross

Impressive. Felt good to realize I know almost all of them from at least one film or the other. Thanks for doing this.

Don Rickles. 5/8/26 Casino

Jerry Stiller 6/8/27 The Ritz, Hairspray

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterHenry

This is a great list - and a good indication of the sort of conservative elderly Academy members that tend to go for the Chocolat instead of the Brokeback Mountain.

I am assuming that they are members and that they do vote - or give someone else the ballot sheets.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterBette Streep

Considering how many actors we lost in the last week, this post almost feels like a "To Do" list for the Grim Reaper.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterAnne Marie

Why do I always feel so defensive towards Melanie Griffith? :/
What's the Luise Rainer - Hitchcock (2011) thing? I haven't seen that so I don't know. I don't like not knowing. My OCDness will make me watch the film now.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterAgent69

Lizabeth Scott is still with us at age 91; Wikipedia gives her birthday as 9/29/1922/

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterSamuel Wilson

Lupita Tovar, best known for the Spanish version of Dracula (1931) and mother of Susan Kohner and grandmother of the Weitz brothers is still alive. And she's only a few months younger than Luise Rainer. 7/27/10.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterFDot

Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl, red-haired Technicolor queens of the 50's, are still with us.
They celebrate their birthdays on consecutive days - August 10th and 11th. And Marta Eggerth, superstar of German musical films in the 30's ( later spotlighted in a couple of Judy Garland movies - For Me and my Gal and Presenting Lily Mars) is currently 101. I believe she lives in New York.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterKen

Luise Rainer is so close to 104!! That's so cool... Also i wonder how Olivia de havilland is taking the news of her sisters passing

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterdave

Former child actor Dickie Moore is still alive and married to Jane Powell. He was born in 1925.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJules

Michèle Morgan (b. 2/29/1920) is still alive at the age of 93. She starred in Port of Shadows and The Fallen Idol, among others.

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered Commenteroperanerd1986

You forgot Norman Lloyd, Nov. 8, 1914, Carl Reiner Mar. 20 1922, Sid Caesar Sept. 8 1922 and Diana Douglas Jan. 22, 1923

December 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJock

A few more humble suggestions:
- Machiko Kyo, star of Kenzi Mizoguchi's finest films as well as 'Rashomon'
- Karlheinz Böhm (aka Carl Bohm), star of 'Peeping Tom' as well as several Fassbinder films
- Liz Sheridan (arguably more of a TV actress)
- Bud Spencer, legend in his own right
- Morgana King, Godmother
- Burt Kwouk, Sellers' Cato

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMrW

Three more:
- Peter Sallis, voice of Gromit's Wallace
- Richard Attenborough
- Douglas Rain, voice of HAL 9000

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMrW

For the "Too Confusing" list, don't forget Cicely Tyson who the NY Times says was 88 when she won the Tony earlier this year!

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterEvan

Patrick Macnee '22
Stephen Hill '22
Tony Bennet '26
Ann B Davis '26
Richard Anderson '26
Charlotte Rae '26

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterHenry

Mary Carlisle (2/3/12): Active in Hollywood for about 20 years, from 1923-1943. Then she married and retired. She is the sole surviving WAMPAS Baby Star.

Mary Costa (4/5/30): Best known as the speaking and singing voice of Princess Aurora in Disney's "Sleeping Beauty." However, she was also in several other films, sang on radio and television programs, and had a successful career in opera. She was active in show business from 1948-2000, roughly. Now, as a Disney Legend Award recipient, she still does promotions for Disney and is a mentor for young singers.

Both of these fine ladies had rich, if not a bit underappreciated, careers in show business. And they are just the right ages for the list.

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterBrainey Baxter

June Lockhart (6/25/25) Lost in Space matriarch. I always thought she had the best stage name ever but it's her real name. How about that?

Don't forget Lassie and Petticoat Junction!

The Lockharts were/are a performing clan like the Barrymores and the Redgraves, less illustrious but likewise stretching over four generations.

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterPaul Outlaw

Thanks for the list Nathaniel!
And a thanks to everyone on the list for the contribution to cinema!

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJames T

Weird-I thought Ann Rutherford's passing meant there were only three cast members left from Gone with the Wind, but you're right: de Havilland, Alicia Rhett, Mary Anderson, and Mickey Kuhn. You learn something new every day...

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJohn T

Regarding Cicely, tax/census records and the NY Times show that she is 88 now. I guess she chose to be "younger" in Hollywood. She looks amazing if she is 79 or 88 though!

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterRyan

Your description of Emmanuelle Riva had me howling!

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterRami

Actress Julie Adams, born 10/17/1926, co-star of the "Creature From the Black Lagoon" (1954), scores of TV/Movie credits.

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJason

Not a famous name but actress Connie Sawyer, 101 just last month and with 133 credits on IMDB and still working!! with three credits this year, has been in films and TV since the 50's. Not a star but certainly of note.

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterjoel6

I would add Marsha Hunt to that list -- October 17, 1917!

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterKirk

I was going to mention Michele Morgan who won the Cannes Best Actress award for that movie where she was blind and it's based on a famous short story. Darn it, the name escapes me. And she was also in Cat & Mouse a fun French thriller from the 70s.

I'm gobsmacked that Louis Jourdan is still alive. Man I had a crush on him. I even saw him in middling piffle like The Swan and Can-Can (a definite Gigi knockoff).

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterDave in Alamitos Beach

The lovely and talented Barbara Rush (1/04/1927), star of "The Young Lions" (1957), "The Young Philadelphians" (1959), "Hombre" (1967), TV Batman Villaness (1968); Pretty Nancy Gates (2/01/1926), in two famous Frank Sinatra vehicles, "Suddenly" (1954) and "Some Came Running" (1958), Lupita Tovar (1/27/1910), Mexican actress in Spanish Dracula (1931), and Carla Laemmle (10/20/1909), perhaps the oldest on this list, coach passenger in "Dracula" (1931), neice of Universal Pictures founder Carl Laemmle, and still acting today!

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJimmy

I don't see Rose Marie on here. I believe she is 90.

December 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMichael
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