200 Oldest Living Screen Stars
Monday, May 8, 2023 at 9:00AM by Nathaniel R
Your assignment should you choose to accept it is this: Choose a few of these fine talents this year and investigate the riches of their filmographies while they're still walking the Earth. Here's the list...
200 OLDEST LIVING SCREEN STARS
Updated as of 07/02/23
100 years old
Micheline Presle in "The Assassin"
01 Micheline Presle (8/22/22) French star of the 40s. Briefly attempted Hollywood in the 50s. She acted into her early 90s. Some of her most famous films include Devil in the Flesh, A Chef in Love, and Les Miserables ('95 version). She received an Honorary César Award in 2004.
Janie Paige in "Silk Stockings"
02 Janis Paige (9/16/22)
This singing stage and screen actress made big impressions in Silk Stockings and Please Don't Eat the Daisies in the late 50s early 60s but her breakthrough stage role went to Doris Day on film (The Pajama Game). She later moved to TV soaps where she worked through the early 1990s.
03 Jacqueline White (11/23/22)
Actress of the 1940s for MGM and RKO. Credits include Crossfire, The Narrow Margin, Swing Shift Maisie
99 years old
04 Glynis Johns (10/5/23)
She's best remembered for beloved comedy hits like Mary Poppins (1964), The Court Jester (1956), and While You Were Sleeping (1995). She was also the star of two mermaid movies Miranda (1948) and Mad About Men (1954, pictured above) and received an Oscar nomination for The Sundowners (1960). Little discussed factoid: Stephen Sondheim wrote "Send in the Clowns" specifically for her voice during the development of the stage musical A Little Night Music. It went on to become his most famous song. We're disappointed that Oscar never jumped on giving her an Honorary prize. She turns 100 later this year!
98 years old
05 Priscilla Pointer (5/18/24) Mother of Amy Irving and frequent TV actress. In addition to playing mother to Amy Irving in the horror classic Carrie (it was her second film and Amy's first!) She also appeared in films like Nickelodeon, Mommie Dearest, and Blue Velvet and had recurring characters on two big 80s tv hits, LA Law and Dallas.
Eva Marie Saint in "North by Northwest"
06 Eva Marie Saint (7/4/24)
Star of Exodus and North by Northwest and an Oscar winner for On the Waterfront (1954) - which we covered for the 1954 Smackdown. She still works on rare occassions, playing Superman's mom in Superman Returns (2006) and also appearing in A Winter's Tale (2014).
07 Joyce Randolph (10/21/24) of The Honeymooners fame
97 years old
08 June Lockhart (6/25/25) This Tony winner and Emmy nominee was most famous for two TV matriarch roles on Lassie and Lost in Space. We always thought she had the best stage name ever but it's her real name. How about that? The bulk of her big screen career was in the 1940. You can see her in supporting roles in classic films too, like Meet Me In St Louis, Sergeant York, and All This and Heaven Too.
09 Lee Grant (10/31/25) Supporting Actress Oscar Winner for Shampoo and frankly lots more incredible in The Landlord (1970, which we've discussed). Other film roles include In The Heat of the Night (Globe nomination... and no Oscar nomination for that one is mystifying given its popularity), The Detective Story (Oscar & Globe nomination), Voyage of the Damned (Oscar & Globe nomination), and Valley of the Dolls. She's also a two-time Emmy winner. Have you read her memoirs?
Dick van Dyke still dancing in old age in Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
10 Dick Van Dyke (12/13/25) "it's a jolly holiday with you, Bert!" ♫ - Didn't you love that he tap-danced for Mary Poppins Returns in his 90s. Incredible. Other key works include The Dick Van Dyke Show, Diagnosis Murder, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Never a Dull Moment, and Mary Poppins.
11-50
96 years old
Mel Brooks (6/28/26) Writer/Director/Actor/Icon. Credits include Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, Spaceballs, Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, and many more. He still works!
Judith Magre (11/20/26) French actress with over 100 credits to her name. Elle, The Lovers, and more.
Barbara Rush (1/4/27) Peyton Place, It Came From Outer Space
Phyllis Coates (1/15/27) several TV series including The Adventures of Superman, Gunsmoke and Perry Mason
Lisa Lu in "Crazy Rich Asians"
Lisa Lu (1/19/27) of Joy Luck Club fame. Most recently seen in Crazy Rich Asians as Ah Ma. She'll be seen later this month in an episode of the Disney+ series American Born Chinese.
William Daniels (1/31/27)
A series regular on multiple hit shows like Boy Meets World, Grey's Anatomy and St Elsewhere (2 Emmys for Lead Actor in a Drama Series) but also some movies - like playing Dustin Hoffman's father in The Graduate.
95 years old
Rosemary Harris (9/19/27)
Oscar nominee for Tom and Viv (discussed at our 1994 Smackdown). Passed her fine acting talent genes down to daughter Jennifer Ehle. Lived long enough now to see "Aunt May," one of her signature roles, de-aged by 30 or so years via Marisa Tomei and then killed off!
Estelle Parsons (11/20/27)
Oscar Winner and 5 time Tony nominee. Credits include 60s classics Bonnie and Clyde, Rachel Rachel, and TV series like Roseann and Grace & Frankie.
Geneviève Page (12/13/27)
French actress. Belle de Jour, Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, El Cid, Aria, and Grand Prix.
Paul Dooley (2/22/28)
Instantly familiar character actor. Credits include Popeye, Curb Your Enthusiasm and famous dad roles in Breaking Away and 16 Candles.
Joss Ackland (02/29/28)
BAFTA nominated character actor with over 200 screen credits!
Yvette Furneaux with Anthony Perkins in "The Champaign Murders"
Yvonne Furneaux (5/11/28)
A French actress best known for Repulsion, The Mummy, and La Dolce Vita.
94 years old
Nancy Olson (7/14/28)
Supporting Actress Nominee from the immortal classic Sunset Blvd -- she is its last surviving cast member.
Ann Blyth (8/16/28)
Was slapped by AND slapped Joan Crawford (how many other people can claim that?) and was Supporting Actress nominated for her trouble in Mildred Pierce. Leading roles followed in the 1950s such as Kismet and The Helen Morgan Story.
George Maharis (9/1/28)
Star of Route 66 (Emmy nomination) in the 1960s after which he was a frequent guest star on many TV shows. Popped up on Fantasy Island a lot in particular!
Earl Holliman (9/11/28)
He's in movie classics Forbidden Planet, Giant, and several TV series too
Marion Ross (10/25/28)
Versatile tv/film star. Best known for Happy Days but also critically acclaimed for the short lived TV series Brooklyn Bridge and the Terms of Endearment sequel Evening Star.
Kathleen Hughes (11/14/28)
B movie actress of the 1950s. Her most recent credit of note was in Kevin Costner's Revenge (1990) as a nun
Terry Moore (1/7/29)
Storied Starlet, Best Supporting Actress Nominee for Come Back Little Sheba. Other famous pictures include Mighty Joe Young and the "flashy girl" whose heart is actually true in sudsy Peyton Place.
Michael Craig (01/27/29)
British/Canadian actor. Oscar nominated as a screenwriter (The Angry Silence, 1961) and BAFTA nominated as an actor Desert Patrol (1959). Other acting credits include Svengali, Upstairs Downstairs, Doctor in Love, Ride A Wild Pony.
James Hong with googly eyes in "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
James Hong (2/22/29)
Enduring character Actor of The Sand Pebbles, Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China and RIPD fame. Recently found renewed attention (and a SAG cast award) for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
93 years old
John Woodvine (7/21/29)
Credits including An American Werewolf in London and recently The Crown
Don Murray (with the late Marilyn Monroe) in "Bus Stop"
Don Murray (7/31/29)
Best remembered for the Marilyn Monroe classic Bus Stop (Oscar & BAFTA nominations). Also appeared in The Bachelor Party, Endless Love, Peggy Sue Got Married, and one of the Planet of the Apes pictures. He was a regular on Knots Landing as well as the resurrected season of Twin Peaks as "Bushnell Mullins"
Vera Miles in "The Wrong Man"
Vera Miles (8/23/29)
Beauty Queen (literally. "Miss Kansas") who became a Hitchcock favorite. Her most famous role is Lila Crane in Psycho. Also briefly married one of the screen Tarzans. Other film credits include The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.
Bob Newhart (9/5/29)
Famous comic of "The Bob Newhart Show"
Liselotte Pulver (10/11/29)
Swiss actress of 1950s cinema. Ich und Du, A Time to Love and a Time to Die, and Billy Wilder's One Two Three.,
Fernanda Montenegro (10/16/29)
This Brazilian powerhouse (basically the Meryl Streep of Brazil) was justly Oscar nominated for Central Station in the nineties and won an International Emmy for a TV film called Sweet Mother. She recently co-starred in the Brazilian Oscar submission The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmão (2019) which won Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
Joan Plowright in "Enchanted April"
Joan Plowright (10/28/29)
British Dame / Actress / Widow of Sir Laurence Olivier / Oscar nominee for Enchanted April (1991). Recently seen in that Tea with the Dames documentary.
June Squibb (11/6/29)
Oscar nominee for Nebraska the fourth oldest nominee ever in that category and her career has been booming ever since with multiple TV and film roles.
Betta St John (11/26/29)
Child actress of the 30s and 40s: Destry Rides Again, Jane Eyre, Dream Wife, Tarzan ad the Lost Safari
Mara Corday (1/3/30)
B movie actress Tarantula, The Black Scorpion, and the occasional Clint Eastwood film
Frances Sternhagen (1/13/30)
Two time Tony winner. Three Emmy nominees ("Bunny" on Sex & The City and "Esther" on Cheers) and film roles, too.
Tippi Hedren with Sean Connery in "Marnie"
Tippi Hedren (1/19/30)
Animal activist and actress whose most famous pictures were the Hitchcock double The Birds and Marnie. Mother of Melanie Griffith and grandmother of Dakota Johnson.
Gene Hackman (1/30/30)
Actor's Actor of multiple superb performances. Won Oscars for The French Connection and Unforgiven. Other classics include Postcards from the Edge, The Conversation, The Poseidon Adventure, The Royal Tenenbaums, Bonnie & Clyde. and Superman. Retired against everyone on earth's wishes. No one has been able to lure him back to the spotlight.
Robert Wagner (2/10/30)
Mr Natalie Wood of Hart to Hart TV fame. As a young actor he appeared in westerns like Broken Lance and Oscar bait pictures like With a Song in My Heart.
Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward in 1958 after the Oscars
Joanne Woodward (2/27/30)
Awesome Oscar winning Actress of Three Faces of Eve fame. Other famous films include: The Age of Innocence, Rachel Rachel, Mr and Mrs Bridge, and The Long Hot Summer. Widow of Paul Newman.
Taina Elg (03/09/30)
Finnish actress and dancer. Credits include Les Girls, Hercules in New York, and The 39 Steps ('59 version).
Mary Costa (4/5/30)
She's the singing voice of Disney's Sleeping Beauty among other accomplishments.
Clive Revill (04/18/30)
New Zealander actor. Avanti!, A Fine Madness, and a lot of voice work including the Emperor in Empire Strikes Back!
92 years old
Clint Eastwood (5/31/30)
Icon both in front of and behind the camera. Won Best Director for both Million Dollar Baby and Unforgiven. Up next is a film called Juror #2.
51-100
Gena Rowlands (6/19/30)
Actressexual™ Fixation, A Woman Exerting Much Influence. Received the very justly deserved Honorary Oscar in 2015. Classics include A Woman Under the Influence, Faces, and Gloria.
Philippe Leroy (10/15/30)
French Actor. La Femme Nikita, The Night Porter, and more
In September 2021 Lois Smith became the oldest Tony winning actor ever at 90 years of age.
Lois Smith (11/3/30)
Character Actress, Sookie's "Gran" on True Blood. Her credits stretch all the way back to East of Eden co-starring one James Dean. Star of Marjorie Prime (2017) on stage and on film. And she recently won the Tony for the epic gay play The Inheritance. Still working regularly with recent films including Mack & Rita and The French Dispatch.
Armin Muehller-Stahl (12/17/30)
Charactor Actor, Best Supporting Actor Shine nominee. Other notable films include Avalon, Eastern Promises, Veronika Voss, and German language Oscar-nominated films Angry Harvest, and Colonel Redl.
Robert Duvall (1/5/31)
Acting legend, Oscar and Emmy winner. Classics include: Tender Mercies, The Apostle, Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini, A Civil Action, Network, Rambling Rose, True Grit, M*A*S*H*, and The Godfather.
James Earl Jones in "Great White Hope"
James Earl Jones (1/17/31)
The Voice of... Darth Va-- well, everything really. Who has ever monetized their non-singing voice this well? No one. Still voice acting (Obi Wan Kenobi, The Lion King) and very occassionally regular acting (Coming 2 America). Oscar nominated as a boxer in The Great White Hope (1970) for which he had previously won a Tony. Lifetime honorary awards at the Tonys and the Oscars in the 2010s.
Mamie Van Doren (2/6/31)
Sex Symbol. Voyage to the Planet of the Prehistoric Women, Teachers Pet, Girls Town
Claire Bloom (2/15/31)
Emmy & Tony nominated Actress. Brideshead Revisited, Limelight, The King's Speech, and more
Dominic Chianese (2/24/31)
TV regular and movie irregular, Emmy nominee. The Sopranos, The Godfather Part II, All the Presidents Men, and more...
Hal Linden (3/20/31)
Barney Miller himself
William Shatner (3/22/31)
Captain Kirk
91 years old
Barbarie Barrie in "One Potato Two Potato"
Barbara Barrie (5/23/31)
The beloved Breaking Away (1978) mom is still not nearly beloved enough. She was perfect in everything basically. She even won Best Actress at Cannes for the interracial romance drama One Potato Two Potato -- very much ahead of its time in 1964. Though she's done several small parts since, her last major role was in the TV series Suddenly Susan. Still working occassionally!
Carrol Baker (5/28/31)
1950s movie regular: Baby Doll, Giant, The Big Country. Post 1950s films include Harlow, The Watcher in the Woods, Star 80, Ironweed. Retired from acting in the early 00s.
Virginia McKenna (6/7/31)
Infrequently working actress of Born Free fame. Other credits include A Town Like Alice and Sliding Doors
Marla Gibbs (6/14/31)
5 time Emmy nominee for classic sitcom The Jeffersons. Other credits: 227, El Camino
Leslie Caron (7/1/31)
Gigi herself. Two Oscar nominations, one on either side of Gigi (her biggest hit): Llli and The L Shaped Room.
Darryl Hickman (7/28/31)
He started off as a child actor in the 1930s and kept on acting through the 1990s! Credits include: Strange Love of Martha Ivers, The Tingler, Network, and many many TV guest spots.
Pat Heywood (08/01/31)
BAFTA nominated Scottish actress. Mostly British television but she played "Nurse" in Franco Zeffirelli's Oscar nominated classic Romeo and Juliet.
Marianne Koch (8/19/31)
Prolific spaghetti western German actress
Barbara Eden (8/23/31)
Who doesn't dream of her "Jeannie"?
Mitzi Gaynor (9/4/31)
Musical Star. Her most famous role was in South Pacific.
Silvia Pinal (09/12/31)
Mexican Legend of The Exterminating Angel, and Viridiana fame. Three Ariel awards in Mexico.
Barbara Bain (9/13/31)
Space 1999
Angie Dickinson (9/30/31)
Emmy nominated for Policewoman. Film hits include Rio Bravo, Oceans Eleven, and Dressed to Kill.
Rita Moreno & George Chakiris (both on this list) in "West Side Story"
Rita Moreno (12/11/31)
Trailblazer. Dancer. Dynamo. Oscar winner for West Side Story. Grammy winner for The Electric Company. Tony winner for The Ritz. Emmy winner for The Muppets. The third person to ever EGOT. SAG Lifetime Achievement Winner. She was recently ultra fabulous on the TV sitcom One Day at a Time and in Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story. Current movie: 80 For Brady.
Anne Heywood (12/11/31)
A former "Miss Great Britain" who made a run at film stardom in the 1960s
Dabney Coleman (1/3/32)
Ubiquitous 80s screen presence. Best known for his evil sexist boss in Nine to Five. Other films include: Tootsie, You've Got Mail, Melvin & Howard, War Games, On Golden Pond. Emmy win for Sworn to Silence (1987)
Bowie Woo Fung (1/18/32)
Hong Kong cinema regular with over 200 acting credits to his name and a career stretching from Men's Hearts (1953) to A Home With a View (2019). His most famous film internationally is the Jackie Chan vehicle Police Story (1985)
Piper Laurie (1/22/32)
Monster mom of Carrie fame. "They're all gonna laugh at you!". What a talent across all actors mediums. Her famous film roles include The Hustler (Oscar nom), Children of a Lesser God (Oscar nom), and on TV Emmy nominations for The Thorn Birds, Frasier, St Elsewhere, Twin Peaks , and a win for a miniseries Promise (1986). She's also done multiple plays.
Harriett Andersson (2/14/32)
Bergman regular (Cries and Whispers, Through a Glass Darkly and more), a lot of Swedish television. Her most recent feature was Von Trier's Dogville. She even co-starred in the infamous Jerry Lewis picture The Day the Clown Cried.
Joel Grey in "Cabaret"
Joel Grey (4/11/32) Impish talented Tony and Oscar winner who will forever be known as Cabaret's emcee. But he's had many other credits, too, onscreen. Remember when he played that demon on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? He still frequently works on stage as a performer and a director. He was Tony nominated for the latter for the acclaimed 2011 revival of The Normal Heart which led to a successful TV movie... albeit without Grey.
Elaine May (4/21/32) Part time actress, brilliant comic voice, Oscar nominated screenwriter, and weirdly maligned director. Won the Tony for Best Actress The Waverly Gallery (2019). Films as an actress include Small time Crooks, A New Leaf, Enter Laughing, and California Suite.
Anouk Aimee in "Model Shop"
Anouk Aimée (4/27/32) Legend. Auteur Muse. Oscar nominee (A Man and a Woman). Other classics include 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita, and Pret a Porter
Bruce Glover (5/2/32) Prolific character actor. Also gave the world Crispin Glover.
Phyllida Law (5/8/32) She gave the world Emma Thompson. A gift so great the world will always owe her. Also she is a very good actress.
Kenji Sahara (5/14/32) Godzilla franchise trouper/survivor and Rodan headliner (1956)
90 years
Marisa Pavan (6/19/32) Oscar nominee, The Rose Tattoo
Helga Liné (7/14/32) International actress, horror regular, model. Briefly joined the Almodóvar troupe in the mid 80s. She's in both Labyrinth of Passion and Law of Desire.
Colleen Miller (11/10/32) Westerns, noirs, and more though she left movies early for domestic life.
Mary Louise Wilson (11/12/32) You can see her in the Best Picture nominee Nebraska, on the small screen on Amazon's Mozart in the Jungle and on stage occassionally. So she's still working hard at that screen career that began in 1971's Klute !
Petula Clark (11/15/32) The songstress of "Downtown" fame was also an actress of screen stage and tv, most famously in Finian's Rainbow.
Ellen Burstyn in "Requiem for a Dream"
Ellen Burstyn (12/7/32) Regular nominee for both Oscars and Emmys and the star of MANY classics including Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Requiem for a Dream, and The Exorcist. When's her next great part coming? We feel like filmmakers are sleeping on this and time is a wastin'. A sequel to The Exorcist is on the way.
Tatsuya Nakadai (12/13/32) Major Japanese film star. Credits include Kurosawa films (Yojimbo, Ran, etcetera) and many more.
Inga Swenson (12/29/32) TV's Benson (Emmy nominee) and 1960s film regular in dramas (most famously in the Oscar winning version of The Miracle Worker and Advise and Consent)
Julieta Serrano in "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"
Julieta Serrano (1/2/33) an Almodóvar favorite (Matador, Tie Me Up Tie Me Down, and more). She is a three time Goya supporting actress nominee finally winning for her one scene (but it's a wonder) in Pain and Glory (2019).
Ann Firbank (1/9/33) Played "Mrs Callendar" in A Passage to India and has over 90 other credits, too
Chita Rivera (1/23/33) This Broadway icon was high kicking into her 70s on stage. Save for numerous Tony Broadcasts her film and TV credits are relatively slim but for cameos and brief guest stints but as a total legend she deserves a place here. There's even an award named after her (the Riveras are an annual award for Broadway dancers). She has a new memoir out!
Emily Banks (1/23/33) TV guest star on various shows of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Françoise Brion (1/29/33) French actress, primarily TV. Credits including Dangerous Liaisons (miniseries), Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud, and L'Immortelle
Geoffrey Fredrick (1/29/33) British actor (Lifeforce, Hell is a City)
101-200
Victor Rebengiuc (2/10/33) Romanian actor -- starred in two Oscar foreign language submissions Japanese Dog and Aferim!
Patrick Godfrey (2/13/33) British character actor of Merchant/Ivory fame. Also appeared in The Duchess, Ever After and many more.
Kim Novak
Kim Novak (2/13/33) 1950s movie star and sex symbol of Picnic, Vertigo, and Bell Book and Candle fame (among many many more)
Caroline Blakiston (2/13/33) British TV and the occasional film
Sheila Hancock (2/22/33) British actress of television and stage
Ziva Rodann (3/2/33) Israeli beauty who starred in multiple 1950 B movies. Also "Nefertiti" on the Batman TV series
Barbara Feldon (3/12/33) "Agent 99" on Get Smart
Michael Caine (3/14/33) Legendary two-time Oscar winner (Hannah and Her Sisters, Cider House Rules), British icon (Alfie, Educating Rita, Sleuth), and Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight, Tenet, Interstellar, The Prestige) obsession. Up next: The Great Escaper and Now You See Me 3.
Renée Taylor, (3/19/33) This actress and comedian was Oscar nominated for co-writing Love and Other Strangers in 1970
May Britt (3/22/33) Swedish beauty who worked regularly in the 1950s. She retired young after marrying Sammy Davis Jr
Shani Wallis in "Oliver!"
Shani Wallis (4/14/33) Oliver!'s singing prostitute with a heart of gold. We're still confused that she wasn't Oscar nominated for it given the role and Oscar's obsession with the movie itself.
Carol Burnett (4/26/33) Iconic legend of television comedy. Occasional movie actor, most notably in Annie and The Four Seasons.
Françoise Fabian (5/10/33) French actress. My Night at Maud's, Belle de Jour and more.
Siân Phillips (5/14/33) Livia in I Claudius
89 years old
Constance Towers (5/20/33) General Hospital
Joan Collins (5/23/33) The infamous "Alexis Carrington Colby" herself from Dynasty. Also numerous films
Brett Halsey (6/20/33) a busy actor of the late 50s and early 60s with credits stretching to 2015. Films include The Godfather Part III, Return to Peyton Place, Desire in the Dust
Bernie Kopell (6/21/33) 70s TV regular including The Love Boat
Lea Massari (6/30/33) Italian actress with long career including classics like L'Avventura and Murmur of the Heart
Robert Fuller (07/29/33) Oft employed actor of the 1960s and 1970s
Julie Newmar in "Serpent of the Nile"
Julie Newmar (8/16/33) Catwoman herself and one of those Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. There's even a movie that pays titular tribute to her statuesque beauty "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar"
Debra Paget (08/19/33) 1950s film actress The Ten Commandments, Broken Arrow, Love Me Tender and Les Miserables. Retired from acting in the 1960s
Tom Skeritt (8/25/33) Steel Magnolias, Alien, Cheers, Poison Ivy, A River Runs Through It, Picket Fences and many more
Pat Crowley (9/17/33) TV star of the 1950s and 1960s
David McCallum (9/19/33) A big star in his heyday as one of the two leads of The Man From UNCLE. Currently a longtime regular on NCIS
Kathleen Nolan (9/27/33) TV actress, Emmy nominated for the series The Real McCoys
Kathryn Grant (11/25/33) Beauty with some success on TV and film including Anatomy of a Murder, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Tsai Chin in "Lucky Grandma"
Tsai Chin (11/30/33) The Joy Luck Club, You Only Live Twice, Memoirs of a Geisha, Casino Royale, Shang Chi, and more. She's been working forever!
Nicholas Coster (12/1/33) All the President's Men, Santa Barbara, The Bay
Ana Ofelia Murguía (12/8/33) Mexican actress. Working since the late 1960s. Recently was the voice of Mama Coco in Pixar's Coco.
Bob Dishy (1/12/34) character actor of movies and TV
Tom Baker (1/20/34) British actor. Seven years as "Dr Who"
Audrey Dalton (1/21/34) Irish actress. Credits include Titanic, My Cousin Rachel, Separate Tables
Tina Louise (2/11/34) "Ginger" on Gilligan's Island
Annette Crosbie (2/12/34) British actress, BAFTA nominated for The Slipper and the Rose
Michael Fairman (2/25/34) Mulholland Dr, Thirteen Days, Cagney & Lacey
James Sikking (3/5/34) Emmy nominee Hill Street Blues
Joyce Van Patten (3/9/34) TV regular, sister of Dick
Shirley Jones (3/31/34) Oscar winner (Elmer Gantry) and three time Emmy nominee.
Richard Chamberlain in "Shogun"
Richard Chamberlain (3/31/34) TV icon, the star of "event" miniseries in the 80s like Shogun and The Thorn Birds. Movies include Joy in the Morning, Madwoman of Challiot, The Towering Inferno, King Solomon's Mines
Shirley Maclaine (4/24/34) Oscar winning legend. Terms of Endearment, The Apartment, In Her Shoes, The Children's Hour, Sweet Charity, and many more. Most recently seen on Only Murders in the Building.
88 years old
Nanette Newman (5/29/34) Stepford Wives, International Velvet and more.
Pat Boone (6/1/34) Famous singer though a regular big screen presence in the late 1950s through mid 60s
Millicent Martin (6/8/34) Grace & Frankie, Frasier, Days of Our Lives
Eileen Atkins in "The Hours"
Eileen Atkins (6/16/34) Underrated Dame. Gosford Park, Cold Comfort Farm, The Lost Language of Cranes, Cold Mountain, The Hours, and an Emmy winner for Cranford.
Bill Cobbs (6/16/34) TV regular. Occasional films, too
Jamie Farr (7/1/34) "Klinger" from MASH
Jean Marsh in "Willow"
Jean Marsh (7/1/34) Willow, Frenzy, The Changeling
Vernon Dobtcheff (8/14/34) The Spy Who Loved Me
George Chakiris (9/16/34) West Side Story (Oscar win), The Young Girls of Rochefort, White Christmas, White Christmas
Sophia Loren in "A Countess from Hong Kong"
Sophia Loren (9/20/34) Silver Screen Icon. Two Women, Yesterday Today and Tomorrow, El Cid, Nine, Marriage Italian Style, Desire Under the Elms, The Life Ahead
Brigitte Bardot (9/28/34) Legendary Gallic sex symbol. And God Created Woman, Contempt
Laurence Luckinbill (11/21/34) Cocktail, Boys in the Band, Star Trek V
Judith Roberts (11/30/34) You Were Never Really Here, Eraserhead
Dame Judi Dench (12/9/34) Late blooming Legend. Films include: Shakespeare in Love, Mrs Brown, Notes on a Scandal, and various Bond films.
Dame Maggie Smith (12/28/34) Enduring Star whose screen stardom stretches across six decades already. Four Emmys (Downton Abbey, My House in Umbria), Two Oscars (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, California Suite) and numerous other classics: Gosford Park, Harry Potter, The Pumpkin Eater, Death on the Nile, Clash of the Titans, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, Sister Act, A Room With a View. Two films on the way soon: Miracle Club and A German Life.
Russ Tamblyn as "Riff" the leader of The Jets in West Side Story (1961)
Russ Tamblyn (12/30/34) Oscar nominated and Globe winning actor. His classics include West Side Story, The Haunting, Peyton Place, Twin Peaks, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Samson and Delilah, and Tom Thumb.
Ghita Nørby (1/11/35) Four time Bødil winning Danish actress of Hamsun fame.
Christina Pickles (2/17/35) Friends (Ross & Monica's mom), The Wedding Singer, Masters of the Universe, Romeo + Juiet,
Nancy Kovack (3/11/35) Jason and the Argonauts, Mannix, and lots of TV guest spots including Batman, I Dream of Jeannie, and Star Trek
Leslie Parrish (3/18/35) For Love or Money, The Manchurian Candidate
M Emmet Walsh (3/23/35) Blood Simple, Bladerunner, The Jerk
Julian Glover as "Pycelle" on Game of Thrones
Julian Glover (3/27/35) The Empire Strikes Back, The Last Crusade, For Your Eyes Only, Game of Thrones. Recently genius in a small role in TÁR.
Lee Meriwether (4/27/35) Batman, All My Children, The Munsters Today, and more
Salome Jens (5/8/35) Seconds, and a ton of tv series include Superboy and Mary Hartmann Mary Hartmann
87 years old
Anne Reid (5/28/35) Years and Years, Hot Fuzz, The Mother, Last Tango in Halifax
Ruta Lee (5/30/35) Witness for the Prosecution, Funny Face, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Irma P Hall (6/3/35) The Ladykillers, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Donald Sutherland (7/17/35) Honorary Oscar winner Klute, Don't Look Now, JFK, The Hunger Games
Julie Andrews in her Oscar winning role of "Mary Poppins"
Julie Andrews (10/1/35) All time great. The definitive musical movie star of the 1960s. Classics include: Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Victor/Victoria, The Princess Diaries
Judy Parfitt (11/7/35) Dolores Claiborne, Call the Midwife, LIttle Dorritt
Alain Delon (11/8/35) French looker. Franco-Italian film classics include: Rocco and His Brothers, L'Eclisse, Is Paris Burning?, The Leopard, Le Samouraï, and of course he was the original onscreen avatar for Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley in Purple Noon.
Pippa Scott (11/10/35) Auntie Mame, The Searches, Petulia, and more...
Diane Ladd in "Enlightened"
Diane Ladd (11/29/35) Three time Oscar nominated actress (Wild at Heart, Rambling Rose, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore), three time Emmy nominee, and mother of Laura Dern.
Woody Allen (12/1/35) Perpetual writer/director and some time ago now the star of all of his own movies
Luz Marquez (12/12/35) Spanish star
Barbara Leigh-Hunt (12/14/35) British TV and stage regular. Infamously strangled in Hitchcock's Frenzy. Other films include Billy Elliott, and Vanity Fair.
William Bassett (12/28/35) The Towering Inferno, The Karate Kid, tv guest regular of the 70s and 80s, and voice actor for video games and Tv shows
Alan Alda (01/28/36) Six timeEmmy winner (M*A*S*H*, The West Wing) and 1 time Oscar nominee (The Aviator). Recently brilliant in Marriage Story (2019).
Joe Don Baker (02/12/36) Instantly recognizable character actor: Mars Attacks!, GoldenEye, Congo, Reality Bites, Cape Fear and many many many more
Joan O'Brien (02/14/36) Operation Petticoat, The Alamo, The Comancheros, and frequent TV gigs thereafter
Jim Brown and Raquel Welch (who we just lost) in a promo for "100 Rifles"
Jim Brown (02/17/36) Football superstar turned movie actor. Recently portrayed by Aldis Hodge in One Night in Miami.
Elizabeth MacRae (02/22/36) Big in the 1960s, particularly in television. Credits include Gomer Pyle, I Dream of Jeannie, The Virginian, The Conversation,
Sue Ane Langdon (03/8/36) frequent TV guest appearances including Perry Mason, and regular series gigs on Arnie (Golden Globe win), The Honeymooners, and Grandpa Goes to Washington.
Patty Maloney (03/17/36) Lots of TV guest work in the 70s and animated voice acting. Films include Twin Falls Idaho, Swing Shift, Under the Rainbow.
Ursula Andress in "She"
Ursula Andress (03/19/36) The original Bond Girl of Dr. No fame.
Jerry Lacy (03/27/36) Play it Again Sam, Dark Shadows
Norma Aleandro (05/02/36) Oscar nominated Argentinian legend of The Official Story fame.
Millie Perkins (05/12/36) The titular character in The Diary of Anne Frank when she was young. Other films include Wall Street, The Shooting, At Close Range
86 years old
Anthony Zerbe (05/20/36) The Omega Man, Licence to Kill, Matrix Reloaded, Cool Hand Luke
Louis Gossett Jr (05/27/36) Big in the 70s/80s! An Officer and a Gentleman (Oscar win), The Landlord, Travels with My Aunt, Enemy Mine, Roots, Jaws 3-D and lots of TV
Keir Dullea (05/30/36) 2001: A Space Odyssey, David and Lisa, De Sade
Bruce Dern (06/04/36) Enduring screen presence in films stretching from to now! Father to Laura Dern.
James Darren (06/08/36) Gidget, TJ Hooker, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, more...
Kris Kristofferson (06/22/36) Singer/actor. Big in the 1970s. A Star is Born, Heaven's Gate, Semi-Tough, Songwriter (Oscar nomination), Blade, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (BAFTA nod)
Richard Wilson (07/09/36) A Passage to India, Merlin, and lots of theater
Mark Goddard (07/24/36) 60s TV star. Lost in Space, Many Happy Returns, Johnny Ringo
Ruth Buzzi (07/24/36) Comic actress of Laugh-In fame
Anita Gillette (08/16/36) Moonstruck, and lots of TV guest spots
Robert Redford in "Jeremiah Johnson"
Robert Redford (08/18/36) Iconic heartthrob and part time Director. The "Sundance Kid"
TEN MORE
JUST OUTSIDE THE TOP 200
Charles Dierkop (9/11/36) The Sting, Butch Cassidy, Silent Night Deadly Night
Walter Koenig (09/14/36) "Chekov" in Star Trek
Lelia Goldoni (10/1/36) Shadows, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, lots of TV
Brian Blessed (10/9/36) Prince Vultan in 1980's Flash Gordon. Lots of animated voice work and British television.
Tony Lo Bianco in "The Honeymoon Killers"
Tony Lo Bianco (10/19/36) The Honeymoon Killers, The French Connection, Jesus of Nazareth. Currently he can be seen in the Ray Romano comedy Somewhere in Queens.
Jack Taylor (10/21/36) Film/TV in Spanish and English language films including The Vengeance of Doctor Mabuse, The Ninth Gate, Conan the Barbarian
Susan Kohner (11/11/36) Oscar nominee (Imitation of Life)
José Carlos Ruiz (11/17/36) 5 time Ariel winner in Mexico
Lucha Villa (11/30/36) Mexican singer / actress
Hector Elizondo in "Pretty Woman"
Hector Elizondo (12/22/36) Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries, Runaway Bride. Also does a lot of voice work on animated series. Emmy winner for Chicago Hope in the 1990s
STILL TOO YOUNG FOR THIS LIST:
British beauty Suzy Kendall (1/1/37), Oscar nominated Dyan Cannon (01/04/37) Bond Girl Shirley Eaton (01/12/37), major child star Margaret O' Brien (01/15/37), kaiju movie regular Kazuo Suzuki (01/18/37), child of Hollywood William Wellman Jr (01/20/37), and the legendary Vanessa Redgrave (01/30/37)...
They're only in their eighties!
1937 turning 86 this year... Jane Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, etc...
1938 turning 85 this year... Jon Voight, Terence Stamp, Derek Jacobi, etc...
1939 turning 84 this year... Sir Ian McKellen, Lily Tomlin, F Murray Abraham, etc...
1940 turning 83 this year... Al Pacino, Julie Christie, Patrick Stewart, etc...
1941 turning 82 this year... Ann-Margret, Nick Nolte, Faye Dunaway, Beau Bridges, etc...
1942 turning 81 this year... Harrison Ford, Barbra Streisand, Linda Evans, etc...
1943 turning 80 this year... Robert DeNiro, Valerie Perrine, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken, etc...
Reader Comments (21)
O Nathaniel! A Mildred Pierce rewatch is immediately warranted. Joan Crawford didn’t slap Ann Blyth.
Ann Blyth was 16 years old when she filmed the adaptation of James Cain’s Mildred Pierce. Joan Crawford wanted to play the successful business woman with a deeply troubled private life but was far down on the list of possible casting. Too proud to submit to a screen test, fading leading actress Crawford decided the best way to solve the problem was to ingratiate herself to a strong ingénue in the running for the role of the malicious, entitled daughter Veda Pierce. Crawford favored Blyth and offered to coach her. She even agreed to play Mildred in Blyth’s screen test which then creatively solved her own problem of not technically submitting to a screen test. The two were magic together on screen. Both were cast.
In her performance, Blyth embodies adolescent indignation. We can see her emotions of contempt and revulsion play across her face, though Mildred remains blind to what appears quite obvious. Veda’s petite body literally quivers with an anger she can scarcely contain. The infamous scene in the film is the violent confrontation between Veda and Mildred on the stairs. Mildred speaks harshly, and Veda responds by viciously slapping her mother. The two actresses rehearsed diligently. Blyth has remarked on several occasions that Crawford encouraged her to find her inner rage. According to Blyth, the almost tangible vehemence was authentic. Both women went home exhausted after shooting the famed sequence.
I have read Lee Grant's memoirs.
I saw the L-Shaped Room with Leslie Caron last week, and what a performance! While I found her charming in Lili, Gigi, and Fanny, she was phenomenal. She's on a few films on my list that have been on the backburner, so I'm excited to catch up with her. Looking forward to Le Divorce, Damage, Father Goose, and even the Last of the Blonde Bombshells.
I love Glenda Jackson, and mostly know her through her recent work on the American stage and her Oscar run (I even tracked down a VHS of her phenomenal Hedda a few years ago). But, outside of her Emmy/Oscar work, I'm not sure where to start with her!
I've always liked Glynis in the few films I've seen her in. I'm curious to see more of her leading roles.
Did Julie Newmar play Dorkus? Ha, Dorkus. You look at this list and it really does hit you, they don't make them like they use to.
I love this, thank you!
The juxtaposition of Dench (2 lines) and Smith (6 lines) right next to each other made me cackle, especially since Dench is 2 Oscar noms up on Smith. You must really lean into your favorites ;)
hmmm. James -- I disagree. I think any way you slice it Maggie Smith has the more impressive film career. She's been a movie presence in full force for six entire decades (since the early 60s) while Judi Dench only really began to be a 'movie star' in the late 90s.
Finbar -- ooh you're right *she* slapped Crawford. a dumb mistake on my part
Joe G - I recently watched The L-Shaped Room too and loved it! The supporting characters are great too! I love the scene where the woman shows Leslie Caron the picture of her ‘friend’ and we the audience can’t see it but we know it’s another woman. A great film with beautiful performances.
@ Nathaniel & Finbar
Crawford slaps Blyth earlier in the film when Veda shames Mildred with her waitress uniform. And she double-slaps her daughter, followed by the iconic "I'd rather have cut off my hand..."
Yeah, Maggie Smith had won two Oscars before Judi Dench had even appeared in more than 5 films and her film breakout in the UK came with a Room with a View while her US/International breakout came with Mrs Brown and Tomorrow Never dies in 1997 by which point Maggie had 5 of her six Oscar nominations.
Judi's the more acclaimed star these days, simply because she's more interested in working, does the press, the interviews and appears to enjoy the limelight more than Maggie but in terms of Screen stars of note - Maggie Smith wins this.
This is great, but I don't think June Lockhart has an Emmy.
Great list! And with the recent passings of so many wonderful older performers (Angela Lansbury, Raquel Welch, Stella Stevens etc.) when it seems all the old hands are leaving the stage a nice reminder that many are still with us.
Though I'm not too familiar with Jacqueline White I'm an admirer of both Micheline Presle and Janis Paige. I first saw Micheline in the terrific 1963 Paul Newman thriller "The Prize" where she is a highly amusing chic delight and over the years have seen about a dozen of her films (a small number I know of her impressive output) and she is always appealing.
It must have been a bit difficult for Janis Paige to lose the role she created in The Pajama Game to Doris Day since she headline Doris first film Romance on the High Seas but that's show biz I guess. A small irony then that a few years afterwards she swooped in and stole all her scenes in Please Don't Eat the Daisies starring Doris.
It's not too late Academy....give Glynis Johns that damn Honorary Oscar that she's deserved for years!!! What a delight she has always been on screen.
I'm SO glad to hear that Glenda Jackson is returning to the screen! She came out of retirement guns blazing on Broadway and TV but then COVID happened and I thought it might have derailed her comeback.
And of course Rita Moreno is a force of nature!!
I love this list. I may be mistaken, but didn't Darrell Hickman have a twin brother named Dwayne? They co-starred in a mid-60's TV show called (I think) The Lieutenant. Swoon for both!!!
I know that the definition of film star is subjective, but Joss Ackland (The Hunt for Red October, White Mischief, Lethal Weapon 2, The Pet shop Boys Always on my Mind music video) is still with us at 95 (DOB 29/02/1928). Admittedly his career is very much that of a character actor with a lot of TV, so I don't know if he makes you're criteria. If he does should be way up near the top of the list.
I guess Tony Bennett didn't qualify, because he mostly acts himself in movies and tv-series and specials? Although he too is Emmy-winner, which kind of makes him a "screen star" too, n'est pas?
Vanessa Redgrave is also 86 this year (01/30/1937).
Norma Aleandro (Oscar nominee and the Meryl Streep of Argentina) was born 7/2/1936.
MARCOS & BJT -- thanks for those catches. worthy additions!
I would like to bring attention to the marvelous Judith Magre, born in 1926. She played Isabelle Huppert's mother in Elle.
Also the Hong Kong film veteran Bowie Woo Fung, who just turned 91 and received the lifetime achievement award at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
I remember when Julie Andrews was considered too young to even be considered for the list. While I do mourn those who have passed and are no longer on this page, I am grateful this list is still continuing year after year. Paying tribute to legends and those who are immortalized on screen is wonderful and if anything hopefully will turn a curious few into new fans.
Hi Nathaniel,
Thanks for adding in Joss Ackland. Feeling emboldened I’ve been doing a bit of research so here are a few more for your consideration:
Geneviève Page – DOB December 13, 1927. Credits: Belle de Jour, El Cid, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, Grand Prix
Michael Craig – DOB January 27, 1929. Credits: Sea of Sand, Mysterious Island, The Vault of Horror, Appointment with Death
Liselotte Pulver – DOB October 11, 1929. Credits: A Global Affair, One Two Three, A Time to Love and a Time to Die, The Nun
Taina Elg – DOB March 09, 1930. Credits: Les Girls, The Mirror has Two Faces, Hercules in New York, Kummelin Jackpot
Clive Revill – DOB April 18, 1930. Credits: Avanti!, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, The Transformers: The Movie, The Legend of Hell House
Pat Heywood – DOB August 01, 1931. Credits: Romeo and Juliet, Battle of Britain, 10 Rillington Place, Goodbye Mr Chips
Françoise Fabian – DOB May 10, 1933. Credits: My Night at Maud’s, Belle de Jour, What’s in a Name, 5x2
Ghita Nørby – DOB January 11, 1935. Credits: Freud Leaving Home, Babette’s Feast, Toscana, Help! I’m a Fish
Irma P. Hall – DOB June 03, 1935. Credits: A Family Thing, Collateral, Patch Adams, The Ladykillers