Ageism is rampant in Hollywood — and in just about every industry — and more often than not, it is women who suffer the most. Male actors have long been held to a different standard than actresses. They land roles as love interests and action heroes well into their 70s. Meanwhile movies and TV shows with leading women older than 40 are few and far between.
Related story These Celebrity Moms Put Their Hollywood Careers on Hold to Stay Home With Their KidsThe result? Absurd casting decisions like having Nicole Kidman play the mom of 12-years-her-junior Jason Momoa in Aquaman, and an ever-growing group of actresses over 50 who are bursting with talent and don’t have the opportunities they deserve available to them.
In the past few years, though, we’ve seen some of these women taking back the reins, launching production companies or transitioning into directing and teaming up with other women in the industry. And even more female stars are speaking out about the ludicrous treatment of women over 50. Take Meryl Streep, for example, when explaining why she took on the role of a witch in Into The Woods, she made sure to point out that too many women her age are forced into similar roles due to a lack of options.
Related story These Celebrity Moms Put Their Hollywood Careers on Hold to Stay Home With Their Kids
“I was offered three witches [roles] when I turned 40 – in one year,” she told ABC News in 2014. “And I thought: ‘Oh, this is how it’s gonna go?’ … At this point in my career, I think, I really think hard about: ‘What am I putting into the world with each project?'”
Now, there are more actresses than ever who are over 50 and at the absolute top of their game, from Jennifer Lopez to Robin Wright, Laura Dern, Kelly Ripa, and so many more.
In fact, when we think about the biggest leading lady stars today, it feels like most of our heavy hitters are in the 50-and-over club — which, by the way, makes perfect sense. After decades honing their craft in the industry, why wouldn’t they be more talented than ever before, more confident and more attuned to the camera? Why on earth have we been sidelining these women who not only have the lived experience to tell more complex stories, but the wherewithal to handle the pressures of such media attention?
The truth is, those in power in film and TV are only now beginning to recognize the immense star power these actresses hold — and that’s important news for every viewer, actor, or producer out there. These actresses are living proof that age ain’t nothing but a number and talent rises to the top, so read on for our favorite stars over 50 who are taking back the industry.
A version of this story was originally published in 2020.
Annette Bening
Annette Bening is a 5-time Oscar nominee with her most recent nod coming in 2024 for her role in Nyad. She has also received Golden Globes for roles in Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right. She is also one half of one of Hollywood’s longest-lasting couples due to her 32 years-long marriage to Warren Beatty.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
The Color Purple star Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor never ceases to out do herself. She became a first-time Oscar nominee in 2022 after her role in King Richard, she is also a two-time Emmy nominee for roles in When They See Us and Lovecraft Country.
Cynthia Nixon
We have known and loved Cynthia Nixon for decades thanks to her renowned role as Miranda Hobbes in Sex and the City and And Just Like That…
Outside of acting, Nixon has been a vocal activist for same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights. Applause all around!
J. Smith-Cameron
J. Smith-Cameron spent most of her career on the stage until landing a role in award-winning HBO show Succession, which earned her two Emmy nominations and proved it is never too late to launch your career to new heights!
Patricia Clarkson
For decades we have seen Patricia Clarkson expertly weave her way between comedic roles like Easy A and drama-filled roles like Shutter Island.
She received an Oscar nomination in 2002 for her role in Pieces of April, won a Golden Globe in 2019 for Sharp Objects and another in 2022 for State of the Union.
Youn Yuh-jung
After spending most of her career in working in South Korea, Youn Yuh-jung won her first ever Oscar at 73 years old for her fantastic role in Minari.
The movie also earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Independent Spirit Awards.
Taraji P. Henson
While she’ll always be the formidable Cookie Lyon from Empire to us, Taraji P. Henson’s career has gone from strength to strength since the show ended thanks to roles in The Color Purple and Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Jennifer Coolidge
Lately, we’ve seen Jennifer Coolidge everywhere and we couldn’t be happier. In addition to starring as the hilarious Tanya in seasons one and two of White Lotus, Coolidge has also starred in The Watcher and Shotgun Wedding.
Oh, and did we mention she also won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award for White Lotus? She’s unstoppable!
Viola Davis
Viola Davis gets away with murder every time she comes on screen because she absolutely kills it in every role she plays. She cut her teeth in procedurals like Law and Order and CSI while quietly doing great work in films like Doubt and Eat Pray Love.
But the role of Aibileen Clark in The Help, her lead role on How to Get Away With Murder and her gut-wrenching performance as Rose in Denzel Washington’s adaptation of Fences have earned her Emmy, Golden Globe, and Oscar awards.
Davis achieved EGOT status in 2023 and we’d expect nothing less from a boss lady like her.
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda made her acting debut in 1960 and has gone from strength to strength ever since. Six decades later, the 85-year-old star has won the hearts of fans with roles in 9 to 5, Barbarella and Grace and Frankie.
Lily Tomlin
Fonda’s Grace and Frankie co-star Lily Tomlin is another long-standing Hollywood star who, at 84 years old, has experience in acting, writing, comedy and music.
Cate Blanchett
When you see Cate Blanchett on the screen, you know you’re in for a treat. From 2004’s The Aviator to her most recent release as Lydia Tár in Tár, Blanchett has received critic and public aclaim in so many of her works.
With two Oscars, three Golden Globes, and three BAFTAs under her belt, she shows no sign she’s slowing down anytime soon.
Frances McDormand
Frances McDormand has accomplished so much in her career, and she continues to shine bright. The actress already boasts three Academy Awards to her name — all three of which were earned in the Leading Actress category.
In 2021, she became the first actress to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role and for producing Best Picture winner Nomadland.
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh has always been a force of nature, even if we’re only seeing it now. Yeoh, a Malaysian actress who made her blockbuster debut in Tomorrow Never Dies, made waves in Hollywood with her honest and eerily accurate portrayal of a laundromat owner in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
With an Oscar nomination on the horizon this year, she’s finally getting the praise she’s always deserved. Yeoh’s other credits include Memoirs of a Geisha, Kung Fu Panda 2, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings.
Julia Roberts
She’s Pretty Woman, she’s Erin Brockovich (and won an Oscar for it), she’s Notting Hill — Julia Roberts is ’90s cinema, and we can’t imagine our formative years without her curly hair and wide, toothy grin. Her 2000s takeover continued with her role in the Oceans trilogy, Eat Pray Love, August: Osage County.
She did all this while maintaining an enviously private long and private marriage with husband Danny Moder and their three kids.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Back in 1981, Sheryl Lee Ralph was the first actress to play the role of Deena Jones in Dreamgirls on Broadway – a role in which she received a Tony Award nomination for.
In 2021, many acting years later, Ralph changed it up and starred in Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary. For her stellar work in the show, the actress won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and became the first Black woman to win the award in 35 years. Truly ground-breaking!
Jean Smart
With her first credits dating back to the late ’70s, Jean Smart has undoutedbly had a long and succesful career in Hollywood. Most recently, however, she’s achieved unprecedented success with the HBO hit show Hacks.
At age 69 and 70, she won two Emmys for her role in the show as well as her very first Golden Globe and SAG Award. It’s never too late!
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek is probably best known for her turn in Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn or her Oscar-nominated performance in Frida.
However, she should be lauded for her excellent work in the indie Beatriz at Dinner, which falls into the genre of post-election films. Even more impressive than Hayek’s acting is her recent work in the #MeToo movement and spearheading the Time’s Up group, which provides legal assistance for women who have been sexually harassed.
Hayek has donned a producer hat for Ugly Betty and did a humorous turn as Alec Baldwin’s nurse lover on 30 Rock.
Laura Dern
Laura Dern is an American icon. Her early roles were in Smooth Talk, Blue Velvet and opposite Nicholas Cage in Wild at Heart.
Dern has been nominated for two Oscars but hasn’t won one yet. Luckily, she was recognized for her roles as Secretary of State Katherine Harris in Recount, the well-meaning but unhinged Amy Jellicoe on Enlightened and the brittle, abrasive Renata on Big Little Lies (which brought Dern a boatload of awards). But even more impressive was her turn as Dale Cooper’s assistant Diane Evans on the revival of Twin Peaks in 2017.
Vivica A. Fox
Vivica A. Fox never ceases to amaze, in any way, shape or form. Fox has built her career on the backs of roles that allow her to show off her tough, independent side. Think Kill Bill, Independence Day and Set It Off.
Fox has maintained a thriving film and television career since she began in the late ’80s on the TV series China Beach, racking up nearly 200 credits, per her IMDb page. She also had a recurring role on the hit TV series Empire starting in 2015. Fox is a workhorse, there’s no doubt about it, and it doesn’t seem like her age will slow her down one bit.
Jennifer Lopez
In her 50s, Jennifer Lopez is at the top of her game after releasing her ninth studio album with an accompanying movie in 2024.
Since entered her 50s, Lopez has starred in highly-praised stripper crime movie Hustlers, performed during a Super Bowl halftime show and a sang at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Lopez burst onto the acting scene over 20 years ago with her breakout role in Selena beforestarring in romcoms like Maid in Manhattan and The Wedding Planner and showing off her dramatic skills in projects like Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight.
Halle Berry
Halle Berry doesn’t miss, period. After her 2002 Oscar win for Monster’s Ball, Berry let us tease her for her turn in Catwoman, but from Die Another Day‘s Bond girl to her recent roles in John Wick, we sense Berry is only so good-natured because she knows what she’s working with is the real deal. From B.A.P.S. to X-Men, the modern movie landscape wouldn’t look the same without Berry, and she definitely stays in fighting shape.
Angela Bassett
For a few years in the ’90s, just about every movie worth seeing starred the legendary Angela Bassett, whose starring role in 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do With It as Tina Turner got her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win.
Waiting to Exhale, Boyz n the Hood, and Malcolm X came out in quick succession and Bassett’s relevance has never faded, finding new life in recent years in American Horror Story and her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame.
Jennifer Aniston
All these years after Friends is off the air, Jennifer Aniston still has our attention whenever she wants it. While she’s spoken about the difficulty in shedding her image as Rachel Green, the movies she’s chosen in the years since have let her exercise her drama and comedy skills like never before, from We’re the Millers to Cake. This American sweetheart hasn’t lost her charm one bit — in fact, her performances are getting stronger every year.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman have defiantly stood up against ageism by consistently building upon her already-successful career. In 2018, while accepting a SAG Award for her role in Big Little Lies, she clapped back filmmakers who would rather shut out women over 40, saying, “How wonderful it is that our careers today can go beyond 40 years old.”
Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren’s decades-long career onscreen and on the stage has never shown any signs of slowing down even now that the superstar is almost 80! She won her first Oscar at 62 for her role in The Queen.
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock has been riding a wave that only goes up for a long time now. She was the highest-paid actress in the world in both 2010 and 2014, has been named among Time‘s most influential people, and built romcom history on her shoulders with classics like Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks Notice, and 28 Days, blowing us away 10 years later with The Blind Side and powering up in her 40s to take on roles that pushed her to new heights.
She was comic gold in 2013’s The Heat, broke our hearts in 2013’s Gravity, then sent us to the edge of our seats in 2018’s Bird Box, as well as taking over the Oceans franchise from George Clooney.
Niecy Nash
The talented Niecy Nash is keeping her career alive and thriving at 53 years old. In 2022, her role in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story earned her a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries and well as a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Awards and an Emmy Award.
Robin Wright
In 2017, when Wright was in her 50th year of life, she was named one of the highest paid actress on TV due to her lucrative role in House of Cards. Her performance on the show also earned her a Golden Globe and six Emmy nominations.
After her lengthy and impressive career, her recent successes include her role in Zack Snyder’s Justice League and directing ventures in several episodes of Ozark.
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz’s breakout role was in The Mummy series, later earning praise for her parts in About a Boy, The Lovely Bones, The Bourne Legacy, and an Academy Award for her role in The Constant Gardener.
Her 2018 role in The Favourite, opposite Olivia Colman, signaled to many a new and even more exciting chapter for the actress along with another Oscar nod.
Queen Latifah
Is there a single Queen Latifah role that isn’t fabulous? We think not. Her role as Cleo in Set It Off was a revelation; her work in musicals Chicago and Hairspray is elite, with the former getting her an Oscar nod; and her 2017 splash back on the movie scene in Girls Trip was a handy reminder that she only seems to be getting younger. Given that she has a whole music career under her belt too, Latifah has been bursting with energy as an artist for a long, long time.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has buoyant charm and a likability that covers for the devastating cutting lines she delivers. It seems like she was always Elaine to Jerry’s Seinfeld, and for that she picked up a Golden Globe and an Emmy. But she also starred on two of her own sitcoms, Watching Ellie and The New Adventures of Old Christine, and had a great guest star spot on Arrested Development.
Louis-Dreyfus stretched her drama muscles when she starred opposite James Gandolfini in the melancholy film Enough Said. However, her brightest performance has been the five-time Emmy-winning role of Selina Meyer in the comedy series Veep.
Holly Hunter
All hail Holly Hunter. She burst onto the scene and into our hearts as the pint-sized cop in Raising Arizona and has been tearing up the silver screen ever since. She picked up an Oscar for The Piano and recently put her wry spin on the mom role in the tearjerker dramedy The Big Sick, before picking up a recurring role on HBO hit Succession.
Michelle Pfeiffer
No one should have to be sold on Michelle Pfeiffer. She is after all, Ladyhawke. You may also know her as the Scarface moll Elvira, or as the Cool Rider in Grease 2, who made the sequel so much better. She has also been in Married to the Mob and one of the Witches of Eastwick, adorned a grand piano in The Fabulous Baker Boys (which won her a Golden Globe), and donned the tight latex Catwoman suit in Batman Returns. And that’s all before she met Coolio. Pfeiffer had been nominated for an Oscar three times before taking a step back to raise her kids, re-entering the acting scene in 2017.
Mary-Louise Parker
MLP might as well stand for MVP. Parker has appeared in hundreds of television shows and movies, and she’s also a Broadway veteran. Parker made a big impact in the made-for-TV version of the Broadway play Angels in America, which won her an Emmy and a Golden Globe. After her stint on the wildly popular TV series The West Wing, she landed the lead role in the long-running comedy Weeds, which earned her another Golden Globe. Being awesome in every role she lands isn’t enough for Parker; she decided to write a book, too, called Dear Mr. You.
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore was a wonder 20 years ago in unforgettable movies like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and The Big Lebowski. She was charming and heartfelt 10 years ago in The Kids Are All Right and Crazy Stupid Love. And she’s more powerful now than ever in the Kingsman trilogy, The Glorias, Dear Evan Hansen. If it feels like she’s had nine lives in Hollywood, that’s only because she has so many characters inside her to play.
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster’s appearance in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver made her a star and earned her her first Oscar nom at just 14 years old. Her Oscar acting wins for The Silence of The Lambs and The Accused after a break to attend Yale were accompanied by a burgeoning directing career starting with Little Man Tate, and she found her footing in thrillers like Panic Room and Flightplan in the early 2000s. More recently, she’s focused on directing TV and starred in legal drama The Mauritanian and starred in Oscar-nominated Nyad.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker will always be Sex and the City‘s Carrie Bradshaw to some, but her early roles in hits like Hocus Pocus, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and Footloose cemented her star status long before she took on the columnist fashionista. And Parker’s made it clear her legacy goes well beyond SATC too, starring in successful HBO series Divorce as well as a slew of successful romcoms like Failure to Launch.
Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates has been a powerhouse in Hollywood for decades but she almost became a victim of the industry’s ageism until she landed a role in American Horror Story.
“Ryan Murphy has resurrected my career,” Bates told Vanity Fair in 2016. “This is the third act, and I never dreamed any of this stuff would happen. Before American Horror Story, I was doing [NBC’s drama Harry’s Law] and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The show got cancelled, and our audience was dismissed because they were too old. So the message I was getting was, get the f-ck out of here! You’re too old, or you’re sick, you don’t have any more tits, you had ovarian cancer, nobody wants you anymore. That was in my head.”
Nia Long
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Nia Long went on to have a memorable TV career in series Third Watch and Empire as well as appearing in movies like Soul Food, Big Momma’s House, and Are We There Yet? She’s also appeared in a number of famous music videos, and has been dipping her toe into the scary stuff with movies like 47 Meters Down and Fatal Affair.
Meryl Streep
We’ll cut to the chase and start with Oscar-winning roles, then work our way back: often called “the best actress of her generation,” Streep has won best supporting actress once for Kramer v. Kramer and best actress twice for The Iron Lady and Sophie’s Choice.
Outside of that, she’s been nominated another 18 times, but we’ll try to cull it down to her greatest hits in case you need a reminder fo what to rewatch: Postcards From the Edge, The Bridges of Madison County, The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt, and Julie & Julia — as well as her recent turn on Big Little Lies.
Carol Burnett
The octagenarian rose to superstardom in the early days of television, appearing on shows like Get Smart, The Twilight Zone and The Bob Hope Show before taking center stage in The Carol Burnett Show, which ran from 1967 to 1978. Since then, she’s popped up in film and television, including the 1982 adaptation of the Broadway musical Annie, the hit TV show Glee and Law & Order: SVU.
Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa may have moved away from her acting roots in recent years, but there’s no denying this star has only gotten more powerful as her time in Hollywood continues. Her acting days had her best known for playing Hayley Vaughan on All My Children and Faith Fairfield in Hope & Faith, but fans today know her as the lovable co-host of Live With Kelly and Mark, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Uma Thurman
While she may have memorably starred in Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction, Uma Thurman is way more than Quentin Tarantino’s muse. Her breakout role was in 1988’s Dangerous Liaisons, and Thurman set herself apart with eclectic taste ranging from musical The Producers to Batman & Robin and a few collaborations with Danish filmmaker Lars Von Trier on Nymphomaniac and The House That Jack Built. Thurman has carved herself a niche in Hollywood where only she fits, and that’s the way she likes it.
Regina Hall
Though Regina Hall has graced our screens for decades now (her iconic role in the Scary Movie franchise began in 2000), she’s found even bigger success in the past few years after the success of the 2017 hit Girls Trip. Since then, the actress has worked non-stop in movies including The Hate U Give and Breaking News in Yuba County and TV shows including Nine Perfect Strangers and Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. with Sterling K. Brown. Hall is truely on fire!
Regina King
Named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019 by Time, Regina King is of the most accomplished actresses out there. King has not only received acclaim in TV shows like Watchmen but she’s also an Academy Award winner after she bagged the prize for her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk. Venturing slightly out of acting, King also made her directorial debut with One Night in Miami which landed her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director – she can do no wrong!
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is a Hollywood icon, and she’s not stopping anytime soon. Known for her role in the decades-long Halloween franchise, Curtis has proved that no matter what, she’ll continue to thrive in the industry. Most recently, the actresses starred in back-to-back mega-productions: Halloween Ends and Everything Everywhere All at Once. She’s also a Golden Globe winner, a BAFTA winner and an Emmy nominee.
Sandra Oh
If you’re a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, you’ve probably seen Sandra Oh more than you’d like to admit. Her years-long portrayal of Christina Yang went down in history as one of the fiercest best friends in TV. After her heartbreaking exit from the show, Oh proved it wasn’t Grey’s that made her shine, it’s just who she is. In her first role post-show, she received a massive success in Killing Eve. In addition to her TV show success (which has garnered her 13 Emmy nominations), Oh has an extensive voice-acting career in projects such as Mulan II, Over the Moon, Raya, Last Dragon and Turning Red. So impressive!
Octavia Spencer
Hidden Figures, The Help and Shape of Water are just a few of the countless blockbusters Octavia Spencer has starred in over the years. From her debut in A Time to Kill to her most recent release in Spirited, Spencer proves she’s an iconic actress, whether she’s in the lead or not.
Renée Zellweger
After she won over the world as the ever so relatable Bridget Jones in the Bridget Jones Diary movies, the two-time Oscar winner continued to hone her craft. Among her most recent credits are her role as Judy Garland in Judy and the stranger-than-fiction story in The Thing About Pam. Incredible and versatile!
Patricia Arquette
Patricia Arquette, who made her feature film debut in 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, has been a part of countless award-winning projects. Among her career highlights are Boyhood, the coming-of-age movie that was filmed from 2002 until 2014, that awarded her her first and only Oscar and Medium, the supernatural drama series where she was awarded an Emmy in 2005. Most recently, she starred in the first season of Severance, another Emmy-nominated series. The list goes on!
Helena Bonham Carter
Known as the iconic Bellatrix in the Harry Potter franchice, Helena Bonham Carter has undoutedbly made her mark in Hollywood. Beyond the wizardry franchise, Carter’s also starred in many big screen hits including Fight Club, The King’s Speech, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. A living legend!
Diane Keaton
77-year-old actress Diane Keaton has managed to sustain a long and lucrative career well past her 50s in movie like The First Wives Club, Book Club and The Family Stone.
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox was already 41 when she first became a household name for her role in Orange Is the New Black. Her role in the Netflix hit made her the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category.
10 years later, Cox is more successful than ever.
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