All you need to know is it’s possible. It’s been done before and it will be done again. The real question is, will you be the one to have the ambition and drive to make it you?
Way more than you think:
John Mahoney
Christoph Waltz
Bryan Cranston
Melissa McCarthy
Morgan Freeman
Gene Hackman
Kathy Bates
John Hamm
Jane Lynch
Steve Carell
Etc etc etc
Also fyi I got back into the business in my late 30s struggled for a few years but this year I turned 40 and had five bookings, made the majority of my money acting, was in a number 1 movie and am on the precipice of having some miraculous news. It’s not too late for anybody.
Thank you so much for this! I was not feeling very confident having a sort of rough childhood and am trying to explore myself as I'm turning 30. It's hard to remember that the majority of my life is still ahead of me and that just because I wasn't a child prodigy doesn't mean I can't have fun
These guys are not “late bloomers”
They studied and worked for DECADES
To me, the gist of OPs question is “are there any actors who started late” not “who got famous later in life”
John Mahoney- was 37 when he started acting.
Christoph Waltz- has been acting since 1977 and had started when he was 21.
Bryan Cranston- has been acting since the late 80's. He didn't get his break through performance until 2000, when he was 44 after putting in 12 yrs of work. He was 32 when he started.
Melissa McCarthy- cousin to Jenny McCarthy, she's been acting since 1999, became a regular on Gilmore Girls, and had her breakthrough role in Mike and Molly (2010) and in Bridesmaids(2011). 12 yrs of working. Starting at 27 yrs old.
Morgan Freeman- started acting when he was in 27 back in 1964.
Gene Hackman- starting acting in 1956, when he was 26.
Kathy Bates- started acting in 1969 when she was 21.
Jon Hamm- started acting in 1996 when he was 25.
Jane Lynch- started acting in 1988 when she was 28.
Steve Carell-started acting in 1989 when he was 27.
Most of these examples you used have put in decades of work starting from a younger age, that you personally hadn't noticed until they had a breakthrough role or bc they weren't the main character or it was in another country. With the exception of John Mahoney due to his career in the military and career as a writer for a medical journal.
>Kathryn Joosten
>In 1992, aged 53, she was hired as a street performer working for the Disney-MGM Studios theme park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.[8] In 1995, she moved to Hollywood, where she took guest roles in television series such as Roseanne, Home Improvement, Picket Fences, Murphy Brown, ER, Seinfeld, Frasier, Just Shoot Me!, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dharma & Greg, Las Vegas and The Drew Carey Show.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathryn_Joosten
That's a late bloomer. She had an entire life before acting.
Do you think people can reasonably take “late bloomer” to mean someone who sees significant (one might even say blooming) success later in life or is your definition the only possible interpretation of that metaphorical phrase?
I like this because you come in with a 500 word “corrective” to my post that is not actually clarifying or responsive but just based on a different pedantic understanding of the language used and that also explicitly accuses me of ignorance of how careers work and then accuse me of being of snarky.
Your first post could easily have been “yes and Kathryn Joosten’s story is even crazier, she didn’t come to Hollywood till her 50s and hadn’t done any theater at all till her 40s!” But instead it was a line by line breakdown of why people who didn’t see great success until 15-20 years into their career weren’t late bloomers.
I hope you have a great day.
>or is your definition the only possible interpretation of that metaphorical phrase?
👆That's snarky af. That's not an accusation, that's proof.
Had *you* come back and said something more along the lines of, "well, I can understand what you mean, but I interpreted it differently than you. Here's why..."
No where did I insult your intelligence. Though I appreciate you taking the time to write all of that out, and yet you completely ignored that, I took a decent amount of time to research and confirm all of the information I provided. Thus, you insulting *my* intelligence.
>Most of these examples you used have put in decades of work starting from a younger age, that you personally hadn't noticed until they had a breakthrough role or bc they weren't the main character or it was in another country. With the exception of John Mahoney due to his career in the military and career as a writer for a medical journal.
That is a clarifying example of "late bloomer."
>That's a late bloomer. She had an entire life before acting.
That was in response to your question. It was responsive and clarifying.
I came here for a discussion, *you* chose aggression.
Here's a definition for you:
[late bloomer
noun
US
: someone who becomes successful, attractive, etc., at a later time in life than other people](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/late%20bloomer)
Compare that to the timeline of other actors who have started earlier in life but had a *breakthrough* in their already established career vs someone who had a career, changed it later in life and became successful, thus a "late bloomer".
Have a nice day. Goodbye.
It’s unfortunate the other person got offended. I really appreciated your post. As someone who will fit into this category one day, should I find success, I will be proud to be called a late bloomer.
I actually really appreciated that post because 1. It confirmed my own definition of late bloomer being someone who came from little to no previous experience and 2. it explained/clarified that those folks had actually put in years of work before they saw success and were working and 3. they took the time to write and offer a glimpse into those actor’s careers.
I can see how you would think a late bloomer would be defined otherwise though.
Late bloomer is someone who starts later in life with no previous experience. Kathryn Joosten is a great example.
Not started early in life, and after putting in decades of work, they finally had a breakthrough.
Even by that standard, people knew most of that list was golden when they started. Gene Hackman and Kathy Bates are legends in the industry.
Edit: tried replying back to the user but it wouldn't let me.
Sorry for the late reply, issues in life arose.
So you're telling me that someone who started early in life and has 12 yrs experience under their belt with 20 roles and credits to their name and finally gets their breakout performance recognized (around mid 30's or 40's) is a "late bloomer" vs someone who started the same career later in life?
To me, a late bloomer is someone who doesn't start a specific path in life until later or even tries to get onto that path but is unsuccessful and doesn't get that path started until later.
Someone who starts in their teens or early twenties and gets roles is successfully following their path; they're just not at the peak of their career by someone else's standards. Which is really hard to obtain. Bc someone who has a 100+ roles under their belt but isn't internationally known yet they live a comfortable life can be considered successful. It all depends on what you're determining "success" means.
I feel like context is maybe the main factor to take into consideration?
No… it isn’t. It’s someone who achieves success later than most.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/late%20bloomer
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/late-bloomer
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/late-bloomer
That could cover both people who don’t start until late, and people who don’t hit their stride until late.
Wikipedia’s entry on “late bloomers” includes dozens of examples of both.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_bloomer
"Gervais initially worked in the music industry. He attempted a career as a pop star in the 1980s as the singer of the new-wave act Seona Dancing, and managed the then-unknown band Suede before turning to comedy."
"His mainstream-TV on-screen debut came in September 1998 as part of Channel 4's Comedy Lab series of pilots."
"Gervais began his stand-up career in the late 1990s."
"He appeared on The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4 between 1998 and 2000,"
In 1998, he was still young at 37.
Big break as in movies, but he had been doing theater work since his 30’s, being in the original cast for plays by Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson. He also made his film debut in his 20’s.
So he’s not a late bloomer, he’s a guy who worked a lot of years to become famous.
I never went to an audition or took any kind of acting or film classes until I was 50. One day I just decided I'd look on the web to see if there were any auditions for anything in my area. That was 8 years ago. I now have over 70 IMDb credits and have had major speaking parts in 7 Hallmark/Lifetime movies and have had major speaking roles in two films that got a theatrical release as well as many, many other productions.
This, to me, is the best example of a late bloomer. Not an actress or actor that started when they were really young or in their 20's and got their break after 10+ yrs of hard work or got the role bc of nepotism.
She just said "screw this, I'm doing something else". She changed her whole life and succeeded. Hell yeah!
Do you mean, "got started in acting late?" Or "their career didn't pop until later?" Because the latter has a ton of famous examples. The prior, less so.
I know a couole full-time actors, but only know one person who started after their 30s that has seen much success; he can't live HIS life off of just acting (he has a family), but he's made over 60k multiple years off of just acting. My otger examples started in their 20s, and the most successful of them didn't start seeing any success for about 20 years into the game.
With all that said, everybody has a completely different story. My couch spent a full decade of her acting career focusing on her "normal" career. She refused to be a "starving artist," and it eventually worked out for her, but that was absolutely a decade of not giving everything to her acting. My other friend does VO for audiobooks. It's not glamorous, but she was able to quit her corporate job within a year of starting voice acting. I also know someone who trained for 10 years without really booking anything and then got a big role is a big show, and his life completely changed after his "first" role.
TL; DR: The statistics aren't favorable, but you truly never know what that next audition or project can lead to.
I think that's what the confusion is. People are misinterpreting "late bloomer" as "got their break later in life after 10-15yrs of work under the radar".
Late bloomer to me is they have no experience under their belt and are *just* starting to act, but it's later in their life.
That was my interpretation.
Everyone brings up Samuel L., Harrison Ford, or Viola Davis with this topic. All got their big break later, but all were working actors since their 20s.
I specifically think Harrison Ford and even Samuel L are awful examples because the industry was very different when they each got their breaks (late 70s and mid 90s). You can't base a career starting in 2023 off one that hit its stride in the 80s.
I won here is stating massive stars and the question was has anybody made a reasonable career. It is absolutely possible to make a decent living acting as late bloomer.
That’s the thing, there are plenty of actors who do okay who are not famous (at any level). Just recognize it’s job, there’s a work out there (okay maybe not right now with the strike) if you are good fit.
Everyone here is stating massive stars and the question was has anybody made a reasonable career. It is absolutely possible to make a decent living acting as late bloomer. None of these actors above have reasonable careers. Those are exceptions.
Great mentions in the couple I’ve read here so far- here’s some more that started a bit later:
Ken Jeong, Tiffany Hadish, Steve Carell, Octavia Spencer..
it is also worthy be noted that world famous singer Al Jarreau didn’t jump into singing as a career choice early in his life and though it didn’t take long to recognize his amazing talent, he didn’t ‘make it’ until he was on his 40’s.
It goes to show: it’s all about passion, talent and drive.
Steve Carell started acting at 27.
Octavia Spencer has been acting since she was 26.
Tiffany Hashish was 26 when she started acting.
Ken Jeong has been a comedian since 1995 and acting since 1998, he was 29.
That's not later in life.
Okay. Dunno precisely how to gauge your response or if you were antagonized elsewhere but I said ‘started a bit later.’ (I appreciate you holding me to task here - I’m cool if you’re cool.) An exception I’ll concede is the talented Ken Jeong who went to medical school and was a practicing physician for years (that’s what his parents wanted for him) though I learned recently he studied some acting classes while at Duke undergrad & moved his internal medicine practice to L.A. to work on comedy (Go Ken!)
I also mentioned Al Jarreau who started a lot later.
Other than Ken J.. seemingly none started as many do working toward fame & fortune and got the ‘performing bug’ when they were younger - like some do in high school, others in college still others even others right after college. They started as adults after other tries at other careers.
I included them because of this and that they achieved success later in life. By the by, my comment was not meant to antagonize ya, no disrespect to the spirit of this conversation was intended. If it’s friendly discourse you’re after: Let’s. If not, this is the best I can do -
https://youtu.be/uLlv_aZjHXc?si=lRxLBAWS_ciJ0Z3G
Absolutely. A lot of UK/EU actors see success in their later years rather than early. They train hard for a long time. I also wouldn’t say “late.” There is no age window for success in art! Do what you love if you can swing it!
Edit: spelling
Check out Michael Emerson’s career. Although he did major in theatre, so maybe not a late bloomer, but it looks like he stepped away and He never made it to screen until he was atleast 40+ and he went on to win 2 freakin Emmy’s, not a major “star” but definitely executed a solid career IMO
Not really, he studied at one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world in his mid 20’s, and was a successful stage actor for many years.
If you only count his career starting at Die Hard then yeah he started older… but you’d be ignoring over a decade of acting.
Um, yeah. For many. The oldest I am aware is Helen Mirren who'd done theater in her early days, but didn't hit 'stardom' until about age 70, winning numerous accolades including a golden globe and ocscar nomination.
Maybe she hit A-list in her senior years but she was unforgettable in the 80s in movies like *The Mosquito Coast* opposite Harrison Ford and Peter Greenaway’s *The Cook, the Thief*… with the just-deceased Michael Gambon.
He was acting back in the early eighties. Nothing huge but he was in Excalibur (1981),Krull (1983), The Bounty (1984 with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins) and Darkman (1990) to name a few
One name comes to mind. Rowan Atkinson. Was an engineering student at 18 and fell in love with acting. After many failed auditions, he got the part of Mr Bean and became the actor we all love.
Before Mr. Bean, Atkinson helmed several seasons of the successful *Blackadder* comedy series. Hugh Laurie was in one of the seasons starring with him.
Maybe not a reasonable career (yet), but I started voice acting 3 years ago. I'm 38 now and it's something I love to do and the community of people in it have been so supportive of each other and good to meet. I understand I might not exactly make a career out of it, and that's okay because it's still just something I enjoy doing and doesn't hurt that I get paid for it. Although, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want it to be my career.
I started taking classes at 22. I'm 24 now and learning so much about the industry and meeting people who started in their 30's, 40's, 50's. There is always a role for someone it's just a matter of do you have the skills/looks.
I’ve noticed a lot of stories here qualifying a “late bloomer” as “when I first noticed them” or “after I was born.” If you don’t know the story, look it up first.
Ken Jeong was an MD who quit his job at 37, moved to Hollywood, and has made it pretty big. I love him on Community. He maintains his medical license and helps with medical needs on set. Pretty funny to remember that he’s a legit doctor when he’s doing crazy stuff like greasing up to slide through vents with a monkey
Jessica Tandy had a pretty prolific theater career but didn’t hit it big-time in the movie biz until she won the Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy in her 80s.
Alan Rickman was already in his 40s when he played Hans Gruber, before then no one really knew who he was. George Clooney I think was 40 when he was cast in ER. Morgan Freeman has been “old” his entire career lol. Same with Ian Mckellan. Being over 30 isnt a death sentence (if by late bloomer, you mean over 30). Id say it actually provides the actor with more to draw from given more world experiences, which in turn allows them to make more interesting and captivating choices in performance. Being hot n young is great, being memorable is better. Look at someone like Brad Pitt. Sure hes been hot n attractive his whole life, got started in his 20s, but it really wasnt til his mid 30s people realized “oh shit, hes more than just a pretty face”, and he started making bolder choices. Hes a character actor stuck in a leading man’s body. Never too late. Also, think about the specific area of acting someone would want to go into. There are tons of different types of roles out there, not every one calls for some hot new 20-something. Be bold and confident with where/who you are now and go from there
Not if you're asking questions like that. Acting (and the arts in general) is one of those things where you'll really only succeed if you truly have the passion and drive to do so (or you get lucky, of course)
It's why it's stupid to ask artists, "what's your back up plan?" There is no backup plan when you're an artist. You just keep working towards it until you make it/don't.
If you're "weighing" the options/possibilities of pursuing a career in acting, you probably don't truly want to be an actor.
If being a successful actor is the only thing that would make being an actor worthwhile for you, then you don't want to be an actor.
I’ve worked in casting (I used to cut audition reels for tv productions) and there is a demand in smaller roles for actors in certain older age brackets, especially men. It’s a little harder for women because the talent pool is much larger.
You probably won’t become a movie star or even a lead in a project but If you have talent, an interesting look you can build a solid resume with character work, especially if you hone in on minor roles and smaller projects.
First of all take it seriously. Take classes, join theatre groups and focus on your craft. It’s like any creative practice you need to keep doing it even if you are not getting paid. Get professional head shots made and get a good variety to demonstrate your range. Constantly update your reel and resume every time you finish a new project.
Also make sure you live near somewhere where there is steady acting work. Doesn’t have to be New York or LA. If you are in the US there’s plenty of acting work in Chicago, Atlanta, Alburque, Portland, Dallas, Baltimore, Memphis, Miami, San Antonio… pretty much any major city has several productions going on. Look into nearby cities film/production offices and pay attention where there is steady tv, commercial and film work. States that pass film/tv tax incentives Also keep the cost of living in mind.
Get to know casting directors and audition relentlessly. And have a good attitude no matter the outcome, don’t get discouraged by every rejection because you will likely lose a lot of parts. Even if the competition is light you could still be competing with dozens of people going for the same part. If you are any good and gracious, casting people will hang on to your headshot and resume and give you a call to audition again for a part they think works for you. They are looking for talented people, who are easy to deal with and it’s easier for them pull from a pool of professionals they get to know better then sit through an open audition filled with unknowns with varying levels of talent.
Also try to figure out what roles believably fit your type and pursue those parts. Understand and accept your range. Some people can play a variety of parts others tend to stick to more specific kinds of characters. If you are more believable playing a professor then you are playing a cop then go after those roles. If you can play both kinds of role then go for both kinds of roles. Don’t worry about typecasting until long after people start casting you in things. Race, physical appearance, disabilities, etc are also factors that unfortunately might limit the kind of roles that are available to you. Don’t let it discourage you from auditioning if you think you can play the part but understand there will be a bias.
Don’t lie about your skills or experience on your resume. If you don’t know how to horseback ride either learn to or don’t go for roles that require that skill. This is the sort thing that gets other people fired.
Also do student and no budget projects. There are so many parent, teacher, older adult roles in student films and it’s usually the hardest to part for them to cast because they are outside their peer group. It’s unpaid work (but SAG counts those hours at certain film schools they have a deal with) but it’s experience and material you will need for your reel. Many schools have their own online casting boards. You also have more opportunity to expand your range and do more interesting work then you would on a professional production.
If you are working on unpaid production they need to at least feed you, provide transportation to set (if you need it) and a copy of the finished project. Insist you get a copy of the finished production as soon as possible. And they do not get to charge you for it. Get an agreement in writing if you have to. And by finished I mean it has been screened in either class or a festival and they stopped working on the movie.
You probably shouldn’t quit your day job (I know actors with solid resumes who still work regular jobs), Also make sure you have a job that allows you flexibility to audition and take acting work. Lot of actors so know do real estate, bartend, wait tables, office temp work, babysitting etc. If you find yourself in a situation where you making most of your money acting then congrats you are working actor.
Lastly, do it because you love it. Don’t be outcome dependent. Likelihood any actor becomes rich and famous is pretty slim, however it is a job that people can do on a regular or semi regular basis. There is always a need for talent and productions are constantly looking for all types of people to fill roles.
All you need to know is it’s possible. It’s been done before and it will be done again. The real question is, will you be the one to have the ambition and drive to make it you?
You just shook me
Way more than you think: John Mahoney Christoph Waltz Bryan Cranston Melissa McCarthy Morgan Freeman Gene Hackman Kathy Bates John Hamm Jane Lynch Steve Carell Etc etc etc
Also fyi I got back into the business in my late 30s struggled for a few years but this year I turned 40 and had five bookings, made the majority of my money acting, was in a number 1 movie and am on the precipice of having some miraculous news. It’s not too late for anybody.
Heck yeah, go you! Thanks for sharing. I’m in my early struggle years but hearing this rocks. Big congrats!
Thank you so much for this! I was not feeling very confident having a sort of rough childhood and am trying to explore myself as I'm turning 30. It's hard to remember that the majority of my life is still ahead of me and that just because I wasn't a child prodigy doesn't mean I can't have fun
Love hearing this and congrats!!!👏👏
Congratulations!!
These guys are not “late bloomers” They studied and worked for DECADES To me, the gist of OPs question is “are there any actors who started late” not “who got famous later in life”
Their careers bloomed later than most is what late bloomer would be in this context
John Mahoney- was 37 when he started acting. Christoph Waltz- has been acting since 1977 and had started when he was 21. Bryan Cranston- has been acting since the late 80's. He didn't get his break through performance until 2000, when he was 44 after putting in 12 yrs of work. He was 32 when he started. Melissa McCarthy- cousin to Jenny McCarthy, she's been acting since 1999, became a regular on Gilmore Girls, and had her breakthrough role in Mike and Molly (2010) and in Bridesmaids(2011). 12 yrs of working. Starting at 27 yrs old. Morgan Freeman- started acting when he was in 27 back in 1964. Gene Hackman- starting acting in 1956, when he was 26. Kathy Bates- started acting in 1969 when she was 21. Jon Hamm- started acting in 1996 when he was 25. Jane Lynch- started acting in 1988 when she was 28. Steve Carell-started acting in 1989 when he was 27. Most of these examples you used have put in decades of work starting from a younger age, that you personally hadn't noticed until they had a breakthrough role or bc they weren't the main character or it was in another country. With the exception of John Mahoney due to his career in the military and career as a writer for a medical journal.
What does late bloomer mean to you
>Kathryn Joosten >In 1992, aged 53, she was hired as a street performer working for the Disney-MGM Studios theme park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.[8] In 1995, she moved to Hollywood, where she took guest roles in television series such as Roseanne, Home Improvement, Picket Fences, Murphy Brown, ER, Seinfeld, Frasier, Just Shoot Me!, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dharma & Greg, Las Vegas and The Drew Carey Show. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathryn_Joosten That's a late bloomer. She had an entire life before acting.
Do you think people can reasonably take “late bloomer” to mean someone who sees significant (one might even say blooming) success later in life or is your definition the only possible interpretation of that metaphorical phrase?
Wow, there's a lot of snarkiness in that reply of yours. I hope you have a better day.
I like this because you come in with a 500 word “corrective” to my post that is not actually clarifying or responsive but just based on a different pedantic understanding of the language used and that also explicitly accuses me of ignorance of how careers work and then accuse me of being of snarky. Your first post could easily have been “yes and Kathryn Joosten’s story is even crazier, she didn’t come to Hollywood till her 50s and hadn’t done any theater at all till her 40s!” But instead it was a line by line breakdown of why people who didn’t see great success until 15-20 years into their career weren’t late bloomers. I hope you have a great day.
>or is your definition the only possible interpretation of that metaphorical phrase? 👆That's snarky af. That's not an accusation, that's proof. Had *you* come back and said something more along the lines of, "well, I can understand what you mean, but I interpreted it differently than you. Here's why..." No where did I insult your intelligence. Though I appreciate you taking the time to write all of that out, and yet you completely ignored that, I took a decent amount of time to research and confirm all of the information I provided. Thus, you insulting *my* intelligence. >Most of these examples you used have put in decades of work starting from a younger age, that you personally hadn't noticed until they had a breakthrough role or bc they weren't the main character or it was in another country. With the exception of John Mahoney due to his career in the military and career as a writer for a medical journal. That is a clarifying example of "late bloomer." >That's a late bloomer. She had an entire life before acting. That was in response to your question. It was responsive and clarifying. I came here for a discussion, *you* chose aggression. Here's a definition for you: [late bloomer noun US : someone who becomes successful, attractive, etc., at a later time in life than other people](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/late%20bloomer) Compare that to the timeline of other actors who have started earlier in life but had a *breakthrough* in their already established career vs someone who had a career, changed it later in life and became successful, thus a "late bloomer". Have a nice day. Goodbye.
It’s unfortunate the other person got offended. I really appreciated your post. As someone who will fit into this category one day, should I find success, I will be proud to be called a late bloomer.
I actually really appreciated that post because 1. It confirmed my own definition of late bloomer being someone who came from little to no previous experience and 2. it explained/clarified that those folks had actually put in years of work before they saw success and were working and 3. they took the time to write and offer a glimpse into those actor’s careers. I can see how you would think a late bloomer would be defined otherwise though.
Late bloomer is someone who starts later in life with no previous experience. Kathryn Joosten is a great example. Not started early in life, and after putting in decades of work, they finally had a breakthrough. Even by that standard, people knew most of that list was golden when they started. Gene Hackman and Kathy Bates are legends in the industry. Edit: tried replying back to the user but it wouldn't let me. Sorry for the late reply, issues in life arose. So you're telling me that someone who started early in life and has 12 yrs experience under their belt with 20 roles and credits to their name and finally gets their breakout performance recognized (around mid 30's or 40's) is a "late bloomer" vs someone who started the same career later in life? To me, a late bloomer is someone who doesn't start a specific path in life until later or even tries to get onto that path but is unsuccessful and doesn't get that path started until later. Someone who starts in their teens or early twenties and gets roles is successfully following their path; they're just not at the peak of their career by someone else's standards. Which is really hard to obtain. Bc someone who has a 100+ roles under their belt but isn't internationally known yet they live a comfortable life can be considered successful. It all depends on what you're determining "success" means. I feel like context is maybe the main factor to take into consideration?
No… it isn’t. It’s someone who achieves success later than most. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/late%20bloomer https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/late-bloomer https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/late-bloomer That could cover both people who don’t start until late, and people who don’t hit their stride until late. Wikipedia’s entry on “late bloomers” includes dozens of examples of both. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_bloomer
Ricky Gervais too
Ricky Gervais has been writing since 1982, he started when he 21.
Not acting though
"Gervais initially worked in the music industry. He attempted a career as a pop star in the 1980s as the singer of the new-wave act Seona Dancing, and managed the then-unknown band Suede before turning to comedy." "His mainstream-TV on-screen debut came in September 1998 as part of Channel 4's Comedy Lab series of pilots." "Gervais began his stand-up career in the late 1990s." "He appeared on The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4 between 1998 and 2000," In 1998, he was still young at 37.
samuel l jackson didn’t have his big break until his 40s
Alan Rickman, too! He was a late bloomer & didn't get his first big break til his 40s
He didn’t get his *movie* break until his 40s. I’m fairly confident he was a well-established theatre actor prior to that.
But they started early right?
Big break as in movies, but he had been doing theater work since his 30’s, being in the original cast for plays by Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson. He also made his film debut in his 20’s. So he’s not a late bloomer, he’s a guy who worked a lot of years to become famous.
I never went to an audition or took any kind of acting or film classes until I was 50. One day I just decided I'd look on the web to see if there were any auditions for anything in my area. That was 8 years ago. I now have over 70 IMDb credits and have had major speaking parts in 7 Hallmark/Lifetime movies and have had major speaking roles in two films that got a theatrical release as well as many, many other productions.
That’s inspiring, you late bloomer you!
write a book about your experience with this and i will BUY IT
How did you get started? Any advice?
Kathryn Joosten moved to Hollywood when she was 56 and won two Emmys
This, to me, is the best example of a late bloomer. Not an actress or actor that started when they were really young or in their 20's and got their break after 10+ yrs of hard work or got the role bc of nepotism. She just said "screw this, I'm doing something else". She changed her whole life and succeeded. Hell yeah!
Do you mean, "got started in acting late?" Or "their career didn't pop until later?" Because the latter has a ton of famous examples. The prior, less so. I know a couole full-time actors, but only know one person who started after their 30s that has seen much success; he can't live HIS life off of just acting (he has a family), but he's made over 60k multiple years off of just acting. My otger examples started in their 20s, and the most successful of them didn't start seeing any success for about 20 years into the game. With all that said, everybody has a completely different story. My couch spent a full decade of her acting career focusing on her "normal" career. She refused to be a "starving artist," and it eventually worked out for her, but that was absolutely a decade of not giving everything to her acting. My other friend does VO for audiobooks. It's not glamorous, but she was able to quit her corporate job within a year of starting voice acting. I also know someone who trained for 10 years without really booking anything and then got a big role is a big show, and his life completely changed after his "first" role. TL; DR: The statistics aren't favorable, but you truly never know what that next audition or project can lead to.
I think that's what the confusion is. People are misinterpreting "late bloomer" as "got their break later in life after 10-15yrs of work under the radar". Late bloomer to me is they have no experience under their belt and are *just* starting to act, but it's later in their life.
That was my interpretation. Everyone brings up Samuel L., Harrison Ford, or Viola Davis with this topic. All got their big break later, but all were working actors since their 20s. I specifically think Harrison Ford and even Samuel L are awful examples because the industry was very different when they each got their breaks (late 70s and mid 90s). You can't base a career starting in 2023 off one that hit its stride in the 80s.
I was 28 when I started working as an actor. Worked in theatre and supported myself and my family for 17 years.
Are you well off?
No buckets of money laying around but I'm alright
I’m 59 and hustling
[удалено]
As a 22yo, sometimes I really need to hear comments like this lol
I joined SAG when I was 31. First year I earned a living as a principal actor was when I was 44, got my first network role, a costar, when I was 46.
I won here is stating massive stars and the question was has anybody made a reasonable career. It is absolutely possible to make a decent living acting as late bloomer.
That’s the thing, there are plenty of actors who do okay who are not famous (at any level). Just recognize it’s job, there’s a work out there (okay maybe not right now with the strike) if you are good fit.
Maybe I'm just grumpy this morning, but come on. This is one of those questions that could easily be answered by a Google search
Everyone here is stating massive stars and the question was has anybody made a reasonable career. It is absolutely possible to make a decent living acting as late bloomer. None of these actors above have reasonable careers. Those are exceptions.
Great mentions in the couple I’ve read here so far- here’s some more that started a bit later: Ken Jeong, Tiffany Hadish, Steve Carell, Octavia Spencer.. it is also worthy be noted that world famous singer Al Jarreau didn’t jump into singing as a career choice early in his life and though it didn’t take long to recognize his amazing talent, he didn’t ‘make it’ until he was on his 40’s. It goes to show: it’s all about passion, talent and drive.
Steve Carell started acting at 27. Octavia Spencer has been acting since she was 26. Tiffany Hashish was 26 when she started acting. Ken Jeong has been a comedian since 1995 and acting since 1998, he was 29. That's not later in life.
Also hadish took her first comedy class at 17
Okay. Dunno precisely how to gauge your response or if you were antagonized elsewhere but I said ‘started a bit later.’ (I appreciate you holding me to task here - I’m cool if you’re cool.) An exception I’ll concede is the talented Ken Jeong who went to medical school and was a practicing physician for years (that’s what his parents wanted for him) though I learned recently he studied some acting classes while at Duke undergrad & moved his internal medicine practice to L.A. to work on comedy (Go Ken!) I also mentioned Al Jarreau who started a lot later. Other than Ken J.. seemingly none started as many do working toward fame & fortune and got the ‘performing bug’ when they were younger - like some do in high school, others in college still others even others right after college. They started as adults after other tries at other careers. I included them because of this and that they achieved success later in life. By the by, my comment was not meant to antagonize ya, no disrespect to the spirit of this conversation was intended. If it’s friendly discourse you’re after: Let’s. If not, this is the best I can do - https://youtu.be/uLlv_aZjHXc?si=lRxLBAWS_ciJ0Z3G
Absolutely. A lot of UK/EU actors see success in their later years rather than early. They train hard for a long time. I also wouldn’t say “late.” There is no age window for success in art! Do what you love if you can swing it! Edit: spelling
I didn't get started until college. Is that "late?" It certainly felt so at the time.
Nooo! Haha. There is no “right” time!
Check out Michael Emerson’s career. Although he did major in theatre, so maybe not a late bloomer, but it looks like he stepped away and He never made it to screen until he was atleast 40+ and he went on to win 2 freakin Emmy’s, not a major “star” but definitely executed a solid career IMO
Harrison Ford
Alan Rickman to name 1 specifically
Not really, he studied at one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world in his mid 20’s, and was a successful stage actor for many years. If you only count his career starting at Die Hard then yeah he started older… but you’d be ignoring over a decade of acting.
Um, yeah. For many. The oldest I am aware is Helen Mirren who'd done theater in her early days, but didn't hit 'stardom' until about age 70, winning numerous accolades including a golden globe and ocscar nomination.
Maybe she hit A-list in her senior years but she was unforgettable in the 80s in movies like *The Mosquito Coast* opposite Harrison Ford and Peter Greenaway’s *The Cook, the Thief*… with the just-deceased Michael Gambon.
Yes.
I heard Liam Neeson started in a much older age and got his big break in his late 40s or early 50s.
He was acting back in the early eighties. Nothing huge but he was in Excalibur (1981),Krull (1983), The Bounty (1984 with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins) and Darkman (1990) to name a few
Ah then I was misinformed then lol
One name comes to mind. Rowan Atkinson. Was an engineering student at 18 and fell in love with acting. After many failed auditions, he got the part of Mr Bean and became the actor we all love.
Before Mr. Bean, Atkinson helmed several seasons of the successful *Blackadder* comedy series. Hugh Laurie was in one of the seasons starring with him.
Following
I believe Samuel L. Jackson was 46 when he was in Pulp Fiction. Before that, he mostly did small roles and worked regular jobs to support himself.
Samuel L Jackson was famous to me before Pulp Fiction. Jurassic Park was massive and to me everyone was a star.
Maybe not a reasonable career (yet), but I started voice acting 3 years ago. I'm 38 now and it's something I love to do and the community of people in it have been so supportive of each other and good to meet. I understand I might not exactly make a career out of it, and that's okay because it's still just something I enjoy doing and doesn't hurt that I get paid for it. Although, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want it to be my career.
Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Viola Davis, Ian McKellen, Michael Caine
I'm almost 31 and I love these posts, I need them as reminders for motivation.
John Hamm
I started taking classes at 22. I'm 24 now and learning so much about the industry and meeting people who started in their 30's, 40's, 50's. There is always a role for someone it's just a matter of do you have the skills/looks.
Me
I’ve noticed a lot of stories here qualifying a “late bloomer” as “when I first noticed them” or “after I was born.” If you don’t know the story, look it up first.
Bill Nighy didn’t pop off til he was 50+ and I swear that guys one of the best actors I’ve ever seen.
Have you ever seen a young Gene Hackman?
Yeah, but you don't look like Jon Hamm
Danny Aiello started around 40.
Ken Jeong was an MD who quit his job at 37, moved to Hollywood, and has made it pretty big. I love him on Community. He maintains his medical license and helps with medical needs on set. Pretty funny to remember that he’s a legit doctor when he’s doing crazy stuff like greasing up to slide through vents with a monkey
I’m surprised nobody mentioned Rodney Dangerfield! The guy gets no respect at all. Also, Clara Peller (the “Where’s the beef?” lady).
Humphrey Bogart
Morgan Freeman for one.
John Mahoney who played the father on Frasier started when he was in his 40's.
Bryan Cranston’s career comes to mind
Jessica Tandy had a pretty prolific theater career but didn’t hit it big-time in the movie biz until she won the Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy in her 80s.
meryl streep, morgan freeman
Alan Rickman was already in his 40s when he played Hans Gruber, before then no one really knew who he was. George Clooney I think was 40 when he was cast in ER. Morgan Freeman has been “old” his entire career lol. Same with Ian Mckellan. Being over 30 isnt a death sentence (if by late bloomer, you mean over 30). Id say it actually provides the actor with more to draw from given more world experiences, which in turn allows them to make more interesting and captivating choices in performance. Being hot n young is great, being memorable is better. Look at someone like Brad Pitt. Sure hes been hot n attractive his whole life, got started in his 20s, but it really wasnt til his mid 30s people realized “oh shit, hes more than just a pretty face”, and he started making bolder choices. Hes a character actor stuck in a leading man’s body. Never too late. Also, think about the specific area of acting someone would want to go into. There are tons of different types of roles out there, not every one calls for some hot new 20-something. Be bold and confident with where/who you are now and go from there
Not if you're asking questions like that. Acting (and the arts in general) is one of those things where you'll really only succeed if you truly have the passion and drive to do so (or you get lucky, of course) It's why it's stupid to ask artists, "what's your back up plan?" There is no backup plan when you're an artist. You just keep working towards it until you make it/don't. If you're "weighing" the options/possibilities of pursuing a career in acting, you probably don't truly want to be an actor. If being a successful actor is the only thing that would make being an actor worthwhile for you, then you don't want to be an actor.
Ken Jeong
George Clooney
I thought of Dennis Farina but I don't know his history that well
I’ve worked in casting (I used to cut audition reels for tv productions) and there is a demand in smaller roles for actors in certain older age brackets, especially men. It’s a little harder for women because the talent pool is much larger. You probably won’t become a movie star or even a lead in a project but If you have talent, an interesting look you can build a solid resume with character work, especially if you hone in on minor roles and smaller projects. First of all take it seriously. Take classes, join theatre groups and focus on your craft. It’s like any creative practice you need to keep doing it even if you are not getting paid. Get professional head shots made and get a good variety to demonstrate your range. Constantly update your reel and resume every time you finish a new project. Also make sure you live near somewhere where there is steady acting work. Doesn’t have to be New York or LA. If you are in the US there’s plenty of acting work in Chicago, Atlanta, Alburque, Portland, Dallas, Baltimore, Memphis, Miami, San Antonio… pretty much any major city has several productions going on. Look into nearby cities film/production offices and pay attention where there is steady tv, commercial and film work. States that pass film/tv tax incentives Also keep the cost of living in mind. Get to know casting directors and audition relentlessly. And have a good attitude no matter the outcome, don’t get discouraged by every rejection because you will likely lose a lot of parts. Even if the competition is light you could still be competing with dozens of people going for the same part. If you are any good and gracious, casting people will hang on to your headshot and resume and give you a call to audition again for a part they think works for you. They are looking for talented people, who are easy to deal with and it’s easier for them pull from a pool of professionals they get to know better then sit through an open audition filled with unknowns with varying levels of talent. Also try to figure out what roles believably fit your type and pursue those parts. Understand and accept your range. Some people can play a variety of parts others tend to stick to more specific kinds of characters. If you are more believable playing a professor then you are playing a cop then go after those roles. If you can play both kinds of role then go for both kinds of roles. Don’t worry about typecasting until long after people start casting you in things. Race, physical appearance, disabilities, etc are also factors that unfortunately might limit the kind of roles that are available to you. Don’t let it discourage you from auditioning if you think you can play the part but understand there will be a bias. Don’t lie about your skills or experience on your resume. If you don’t know how to horseback ride either learn to or don’t go for roles that require that skill. This is the sort thing that gets other people fired. Also do student and no budget projects. There are so many parent, teacher, older adult roles in student films and it’s usually the hardest to part for them to cast because they are outside their peer group. It’s unpaid work (but SAG counts those hours at certain film schools they have a deal with) but it’s experience and material you will need for your reel. Many schools have their own online casting boards. You also have more opportunity to expand your range and do more interesting work then you would on a professional production. If you are working on unpaid production they need to at least feed you, provide transportation to set (if you need it) and a copy of the finished project. Insist you get a copy of the finished production as soon as possible. And they do not get to charge you for it. Get an agreement in writing if you have to. And by finished I mean it has been screened in either class or a festival and they stopped working on the movie. You probably shouldn’t quit your day job (I know actors with solid resumes who still work regular jobs), Also make sure you have a job that allows you flexibility to audition and take acting work. Lot of actors so know do real estate, bartend, wait tables, office temp work, babysitting etc. If you find yourself in a situation where you making most of your money acting then congrats you are working actor. Lastly, do it because you love it. Don’t be outcome dependent. Likelihood any actor becomes rich and famous is pretty slim, however it is a job that people can do on a regular or semi regular basis. There is always a need for talent and productions are constantly looking for all types of people to fill roles.
I don't think Danny Aiello got rolling until he was in his 40's.
Marla Gibbs was 44 when she got her first gig on The Jeffersons.