Celebs From The Golden Age Of Hollywood – Where Are They Now?



The Golden Age was one of the great periods in Hollywood history. Some of the world’s most famous stars made their name in a time of glamor and prestige. Here are some of the men and women who are still alive and continue to make history.

Morgan Freeman Then


Freeman was born in 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. After four years in the military he moved to Los Angeles to pursue dreams of stardom. He made his first film appearance in the movie Who Says I Can’t Ride a Rainbow? in 1971. By the mid 80’s he began his career as a leading man, making one of his most notable appearances in 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption. 



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Morgan Freeman Now


The actor, producer and narrator has since become one of the most recognizable faces and voices in the entertainment industry. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards with one win for his role in Million Dollar Baby. The actor has a staggering net worth of $150 million.



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Christopher Plummer Then


There are few who won’t remember Christopher Plummer as the iconic Captain Von Trapp in the movie The Sound Of Music. Plummer acted in other equally great movies like The Man Who Would Be King, The Insider, and Waterloo. With his good looks and easy charm, he was quickly considered a great leading man.

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Christopher Plummer Now


Plummer is one the great actors who has managed to keep producing great work well into his later years. He won an Oscar at the age of 82 for his role in Beginners alongside Ewan McGregor, making him the oldest Academy Award winner in history. The ladies man has been married three times. He and his third wife, English actress Elaine Taylor are still happily married after 47 years together.

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Angela Lansbury Then


The English-American-Irish actress began her career in the 40’s with roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Gaslight. She later starred in the hit Disney film Bed knobs and Broomsticks in 1971. The beautiful actress would go on to have a thriving career that spanned seven decades.

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Angela Lansbury Now


Now in her nineties, Lansbury has had a stellar acting career. She has won an honorary Oscar, five Tony Awards for her onstage work and six Golden Globes. In 2014, Lansbury was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II. She is a renowned icon who has truly aged with grace.

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Kirk Douglas Then


Douglas is widely considered one of the best actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in 1916, Douglas came from humble beginnings. He came from an impoverished family and is one of seven children. He starred in his first film in 1946 in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. His early works included acclaimed movies like Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful and Lust for Life. 

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Kirk Douglas Now


Douglas turned 102 in 2018. The iconic actor is currently No. 17 on the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest male screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema. He has won many accolades over his long-spanning career. Besides numerous acting awards, Douglas has been honored for his philanthropic work. He has won four academy awards and received awards from Presidents Jimmy Carter and George Bush.

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Bob Newhart Then


Bob Newhart was a standup comedian first and later, set his sights on working as an actor in Hollywood. Audiences loved his authentic delivery which often included a great deal of stammering and dead pan facial expressions. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, which went on to top the Billboard Pop charts.

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Bob Newhart Now


Newhart’s career thrived over the last few decades. His most famous TV appearances were in two series which were based on the comedy of the actor, The Bob Newhart Show and the later sitcom Newhart. Newhart was named number 14 on “Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time”.

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Peggy Stewart Then


Born in 1923 in Florida, Stewart began her career in the 40s after signing a contract with Republic Pictures. The beauty became a huge star, starring in Western B movies like Ride, Ryder, Ride and Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. She was known and loved for her many roles as the tough heroine who required little assistance from her male co-stars.

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Peggy Stewart Now


Stewart has refused to slow down even as she approached her 100th birthday. At the ripe age of 95, she has made numerous guest appearances on TV shows in recent years, most notably in Seinfeld, The Office, and Community. 

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Mel Brooks Then


Brooks has become one of Hollywood’s greatest jacks of all trades. Brooks started his early career as a comic and actor. He starred in the hit series Get Smart which ran from 1955 to 1970. In middle age, Brooks became one of the most successful film directors of the 1970s. His best known films include The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles and The Twelve Chairs. 

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Mel Brooks Now


Brooks has joined the ranks of the entertainment industry’s most acclaimed actors, directors, composers and producers. He is one of the elite who has won an Oscar, a Tony Award, a Grammy and an Emmy. His first marriage ended in a divorce but his second to Oscar-winning actress Anne Bancroft lasted until her death. Brooks is now 91 years old.

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Vera Lynn Then


The English singer of traditional pop, songwriter and actress had a talent for entertainment from an early age, she began performing at the tender age of seven. In 1936 her first solo record was released to a warm public reception. The height of her stardom was during the years of World War II when she toured and performed for crowds of troops.

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Vera Lynn Now


Lynn has proved that age is nothing but a number. In 2017, she released Vera Lynn 100 to celebrate her centennial year. The album reached number 3 on the charts making her the oldest person to have a chart-topping album on the billboards. She is still fondly loved by veterans the world over.

 
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Rhonda Fleming Then


Born Marilyn Louis in 1923, Fleming went on to be one the great actresses of the 40s and 50s. Fans swooned at her beauty which was undeniable in technicolor, with her fair skin and flaming red hair. She was known for her roles in Spellbound, The Spiral Staircase, Serpent Of The Nile, and Inferno.

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Rhonda Fleming Now


The actress, fondly nicknamed The Queen of Technicolor, had a long-standing and acclaimed career. She has starred in more than forty films over her time on the big screen. Her roles began to dwindle in the late 80s. The beauty has been married six times, many of them ending in divorce.

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Mary Carlisle Then


Carlisle was one of the great starlets of the 1930s. Her first major role was in the 1933 film College Humor with Bing Crosby. With their stirring chemistry the two went on to perform together in two additional films, Double or Nothing and Doctor Rhythm. 

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Mary Carlisle Now


Carlisle’s career may have been relatively short lived but she made a lasting impression on the industry. She chose to retire from acting in 1942 with Dead Men Walk (1943) being her final film credit. The star is now 104 years old. 

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Eva Marie Saint Then


Born in 1924, Saint worked in the Hollywood scene for seventy years. She is best known for starring in Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront (1954), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Alfred Hitchcock’s thrilling drama North by Northwest (1959).

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Eva Marie Saint Now


Saint returned to the big screen for the first time in over a decade in Nothing in Common (1986). Critics applauded her welcome return to the screen. Her most recent film credit was in 2014. At the age of 93, she now spends her days peacefully in much-deserved retirement.

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Jacqueline White Then


With her ravishing good looks and natural talent White always seemed destined for stardom. She’s most probably best remembered for appearing in the films noir Crossfire and The Narrow Margin. Though her career only spanned a decade she is still revered for her performances.

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Jacqueline White Now


White is now 95 years old. Still active as of 2005, White appears occasionally at international film conventions. In 2013, she made an appearance at the annual TCM Film Festival. White now lives a quiet life with her husband in Wyoming.

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Sydney Poitier Then


 
Sir Sydney Poitier is the actor, diplomat, author and film director who has made history. His breakout role came in 1955, playing one of the mischievous high school students in Blackboard Jungle. In 1964, Sydney became the very first black actor to win an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actor.

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Sydney Poitier Now


Poitier soon moved behind the camera. He went on to direct a number of films, including A Piece of the ActionUptown Saturday Night, and Let’s Do It Again. Poitier was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. From 1997 to 2007, he served as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan. He is revered as an actor and activist who tackled issues around race relations in America.

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Dick Van Dyke Then


The charismatic Van Dyke first gained recognition on radio and Broadway, then he became known for his role on the CBS television sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 to 1966. His most loved movie roles include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins. 

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Dick Van Dyke Now


 
Van Dyke has cemented himself as a film and television legend after 70 years of working in the industry. Van Dyke is the recipient of five Primetime Emmys, a Tony, and a Grammy Award, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. He is now 92 years old and is still in good health.

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Clint Eastwood Then


 
Who doesn’t know of the legendary Clint Eastwood? With his bad boy charm and intense delivery he quickly became a screen star to be reckoned with. He rose to fame with his early roles in Man with No Name and the iconic film Dirty Harry.


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Clint Eastwood Now


Eastwood has tackled the later years of his career with renewed tenacity. For his work in the Western film Unforgiven (1992) and the sports drama starring Hillary Swank, Million Dollar Baby (2004), Eastwood won Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. The 88 year old is yet to slow down and is set to play a 90 year old drug smuggler in an upcoming film.

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