9 Successful Celebrities Who Started Late

If you stumbled on your seventh try, stand up for your eighth. It’s hard to get up sometimes, especially when you don’t see any reason to, but if you are eager to achieve your dreams, you should! With that said, you might want to consider these high-profile celebrities who deserve credit for not giving up on their dreams. It’s also worth mentioning that age is just a number. After all, you can be successful no matter how young or old you are.

Jon Hamm

In his pursuit to make it into show business, Jon Hamm, with his car and $150 (might be from a cash loan), moved to Los Angeles, California. His old vibe gave him a hard time finding opportunities. While he might not play youthful roles, he thrived in projects where he was the dad or older character. At age 36, he starred in Mad Men, a TV series that aired from 2007 to 2015. A surprising fact about him is that after finishing his arts degree in English, he taught eighth-grade acting, where the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Ellie Kemper was one of his students.

Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy started her career in the 1990s, but most audiences might recognize her for her acting credit in the TV series Gilmore Girls, which is considered her breakthrough. Take note, she appeared in the show when she was already 30 years old. Although her stint in Mike and Molly was widely praised, it was the 2011 film Bridesmaids that helped her attain household status. Now, she is a two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner. Perhaps it wouldn’t take long before she finally gets an Academy Award, too.

Alan Rickman

Many might recognize Alan Rickman for his performance as Severus Snape in Harry Potter, one of the highest-grossing film series in history. Before that, the actor got his first shot to fame in the 1988 film Die Hard, starring as the antagonist Hans Gruber. He was already 42 when he got the part. Consequently, Rickman’s Gruber now takes credit for being the 46th best villain in films by AFI’s 100 Years…100 Heroes & Villains list. Before his career on the screens, though, the late actor initially worked as a graphic designer and eventually entered the Royal Academy for Dramatic Arts.

Morgan Freeman

Would you believe that Morgan Freeman’s career catapulted in the film scene when he was already 52? Well, despite the late start, his exceptional acting skills were awarded by the Academy Awards when the then-68-year-old actor won a Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in Million Dollar Baby. According to The Numbers, his movies have accumulated a total worldwide gross of nearly $11 billion.

Tina Fey

Her comedic skills are to an exceptional degree, and so is her writing. When Tina Fey was just 34, she starred and wrote the 2004 iconic film Mean Girls. Other screen projects she lent her artistic skills for are Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and the long-running Saturday Night Live. As of writing, Fey has nine Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and seven Writers Guild of America Awards.

Samuel L. Jackson

The popular actor was already 46 when he received household status. This was when he landed the part of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, a character filmmaker Quentin Tarantino wrote just for him. Since then, continuous screen projects have come his way, making him the highest-grossing actor in history with nearly $28 billion in movie earnings.

Vera Wang

Do you know what Vera Wang’s first job was? Not a financial advisor, but one that involves fashion. She initially pursued figure skating. Unfortunately, she failed to make it into the Olympics team, so she switched to the fashion industry and worked as Vogue’s editor. Subsequently, she stayed there for 15 years. Although hesitant at first, she eventually opened her very own bridal wear boutique. Thankfully, Wang didn’t let her second thoughts get the best of her. Thanks to that, she has since become near-synonymous with high fashion weddings.

Leonard Cohen

Pursuing another field, no matter how old you are, is still possible. Just persevere and focus on your goal. That notion applies to Leonard Cohen, who garnered a high degree of fame as a painter, poet, and novelist. However, at age 33, he shifted his sights to music. He was an exceptional musician but ultimately chose writing music in the 1950s and 1960s. In 2011, he became the recipient of the Prince of Asturias Awards for Literature.

JK Rowling

It’s inexplicable how JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series has become loved by many, and it’s also unfathomable how her brain processes every bit of detail of it. She was a single mother who successfully had her first published novel at age 31. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last from the series, takes credit for being the fastest book in the history of the United Kingdom to sell 2.65 million books on its first day.