7 of the Best Actors and Actresses Over 70

Most people believe that by the time you turn 70, life is coming to an end. These seven best actors and actresses will change the way you think about age and inspire you to continue thriving as you age.

Clint Eastwood

Born on May 31, 1930, Clint Eastwood is an 86-year-old American actor, director and producer. Eastwood grew to fame appearing in westerns in the 1960s and became well known for his role as Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry which debuted in the 70s and 80s. One of his more recent successes include Million Dollar Baby which debuted in 2004, in which he won two Academy Awards for best director and best picture. At the age of 74, Eastwood was the oldest recipient of the Academy Award for best director at that time. Eastwood has been recognized by President Barack Obama and French President Jacques Chirac. Eastwood struggled in the beginning of his career in the 1950s but is now known internationally as one of the best actors.

 

Judi Dench

Born on December 9, 1934, Judith (Judi) Dench is an 82-year-old British actress. Dench made her debut in 1957 at the Old Vic, a theatre in London. Dench performed in several plays and musicals including Cararet and multiple plays by Shakespeare. Dench soon became one of the most well-known British theatre performers. She is also known for roles in television series such as A Fine Romance and As Time Goes By. It was not until 1995, that Dench grew to international fame as M in Golden Eye. Dench continued her role as this character in James Bond films through 2012 ending with the movie Skyfall. Dench has most recently appeared in well known films such as Spectre in 2015 and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children in 2016. Dench has won 56 awards to date including an Oscar and a Tony.

 

Sean Connery

Born on August 25, 1930, Sean Connery is an 86-year-old Scottish actor. Connery is best known for being the first actor to portray James Bond on film. Other popular appearances include roles in the movies The Untouchables, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October, and Finding Forrester. Connery has won multiple awards including an Academy Award and three Golden Globes. In 1989, at the age of 59, Connery was penned the “Sexiest Man Alive” and in 1999, ten years later at the age of 69, he was proclaimed the “Sexiest Man of the Century.”

 

Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith is an 82-year-old British actress born as Margaret Natalie Smith on December 28, 1934. Smith began her career in the 1950s on stage in London. Smith is one of six actresses to have won Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. She has also broken records winning four BAFTA awards for Best Actress. Smith is well known for her role as Professor McGonagall in all eight Harry Potter films. In 1990, Smith was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the performing arts and in 2014, she received the Companion of Honor from the Queen for services to drama.

 

Michael Caine

Michael Caine was born in London on March 14, 1933 as Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, named after his father. The 83-year-old actor began his career in the 1950s and quickly rose to fame in the 1960s with starring roles in British films such as Alfie, The Italian Job and Battle of Britain. His most recent film appearances include Goldmember, The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception. Caine, along with Jack Nicholson, is the only actor nominated for an Academy Award for acting roles in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s. His success earned him two Academy Awards and the honor of being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000.

 

Jack Nicholson

Born on April 22, 1937, Jack Nicholson is a 79-year-old actor and filmmaker. Nicholson holds the title of the most nominated male actor in Academy Award history with 12 nominations. Nicholson has won two Academy Awards for Best actor and one for Best Supporting Actor, making him one of three male actors to win three Academy Awards. In 2010, Nicholson was inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 2011, at the age of 74, Nicholson received an honorary doctorate from Brown University and at the ceremony he was referred to as “the most skilled actor of our lifetime” by the University’s president.

 

Morgan Freeman

Born on June 1, 1937, Morgan Freeman is a 79-year-old actor, producer, and narrator. Freeman has appeared in multiple hit movies, most recently appearing in Ted 2 (2015), London Has Fallen (2016), and Now You See Me 2 (2016). Freeman received two honorary doctorates: one in 2006 from Delta State University and one in 2013, at the age of 76, from Boston University.