As much as youth and beauty are celebrated, the world of celebrity gossip is slowly coming around to the fact that, surprise surprise, most of us continue to age past twenty-five. On the other end of the spectrum, some people achieved fame later in life, so the vast majority of the population doesn’t even have a frame of reference for what they may have looked like at a younger age.

So here is a collection of actors, actresses, musicians, and other assorted famous people at the age of forty, a perfect midway point in age. So scroll through, upvote your personal favorites, and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below. 

#1 Jim Carrey

In 2002.

Image credits: Getty Images

#2 Keanu Reeves

In 2004.

Image credits: Getty Images

#3 Al Pacino

In 1980.

Image credits: Getty Images

As morbid as it sounds, a famous person reaching forty, or at least twenty-eight, is already a good start. There is a long list of artists who all passed away in one way or another at the age of twenty-seven. Famous examples from the 1960s and 1970 include, but are not limited to Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison. 

More recently, Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain all passed away at that age, cementing this concept in two new generations’ minds. So regardless of how one feels about these celebrities, it is somewhat nice that they all made it past that age successfully. 

#4 Jason Momoa

In 2020.

Image credits: Getty Images

#5 Sandra Bullock

In 2004.

Image credits: Getty Images

#6 Aaron Paul

In 2020.

Image credits: Getty Images

Despite its prevalence in culture, there are enough “famous people” who die before and, obviously, after 27 to debunk this “curse.” In fact, dying at 27 isn’t even statistically more likely, just that, perhaps, the stars who passed at that age were particularly famous at that point in time. The Conversation found that 56 is actually the most common age for musicians, which is still, sadly, well below normal life expectancy. 

#7 Paul Rudd

In 2009.

Image credits: Getty Images

#8 Meryl Streep

In 1989.

Image credits: Getty Images

#9 Brad Pitt

In 2003.

Image credits: Getty Images

This is likely a result of the depression, isolation, and subsequent addiction that often comes with fame. It’s easy to see the fortune that comes with being a celebrity, but the difficulties are often hidden. Despite access to personal trainers, the best medicine in the world, and luxurious lifestyles, the normal markers of age are visible on some of the people listed here, a reminder that time doesn’t stop for anyone. 

#10 Betty White

In 1962.

Image credits: Getty Images

#11 Barack Obama

In 2002.

Image credits: Getty Images

#12 John Travolta

In 1994.

Image credits: Getty Images

Of course, everyone dies and people die every single minute, if not second. These particular people were elevated as a result of their status as celebrities, meaning that a critical number of people would actually pause and remember their death. This, in turn, makes it “newsworthy,” so the death is reported, particularly in cases where the deceased was young, 27 for example. 

#13 Clint Eastwood

In 1970.

Image credits: Getty Images

#14 Ryan Reynolds

In 2017.

Image credits: Getty Images

#15 Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow

Image credits: Getty Images

To a certain extent, celebrity culture has only been possible since the advent of mass media and, to a lesser extent, the internet. Local stars will always be prevalent, but if their work is not recorded and distributed, they will remain obscure. In the pre-modern world, only a select few individuals would achieve enough fame to be considered “well-known,” as we would think of it today. For the most part, these would be religious figures and rulers. 

#16 Dwayne Johnson

In 2012.

Image credits: Getty Images

#17 Oprah

In 1994.

Image credits: Getty Images

#18 Angela Lansbury

In 1965.

Image credits: Getty Images

Once the television entered most homes, people’s faces and voices became more recognizable, creating the first real celebrities. At some point, media executives realized that people were interested in famous individuals just because they were famous, creating an incentive to promote and maintain celebrity culture. 

#19 Jennifer Aniston

In 2009.

Image credits: Getty Images

#20 Barbra Streisand

In 1982.

Image credits: Getty Images

#21 Cher

In 1986.

Image credits: Getty Images

The internet, and social media in particular, took this idea and blew it up to monstrous proportions. While in the past, music and film would be the main stairways to fame, now just a sufficient number of followers on the right platform can ensure stardom. While this might seem strange to some, it has allowed many people to, almost overnight, become self-made stars, circumventing the methods of the past. 

#22 Jake Gyllenhaal

In 2021.

Image credits: Getty Images

#23 Nicole Kidman

In 2008.

Image credits: Getty Images

#24 Kim Kardashian

In 2021.

Image credits: Getty Images

In some cases, internet fame can lead to more traditional forms of fame. Justin Bieber is a prime example, a huge pop star that was discovered after posting clips of himself singing online. Stories like this do create an ocean of copy-cats, attempting to emulate stars like this, but the bottom line is that the internet has democratized fame. 

#25 Elijah Wood

In 2021.

Image credits: WIRED

#26 Leonardo Dicaprio

In 2014.

Image credits: MSNBC

#27 Catherine O’hara

In 1994.

Image credits: Getty Images

The increase in “celebrities” now means that this “category” of person starts to appear in more walks of life. YouTuber to a musician, reality star to a politician, these are all “normal” pathways in this day and age. Fame begets attention, and attention is a valuable commodity, as there is more competition than ever. 

#28 Sarah Jessica Parker

In 2005.

Image credits: Getty Images

#29 Kate Winslet

In 2015.

Image credits: Harper's Bazaar UK

#30 Paris Hilton

In 2021.

Image credits: parishilton

While some see this as a sign of all that is terrible in the world, it’s worth considering what the alternative might be. Unless you were extraordinarily lucky to be discovered and given a chance, you would likely remain obscure forever. Now musicians can self-produce and release, actors can film themselves, and the traditional pathways to fame and fortune are no longer closed by a few powerful individuals. 

#31 Beyoncé

In 2022.

Image credits: beyonce

#32 Jennifer Lopez

In 2009.

Image credits: Getty Images

#33 Nicki Minaj

In 2023.

Image credits: nickiminaj

#34 Jack Nicholson

In 1977.

Image credits: Getty Images

#35 Britney Spears

In 2022.

Image credits: britneyspears

#36 Brigitte Bardot

In 1974.

Image credits: Getty Images

#37 Courteney Cox

In 2004.

Image credits: Getty Images

#38 Harrison Ford

In 1982.

Image credits: Getty Images

#39 Anthony Hopkins At 40

In 1977.

Image credits: Getty Images

#40 Madonna

In 1998.

Image credits: Getty Images

#41 Helen Mirren

In 1985.

Image credits: Getty Images

#42 Joan Collins

In 1973.

Image credits: Getty Images

#43 Dolly Parton

In 1986.

Image credits: Getty Images

#44 Goldie Hawn

In 1985.

Image credits: Getty Images

#45 Lenny Kravitz

In 2004.

Image credits: Getty Images

#46 Tom Cruise

In 2002.

Image credits: Getty Images

#47 Maggie Smith

In 1974.

Image credits: Getty Images

#48 Sir Ian Mckellen

In 1979.

Image credits: Getty Images

#49 Julie Andrews

In 1975.

Image credits: Getty Images

#50 Elton John

In 1987.

Image credits: Getty Images

#51 Anderson Cooper

In 2007.

Image credits: Getty Images

#52 Pharrell Williams

In 2013.

Image credits: Getty Images

#53 Bob Barker

In 1963.

Image credits: Getty Images

#54 James Earl Jones

In 1971.

Image credits: Getty Images

#55 Chris Evans

In 2022.

Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live

#56 Meghan Markle

In 2022.

Image credits: Getty Images

#57 Seth Rogen

In 2022.

Image credits: WIRED

#58 Macaulay Culkin

In 2020.

Image credits: culkamania

#59 Tony Bennett

In 1966.

Image credits: Getty Images

#60 Prince William

In 2022.

Image credits: Getty Images

#61 Natalie Portman

In 2021.

Image credits: natalieportman

#62 Jessica Alba

In 2021.

Image credits: jessicaalba

#63 Bruce Springsteen

In 1989.

Image credits: Getty Images

#64 Christina Aguilera

In 2021.

Image credits: Getty Images

#65 Mick Jagger

In 1983.

Image credits: Getty Images

#66 Justin Timberlake

In 2021.

Image credits: Getty Images

#67 Nic Cage

In 2004.

Image credits: Getty Images

#68 Jessica Lange

In 1989.

Image credits: Getty Images

#69 Ozzy Osbourne

In 1988.

Image credits: Getty Images

#70 Elvis

In 1975.

Image credits: Getty Images

#71 Jessica Simpson

In 2020.

Image credits: Getty Images

#72 Julia Louis-Dreyfus

In 2001.

Image credits: Getty Images

#73 Denzel Washington

In 1994.

Image credits: Getty Images

#74 Idris Elba

In 2012.

Image credits: Getty Images

#75 Joe Biden

In 1982.

Image credits: Getty Images

#76 Suzanne Somers

In 1987.

Image credits: Getty Images

#77 Heather Locklear

In 2001.

Image credits: Getty Images

#78 Nick Cannon

In 2021.

Image credits: Getty Images

#79 Joseph Gordon-Levitt

In 2022.

Image credits: Vanity Fair

Source: boredpanda.com