Late Bloomers: 5 Hollywood Actors Who Found Fame After 40

January 19, 2023 4:56 pm

Better late than never, right? These actors just needed a little more time to blossom into the stars they are today.

Leslie Nielsen

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Leslie used to play on stage in theater for a long time. When he finally hit Hollywood, directors offered him small roles, which, of course, could not make the actor famous.

But Nielsen has always dreamed that the whole country should know of his talent. He was able to fulfill the dream only when he was over 50. Then Leslie was offered to play in a comedy disaster movie Airplane!. Both critics and the audience fell in love with his performance, so other directors started inviting him to their projects.

Leslie is known for such comedy projects as Police Squad!, The Naked Gun series and others.

Kim Cattrall

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Kim had a chance to star in many movies before she received the best offer of her career. In 1997, the 40-year-old actress auditioned for the role of Samantha Jones in the cult TV series Sex and the City.

This project brought Cattrall worldwide recognition, fame and love of the audience. Interestingly, Kim, despite the popularity of the series, refused to star in the continuation of the series. As it turned out, the actress did not have a good relationship with her colleagues on the set.

Morgan Freeman

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Morgan has long played in theaters and starred in movies in minor roles. But all that could not make him as popular as he is today. The actor had to wait a long time for his finest hour, which came when he was over 50 years old.

In 1987 he played in the film Street Smart, which was considered a breakthrough in his biography. He was nominated for the Golden Globe and Oscar awards for this work. After such success, directors lined up for Freeman, wanting him to accept their offers.

Today, the actor's track record includes many iconic projects for which he has won various prestigious awards, including Oscars and Golden Globes.

Melissa McCarthy

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Melissa began her career back in 1997, when she starred in the TV series Jenny, with her real cousin Jenny McCarthy having the lead role. For many years the actress played minor and episodic roles.

Only in 2010, McCarthy got her first major role, when she was invited to star in the sitcom Mike and Molly. For her participation in this project, Melissa received an Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

But the worldwide success came to the 41-year-old actress only in 2011. Thanks to the comedy Bridesmaids she became known outside of the US, and critics even nominated her for the Oscar Award in the category Best Supporting Actress.

Steve Carell

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Steve, like many on our list, waited a long time for recognition. When the actor was 43, he was finally given the lead role in the comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Carell was so happy that he offered the creators to shoot a scene, which was not in the script originally.

The scene where they remove hair from the chest of the main character was one of the highlights of the comedy film. Steve decided to sacrifice himself to prove his skills. Today, he is a successful and famous actor, and one of his latest works is the series The Morning Show, where he co-stars with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.