Which actor do you think has done their best work in their golden years? Let us know below, and be sure to also check out our video of the Top 10 Actors Who NEVER Make Bad Movies: th-cam.com/video/8oMuQFzSBhs/w-d-xo.html
Morgan Freeman is an absolute legend as the narrator/grandpa we all wish we had. Seeing pictures and photos of what he looked like young is so surreal.
It’s personally more between Patrick Stewart and Samuel Jackson for legendary actor grandad as a marvel fan for a long time 👴🏻👴🏾 Though agree Morgan is a legend too to also have a career a lot longer than i’ve been around 😮
Other examples include: -Estelle Harris (she began her career in 1977, at 49-years-old) -Judi Dench -Philip Baker Hall (it's pretty hard to find a picture of him in his 40s) -David Kelly (if you don't know him, he was Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) -Bea Arthur -James Cromwell -Mark Margolis (though he can be seen in Scarface, he wasn't that much known before being Uncle Héctor in Breaking Bad) -Liz Smith -Murray Gershenz (the naked old man in The Hangover) -Rodney Dangerfield -Betty White -Lawrence Tierney -Helen Mirren
I like your choice! Some incredibly fine actors there I can't totally agree abt Helen Mirren tho, she was quite famous as a younger actress too, admittedly not in Hollywood but in UK But she always had that mature quality about her, it's as if she just waited to get to her mature peak. I love that
@@anabltc True. I've seen an interview she did when she was in her thirties. (Side note, she has always looked gorgeous.) But yeah, she wasn't really recognized worldwide until she was in her 40s.
Disappointed there wasn't even an honorable mention for Angela Lansbury- her film debut was as early as 1944 (in Gaslight), and if modern audiences more familiar with her work in Murder She Wrote and Beauty and the Beast (or even her Broadway work) saw what she looked like young, they'd probably be quite stunned.
@@OrdenJust- She wasn't in that. She would have been 10 years old or so. Elsa Lanchester was in that movie. _Gaslight_ was her movie debut, and she was 17.
McKellen as Macbeth was the performance chosen by my literature teacher in collage to show us. It was brilliant. I remember watching Dame Maggie Smith as Thetis in the original Clash of the Titans. I also recently watched her in Death on the Nile along with Angela Lansbury. Angela is another actress most people have never seen young, but she was in a lot of movies, and stunningly beautiful. My favorite movie with her as a young woman is The Court Jester.
What's crazy is that even with your education and literature class, you still can't spell college correctly, as you said "collage," which is a collection of pictures. Wow.
Sir Alec Guiness. Though he had a long and sparkling career in Britain, most modern audiences only know him as Old Obi Wan in the original Star Wars Trilogy. I've managed to see Bridge on the river kwai as well as several of his Ealing Studio comedies and he's absolutely amazing.
@@dominaevillae28He also had hair in that one, too! Jokes aside, "I, Claudius" is a great tv series. Derek Jakobi, John Hurt, Patrick Stewart and so many more..
Thanks to PBS, I saw many of these actors when they were younger. The best part of PBS is that you can (sometimes) see older productions. Many theatre performances were captured for video shown on PBS. I think you can see some of them on Ovation as well. Look for Hello Dolly with Pearl Bailey to see a young Morgan Freeman as the Head Waiter in the title song. It was on TH-cam from the Tony Awards.
Side note: James Earl Jones appeared in "The Great White Hope" (1970), with Jane Alexander, and Samuel L. Jackson appeared in "Coming to America" (1987), with Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall...for those who forgot.
If you want to see a younger Maggie Smith, I HIGHLY recommend my family's favorite movie: "Murder By Death". All the actors are playing send-ups of famous characters in detective fiction; Maggie (with David Niven) plays a 'Nick and Nora Charles' parody... Dickie and Dora. Dame Maggie's 'Dora' is both lovely and snarky... a great combination.💖 (Added plus: there's a young James Cromwell!)
Those are good choices. However, being 71, I was aware of several on your list long before their "big break." I'd seen McKellen as a young man in several BBC programs back in the late 1970s, and Patrick Stewart first made his mark on me in the 1976 BBC I, Claudius mini-series as the unforgettably villainous Sejanus. That same year, I interviewed James Earl Jones to publicize his work on the film The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings. A more intelligent and emotionally generous human I've never met.
@@williamcurtin5692 Me, too. I had the passionate hots for him, too. I expect you know he had a supporting role in Boorman's Excalibur, a film in which Liam Neesom also appeared.
I loved the electric company when I was a kid and that shows you how old I am! I am a huge Trekkie fan and adore Patrick Stewart. I grew up watching James Earl Jones and Viola Davis - *Miss fabulous* makes an impact small and large no matter what she's in! All wonderful actors on this list.
I remembered Patrick Stewart as Sejanus in "I Claudius". Didn't see him again until "Star Trek: The Next Generation". I was like, "Omg! He was in that "I Claudius" with John Hurt and Derek Jacobi!"
Truth be told, I have seen Sir Ian McKellan young. He was playing the French enforcer Chauvlain in the 'The Scarlett Pimpernell. I've also Seen Maggie Smith young in Clash of the Titans (Quite a looker) Patrick Stewart in 'I Claudius' (Naturally curly hair) Samuel L. Jackson in 'Patriot Games' (LCDR Robby Jackson, Naval Aviator)
You can found a lot of these actors when they were younger by searching for their earlier work online. A lot of them appeared on TV shows and films, as in the case of the English actors, in their native countries.
This! That was the first thing I'd ever seen him in, and he was great. He managed to give depth to a character who was very one-dimensional in the book.
You forgot christopher lloyd! 🤣 I saw Stewart when I was a young boy in a movie theater, playing ginevra s father in excalibur. In excalibur we can find also a very young liam neeson. Thanks for the video and sorry for my english!
Oh how I wish I could see so many actors on stage! Especially Sir Ian in Macbeth or Amadeus…I have only had the good fortune to see Sir Patrick in his one-man staging of A Christmas Carol.
I was fortunate enough get season tickets to see Richard Harris in Camelot and Yul Brenner in The King and I. It was their last turn in those roles. They still had it!
The first time I ever saw Maggie Smith in a movie was Hook. Imagine my surprise when, many years later, I saw her in the first Harry Potter movie and my told me she played Wendy in Hook. I was shocked!
Similar. I also saw her first in Hook. But then as mother superior in "Sister Act" and by the time of Harry Potter, I already knew who she was. The only surprise was that I actually thought she was as old as in Hook (she was supposed to be about 98 or so), and then she seemed to get subsequently younger in her roles.
I saw Morgan Freeman in the children's show "Electric Company". Maggie Smith was in "Evil Under the Sun"; and "Clash of the Titans". Ian McKellen was in "The Scarlet Pimpernel"!.
My mother recently told me that she saw a young Alan Rickman while rewatching a popular television series from the eighties called Smiley’s People. It was a small part, but he was credited, and I bet that got him some notice.
Alan Rickman appeared in several British TV series and films before he decided that the USA needed to see what they were missing. He already had a considerable following in the UK.
I love, love, love Morgan Freeman. The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite movies. I’ll watch it anytime it’s on. One of my other all time favorites that he’s in is Driving Miss Daisy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a movie that wasn’t good.
Patrick Stewart got his first on-screen TV role in a 1967 episode of the long running British soap Coronation streets where he played a fireman and he's very recognizable in fact the only difference I can see on him is that he had a mustache.
I'm kind of surprised Ian McDiarmid didn't make this list. McDiarmid was most famous for his role as Emperor Palpatine in the "Star Wars" franchise. He was 37 when he first played palpatine, but they gave him makeup and prosthetics to make him look older. Since then he's been in other films like Sleepy Hollow, and has reprised his role as Palpatine so many times since then
Thats what I was thinking, breaking out in the businesses in your early/mid 30s isnt old. But i guess in Hollywood year's starting young is 25 and under🤷🏾♀️
We saw James Earl Jones in the 90s at a performance of the then-San Jose Symphony; he narrated a short piece before the orchestra started. His voice is even more powerful in person! Love all the others too in this video. Not sure who I'd like to voice my life story:: Samuel L, James Earl, or Morgan Freeman, Ian, or Patrick. Probably Morgan Freeman would be my main choice though.
First time I remember really noticing Morgan Freeman was as the top sergeant in "Glory" (1989). And one for Maggie Smith that comes to mind is the Mother Superior in "Sister Act" (1992). As for James Earl Jones, Thulsa Doom anyone?
I first saw a young Helen Mirren in Excalibur which someone mentioned Sir Patrick Stewart was also in. You can see a young Angela Lansbury playing a saloon girl in the movie Harvey Girls with Judy Garland.
For those of us who are older, Betty White has been around since the dawn of television. We knew her as a younger person, although always an older looking person to me.
No, that was Laurence Fishburn. He could have also made this list since most know him as Morpheus from the Matrix series. His most notable big budget early film role was in Apocolypse Now.
i must be old. i saw some of these folks when they were young. the one that should be on the list is helen mirren. i recently saw of movie of her when she was young. HOT DAMN!!!!
I'm 57 and I've seen a lot of these folks young. I remember being a child and loving Easy Reader (Morgan Freeman) on the Electric Company. Saw Dame Maggie in California Suite and Clash of the Titans, and being a PBS junkie my whole life, I've seen Sir Pat and Sir Ian in several Shakespeare productions.
Morgan Freeman had an uncredited part in Close Encounters of the Third Kind as the Air Traffic Controller who asks the pilot if he would like to report the siting of a UFO early in the film.
I saw McKellen in a Macbeth production in 1978, perhaps it was that one. It was the first time I had seen good actors in a stellar production. McKellen and Judy Dench literally took my breath away as sat dumbstruck and hyperventilating. No film performance can ever beat the raw energy the whole cast, but especially McKellen and Dench radiated in that play.
When I think of Alan Rickman. I mostly think of either, His character in robin hood, prince of thieves or as the voice of absolute in alice in wonderland.
Well, you mentioned actors who were in their 30s...Harrison Ford was 35 the first time he played Han Solo. At that time, the media mentioned that he'd been in American Graffiti, but that was about it.
One of the first things I saw Samuel L Jackson in besides Star Wars was a minor role as a burglar in "Coming to America" which I think was _before_ he got his big break
this is kind of misleading. Judging by Ian Mck, I thought the video would have young clips of all the actors. Some of these people I have seen very young via PBS. You guys should dig a little deeper on your research.
I agree with all of these. Speaking of Viola Davis, I've been floored by her ever since I saw her as Moselle in Out of Sight (1998). She is in one scene and steals it from Jennifer Lopez and Isaiah Washington. All these actors are stunning.
I feel like it says something about the lack of roles for black actors when such great actors like Morgan, Samuel, Viola and also Octavia didn't find success until they finally caught a lucky break and/or got old enough to be cast in "character roles".
Hollywood doesn't develop minority leads the way they do white folks. That's why the same few names are mentioned in comments when readers try to dispute the dearth of BIPOC leads. On the other hand, character actors get a wider variety of characters than leading wo/men who get stuck with certain types of roles (until they age out or break out).
Maggie Smith won 2 Oscars in the 70s; I first saw her in Olivier’s “Othello” in the 60s.. And saw J.E.Jones live in B’way “Othello” c.1981 with Christopher Plummer, whose voice & acting was even more amazing. I almost saw Olivier live onstage in 1967, but he was sick that night & though Derek Jacobi covered the role very well, I was crushed! Christopher Lee I met in the 70s at a golf tournament; he was in more films than anybody & was witty & charming in person. I just love actors with wonderful voices!
James Earl Jones didn’t talk until he was 16 years old yo! Think about that. And when he started talking, he sounded like fcking James Earl Jones. Also James Earl Jones was a very very handsome young. He still very handsome.
I foresaw Viola Davis on an episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent. She went toe-to-toe with Vincent D'Onofrio. I wish they would do something together again. She was the villain but I still loved her. I have been so happy about her success because from the first minute I saw her act I was blown away. A few months later I saw her in episode Without a Trace. My mother and I used to talk about her all the time. She can play the most lovable character and she can scare the living stuff out of you.
I would have added John Hurt. I first noticed him as Caligula in I, Claudius, but most people remember him first as the unfortunate Kane in Alien. Both made when he was in his mid-thirties. Later on, he was best remembered as the wand maker Ollivander in the Harry Potter films and The War Doctor, for Doctor Who fans. What an amazing actor and, like Alan Rickman, so tragic he's gone.
First movie I saw Patrick Stewart in was Excalibur. Also, Liam Neesom, Helen Miranda,and Nigel Terry. Stewart also played Gurney Hailick in the original Dune movie.
Which actor do you think has done their best work in their golden years? Let us know below, and be sure to also check out our video of the Top 10 Actors Who NEVER Make Bad Movies: th-cam.com/video/8oMuQFzSBhs/w-d-xo.html
Sir Ian McKellen, hands down. Although you could make an argument for sir Anthony Hopkins!
What an original idea for a list-great job!
Eric Roberts
Wilfred Brimley! I loved that guy!! 🥰
You should do actors you may not know are military veterans. Put James Earl Jones on the list.
Morgan Freeman is an absolute legend as the narrator/grandpa we all wish we had. Seeing pictures and photos of what he looked like young is so surreal.
It’s personally more between Patrick Stewart and Samuel Jackson for legendary actor grandad as a marvel fan for a long time 👴🏻👴🏾 Though agree Morgan is a legend too to also have a career a lot longer than i’ve been around 😮
I always looked forward to watching him and Rita Moreno on 3-2-1 Contact as a kid :)
As a "TV dinosaur from the early days" of PBS, I remember young Morgan Freeman as "Easy Reader" on "The Electric Company.";)
@@Otokichi786 Me too...smile. And thanks, now I don't have to type
He’s one of my favorite actors!🕴🏾
Other examples include:
-Estelle Harris (she began her career in 1977, at 49-years-old)
-Judi Dench
-Philip Baker Hall (it's pretty hard to find a picture of him in his 40s)
-David Kelly (if you don't know him, he was Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
-Bea Arthur
-James Cromwell
-Mark Margolis (though he can be seen in Scarface, he wasn't that much known before being Uncle Héctor in Breaking Bad)
-Liz Smith
-Murray Gershenz (the naked old man in The Hangover)
-Rodney Dangerfield
-Betty White
-Lawrence Tierney
-Helen Mirren
Surprisingly we’ve seen Betty when she was young, at least I think we have. Ohhh nvm we haven’t 😂. I think she was in her 40s during the MTM show.
I like your choice! Some incredibly fine actors there
I can't totally agree abt Helen Mirren tho, she was quite famous as a younger actress too, admittedly not in Hollywood but in UK
But she always had that mature quality about her, it's as if she just waited to get to her mature peak. I love that
@@miaya.micronisBetty White was on T.V. in the 1950's.❤
@@anabltc True. I've seen an interview she did when she was in her thirties. (Side note, she has always looked gorgeous.) But yeah, she wasn't really recognized worldwide until she was in her 40s.
@@CortexNewsService Prime Suspect 🔥
Disappointed there wasn't even an honorable mention for Angela Lansbury- her film debut was as early as 1944 (in Gaslight), and if modern audiences more familiar with her work in Murder She Wrote and Beauty and the Beast (or even her Broadway work) saw what she looked like young, they'd probably be quite stunned.
Bride of Frankenstein, 1935.
@@OrdenJust- She wasn't in that. She would have been 10 years old or so. Elsa Lanchester was in that movie.
_Gaslight_ was her movie debut, and she was 17.
@@julietfischer5056 I stand, and sit, corrected. Thank you.
McKellen as Macbeth was the performance chosen by my literature teacher in collage to show us. It was brilliant.
I remember watching Dame Maggie Smith as Thetis in the original Clash of the Titans. I also recently watched her in Death on the Nile along with Angela Lansbury. Angela is another actress most people have never seen young, but she was in a lot of movies, and stunningly beautiful. My favorite movie with her as a young woman is The Court Jester.
The chalice from the palace has the pellet with the poison. 😂
You can catch it on occasion streaming somewhere, but if you would like to see Ms. Lansbury in the villain role check out The Harvey Girls
Watch the 1949 film Samson and Delilah and you will see a very young and beautiful Angela Lansbury.
What's crazy is that even with your education and literature class, you still can't spell college correctly, as you said "collage," which is a collection of pictures.
Wow.
Don't say the name!!! 😂
All of us who grew up in the 1970's loved Morgan Freeman on the Electric Company.
For some reason he doesn't like to talk about his role as Easy Reader...
I also remember Patrick Stewart as Sejanus in I, Claudius.
He was fantastic then and phenomenal now. Simply the best.
James Earl Jones is not replaceable. So true.
@@caronstout354easy reader that's my name
Sir Alec Guiness. Though he had a long and sparkling career in Britain, most modern audiences only know him as Old Obi Wan in the original Star Wars Trilogy. I've managed to see Bridge on the river kwai as well as several of his Ealing Studio comedies and he's absolutely amazing.
How can you forget Samuel L Jackson was the robber in Coming to America. That's where I first noticed him. Short scene but hella memorable.
I first saw Patrick Stewart in "Excalibur" (1980) and Morgan Freeman as Easy Reader on The Electric Company in the 70s when I was a kid.
Also Mr. Senor Love Daddy in Do The Right Thing! That was in 1989, I think.
@@BKeppol Patrick Stewart also played Sejanus on I Claudius (1976).
Exactly.
I first saw him on PeeWee's Playhouse in the 80s. He is the Cowboy.
Alan Rickman was considered in England, one of the greatest Shakesperian actors of all time. A devastating loss to the theatre ✝️
James Earl Jones' first role was the bombardier in Dr. Strangelove (1964). The iconic voice has not changed.
As a fan of fantasy movies, I actually remember Patrick Stewart, younger with some hair in John Boorman's Excalibur as one of King Arthur's knights.
When Patrick Stewart was younger I think that Richard Gere looked like him lol
He also did BBC series Fall of Eagles as Lenin in 1974
Dame Helen, too.
Patrick Stewart in “I Claudius,” 1976.
@@dominaevillae28He also had hair in that one, too! Jokes aside, "I, Claudius" is a great tv series. Derek Jakobi, John Hurt, Patrick Stewart and so many more..
Thanks to PBS, I saw many of these actors when they were younger. The best part of PBS is that you can (sometimes) see older productions. Many theatre performances were captured for video shown on PBS. I think you can see some of them on Ovation as well. Look for Hello Dolly with Pearl Bailey to see a young Morgan Freeman as the Head Waiter in the title song. It was on TH-cam from the Tony Awards.
Can we talk about how Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart have the best friendship ever? #LifeGoals
Love them on graham norton.
That’s so freaking cute
Side note: James Earl Jones appeared in "The Great White Hope" (1970), with Jane Alexander, and Samuel L. Jackson appeared in "Coming to America" (1987), with Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall...for those who forgot.
He was also Lt. Lothar Zogg, the bombardier of the B-52 heading towards Russia in "Dr. Strangelove," released in 1964.
Don't forget The Hunt For Red October.
Didn’t forget…on of my favorite movies!!
If you want to see a younger Maggie Smith, I HIGHLY recommend my family's favorite movie: "Murder By Death". All the actors are playing send-ups of famous characters in detective fiction; Maggie (with David Niven) plays a 'Nick and Nora Charles' parody... Dickie and Dora.
Dame Maggie's 'Dora' is both lovely and snarky... a great combination.💖
(Added plus: there's a young James Cromwell!)
One of my favorite movies! Absolutely hilarious with an incredible cast.
Loved her in Clash of the Titans too! She played the goddess Thetis.
@@ToneeRhianRose Another one of my favorite movies!
The first person who came to my mind when I saw the title was Abe Vigoda. I swear he was always old.
Oh yeah, Fish! (I miss comedies like Barney Miller, Night Court, and Wings.)
In 1990 Mr Rickman was in 'Quigley Down Under' with Tom Seleck. A fantastic villain -- again.
I love that movie, & the music, which is out of print & any copies you find of the music are pricey.
I could watch Quigley a dozen times and it never gets old.
Those are good choices. However, being 71, I was aware of several on your list long before their "big break." I'd seen McKellen as a young man in several BBC programs back in the late 1970s, and Patrick Stewart first made his mark on me in the 1976 BBC I, Claudius mini-series as the unforgettably villainous Sejanus. That same year, I interviewed James Earl Jones to publicize his work on the film The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings. A more intelligent and emotionally generous human I've never met.
I still think of him as Sejanus.
@@williamcurtin5692 Me, too. I had the passionate hots for him, too. I expect you know he had a supporting role in Boorman's Excalibur, a film in which Liam Neesom also appeared.
Some of us who are on the “older” part of life have seen some of these actors when they were young! For me, it’s the voice of many that I remember!!!
I just recently saw an early version of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I very handsome Ian in that one.
Wasn't James Earl Jones in King Lear in a Shakespeare in the Park production? My first exposure to Raul Julia.
I loved the electric company when I was a kid and that shows you how old I am! I am a huge Trekkie fan and adore Patrick Stewart. I grew up watching James Earl Jones and Viola Davis - *Miss fabulous* makes an impact small and large no matter what she's in! All wonderful actors on this list.
The Electric Company ! Fantastic cast.
Steve Martin has always looked old, even when you see him in The Jerk
"Roxanne" (1987) was a Summertime RomCom retelling of "Cyrano de Bergerac.";)
He started going grey before the age of 30, though.
That’s because he started graying young.
I remembered Patrick Stewart as Sejanus in "I Claudius". Didn't see him again until "Star Trek: The Next Generation". I was like, "Omg! He was in that "I Claudius" with John Hurt and Derek Jacobi!"
I still think “I, Claudius” is the best thing ever shown on tv.
Truth be told, I have seen Sir Ian McKellan young. He was playing the French enforcer Chauvlain in the 'The Scarlett Pimpernell. I've also Seen Maggie Smith young in Clash of the Titans (Quite a looker) Patrick Stewart in 'I Claudius' (Naturally curly hair) Samuel L. Jackson in 'Patriot Games' (LCDR Robby Jackson, Naval Aviator)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a fantastic film.
Christopher Lee was a great actor I don't recall seeing young
Have you watched any old Dracula films from the 70's? He was in his prime then...though his movies got better after that period.
@@ladykoiwolfe fair enough, but I think he was still im his 30s or 40s
@@KevinYannutz 30's isn't old, but there are also films from the 60's, I just didn't go further.
Christopher Lee didn't start acting till his late thirties
@@bentorres4620 excellent, thank you
Loving the videos+ just wanna say thanks for entertaining me!
Robert Duvall deserves a spot on this list.
My first encounter with Robert Duvall was on an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea...he had a creepy part in that one.
You can see him young in "To Kill a Mockingbird" as Boo Radley.
@@jamesjohngarner He was 31 in that movie.
This is a stellar list. I'm not always on board with this channel's opinions but credit where credit is due 👍
Ron Perlman was accurately told by a former agent that the wasn’t really going to start hitting his stride as an actor until he was much older
Great character actor. I remember him mainly from Ice Pirates and Beauty and the Beast. Loved his voice as Vincent.
@@Poizenne 😍🥰 Me too
The one actor that comes to mind is Keye Luke. "Number one son" in Charlie Chan movies when he was 18 and worked in movies and TV all his life.
Can't forget another veteran actor, Mr. James Hong ("Everything Everywhere All at Once" "Kung Fu Panda")
You forgot one of Patrick Stewarts earliest roles as Sejanus in the renowned TV show "I Claudius".
Oh, I completely,forgot,about that series! Loved it!!! I was/am a Derek Jacoby fan!
The casting for that is awesome and also Nerd Central.
Best thing ever on tv.
Patrick Stewart said he went bald at 18, so he really looked about the same for most of his career.
There are some heads on which hair is an insult.
We saw Patrick Stewart at the RSC as Puck in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in 1977. He was mesmerising.
Samuel L. Jackson was in 1988's "Coming to America" as the robber that Akeem overpowered at McDowell's
We’ve seen Morgan Freeman Electric Company Easy Reader!!!
❤❤❤❤❤
Again your 40s is not old You get more nuances when you age It makes you a better actor
You can found a lot of these actors when they were younger by searching for their earlier work online. A lot of them appeared on TV shows and films, as in the case of the English actors, in their native countries.
You forgot to show Ian McKellen in Scarlet Pimpernel! One of my favorite movies.
Also there would be no Frozone without Samuel L. Jackson. Iconic.
I know right. He was amazing in the scarlet Pimpernel.
This! That was the first thing I'd ever seen him in, and he was great. He managed to give depth to a character who was very one-dimensional in the book.
Love them all!!!! Seen McMullen live on stage, phenomenal!!🔥🔥🔥👍👍👍🔥🔥🔥
George Lopez Even When He Was Young He still looked old before the George Lopez show In 2002 also Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
You forgot christopher lloyd! 🤣 I saw Stewart when I was a young boy in a movie theater, playing ginevra s father in excalibur. In excalibur we can find also a very young liam neeson. Thanks for the video and sorry for my english!
Your English is perfect! No need to apologize.
Oh how I wish I could see so many actors on stage! Especially Sir Ian in Macbeth or Amadeus…I have only had the good fortune to see Sir Patrick in his one-man staging of A Christmas Carol.
I saw him on stage in 1997-forget the play.
I was fortunate enough get season tickets to see Richard Harris in Camelot and Yul Brenner in The King and I. It was their last turn in those roles. They still had it!
James Earl Jones stars debut in Stanley Kubricks Dr. Strangelove in 1964. His look Very Young.
I feel Ken Jong was a biiiiitt young for this list...
Still fun to learn about him though.
Maggie Smith my absolute favorite ❤
Let's not forget Samuel L. Jackson's role in Coming to America as the robber who attempts to hold up the McDonald's
James Earl Jones was in Dr. Strangelove in 1964, he had 27 credits before Star Wars.
I also think of him as Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarian.
@@marcpeterson1092 He was 50 when that came out
Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall are legends
Rest in power, Alan Rickman. I had a huge crush on him. I thought he had the sexiest voice ever.
James Earl Jones is my favorite 👍🏻🙏🏻
The first time I ever saw Maggie Smith in a movie was Hook. Imagine my surprise when, many years later, I saw her in the first Harry Potter movie and my told me she played Wendy in Hook. I was shocked!
I first saw her in Clash of the Titans, but never made the connection until years later for some reason.
The first time I saw Maggie Smith was on the secret garden.
Similar. I also saw her first in Hook. But then as mother superior in "Sister Act" and by the time of Harry Potter, I already knew who she was. The only surprise was that I actually thought she was as old as in Hook (she was supposed to be about 98 or so), and then she seemed to get subsequently younger in her roles.
I saw Morgan Freeman in the children's show "Electric Company".
Maggie Smith was in "Evil Under the Sun"; and "Clash of the Titans".
Ian McKellen was in "The Scarlet Pimpernel"!.
Ben Kingsley is another one. He didn't become well-known until Gandhi when he was almost 40. He'd mostly worked on stage before then.
My mother recently told me that she saw a young Alan Rickman while rewatching a popular television series from the eighties called Smiley’s People. It was a small part, but he was credited, and I bet that got him some notice.
Alan Rickman appeared in
several British TV series and films before he decided that the USA needed to see what they were missing. He already had a considerable following in the UK.
I love, love, love Morgan Freeman. The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite movies. I’ll watch it anytime it’s on. One of my other all time favorites that he’s in is Driving Miss Daisy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a movie that wasn’t good.
Patrick Stewart got his first on-screen TV role in a 1967 episode of the long running British soap Coronation streets where he played a fireman and he's very recognizable in fact the only difference I can see on him is that he had a mustache.
The original Dune!
@@alanatolstad4824 and a 1985 forgotten gem Lifeforce
Love this list, because of maturity and wisdom second or third acts are more nuanced and memorable 😊
I'm kind of surprised Ian McDiarmid didn't make this list. McDiarmid was most famous for his role as Emperor Palpatine in the "Star Wars" franchise. He was 37 when he first played palpatine, but they gave him makeup and prosthetics to make him look older. Since then he's been in other films like Sleepy Hollow, and has reprised his role as Palpatine so many times since then
He was in an episode of The Professionals as a man driven mad by grief, who shot several people, before he was in The Empire Strikes Back.
He played a priest in the movie "Dragonslayer", who gets roasted by the dragon Vermithrax.
Ken Jong is still young. Being in your 40s is young
Thats what I was thinking, breaking out in the businesses in your early/mid 30s isnt old. But i guess in Hollywood year's starting young is 25 and under🤷🏾♀️
@@SolSoleil36He just turned 53.
Thanks. I turned 40 this year. Your comment made me feel better.
@@Steven-pn8kdStill young in my book!!!
The first time I ever saw Dame Maggie Smith was in the original Clash of the Titans. I have loved her ever since.
Morgan Freeman was on PBS's Electric Company
Everyone of these are excellent. Thank you.
We saw James Earl Jones in the 90s at a performance of the then-San Jose Symphony; he narrated a short piece before the orchestra started. His voice is even more powerful in person! Love all the others too in this video. Not sure who I'd like to voice my life story:: Samuel L, James Earl, or Morgan Freeman, Ian, or Patrick. Probably Morgan Freeman would be my main choice though.
Where was the symphony hall located? I think I attended one back in the early 80s.
First time I remember really noticing Morgan Freeman was as the top sergeant in "Glory" (1989). And one for Maggie Smith that comes to mind is the Mother Superior in "Sister Act" (1992). As for James Earl Jones, Thulsa Doom anyone?
Creepy Thulsa Doom. You betcha!
also Helen Mirren, Betty White, Richard Harris, Julie Walters, Judi Dench, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin...
I first saw a young Helen Mirren in Excalibur which someone mentioned Sir Patrick Stewart was also in. You can see a young Angela Lansbury playing a saloon girl in the movie Harvey Girls with Judy Garland.
For those of us who are older, Betty White has been around since the dawn of television. We knew her as a younger person, although always an older looking person to me.
How did Tommy Lee Jones not make this list?? He's been 70 for like 40 years
05:34... you left out James Earl Jone's first film...."Dr Strangelove"..
You left out “Chief Pope” in “The Closer” for JK Simmons
James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams
Great list of actors!
All four of the Golden Girls might apply, though Betty and Bea were on "Maude" for a while.
Samuel L. Jackson played Cowboy Curtis on the Pee Wee Herman show in the 1980's. It came on on Saturday mornings.
No, that was Laurence Fishburn. He could have also made this list since most know him as Morpheus from the Matrix series. His most notable big budget early film role was in Apocolypse Now.
The first time I saw JK Simmons was in The Ref with Denis Leary and Kevin Spacey.
i must be old. i saw some of these folks when they were young. the one that should be on the list is helen mirren. i recently saw of movie of her when she was young. HOT DAMN!!!!
One of my earliest memories of James Earl Jones was in Claudine with Dianne Carol (before she was on Dynasty) and Lawrence Hilton Jacobs.
I’m not finished with the video but all I know is Morgan Freeman better be #1!!!!
You are right.
They foreshadow their picks in the opening montage so there is really no quiz.
I'm 57 and I've seen a lot of these folks young. I remember being a child and loving Easy Reader (Morgan Freeman) on the Electric Company. Saw Dame Maggie in California Suite and Clash of the Titans, and being a PBS junkie my whole life, I've seen Sir Pat and Sir Ian in several Shakespeare productions.
Morgan Freeman had an uncredited part in Close Encounters of the Third Kind as the Air Traffic Controller who asks the pilot if he would like to report the siting of a UFO early in the film.
Christopher Lloyd is another actor who I don’t remember young.
I saw McKellen in a Macbeth production in 1978, perhaps it was that one. It was the first time I had seen good actors in a stellar production. McKellen and Judy Dench literally took my breath away as sat dumbstruck and hyperventilating. No film performance can ever beat the raw energy the whole cast, but especially McKellen and Dench radiated in that play.
Morgan freem and Samuel L Jackson are both fabulous actors
When I think of Alan Rickman. I mostly think of either, His character in robin hood, prince of thieves or as the voice of absolute in alice in wonderland.
Well, you mentioned actors who were in their 30s...Harrison Ford was 35 the first time he played Han Solo. At that time, the media mentioned that he'd been in American Graffiti, but that was about it.
He had roles on assorted television series. I did _not_ recognize him on an episode of _Ironside_ until I saw the credits.
His first movie was Dead Heat on a Merry go Round. He played a waiter.
One of the first things I saw Samuel L Jackson in besides Star Wars was a minor role as a burglar in "Coming to America" which I think was _before_ he got his big break
this is kind of misleading. Judging by Ian Mck, I thought the video would have young clips of all the actors. Some of these people I have seen very young via PBS. You guys should dig a little deeper on your research.
I do remember seeing a young Morgan Freeman on Sesame Street when I was 5 years old.
He was on electric company, another pbs show
Great choices. My pick is number one, Morgan Freeman. Just love this man! He is a superb actor. I look forward to many more performances.
OK, but where are the photos of them younger??? That's what I was expecting when I clicked this link. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT MS. MOJO!! 😘😘😘
Truly, Madly, Deeply was my introduction to the late, great Alan Rickman. If you haven't seen it and you're a fan, watch it. He's brilliant.
That movie broke my heart!
I agree with all of these. Speaking of Viola Davis, I've been floored by her ever since I saw her as Moselle in Out of Sight (1998). She is in one scene and steals it from Jennifer Lopez and Isaiah Washington. All these actors are stunning.
I feel like it says something about the lack of roles for black actors when such great actors like Morgan, Samuel, Viola and also Octavia didn't find success until they finally caught a lucky break and/or got old enough to be cast in "character roles".
Hollywood doesn't develop minority leads the way they do white folks. That's why the same few names are mentioned in comments when readers try to dispute the dearth of BIPOC leads.
On the other hand, character actors get a wider variety of characters than leading wo/men who get stuck with certain types of roles (until they age out or break out).
Maggie Smith won 2 Oscars in the 70s; I first saw her in Olivier’s “Othello” in the 60s.. And saw J.E.Jones live in B’way “Othello” c.1981 with Christopher Plummer, whose voice & acting was even more amazing. I almost saw Olivier live onstage in 1967, but he was sick that night & though Derek Jacobi covered the role very well, I was crushed! Christopher Lee I met in the 70s at a golf tournament; he was in more films than anybody & was witty & charming in person. I just love actors with wonderful voices!
James Earl Jones didn’t talk until he was 16 years old yo! Think about that. And when he started talking, he sounded like fcking James Earl Jones. Also James Earl Jones was a very very handsome young. He still very handsome.
He talked, he just didn’t like to talk due to his stutter.
Maggie was in Clash of the Titans, loved that classic!
Aside from relative newcomer Harry Hamlin, and veteran American actor Burgess Meredith, the cast list was a season of _Masterpiece Theatre._
@@julietfischer5056 Too true! An ensemble cast.
I foresaw Viola Davis on an episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent. She went toe-to-toe with Vincent D'Onofrio. I wish they would do something together again. She was the villain but I still loved her. I have been so happy about her success because from the first minute I saw her act I was blown away. A few months later I saw her in episode Without a Trace. My mother and I used to talk about her all the time. She can play the most lovable character and she can scare the living stuff out of you.
I've been lucky enough to see many of if these folks on stage. One advantage to being old. 😊
I feel in love at the beautiful ❤Viola Davis eyes at the emotional movie Antone Fisher!!
I would have added John Hurt. I first noticed him as Caligula in I, Claudius, but most people remember him first as the unfortunate Kane in Alien. Both made when he was in his mid-thirties. Later on, he was best remembered as the wand maker Ollivander in the Harry Potter films and The War Doctor, for Doctor Who fans. What an amazing actor and, like Alan Rickman, so tragic he's gone.
Patrick Stewart was brilliant in I, Claudius a British TV series
I ID’d McKellan by his marvelous EYES!
Dame Maggie is always unmistakable-eyes , voice, movements. Patrick Stewart- by his “presence.” And voice.
First movie I saw Patrick Stewart in was Excalibur. Also, Liam Neesom, Helen Miranda,and Nigel Terry. Stewart also played Gurney Hailick in the original Dune movie.