At 101 Years Old, He's The World's Oldest Actor - Relatively Interesting

At 101 Years Old, He’s The World’s Oldest Actor

We may receive compensation from the providers of the services and products featured on this website. Read our Advertising Disclosure.

Famous Aged Actors

Some actors, like wine, continue to get better with age. Here are some familiar Hollywood faces that have spent decades in front of the camera. And one of them, who is still getting creative at 101! Let’s find out who. 

Clint Eastwood – 90

Credit

Clint Eastwood remains one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Of course, fans first got a glimpse of Eastwood as the Man with No Name in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, as well as the titular character in Dirty Harry. However, years later, he found he had a stellar talent for directing and moved on to making award winning films like Million Dollar Baby.

Sidney Poitier  – 94

Credit

Sidney Potier’s performance in Lilies of the Field made him the first-ever black actor who took home the Best Actor award at the Academy Awards. At the start of his career, his tone deafness made him unable to sing in stage theatre. Determined to refine his acting skills and rid himself of his noticeable Bahamian accent, he spent the next six months dedicating himself to achieving theatrical success.

Bob Newhart – 91

Credit

Bob Newhart became quite famous in the ’50s and ’60s for his deadpan sense of humor – which made him stand apart from other comedians at that time. His approach turned out so well that “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” became one of the first comedy albums to sell well across the world! His status also earned him a few honoured appearance in the Big Bang Theory.

Donald Sutherland – 85

Credit

This iconic actor has been making movies for more than five decades now. He has been nominated for eight Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films Citizen X (1995) and Path to War (2002). His career is still going strong, with roles in films like Hunger Games, The Italian Job, and Pride and Prejudice. 

 

Mel Brooks – 94

Credit

Mel Brooks has not stopped working since he started back in the 1950s. NBC gave Brooks his own show, and he created the hit parody Get Smart. Less than a decade later, he was helming major comedy films like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. And who could forget the iconic spoofs that are  Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Richard Dreyfuss – 73

Credit

Any fan of 70’s and 80’s movies will know Mr. Dreyfuss. You’ve seen him in American Graffiti, Jaw, Close Encounter of the Third Kind,  What About Bob?, and Mr. Holland’s Opus. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1978 for The Goodbye Girl (at the time, the youngest-ever actor, at age 30, to win). He took a step back a few years ago to focus on health. Now, he writes novels and works with charities. 

Gene Hackman – 91

Credit

Hackman’s breakthrough into film wasn’t the normal route. While many people get discovered at a young age, Hackman’s popularity spiked when he was in his 40’s – in The French Connection and The Poseidon Adventure. Then there was the unforgettable time he was Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie.  The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and Welcome to Mooseport (2004) were his last films before he officially retired. He’s still active today, just not in movies.

Dick Van Dyke – 95

Credit

Dyke actually started his career as a radio DJ in the late ’40s. Quickly after, he jumped to Broadway where his was discovered and his career exploded. There was The Dick Van Dyke Show , Columbo (1974), The Carol Burnett Show,  Mary Poppins (1964), and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He shows no signs of slowing, considering he was also in Night at the Museum and Mary Poppins Returns.

Robert De Niro – 77

Credit

It might be hard to believe that Robert de Niro has been a household name for over forty years! Between his early hits like The Godfather Part II and Taxi Driver and all the way through Awakening, Cape Fear, and The Irishman, De Niro show no signs of slowing down! He’s already amassed several Academy Awards and has been dubbed one of the greatest actors of his generation. 

Nehemiah Persoff – 101

Credit

And here’s our first-place winner! Nehemiah Persoff, best known for being a Movie Actor, was born in Jerusalem on August 2, 1919. Known for his roles in such classic films as Some Like It Hot (as “Little Bonaparte”) and Yentl (as Rebbe Mendel). Before his rise to fame, he served in the army in WWII and as a subway technician afterwards. 

Nehemiah Persoff – 2

Credit

Persoff became known primarily for his ethnic villainy, usually playing authoritative Eastern Europeans. In a formidable career that had him portraying everything from cab drivers to Joseph Stalin. But what other well-known things has he appeared in over his impressively long career?

Nehemiah Persoff – 3

Credit

Just to name a few …. American Tail animated-film series as Papa Mousekewitz,  Alfred Hitchcock Presents (“Heart of Gold” episode), The Twilight Zone (“Judgment Night”),  Gilligan’s Island,  Magnum, P.I.,  Twins (1988 – the one with (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito), and Law & Order. But where is the oldest actor is Hollywood now?

 

Nehemiah Persoff – 4

Credit

Persoff wanted nothing more than to keep going, but high blood pressure and health issues from age gave him no choice but to take a step back and find other things to do with his time. He ended up being just as gifted in art as he was acting – taking up watercolours and sketching. He’s made over 100 pieces and has been exhibited extensively throughout California. 

Morgan Freeman – 83

Credit

Aside from his stellar acting skills, Freeman is also well-known for his smooth, unique voice. His rise to fame began in the ’70s when he appeared in The Electric Company. He found the most success when he ventured into films, for he won an Academy Award for starring in Million Dollar Baby.

Sam Elliott – 76

Credit

Elliott started his career in the ’60s, earning small parts in westerns like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  But the real break came in the 70’s when Elliott starred in the hit drama film Lifeguard. Afterwards, it was a rollercoaster of well-known films like The Big Lebowski, Tombstone, and Road House.  Fans still rush him and beg him to say, “The Dude abides.”

Burton Gilliam – 82

Credit

He started off as a wrestler while in the Coast Guard, winning 201 out of his 217 fights. After leaving the Coast Guard, Gilliam became a firefighter, while dabbling in acting. Some of his better-known movies include Back to the Future Part III and Charlie’s Angels. He shows no signs of slowing down!

Bob Barker – 97

Credit

He might not be in movies, but Barker still should get on this list. А fаmоuѕ tеlеvіѕіоn gаmе ѕhоw hоѕt, Воb Ваrkеr оr fаmоuѕlу knоwn аѕ Rоbеrt Wіllіаm Ваrkеr іѕ thе mаn bеhіnd thе lоngеѕt-runnіng gаmе ѕhоw ‘Тhе рrісе іѕ rіght’ іn Аmеrісаn tеlеvіѕіоn hіѕtоrу. Іt ѕtаrtеd іn thе уеаr 1972 аnd wеnt оn tіll 2017. He’s also made the odd cameo in tv and movies.

Norman Lloyd – 106 (passed)

Credit

It wasn’t that long ago – May 11, 2021 – when Lloyd passed away. But at the time, he was the defending champion of “oldest actor” in Hollywood at an impressive 106! So, he definitely should be included! He was on Murder, She Wrote, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dead Poets Society, The Twilight Zone – and this is just a drop in the bucket, as well as not including his success in directing and producing. 

David Rockefeller – 101 (passed)

Credit

David Rockefeller and his family are not actors, but there is something that’s worth including him (and them) as a bonus. Through his and his parents/grandparents business dealings, New York bloomed with some of the most iconic architecture that is often used in movie and television shows today, like Sleepless in Seattle and Home Alone 2. The Atlas statue and skating rink are unforgettable locations.