Melissa McCarthy at 41 If you watched her in Gilmore Girls, you know that Melissa McCarthy had been paying her dues in the industry for a long time before making it big.The actress and comedian didn't achieve huge success until she was 41 years old and starred in the runaway hit Bridesmaids. Frazer Harrison - Getty Images
Samuel L. Jackson at 45 Even though Samuel L. Jackson has been a working actor since 1973, it wasn't until his role in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction, when the actor was 45 years old, that his career reached another level. Since then, he's been in everything from Snakes on a Plane to Django Unchained. Jemal Countess - Getty Images
Kathryn Joosten at 60 Kathryn Joosten was a nurse until she decided to quit her job and pursue her dream of acting at 45. The actress, who sadly passed away in 2012, shot to fame playing Mrs. Landingham on The West Wing and won an Emmy for her role on Desperate Housewives. Jason LaVeris - Getty Images
Harrison Ford at 35 It was thanks to fate that Harrison Ford received his big break at age 35. The aspiring actor was working as a carpenter on the stage where George Lucas was auditioning actors for roles in Star Warsand the rest, as they say, is history. Alberto E. Rodriguez - Getty Images
Viola Davis at 46 Viola Davis had a successful career in theater before she moved to film and eventually starred in the 2011 film The Help. As a result, the actress started securing some of the biggest roles in Hollywood in her 40s, including the lead in the ABC series How to Get Away with Murder. Stefanie Keenan - Getty Images
Jon Hamm at 36 Jon Hamm always wanted to be an actor, but after struggling in the business for years he almost gave up on his dream. It wasn't until he was cast as Don Draper in Mad Men that the actor's career really took off at the age 36. Randy Holmes - Getty Images
Jane Lynch at 49 Jane Lynch has been a working actress since 1988, but she reached a new level of celebrity at the age of 49 when she landed a starring role on the hit show Glee. Since then, Lynch has remained a household name. Jason LaVeris - Getty Images
Bryan Cranston at 44 Bryan Cranston is best known for his role as Walter White in Breaking Bad. But the actor's first breakout role was as the dad on Malcolm in the Middle, which he booked at the age of 44. Michael Loccisano - Getty Images
Helen Mirren at 56 Helen Mirren began her career as an actress in theater in London. In her 50s, she was cast in Gosford Park and Calendar Girls, which shot her to fameand at 61 years old, she received her first Oscar nomination for her performance in The Queen. Christopher Polk - Getty Images
Lucille Ball at 40 Lucille Ball worked as an actress and model in her early career, but it wasn't until she was 40 years old that she began starring in the now-iconic sitcom I Love Lucy with her real-life husband Desi Arnaz. Silver Screen Collection - Getty Images
Alan Rickman at 42 Alan Rickman's role in Die Hard changed the trajectory of his career. After the hit film debuted, the actor, who previously worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, landed roles in blockbuster films like Love Actually and the Harry Potter franchise. Sadly, the actor passed away in 2016. Mike Marsland - Getty Images
Bradley Cooper at 36 Despite minor roles on television, like Sex and the City, Cooper considers his role in The Hangover to be his big break into Hollywood, which he didn't land until he was 36 years old. Dan MacMedan - Getty Images
Jessica Chastain at 34 Chastain landed her role in The Help in 2011 when she was 34 years old, and afterwards the actress' career blew up. Since then, she's been nominated for two Academy Awards and is considered one of Hollywood's A-list stars. Gareth Cattermole - Getty Images
Larry David at 42 Larry David worked as a writer for Saturday Night Live in his early career, but didn't become a household name until the comedian created Seinfeld at the age of 42. Jason LaVeris - Getty Images
Leslie Jones at 47 Comedian Leslie Jones didn't catch a break in the industry until she was 47 years old, when she signed on as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. Since then, she's been in major films like Trainwreck and the Ghostbusters reboot. Roy Rochlin - Getty Images
Burt Reynolds at 36 Burt Reynolds, who sadly passed away in 2018, is remembered as one of Hollywood's biggest stars. But the actor didn't star in his breakout film, Deliverance (followed by Smokey and the Bandit) until he was in his 30s. NBC - Getty Images
Connie Britton at 39 Connie Britton had been acting regularly on shows like Spin City since the mid-'90s. But she didn't land the role most of us know her for as Tami Taylor in Friday Night Lights until she was 39. Now, she's a household name, having starred on more hit shows, like Nashville and Dirty John. Frazer Harrison - Getty Images
Ang Lee at 38 Ang Lee was 38 when he directed the film that shot him to stardom, Brokeback Mountain, in 2005. Before that, he was a stay-at-home dad. Jason Merritt - Getty Images
Regis Philbin at 56 Regis Philbin became one of the biggest names in television after he was hired to host the morning show, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, at the age of 56 in 1988. Before that, he hosted several other talk shows. Dimitrios Kambouris - Getty Images
Octavia Spencer at 39 The actress has been nominated for three Academy Awards, one of which she won, and has starred in films like Hidden Figures, The Shape of Water, and The Shack. But before Spencer starred in The Help at 39, the actress was relatively unknown. Frazer Harrison - Getty Images
Christoph Waltz at 53 Christoph Waltz enjoyed success as a German actor for years, but didn't receive international recognition until he starred in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglorious Bastards when he was 53. Joe Scarnici - Getty Images
Judi Dench at 61 Judi Dench lit up the stages of London as a theater actress for years, but didn't receive attention from Hollywood until she starred as M in the James Bond movie Goldeneye at 61 years old in 1995, a role she reprised several more times. Carlos Alvarez - Getty Images
Ricky Gervais at 40 The UK's hit television show The Office not only inspired the successful U.S. adaption, but also launched Ricky Gervais' comedy career at the age of 40. John Lamparski - Getty Images
Martha Stewart at 41 Martha Stewart is known as the queen of hospitality and has created a successful media empire thanks to it, but her first book, Entertaining , wasn't published until she was 41 years old in 1982. Monica Schipper - Getty Images
Kathy Bates at 42 Kathy Bates has starred in some of the greatest films in history, but the actress' big break and by far her most iconic role was in Misery, which didn't happen until she was 42 years old. Andrew Toth - Getty Images
Ty Burrell at 42 Ty Burrell has graced TV screens as the goofy Phil Dunphy on Modern Family for the past decade, but before landing the role he was relatively unknown in Hollywood. Crazy to think about, we know. Neilson Barnard - Getty Images
Betty White at 51 Betty White enjoyed minor roles on television in the '40s, but the actress didn't receive notoriety until her role on the Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1973 when she was 51 years old. Later, White would go on to star in The Golden Girls. Kelsey McNeal - Getty Images
Rainn Wilson at 39 Despite appearing in minor roles on television and film, Rainn Wilson didn't achieve major success as an actor until he starred in The Office, as Dwight Schrute, at the age of 39. Steve Granitz - Getty Images
Patrick Stewart at 47 Patrick Stewart began his career as a successful stage actor in London, which is part of the reason why the actor didn't achieve fame in Hollywood until he was in his 40s, when he was cast in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Alberto E. Rodriguez - Getty Images
Tommy Lee Jones at 47 Tommy Lee Jones had been working as an actor since the '70s, but it wasn't until he was 47 that his work in The Fugitive earned him an Academy Award nomination and his career hit the stratosphere. Jeffrey Mayer - Getty Images
Kim Cattrall at 42 Most associate Kim Cattrall with her iconic character, Samantha, on Sex and the Citya role many don't realize that Cattrall didn't land until she was 42 years old. Lawrence Lucier - Getty Images
Gene Hackman at 37 Gene Hackman was 37 when he shot Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. The film is considered Hackman's most notable role and led to his parts in The French Connection and The Poseidon Adventure. Vera Anderson - Getty Images
Bea Arthur at 50 As an actress on Broadway, Bea Arthur didn't break into television until the age of 50. After her television show, Maude, was a massive success, Arthur enjoyed success on The Golden Girls as well. Sadly, she passed away in 2009. ABC Photo Archives - Getty Images
Billy Bob Thornton at 41 Billy Bob Thornton was a struggling actor until the age of 41, when Sling Bladethe film he wrote, directed, and starred inshot him to fame in 1996. Vera Anderson - Getty Images
Rodney Dangerfield at 46 Rodney Dangerfield worked as a salesman before landing a slot on the The Ed Sullivan Show at 46 years old. Afterwards, the comedian's career blew up and he became one of the biggest names in the business. Hulton Archive - Getty Images
Morgan Freeman at 50 Morgan Freeman is one of Hollywood's most celebrated actors, but many don't know that his success came later in life. The star received his breakout role in Street Smart in 1987 at the age of 50. Nicholas Hunt - Getty Images
Ken Jeong at 42 Ken Jeong has lived a very different life than most Hollywood comedians: Before his breakout role in The Hangover, Jeong was a doctor. The comedian gave up practicing medicine to pursue a career in actingand we think we speak for everyone when we say we're glad he did. George Pimentel - Getty Images
James Gandolfini at 38 James Gandolfini landed the lead role in The Sopranos when he was 38 years old. The actor would go on to star in movies like Zero Dark Thirty and Enough Said until he sadly passed away in 2013. Getty Images - Getty Images
Naomi Watts at 33 After achieving success as an Australian television actress, Naomi Watts moved to Hollywood to make it big. Her role in Mulholland Drive at the age of 33 is what first started garnering her attention. Jason Kempin - Getty Images
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