The most famous Hollywood centenarians

Burns is definitely one of the preeminent centenarians. He was a massive comedian for so long that multiple generations knew him as a veteran presence. With his trademark cigar — and with and without his wife, Gracie — he was one of the biggest stars of his generation. And he won a career-achievement Oscar and proceeded to live another 21 years!

The Professor was one of the first successful standup comedians. He was beloved by the likes of Lenny Bruce and Johnny Carson. Thomas Pynchon had him accept a National Book Award on his behalf. His improvisational style (and leftist politics) influenced many who followed in his footsteps.

Olivia de Havilland and her sister Joan Fontaine were both successful actors. They were also bitter rivals. So much so that we bet de Havilland was pretty happy to make it all the way to 104, while her sister Fontaine lived to a mere 96 years of age.

When Marsh was 30, she survived a plane crash. After that, she lived for over 70 years more. Credited during her career as Caren Marsh (she picked up the Doll when she got married in 1950), she is one of the last surviving people to have worked on The Wizard of Oz. Granted, there she was a stand-in for Judy Garland, but she had plenty of acting roles, some of them thanks to dancing skills that also led to a career as a Hollywood dance instructor.

He was Spartacus, and so much more. Douglas was of the biggest stars of his generation, a trait he passed on to his son, Michael. The man worked for decades and racked up award nominations before passing away at 103 in 2020.

If you are a fan of animation, you’ve come across Geer’s career. After starting at Disney, he ended up at Warner Bros., where he began working as an animator and editor on Looney Tunes. He became the head honcho for Looney Tunes, and in 1980, he became the head of Warner Bros. animation, a position he held until he retired in 1987.

Hope and Burns were two massive comedians who both managed to live to be 100. Hope was a staple of television and film. Sure, every acting role he had was him basically playing “Bob Hope,” but clearly, people wanted that. He is also still the name most synonymous with the USO.

As of this writing, Hunt is the oldest living member of the Academy. She was successful in the ‘30s and ‘40s but ended up blacklisted during Joseph McCarthy’s reign of terror. Eventually, Hunt was able to return to acting and had her last role in 2008.

Laemmle began her career in 1925 when films were still silent and shot her final films in 2014. She was in The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, and the Oscar winner The Broadway Melody. It may have helped that she was the niece of the founder of Universal Studios, Carl Laemmle, but it was still a long-standing career.

Lloyd clearly liked to work, and as he got older, it became more and more notable that he was still working. His first film was Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur, released in 1942. His last non-documentary movie was Trainwreck. Yes, the Amy Schumer movie. He also appeared on television, and Hitchcock was clearly a Lloyd fan. Lloyd directed several episodes of his show Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Roach had his own studio and made the most of it. Sure, the "Our Gang” shorts feel a little hokey now, but he was making them in the early days of film. He also played a key role in the career of Laurel and Hardy. Early film comedy owes a lot to Roach.

Shaw spent years as a writing coach. Then, she decided to get into acting. She began her acting career when she was 82. Even with the late start, she got to appear in the Twilight Zone movie and Parenthood. In the latter, she plays Steve Martin’s character’s grandma.

Simonot lived to the robust age of 109. You might not be as aware of her if you didn't live in France. She was a star on stage in Paris for years and did some film work. Simonot also was one of the premier voice actresses who dubbed films into French in the early days of “talkies.” She’s also known because she is the mother of actress Catherine Deneuve.

Britain never lost interest in scripted radio. If you are British, you may know the soap opera The Archers. It’s been on since 1950. Spencer has played Peggy Wooley on the show since the beginning. Yes, Spencer has been acting in a soap opera since 1950. Overall, she’s played Peggy for 64 years. Generations of Archers fans are now familiar with Spencer.

Stuart will definitely be remembered. She is, after all, the older version of Rose in Titanic. You know, one of the biggest movies in the history of time. Stuart was nominated for an Oscar in that film. While it’s possible you don’t know any other role of Stuart’s, her turn in Titanic made her a part of film history.

Have you heard of the Ziegfeld Girls? They were a legendary troupe of chorus girls who performed in Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway and in film. Travis was one of the Ziegfeld Girls. In fact, she was the last surviving member of that troupe when she died at 106. After her time on stage and screen, Travis became a dance instructor and moved to Michigan, where she became a local TV personality.

Do you know the old comedy trope of somebody talking to their hand and then moving their hand like a mouth? And that hand probably says, “Sss-alright?” Yeah, Senor Wences started that. He was a popular ventriloquist and comedian who rose to fame thanks to The Ed Sullivan Show. After that, Wenceslao Moreno Centeno (a.k.a. Senor Wences) gained another round of fame because he got pulled into the world of the Muppets.

Havelange was the President of FIFA from 1974 until 1998. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1963 until 2011. Sure, the Brazilian sports bigwig was named in some controversies and accusations of illicit behavior. He was, after all, the President of FIFA. Nevertheless, he played a big role in international sports and made a splash.

Berlin is one of the most famous songwriters ever. He wrote “White Christmas.” We probably don’t need to say anything more than that. OK, he also wrote “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” and several more notable hits.

Anna Moses is a testament to the idea that it’s never too late to start something new. Her nickname is fitting, given that she didn’t start painting until she was 78. She then became a genuinely successful artist, not just a novelty. Moses died in 1961, and in 2006, one of her paintings sold for $1.2 million.

Our first athlete on the list, a lot of centenarian athletes only had a cup of coffee in the pros. Not Robinson. The baseball player was in MLB from 1942 until 1957. He made four All-Star Games in his career. When Robinson turned 100, he was working on a podcast about baseball. Though he died less than a year later, he was a lover of baseball until the very end.

Queen Elizabeth II has lived to a ripe old age herself, but she still has some work to do to match her mother. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, often known as “The Queen Mother,” was 101 years old when she died in 2002. Helena Bonham Carter played her in The King’s Speech.

She was the rapping granny that begat all rapping grannies. When Dow performed “Rapper’s Delight” in The Wedding Singer, it was the birth of an unexpected trope. Of course, Dow had plenty of other roles in her 101 years of life, but that rap is her legacy.

A favorite author of elementary and middle school students, Cleary wrote extensively about her characters Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins. Her first book came out in 1950, and she wrote until 1999. Then, she proceeded to live until 2021, when the beloved writer passed away.

Sawyer worked for a long, long time. She first worked in 1959 and was working until 2014. Since she worked until she died at 105, Sawyer was the oldest working actress in Hollywood for a time. Late in her career, she even appeared in The Office as Michael’s grandmother.

A scion of the Rockefeller family, David was the grandson of John D. Rockefeller. He had some political involvement, but his primary gig was as the Chairman of Chase Manhattan bank in the ‘70s. Of course, you don’t need to work much when you are a Rockefeller. When he died, he had a reported worth of $3.3 billion.

Cary changed her name later in life to try and move past her early career. Back then, she was Peggy-Jean Montgomery, aka “Baby Peggy.” She was one of the preeminent child stars of the silent era. Unfortunately, child actors basically had no rights at the time, so she ended up having to rebuild her life in adulthood. Hence, the name change. Later in life, she became an author and film historian and was the last surviving silent film star when she passed away in 2020.

Bennett won a silver medal in the shot put back in 1928. Then, he became an actor. First, Bennett found success as Tarzan but then went on to appear in various films, often in the film noir genre.

Currie was one of the stars of the 1940s serial Adventures of Captain Marvel (not that Captain Marvel) and had an uncredited role in Citizen Kane. Of course, she had plenty of credited roles, including acting opposite Bela Lugosi in Voodoo Man.

Abbott is Broadway royalty. He won three Tonys for Best Musical for The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, and Fiorello! There’s even a section of a street in New York City named George Abbott Way. In addition to his Broadway legacy, Abbott managed to live to be 107.

If you know your Oscars history, you know Rainer. She won Best Actress for The Great Ziegfeld and The Good Earth in back-to-back years. Rainer was the first winner of multiple Academy Awards for acting and the first to win back-to-back.

Carlisle retired in 1943 after getting married, but in the early days of Hollywood, they really cranked out movies. Though she didn’t have her first credited role until 1933, Carlisle managed to cram over 60 film appearances into her career and became a star in ‘30s film.

Hofmann was a majorly influential scientist, but the area in which he worked was certainly controversial. The Swiss chemist was the first person to synthesize and use LSD. Yes, Hofmann is the man responsible for the existence of that psychedelic drug. It didn’t seem to shorten his life span, as he lived to be 102.

Jeffries did a bit of acting, but mostly, he made his career as a successful jazz musician. He was a crooner in the ‘40s and ‘50s when crooning was a thing. Interestingly, in addition to that, he made some Western films and even released a country album at the age of 81.

Man, they really churned out movies in the early days of film. Du Brey began acting in the silent era, making her film debut in 1916. She would work until 1959. In the interim, she appeared in over 200 movies. Usually, she was in a supporting role, especially when sound entered film, but it was still an impressive career.

Barnet was a painter of some renown. Maybe he wasn’t the biggest name, but his work was respected. After all, Barack Obama awarded him the National Medal of Arts in 2011. He would live one more year and pass away at 102.

Packer was an early football star, winning the NFL MVP award in 1940 and eventually making the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On top of that, he played a couple of seasons in MLB in the ‘30s. After Parker retired, he went on to coach Duke’s baseball team from 1953 until 1966.

Gaston was a pitcher in MLB for a decade, beginning his career with the Yankees in 1924 and ending with the White Sox in 1934. Was he a good pitcher? Well, his career ERA was 4.55, and he did post a 97-164 record. However, he did play professional baseball for several years and lived to be 100, two rare feats.

Werber’s career was a bit better than Gaston’s, though they were contemporaries and surely crossed paths. The third baseman’s best trait was his speed. Werber led the American League in stolen bases three different times and won a World Series with the Reds in 1940.

Professional sports weren’t always a cash cow. Case in point, Sandlock took a pay cut from his job as an electrician when he became a professional baseball player. He played catcher in MLB for a few years but then went to play for the Hollywood Stars in the PCL. This was before MLB had hit the West Coast, so the PCL was pretty significant. Sandlock even said he made more money with the Stars than he ever did in MLB.

Coppola is part of a famous that has put a huge mark on American culture. He is the uncle of Francis Ford Coppola, which also makes him the uncle of actress Talia Shire, and of course, also means he is related to Sophia Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Nicolas Cage. Anton was a composer and opera conductor. In addition to his opera work, he conducted two scores for his nephew: The Godfather Part III and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Yes, Bob Hope’s wife was also a centenarian. Talk about a power couple. Before Dolores met Bob, she had a career as a model and a singer. Once they married, Dolores continued to sing and joined Bob on his USO tours. Dolores has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Lynn worked for what was kind of the equivalent of the USO in the United Kingdom. She was known as the “Forces’ Sweetheart” and performed for British troops worldwide. Her singles charted in both the UK and the US, and her version of “We’ll Meet Again” was used at the end of Dr. Strangelove.

In the days of swing, Moreno was a star. He was a guitarist, a singer, a bandleader, and more. In the ‘50s, he moved to St. Louis, where he had The Buddy Moreno Show and a national radio program.

Tobin was an in-demand singer in the ‘30s and ‘40s. Her peak probably came when she was singing with Benny Goodman’s band. That’s when she did her version of “There’ll Be Some Changes Made,” which proved hugely popular. It was the No. 2 song on the radio show “Your Hit Parade” for 15 weeks.

Abbot was a renowned astrophysicist and the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1928 until 1944. He was also the director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. His studies on solar energy and solar radiation were quite important, and there’s even a crater on the Moon named after him.

Angell is considered one of the best sportswriters, specifically baseball writers, ever. Having lived to be over 100 has helped, as has the fact he’s never stopped writing. In fact, Angell contributed to The New Yorker as recently as 2020. Unsurprisingly, the Baseball Writers Association of America gave him the Spink Award, their highest honor.

Unfortunately, radiation exposure ended the lives of Eve’s parents, Marie and Pierre. However, Eve would live to be 102. While her parents were scientists, this Curie was a writer and journalist. Her biography of her mother, Madame Curie, won the National Book Award in 1937 and was turned into a film.

Speaking of the National Book Award, Eberhart won one in 1977 for poetry. On top of that, he won the Pulitzer for his poems. Hey, for the career of a poet, it doesn’t get much better than that.