Hope Davis
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Last updated on August 26th, 2023 at 02:10 pm
The typical lifespan for an average person is around 79-80 years old, and it’s the same for a celebrity. However, many famous people have lived a long time. The public is more aware of their extended lives thanks to their fame.
If you’re interested in the lifespan of famous people, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about 21 celebrities who lived the longest, some still living today and others from days gone by.
1. Elisabeth Waldo
Elisabeth Waldo, the famed musician, composer, conductor, and ethnomusicologist, is the first individual on our list of celebrities who lived the longest. Elizabeth lived to be 105 years old and spent her career working with others to compose and perform original pieces.
2. Branka Veselinović
Branka Veselinović was an actress from Serbia who lived to the ripe old age of 104. She hosted an extensive career during her lifetime, including 100 stage performances and 50 film and television endeavors, all while being a member of UNICEF.
3. Caren Marsh-Doll
Caren Marsh-Doll, also known as Caren Marsh, was a stage and screen actress and is 104 years old. She is known for her role as a dance stand-in for Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz and is one of the last survivors from Hollywood’s iconic Golden Age.
Related: How Did Judy Garland Die?
4. June Spencer
June Spencer is 104 years old and only retired last year from her role as Peggy Woolley in The Archers, a BBC radio show. She played the character from 1950-1953 and then took on the job again from 1962-2022 for an incredibly long career.
5. Frances Wessells
Next on our list of the celebrities who lived the longest is Frances Wessells, a dancer, choreographer, and assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is 103 years old and didn’t stop teaching dancing until her 90s.
6. Iris Apfel
Iris Apfel is an American businesswoman who is 101 years old. She created a textile business and worked with her husband, Carl Apfel, to form a clothing contract with the White House for over nine presidencies.
7. Walter Mirisch
Walter Mirisch was an American film producer who passed away in 2021 at 101. He formed The Mirisch Corporation with his brother and worked as the head of the production company during his life.
8. Ray Anthony
Ray Anthony is a 101-year-old American songwriter, actor, bandleader, and the last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. He’s written many songs and is considered one of the most prominent modern band leaders ever.
9. Margia Dean
Next on our list of the celebrities who lived the longest is Margia Dean, a stage and screen actress, and a beauty queen. She passed away in 2023 at 101, appearing in over 50 roles during her lifetime.
10. Norman Lear
Norman Lear is an American producer and screenwriter responsible for creating 100 shows. He’s 101 years old and has a career that has extended from the classic Golden Age of Hollywood to the modern streaming reality.
11. Janis Paige
Janis Paige is 100 years old and is a former actress and singer. She started her job when she wasfive5 years old, became a singer during World War II and continued her extensive career until she mostly retired from the screen in 2001. She still appears occasionally in documentaries.
12. Gloria Stuart
Perhaps most famous for her role as old Rose in The Titanic, Gloria Stuart spent 100 years on this earth before she died in 2010. She also became the oldest actress ever nominated for an Academy Award at 87, thanks to her last significant role.
13. Bob Hope
Bob Hope’s career as a comedian began when he put on USO shows for the troops and quickly blossomed into something more significant. He died at 100, attributing his long lifespan to walking two miles every night after dinner, even in his 90s.
14. Kirk Douglas
Few on this earth haven’t seen a movie or TV show with Kirk Douglass. This famous actor reached the ripe old age of 103 before he died in 202,0, although his career slowed dramatically after he suffered a stroke in 1996.
15. George Abbott
George Abbott was born in 1887 and spent most of his life as an actor, director, and producer, directing big-name movies like Damn Yankees and All is Quiet on the Western Front. By the time he died at the impressive age of 107 in 1995, he had received numerous Tony Awards and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
16. Viola Smith
Viola Smith is perhaps one of the longest-living celebrities of all time, as she was a whopping 107 years old when she died in 2020. Largely regarded as one of the best female drummers, she began her career in the 1920s, playing with several famous bands and on TV. She continued to drum until she died, her last performance occurring in 2019, less than a year before her death.
Related: 13 Best Female Drummers
17. Beverly Cleary
Last on our list of the celebrities who lived the longest is Beverly Cleary, the famed author of the Ramona series and the Henry Higgens series. With a list of works in the hundreds, one of which was adapted into the movie Ramona and Beezus, which featured Selena Gomez, Beverly was 104 when she died in 2021.
18. Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke is still kicking it at the ripe old age of 97. What’s impressive is, as of 2022, he is still performing, with his most recent appearance being on stage in The Masked Singer. He was a surprise that threw all the judges for a loop!
19. Betty White
Betty White was a crowd favorite to make it to her centurion birthday, but the star, unfortunately, died just 17 days before at the age of 99. She also died on New Year’s Eve, which is probably a final joke from the actress who devoted most of her late life to comedic roles in the film industry.
20. George Burns
George Burns was an American actor who lived to be 100 before passing away in 1996. He was most well-known for his work in vaudeville and his starring role on the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.
21. Mel Brooks
Another 97-year-old that made the list of oldest celebrities is Mel Brooks, known worldwide for his acting and filmmaking career. He is one of a few entertainers to earn an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award), and as of 2023, he’s still going strong–hopefully, he’ll live long enough to see his 100th birthday in 2026!
22. Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter will celebrate his 99th birthday in 2023, making him the longest-lived president of all time. He’s been unwell for the last several years, however, and he admits his life has only been extended due to medical intervention. As of 2023, he plans only to seek hospice care (as opposed to life-prolonging measures), so he may not live to see his 100th birthday.
23. Bob Barker
Bob Barker was born on December 1st, 1923, and unfortunately died in August 2023 just before his centurion birthday at 99 years of age. Known for hosting The Price is Right, many don’t know that this celebrity was raised on a Native American reservation as, in fact, 1/8th Sioux.
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