Most famous actors in Hollywood began their acting careers when they were young. However, not every one of them can find remarkable success
or have their breakthrough right away. Some actors we know were actually struggling with their careers at first and had to wait until their 30 or 40s, or even their 50-60s to have their first big break. For example, did you know the famous Morgan Freeman had to wait until he was 52 to have his breakout role as an actor?
These celebrities have taught us, time and time again, that even the best in the business can struggle sometimes, and the important thing is to never give up despite the hardships and adversities, and it is never too late to reach for your dream. Now, let's look at these 11 late bloomers in the industry who had to scuffle their way to success, and we hope their stories will inspire those with ambitions to keep dreaming big and keep striving for greatness.
#1 Samuel L. Jackson
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Samuel L. Jackson has been around forever, but his career only started to take off when Spike Lee stepped on the scene, and give him roles in School Daze and Do The Right Thing. Jackson was in his 40s at the time, but he thrived quickly and became an A-list actor in no time.
#2 Morgan Freeman
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Have you ever seen a young picture of Morgan Freeman? Me neither. Freeman was in the industry for a while, but not until he is 52, that he had his breakthrough with Driving Miss Daisy, which role earned him an Oscar nomination as well.
#3 Harrison Ford
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Harrison Ford's rising from struggle story is quite inspiring in a way. He was 33 years old and was working as a carpenter in Francis Ford Coppola’s office, and then suddenly got the iconic Han Solo role in the Star Wars franchise. The rest is history.
#4 Melissa McCarthy
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McCarthy accepted minor roles here and there, until making a breakthrough with the role of Megan in Bridesmaids, when she was 41 years old. She also earned an Oscar nomination, and her career started blooming from there.
#5 Jessica Chastain
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Having trained in the prestigious school of Juilliard, Chastain is no stranger to acting from a young age, but the actress didn't get her breakthrough until she was in her 30s. Her roles in Take Shelter, The Tree of Life, and The Help earned her a lot of reputation, and Chastain keeps rising up the rank.
#6 Liam Neeson
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Neeson had some decent roles before, but he only truly made his breakthrough with Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List in 1993. The Taken star was already 41 back then, and he later became an iconic figure in famous action movies.
#7 Kristen Wiig
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Like her co-actress Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids, Wiig made her breakthrough quite late. She only started participating in Saturday Night Lives when she was in her 30s, having only taken small roles before. The actress got 4 Emmy nominations working at NBC and became well-known in the comedy genre.
#8 Michael Emerson
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Emerson's acting career began quite late during the 90s, and he had to wait until his 46th birthday to get his first big role in The Practice and then became the main star in the famous series Lost.
#9 Sylvester Stallone
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Despite his overwhelming amount of Razzies nominations, Sylvester Stallone is a legend in the action genre. But few would know that before his breakthrough with the iconic Rocky role - for which he also wrote the script himself - Stallone was struggling with his financial problems and acting career until his 30s.
#10 Judi Dench
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Probably the oldest on the list, Dench is widely considered one of the greatest actresses in England. The now 88 years old made her transition to the big screen quite late in her career, and rose to international fame with the role of M in Golden Eye (1995). Dench was 60 years old at the time.
#11 Sean Connery
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Sir Sean Connery started his acting career when he was quite young, but his true breakout appearance is the iconic secret agent James Bond role, which didn't happen until he was 32. The Scottish actor then took on multiple roles in blockbuster movies such as Indiana Jones or Highlander and then retired in 2006 as one of the most successful performers in the industry.