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16 Celebrities You Didn't Realize Have Had 50+ Year Careers

Five decades is a long time to do anything and these celebs have spent their young lives for audiences. From their debut until now, with talent and passion, they have devoted themselves to the audience with their best works.
To honor their contributions, we have made a list of 16 stars who've been in the industry for more than 50 years. They are the actors and singers who have had the most influence on the Entertainment industry from the previous decades until now. For example, the soul and pop legend Stevie Wonder was all in the industry when he was 11 years old. He is a pioneer and influenced by performers in a variety of genres, including R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. His songs like 'Boogie on Reggae Woman', 'I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)', 'Overjoyed',... have become familiar and immortal songs in the hearts of fans.
Keep reading to discover our list. If your favorite actor with a half-century-long career isn’t listed, let us know in the comment below!

#1 Goldie Hawn

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Years active: 1966–present
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is known for NBC comedy show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1968–1970), before going on to win an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her portrayal in Cactus Flower (1969).
Hawn maintained bankable star status for more than three decades while appearing in such films as "There's a Girl in My Soup" (1970), "Butterflies Are Free" (1972), "The Sugarland Express" (1974), "Shampoo" (1975), "Foul Play" (1978), "Seems Like Old Times" (1980), and "Private Benjamin" (1980), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Hawn returns to film with roles in "Snatched" (2017), "The Christmas Chronicles" (2018), and "The Christmas Chronicles 2" (2020).

#2 Ted Danson

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Years active: 1975–present
On the NBC sitcom "Cheers," he played Sam Malone, Jack Holden in the films "Three Men and a Baby" and "Three Men and a Little Lady," and Dr. John Becker on the CBS sitcom "Becker." He also had a regular part in Larry David's HBO sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm" as a fictionalized version of himself. He played Hank Larsson in Season 2 of FX's black comedy-crime drama anthology "Fargo" in 2015. He starred as Michael, the afterlife architect, in the NBC sitcom "The Good Place" from 2016 to 2020. In NBC's "Mr. Mayor," he presently plays Neil Bremer.
Danson has been nominated for 18 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning two; 11 Golden Globe Awards, winning three; one Screen Actors Guild Award; and one American Comedy Award and has been awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He was ranked second in TV Guide's list of the top 25 television stars.

#3 Cher

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Years active: 1963–present
She has been described as embodying female sovereignty in a male-dominated industry, and has been dubbed the "Goddess of Pop" by the media. Cher is noted for her unusual contralto singing voice, as well as having performed in a range of entertainment fields and adopting a variety of fashions and looks over the course of her six-decade career.
In 1965, Cher rose to fame as one half of the folk-rock husband-and-wife duet Sonny & Cher, when their song "I Got You Babe" reached number one on the US and UK charts. Cher made her Broadway debut in 1982 with "Come Back to the 5 & Dime," "Jimmy Dean," and starred in the film adaptation of the play. She went on to win awards for her roles in films like "Silkwood" (1983), "Mask" (1985), "The Witches of Eastwick" (1987), and "Moonstruck" (1987), the latter of which won her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Cher contributed to the soundtrack for her next film, "Mermaids" (1990), which resulted in the UK number-one song "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)." With a chapter in the abortion-themed anthology "If These Walls Could Talk," she made her directorial debut (1996).

#4 Robert Redford

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Years active: 1958–present
Charles has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role after four nominations, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2002, he won his second Academy Award, this time for Lifetime Achievement. He was named a chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur in 2010. Redford is also one of the Sundance Film Festival's founders.
Redford began his television career in 1960, after being on stage in the late 1950s and appearing on "The Twilight Zone" in 1962. "War Hunt" was Redford's first picture (1962). He received a Golden Globe for best new star for his role in "Inside Daisy Clover" (1965) alongside Natalie Wood. He resumed performing and acted in Brubaker (1980) and Out of Africa (1985), which was a huge box office hit and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. A River Runs Through It, his third film as a director, was released in 1992. In 1995, he was nominated for Best Director and Best Picture for Quiz Show.

#5 Julie Andrews

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Years active: 1945–present
During her seven-decade career, she has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards. Andrews was honored with an Honorary Golden Lion and the AFI Life Achievement Award after being named a Disney Legend in 1991. Andrews was created a dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000 for her contributions to the performing arts.
Andrews, a child actor and singer, made her West End debut in 1948 and her Broadway debut in "The Boy Friend" the following year (1954). Andrews made her feature film début in Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" (1964), for which she received an Academy Award for Best Actress. The next year, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her role as Maria von Trapp in the musical film "The Sound of Music" (1965). Andrews appeared in a number of films between 1964 and 1986, working with directors such as her husband Blake Edwards, George Roy Hill, and Alfred Hitchcock. She voiced Shrek, "Despicable Me," and "Aquaman" in animated films from 2004 to 2018. (2018). In 2017, she co-created and presented "Julie's Greenroom," a children's educational show for which she won two Daytime Emmy Award nominations. Andrews began as Lady Whistledown in the Netflix series "Bridgerton" in 2020.

#6 John Travolta

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Years active: 1972–present
During the 1970s, he rose to prominence as the lead of the television sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" (1975–1979) and the box office hits "Carrie" (1976), "Saturday Night Fever" (1977), "Grease" (1978), and "Urban Cowboy" (1979). (1980). He had a revival in the 1990s, thanks to his part in "Pulp Fiction" (1994), and went on to star in films including "A Civil Action" (1998), "Primary Colors" (1998), "Hairspray" (2007), and "Bolt" (2008).
Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, an IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema, a Primetime Emmy Award, an additional Emmy nomination, and a Golden Globe nomination.

#7 Shirley MacLaine

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Years active: 1952–present
MacLaine has won numerous awards for her portrayal as a quirky, headstrong, and eccentric woman throughout the course of her seven-decade career, including an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards, two Volpi Cups, and two Silver Bears.
As a youngster, MacLaine made her acting début in the Broadway musicals Oklahoma! and The Pajama Game. MacLaine made her film début in Alfred Hitchcock's black comedy "The Trouble with Harry" (1955), for which she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress. "The Turning Point" (1977), "Being There" (1979), "Madame Sousatzka" (1988), "Steel Magnolias" (1989), "Postcards from the Edge" (1990), "In Her Shoes" (2005), "Valentine's Day" (2010), and "The Little Mermaid" (2018) are some of her other notable films.

#8 Stevie Wonder

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Years active: 1961–present
Stevie Wonder is regarded as a pioneer and influence by performers in a variety of genres, including R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. He also ushered in the album period for the genre, structuring his albums as complete, consistent socially concerned statements with intricate arrangements. Wonder was a kid prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11 despite being blind since birth.
With over 100 million albums sold globally, Wonder is one of the most successful musicians of all time. He has 25 Grammy Awards to his credit (the most by a single artist) and one Academy Award (Best Original Song, for the 1984 film The Woman in Red). The Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame have all honored Wonder. He's also known for his work as a political activist, particularly his campaign in 1980 to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday in the United States. He was awarded a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2009, and he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014.

#9 Diana Ross

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Years active: 1956–present
Diana Ross is best known as the lead vocalist of the Supremes, a vocal group that rose to prominence during the 1960s as Motown's most popular act and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. With 70 hit singles in her career, she is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the greatest female artist in U.S. and U.K. chart history. In 2007, she received the Kennedy Center Honors, in 2012 she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2016 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Ross went on to have a successful solo career in music, film, television, and on stage after leaving the Supremes in 1970. Her debut part was in the film "Lady Sings the Blues," for which she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award (1972). She also acted in the feature films "Mahogany" (1975) and "The Wiz" (1978), as well as the television films "Out of Darkness" (1994), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination, and "Double Platinum" (1995). (1999).

#10 Sophia Loren

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Years active: 1950–present
She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood cinema. Loren began her film career at the age of sixteen in 1950. In 1956 launched her international career with films such as "The Pride and the Passion", "Houseboat", and "It Started in Naples". Loren began making fewer film appearances at the beginning of the 1980s. She has since starred in films like "Prêt-à-porter" (1994), "Grumpier Old Men" (1995), and "Nine" (2009).
She won many awards including the Academy Award for Best Actress, seven David di Donatello Awards for Best Actress, 5 special Golden Globes, a BAFTA Award, a Laurel Award, a Grammy Award, the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival and the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1991, she received the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievements.

#11 Malcolm McDowell

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Years active: 1964–present
Malcolm McDowell is noted for his exuberant, flamboyant, and malicious performances. In "Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange" (1971), McDowell played Alex DeLarge, the title role in "Caligula" (1979)... McDowell's television credits include recurring parts on "Entourage" (2005–2011) and "Heroes" (2006–2007), as well as starring roles on "Franklin & Bash" (2011–2014) and "Mozart in the Jungle" (2014–2018). Later in his career, he worked as a voice actor in films, television shows, and video games, including "Metalocalypse" (2007–2012), "Bolt" (2008), "Fallout 3" (2008), "God of War III" (2010), "The Elder Scrolls Online" (2014), "Call of Duty: Black Ops III" (2015), and "Castlevania" (2016). (2020). In 2012, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

#12 Robert De Niro

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Years active: 1963–present
Robert Anthony De Niro has received numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, for his nine collaborations with filmmaker Martin Scorsese. In 2009, De Niro was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor, and in 2016, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US President Barack Obama.
His first major appearance was in the 1968 film "Greetings," and he rose to prominence as a baseball player in the sports drama "Bang the Drum Slowly" (1973). His appearance as young Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's crime epic "The Godfather Part II" (1974) catapulted him to stardom, earning him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. For his role in David O. Russell's romantic comedy "Silver Linings Playbook," he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. De Niro was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his portrayal of Bernie Madoff in "The Wizard of Lies" in 2017. The psychological thriller "Joker" (2019) and Martin Scorsese's criminal epic "The Irishman" followed (2019).

#13 Helen Mirren

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Years active: 1965–present
She is the only actress to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. She received an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen" (2006), a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award for the same role in "The Audience" (2013), three British Academy Television Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance in "Prime Suspect".
Mirren was invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company after her performance as Cleopatra in "Antony and Cleopatra" at the National Youth Theatre in 1965. She made her West End theatrical debut in 1975. She went on to have a successful career in film and television. She has also appeared in "Red" (2010) and "Red 2" (2013), as well as "The Fate of the Furious" (2017), "Hobbs & Shaw" (2019), and "F9" (2019). (2021).

#14 Clint Eastwood

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Years active: 1963–present
Clint Eastwood rose to international popularity in the mid-1960s as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" and in the 1970s and 1980s as antihero cop, Harry Callahan in the five "Dirty Harry" flicks. Eastwood has become a cultural icon of masculinity thanks to these roles. "Gran Torino" (2008), "The Mule" (2018), and "Cry Macho" (2021) are some of his more recent works.
Eastwood received many honors including Four Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, three César Awards, and an AFI Life Achievement Award. He was honored with the Golden Lion award at the Italian Venice Film Festival in 2000 for his lifetime achievements. He was awarded the Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1994 and the Legion of Honour medal in 2007.

#15 Vanessa Redgrave

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Years active: 1958–present
Redgrave has won numerous awards over the course of her six-decade career, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Cannes Film Festival Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Volpi Cup, and a Tony Award, making her one of the few actors to win the Triple Crown of Acting. She's also been honored with the BAFTA Fellowship Award, the Golden Lion Honorary Award, and induction into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
In 1958, Redgrave made her stage debut in the production of A Touch of Sun. Redgrave made her film debut in 1958 with "Behind the Mask," and rose to popularity with the satire "Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment" (1966), which earned her her first of six Academy Award nominations, with "Julia" winning Best Supporting Actress (1977).

#16 Michael Douglas

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Years active: 1966–present
Michael Douglas has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AFI Life Achievement Award. He was first well-known for his performance in "The Streets of San Francisco", for which he received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations.
He has portrayed Dr. Hank Pym in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the films "Ant-Man" (2015), "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018), "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), and the upcoming film "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" (2023). He also voiced an alternate version of the character in the MCU animated television series "What If...?".
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