10 Stars Who Only Got Recognition Later In Their Career

People stop dreaming as they get older, but they are actually old when they decide to stop pursuing their dreams. It might be true when it comes to some celebrities who made it big later in their acting career. Not everyone soon finds out their biggest strength and turns it into a successful career in real life. Keep talking about Hollywood, which famous actor started late? We can name some stars such as Alan Rickman, Betty White, and Morgan Freeman. These celebrities, who didn’t start until 30, are all good examples, proving nothing is too late. Stars Who Got Recognition Later are all very talented.
Indeed, these actors and actresses have faced many hardships and even failures when trying to get recognization in such a competitive world like Hollywood. Thankfully, they finally became movie stars and have earned a fortune as well as glorious awards thanks to their efforts. Amazingly, some famous people only became successful after the age of 50 or more. That’s incredible!
Below is a list of 10 celebrities who became successful later in life. We hope these people can inspire you to never give up. Let’s scroll down and check them out! These stars are only recognized later in their careers.

#1 Naomi Watts

Source: Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection / East News

Naomi Watts started out with her roles on the TV show, Return to Eden, in 1986. But it took 15 years later for her to hit the big time. She starred in David Lynch’s movie, Mullholand Drive, bringing her worldwide recognition and multiple awards from critics.

#2 Harrison Ford

Source: EAST NEWS

Harrison Ford started his acting career with a 40-second-long uncredited role, and the actor didn’t find his success until 11 years later. That was the role of Han Solo in Star Wars, which paved the way to his stardom. Ford had a day job as a carpenter when he waited for his breakout role.

#3 Chris Pratt

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Before Chris Pratt was luckily brought to LA by a casting agent to star in a movie, he was homeless and working minimum-wage jobs. Unfortunately, the movie “sucked” and was never premiered. Still, the actor decided to stay in Hollywood to find another opportunity. And it took him 9 years to get his breakout on the sitcom, Parks and Recreation.

#4 Laverne Cox

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Lavern Cox spent 13 years receiving a book for a major role, Sophia, in Orange Is the New Black. Before that, she also thought of quitting when she was “devastated by turning 40 and being in a lot of debt.” The actress revealed that she found trouble finding work as a Black transgender woman due to prejudice.

#5 Sheryl Lee Ralph

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Sheryl Lee Ralph, who started out in the ‘70s, now has over 100 acting credits. Still, the actress didn’t get recognization until 2020 when she first received an Emmy nomination ( and became the winner in the category). It was her work on the sitcom, Abbott Elementary.

#6 Daniel Craig

Source: © The Power of One / New Regency Productions and co-producers, Image supplied by Capital Pictures/EAST NEWS

Daniel Craig started out in 1992 in the movie, The Power of One, and also started his epic journey. Before his big break came, he had slept on public benches. Still, things changed when he was globally recognized for portraying James Bond in Casino Royale in 2006.

#7 Viola Davis

Source: © The Substance of Fire / Miramax, AFP/EAST NEWS

Viola Davis actually spent 30 years playing secondary roles. And the actress only got her first lead role as Veronica Rawlings in the 2018 movie Widows. She also played lawyer Annalise Keating in the ABC series, How to Get Away with Murder, from 2014 to 2020, which made her become the first black actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award.

#8 Jenna Fischer

Source: © The Office / Universal Television and co-producers

Jenna Fischer had chased the dream of being an actress when she was a child. However, she, at one point, even thought of giving up her dream because of the lack of work. Fisher moved to L.A. to find an opportunity in 1996, and she finally made it big in 2005 when she starred in The Office.

#9 William Jackson Harper

Source: © The Good Place / Universal Television and co-producers

Willam Harper has been acting since 2007 but mainly appeared in minor roles in many TV Shows. He even thought of quitting acting for good, and when he got cast as one of the protagonists in The Good Place in 2016, he didn’t hope anything for his last opportunity. Still, the show turned out to be a big success and got him recognition.

#10 Lucille Ball

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Lucille Ball is known as a queen of comedy, but back in the old day, she was known as the “Queen of Bs” for appearing in many low-budget movies (B-movies). She already took 70 roles before starring in the sitcom, I Love Lucy, which totally changed her acting career.