Celebrities Over 90 Years Old, Then & Now

Shirley Jones

The Academy Award-winning actress (for 1960's Elmer Gantry), beloved for her roles in Oklahoma!, The Music Man and The Partridge Family, turned 90 March 31, 2024, and celebrated with a party surrounded by her family.

Son Shaun Cassidy shared a photo of Jones (posing with him and his brothers Patrick and Ryan) wearing a "90 and Fabulous" sash and "90" tiara with the caption "Happy birthday to Miss Pittsburgh!", a nod to her early pageant days.

In a note on his website, Cassidy elaborated further about what made his mom so special.

"In one week, on Easter Sunday, this small-town girl from Western Pennsylvania, who grew up to become a movie star but who never acted like one, will celebrate her 90th birthday. In a journey full of dramatic highs and lows, mom has always been an optimist and a lover of life. Simple things mean the most to her: family, friends, nature, animals, laughter, sing-a-longs at the piano, a dry martini. Not necessarily in that order."

Tippi Hedren

The Alfred Hitchcock muse (and star of The Birds) has had an incredibly interesting life, and her Hollywood legacy is strong: She's mother to Melanie Griffith and grandmother to Dakota Johnson. She celebrated her 90th birthday in January 2020.

Carol Burnett

The comedy icon turned 90 in April 2023, and told PEOPLE at the time, "I can't wrap my head around it. I still feel like I'm about 11, but I'm amazed. It sure went fast."

Known for her Emmy-award winning program The Carol Burnett Show as well as her role as Miss Hannigan in Annie and many, many other TV appearances, the actress says she hopes to leave a legacy of laughter. "I made people laugh, made them feel good when they might have been down," she said. "In my fan mail, many say it was the only time the family would get together, to watch and laugh. And that sometimes they were lonesome and were cheered up by our show. That's a good feeling."

James Earl Jones

The esteemed actor turned 90 on Jan. 17, 2021.

"I'll make an exception and enjoy a slice of strawberry shortcake, my favorite!" he told USA Today via email of the low-key festivities for his 90th birthday at his home in upstate New York. Jones, who said that he plans to continue acting "for as long as I can," added at the time that he was "feeling fantastic and grateful."

"Looking back at my life and extensive career, I am so proud of my work and accomplishments. I love growing older and wiser with time," he said.

While Jones intends to continue acting, in September 2022 he announced that he would step back from performing the voice of one of his most iconic characters, Darth Vader. Moving forward, the franchise will use cutting-edge A.I. to voice the character by utilizing archival recordings of Jones' previous performances.

Joan Collins

Joan Collins, who turned 90 in May 2023, is the epitome of indomitable, from growing up in London during World War II to being the most glamorous woman in the room at the Emmys well into her 90th year. Five husbands, three children and one indelible role later (as Alexis Carrington Colby, in Dynasty), Collins truly proves there is nothing like a Dame (she was named one in 2015)!

In a November 2023 feature with Louis Theroux, she told him her youthful outlook (and 32-years-younger husband) were essential to her well-being.

“First of all, I don’t even feel my age. I don’t even talk about it. I don’t think about it," she said. "I have some friends around my age and, um, I don’t find them interesting. Everybody’s gotten older except me.”

William Daniels

Daniels, who starred on the drama series St. Elsewhere and voiced the iconic KITT automobile in the action series Knight Rider, is perhaps best known as Boy Meets World's beloved Mr. Feeny.

Daniels still occasionally hangs with his former Boy Meets World castmates, joining them for a hilarious photo op at the Boston Comic-Con Fan Expo in August 2019.

Daniels, who turned 90 in March 2017, is also known for his longtime marriage to fellow actor Bonnie Bartlett. The pair celebrated their 70th anniversary on June 30, 2021.

Robert Wagner

The actor had been working in film for nearly 20 years before hitting it big in the late '60s and '70s with roles on TV's It Takes a Thief, Switch and Hart to Hart.

In his later career, Wagner (who turned 90 in February 2020) played Number Two in the Austin Powers movies and had recurring roles on Two and a Half Men and NCIS.

Rita Moreno

One of the few stars to earn an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award), Moreno turned 90 on Dec. 11, 2021, with decades of iconic, groundbreaking work to her name.

She's pictured here on the left attending the 1961 premiere of the original West Side Story, for which she won an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita, and on the right at the 2021 premiere of the Steven Spielberg version, in which she plays a new character, Valentina.

In addition to the West Side Story remake, Moreno has remained very active, including appearing in the 2023 films 80 for Brady and Fast X.

Barbara Eden

"I feel young," the I Dream of Jeannie star told Page Six shortly after her 90th birthday in August 2021.

In addition to maintaining an "active" social life, she credits regular workouts (she still has a trainer!) for her longevity.

Bob Newhart

The actor and comedian turned 90 on Sept. 5, 2019 — and celebrated in Las Vegas! Days later he surfaced at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, playing a part in a bit about comedy legends that figured life-like statues of George Burns and Lucille Ball. When Ben Stiller, who did the segment, got to Newhart, the actor wryly reminded him, "I'm still alive."

"You put me with George and Lucy and it's weird," Newhart said. "Like I was in some weird museum of comedy."

"It's more like legends of comedy," Stiller insisted, riffing. "Alive, dead … all different types of comedy!"

But Newhart wasn't buying it. "This legend is going to kick your ass, that way you'll know I'm alive," he said. "You thought I was dead!"

Though best known for starring in the sitcoms The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, he has continued to occasionally appear on television in shows like The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon.

Quincy Jones

One of the most legendary music producers of all time, who worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, Jones is responsible for iconic contributions including "We Are the World," the E.T. score and "Billie Jean."

He celebrated his 90th birthday in March 2023; his daughter (one of his seven children) Rashida Jones posted in his honor: "This man is 90 today!!! 90 pics on his 90th birthday! No one has lived more life, survived more challenges, contributed more culturally, loved with every piece of his heart than 'le Q'," 

Michael Caine

Michael Caine turned 90 in March 2023, and celebrated with a star-studded birthday party. Several months later, following the premiere of his final film The Escapers, the actor announced his retirement, saying he'd gotten to do everything he wanted to: "I might as well leave with all this — what have I got to do to beat this?” 

With two Oscars, a happy family life and many enduring roles to his name, it's hard to argue with that assessment!

Willie Nelson

Country icon Willie Nelson celebrated his 90th birthday in April 2023 with (what else?) an epic, two-day concert, with musical tributes from friends ranging from Snoop Dogg to Miranda Lambert.

"I never thought I'd get here," Nelson told PEOPLE ahead of the event, which drew around 36,000 fans — and he said that performing is part of what contributes to his longevity.

"I get a lot of fun out of playing for an audience," he said. "There's a great energy exchange there. It's what keeps me going."

William Shatner

The Star Trek actor with the iconic voice celebrated entering his 90s in March 2021 by joking on Twitter: "Well! I must say that the reaction to a 90th birthday is overwhelming. Don't you people have better things to do?"

In October 2021, Shatner made history when he traveled on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space shuttle, becoming the oldest living person to go into space.

Robert Duvall

"I don't know if I love any of it," actor Robert Duvall joked to PEOPLE about being in his 90s, a milestone he reached in January 2021. The Academy Award-winning actor, known for roles in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, is still working in Hollywood, and credits his longevity to his marriage to fourth wife Luciana Pedraza; as he told PEOPLE, "She takes care of me, and I have good friends, and try to work out and keep in some kind of shape," 

Gene Hackman

The actor, known for roles in The French Connection, Hoosiers and The Royal Tenenbaums, retired from acting in 2004.

"I miss the actual acting part of it, as it's what I did for almost 60 years, and I really loved that. But the business for me is very stressful," he told Reuters in 2008. "It had gotten to a point where I just didn't feel like I wanted to do it anymore."

Hackman channels his creative energy into writing (his fifth book, Pursuit, came out in 2013) — but his fans are as ardent as ever, coming out en masse online to celebrate his 90th in January 2020.

Dick Van Dyke

A beloved actor and comedian, Van Dyke charmed audiences across the decades with his television series The Dick Van Dyke Show and films like Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Night at the Museum.

In his cameo in the 2018 film Mary Poppins Returns, Van Dyke showed that he hardly aged a day since he starred in the 1964 original. (This was also evident in a flash mob thrown for his 90th, in December 2015.)

For his 98th birthday in Nov. 2023, Disney threw a televised special in his honor. So what's his secret to such a long and joyful life? "Having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me," he joked.

Clint Eastwood

The prolific actor/director joined the club on May 31, 2020, when he turned 90.

In a December 2019 chat with Ellen DeGeneres, he got candid about aging, saying, "I don't think about it," adding with a laugh, "I sometimes think, when I was a little kid and I used to hang out with my grandfather who was in his 90s, and I thought, 'Jesus, who the hell would want to live this long!'"

Eastwood continues to direct and occasionally star in films, including 2019's Richard Jewell and 2021's Cry Macho.

Kim Novak

Like Hedren, Kim Novak (who turned 90 in February 2023) was one of the "Hitchcock blondes," known for her role in Vertigo. She left Hollywood behind more than half a century ago to pursue a career in art, but her performances in the films of the 1950s continue to be some of the most talked-about in history.

"What's wonderful is sometimes movies get less appreciated later and people get less appreciated," she told PEOPLE. "But with me, it's worked the opposite. I'm so grateful because I've become more respected as an actress ... I think that the style is more appreciated, and so my life has grown richer the longer I've been around on this earth."

And she enjoys every moment she's around. "I don't keep track of the time," she told PEOPLE several years ago. "If I did, I'd be an old lady and I'm not an old lady. I'm still riding my horse. I stay as healthy as I can."

Eva Marie Saint

The On the Waterfront and North by Northwest star is a true living legend. Saint is the oldest living winner of an Academy Award

In 2014 — the year she turned 90 — Saint lent her voice to Katara in the Avatar: The Last Airbender television spin-off The Legend of Korra and appeared in the film Winter's Tale.

Gena Rowlands

The actress, who turned 90 in 2020, had been working since 1955 — but gained a whole new generation of fans with her memorable role as Allie in 2004's The Notebook, which was directed by her son, Nick Cassavetes. Rowlands retired from acting after the release of her 2014 film Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, and she received an Honorary Oscar in 2016.

Mel Brooks

The iconic funnyman, who has had blockbuster success on TV, films and Broadway, has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down since his 90th birthday in 2016 — in fact, he released a memoir, All About Me!, in 2021 and wrote and executive produced a sequel to his hit A History of the World, Part I for Hulu.

Ellen Burstyn

The actress, an Oscar winner for Requiem for a Dream, says she's "busier than ever" since turning 90 in December 2022. In an interview with her Law & Order: Organized Crime costar Christopher Meloni, she joked that her packed calendar was possibly because "everybody else who could play those parts has already died, so I’m the only actress still standing who can play the great-grandmother or something."

In actuality, Burstyn (who recently reprised her career-makingExorcist role nearly 50 years after the original) continued, "I try to have the first words out of my mouth be, 'Thank you.' Thank you that I’m alive. Thank you that I’m safe. Thank you that I’m healthy. Thank you that I’m 90 and still going,"

David Attenborough

A comrade of Queen Elizabeth II, beloved television host and natural historian, Attenborough won a Primetime Emmy Award for narrating the 2017 documentary series Blue Planet II. And he remains incredibly popular — in 2020, Attenborough (who turned 90 in 2016) became the fastest Instagram user to gain 1 million followers, achieving the feat in just four hours and 44 minutes.

Berry Gordy

The founder of Motown Records, responsible for launching the careers of The Supremes, the Jackson Five and Stevie Wonder, among many others, turned 90 in November 2019, but still keeps busy: In the early 2010s, Gordy oversaw a musical about his life and successes that premiered on Broadway in 2013.

In 2023, Gordy was honored alongside longtime collaborator Smokey Robinson as the 2023 MusiCares Persons of the Year Honorees.

June Squibb

The actress received an Oscar nomination at age 84 for her role in Nebraska and hasn't slowed down since — you've seen her in Palm Springs, Godmothered, Life & Beth and Little America, all of which came out after her 90th birthday in 2019.

Joel Grey

The Oscar and Tony Award-winning Cabaret star told PEOPLE on April 11, 2022, that he would be celebrating his 90th birthday "with good friends."

But even after he entered his 10th decade, Grey has remained a busy actor, including making a cameo in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tick, Tick… Boom! and appearing in three episodes of the 2022 FX thriller The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges.

When asked if he ever imagined becoming such a prolific actor as a young boy growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, he told PEOPLE, "No! I didn't. I've never thought about it, actually, and I never thought [about] this number that I'd be associated with: 9-0."

Johnny Gilbert

Gilbert, whose career in entertainment has spanned nearly 70 years (and even included two albums), has been the voice you've heard introducing Alex Trebek on every episode of Jeopardy from the host's first turn in 1984 to his last, filmed in 2020 before he passed away from pancreatic cancer — and he's still doing so today. The announcer turned 90 in 2018.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer

A German Jewish refugee whose parents died in Auschwitz during the Holocaust, Dr. Ruth immigrated to the United States in 1956 and began to pursue her post-doctoral studies in human sexuality. In 1980, she launched her radio career, eventually hosting the call-in show Sexually Speaking and becoming a phenomenon that changed the way Americans spoke about sex. In 2019, a documentary about her life debuted and as of her 94th birthday in 2022, she was still dishing out spicy life advice.

Buzz Aldrin

The astronaut became the second human to set foot on the moon in July 1969, when his Apollo 11 mission landed on the lunar surface. Aldrin has since earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom, written books and continues to promote space exploration. He turned 90 in 2020 — and tied the knot with his fourth wife, Dr. Anca Faur, in 2023!