7 famous people who found success later in life
Here are the late-bloomers who made great accomplishments in the later years in life. Age is no barrier to success; be inspired by these seven stories of great success achieved well beyond 60 years of age.
1. Judi Dench
Although Dame Judi Dench has been a stand-out in her work for theatre and TV during her entire working career, she only became a household name in her 60s. Judi has received seven Oscar nominations, all of them when she was over 60. She won Best Actress in Supporting Role in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love. No other actor or actress has collected more nominations when older than 60.
2. Grandma Moses
Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as Grandma Moses, didn’t start paining until the age of 76. She decided to give painting a go when she could no longer hold an embroidery needle due to her arthritis. Her works were spotted by an art collector who bought all her paintings and displayed them at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. By the time of her death, her paintings hung in museums all over the world.
3. James Parkinson
At the age of 62 James Parkinson identified Parkinson’s disease. His 1817 essayon Shaking Palsy lead to our conception of Parkinson’s today. Although others had previously written about shaking palsy, Parkinson’s descriptions were so in-depth that he inspired other pathologists to study the disease.
4. Frank McCourt
Frank McCourt only took up writing at the age of 65. His book Angela’s Ashes won both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award. It was also made into a movie and there are even museums named after him now.
5. Colonel Sanders
The Colonel did not start developing Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was in his 60s. Once his brand was developed and growing, he sold it in his 70s and lived comfortably for the rest of his years.
6. Karl Lagerfeld
Although Lagerfeld pursued fashion from the age of 14, it’s only later in life he made a transformation to reign as head designer at Chanel at the age of 82. At the age of 68 he lost roughly 41kg as he wanted to wear the high fashion clothes he loved.
7. Kathryn Joosten
Kathryn was a nurse and stay-at-home mum but after her marriage failed she decided to pursue her dream of being an actress. Close to the age of 60, she cracked into the industry and found success. Since then she has appeared in TV shows such as Family Matters, My Name is Earl and Desperate Housewives. She has also won two Emmy Awards.