From Diana Ross to Meryl Streep, these stars have had a lasting impact on their industries

Many celebrities who have reached peak success in their industries have continued to make an impact long after they turned 75.

Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Martin Short, for example, all found fame in the 1970s and ‘80s and currently star alongside Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building.

Other stars, like “Believe” singer Cher, have contemplated retirement. However, the Burlesque actress “[doesn’t] know when it’s gonna be.”

“You can’t do it forever,” she told PEOPLE in 2018 of working in show business. “There’s a finite amount of time. That’s the thing that makes life scary and makes things possible — you just don’t know what’s gonna happen.”

From Harrison Ford to Susan Sarandon, see 17 celebrities who have had a lasting impact on pop culture, then and now.

01 of 17

Harrison Ford

Best known for his performances in film franchises like Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Blade Runner, Ford’s career began in the 1960s.

In June 2023, the legendary actor told PEOPLE that he never expected to become a superstar.

“I never thought that I would be a leading man,” he said. “I really was just hoping I could make a living as an actor and not have to supplement my income with some other side hustle … I thought I would be lucky to have a character part on a regular TV show.”

As for how his age affects his work, Ford added, “I probably enjoy making movies more now than I ever did.”

02 of 17

Diana Ross

Diana Ross rose to fame in the 1960s as the lead singer of The Supremes before launching her solo career with hits like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Touch Me in the Morning.”

She later found success in acting, and was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972).

In February 2026, Ross’ son Evan revealed to PEOPLE that his mother is still actively working on new music. “I’m working on some things with my mom and what she’s trying to create right now,” he said.

03 of 17

Robert De Niro

With a career spanning over five decades, Robert De Niro rose to fame with roles in films directed by Martin Scorsese like Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980). The actor has won two Oscars and is a nine-time Academy Award nominee.

In 2024, CNN’s Chris Wallace asked De Niro if he “hate(s) aging,” to which he responded, “I have no choice.”

“Embrace it,” De Niro added. “Embrace whatever you’ve been given.”

04 of 17

Tom Selleck

Tom Selleck made his TV debut on The Dating Game in the 1960s and has been acting ever since. In the 1980s, he became a household name thanks to the popular CBS crime drama Magnum P.I., which ran from 1980 to 1988.

“It is really the story of an accidental career,” Selleck told PEOPLE in 2024. “I’d never taken an acting class. I had no training, no desire.”

05 of 17

John Lithgow

Throughout his decades-spanning career, John Lithgow has starred in iconic films like Shrek and Footloose in addition to popular television shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun.

In April 2026, Lithgow told Today that 30 years later, he rewatches the hit sitcom “now and then.”

“And it’s thrilling because I’ve forgotten practically everything — that happens in old age. And as a result, it’s all brand new. It’s hilarious,” he added. “I think I’m great!”

Lithgow is still acting and was cast as Dumbledore in HBO’s Harry Potter TV series.

06 of 17

Cher

Cher has spent over 60 years in the spotlight and has earned a plethora of awards along the way, including an Oscar, three Golden Globes and two Grammys. The singer, who began her career as one half of the musical duo Sonny & Cher, even won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Grammys.

“It can get exhausting being Cher, especially when you’re older and you’re still doing the same things,” she told PEOPLE in 2018. “But I still have a great time. To have the stamina, and also to have the audience … You forget that people just do regular jobs that they don’t get applause for.”

07 of 17

Susan Sarandon

Sarandon rose to fame in 1975 after starring in cult-favorite musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. After her breakout role, Sarandon won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Dead Man Walking (1995). More recently, Sarandon appeared in the film Nonnas (2025) and the FX drama Feud: Bette and Joan (2017).

Sarandon is also a grandmother to her daughter Eva Amurri’s three children.

“You realize the constant worry you have as a mom or just at least anticipating that you have as a mom that you don’t have as a grandma,” she said during a Q&A for her 2020 film The Meddler. “When something happens or she gets a cold, I’m just like, ‘Yeah, well she’ll get over it.’ ”

08 of 17

Danny Glover

Danny Glover is best known for starring opposite Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon franchise. Glover famously coined the catchphrase “I’m too old for this s— .”

At the 2022 Governors Awards, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. One year later, the actor revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“I’m still not accepting in my mind all parts of it,” Glover told PEOPLE in July 2026. “There are the moments that you keep remembering that validate the fact that you can remember stuff. And there are moments I’ll never forget.”

09 of 17

Sylvester Stallone

Actor, screenwriter, director and producer Sylvester Stallone turned 80 in July 2026. He is known for the Rocky and Rambo franchises and remains a prominent figure in Hollywood.

In 2016, Stallone reflected on his experience with aging in an interview with Deadline.

“The best thing about getting older is … nothing,” he said. “There’s zero good in getting older.”

When asked to elaborate, Stallone amended his answer, adding, “You do benefit from wisdom and I think your soul grows a little bit, and you become a bit more tolerant, and more forgiving.”

10 of 17

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger has played a diversity of roles over the course of his long career. The actor famously starred in The Terminator franchise and served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011.

In May 2026, the actor revealed that King Conan, the long-awaited sequel to his 1982 film Conan the Barbarian, is expected to start filming in 2027.

11 of 17

Ted Danson

Ted Danson rose to fame playing Sam Malone on the sitcom Cheers. The role earned him two Emmys and two Golden Globes.

In May 2026, the then-78-year-old actor revealed how a health scare made him reflect on his mortality.

“It was very humbling and calming, and I’m fine,” he said on his Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast. “I think it was the best thing that could have happened to me, and I’m doing some things differently.”

12 of 17

Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal has been a household name for over 40 years thanks to his roles in iconic films like When Harry Met Sally.

In an October 2024 interview with PEOPLE, the actor-comedian said he had no idea how beloved the film would become when it was first released back in 1989.

“You knew it was special,” he said of the rom-com, which starred Crystal opposite Meg Ryan. “You don’t know that it’s 35 years special.”

13 of 17

Kathy Bates

Kathy Bates’ breakthrough role came in 1990 with the horror film Misery, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress.

In 2023, Bates was cast in the CBS reboot of Matlock. Though the actress called the show her “last dance” in an interview with The New York Times, she later clarified that she had no interest in retiring.

“I think people got confused and thought I was going to retire,” Bates told PEOPLE in October 2024. “What I meant was, how can it get any better? I would love for this to keep going.”

14 of 17

Jessica Lange

Jessica Lange has several Oscars, Golden Globes and Emmy Awards to show for her five-decade career in Hollywood.

In a May 2024 interview with PEOPLE, the King Kong star, who was then 75, reflected on “what happens to an actress in Hollywood at a certain age.”

“Maybe it was more extreme back then in the ’40s and ’50s and ’60s,” she said of sexism and ageism in the industry, “but it certainly hasn’t changed that much.”

15 of 17

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson is one of the highest-grossing actors in the world thanks to his roles in blockbuster hits like Jurassic Park and Pulp Fiction.

In May 2024, the then-75-year-old reflected on his decades-spanning career in an interview with PEOPLE.

“When you’re a young actor and you’re going to auditions, you always feel like you’re very lucky when you get that job,” he said. “I made some good choices and was fortunate doing that.”

16 of 17

Martin Short

Father of the Bride actor Short has been working in Hollywood for over 50 years and currently stars in Only Murders in the Building as Oliver Putnam.

The comedian reflected on his life and career in his 2026 Netflix documentary, Marty, Life Is Short. At one point in the film, he recalls losing his older brother, father and mother before the age of 20.

“Do I become defeated forever?” Short asks in an archival interview featured in the doc. “Or learn that life is short and have a glass of wine and laugh and appreciate these people and never let them go. That’s the great secret.”

17 of 17

Meryl Streep

Streep has been nominated for more Oscars than any other actor in history. The Death Becomes Her star has 21 nominations and three wins.

After reprising her role as Miranda Priestly for The Devil Wears Prada 2, Streep said she was “happy to represent” older women by leading a major movie at the age of 76.

“I do think that there’s something in this one that’s unusual, because you don’t see many almost 77-year-old women playing parts like this in any movie or under any circumstance,” she said in a video The Associated Press shared on Instagram.

“Often women over 50, I’d say, disappear into the woodwork,” Streep added. “Their interests and opinions are less valued in our culture, so it’s fun to see this person who is credibly placed in the world and having that influence.”

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