34 Stars Who Became Famous Later Than You’d Think (Total Proof It’s Never Too Late)

Walter White from AMC’s Breaking Bad is undoubtedly Bryan Cranston’s most famous character. But what you probably don’t know is that, before this unforgettable role, his first significant breakthrough actually came in 2000, when he was cast as Hal, the lovable yet slightly unhinged dad in the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle.

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, it’s pretty likely that you know Alan Rickman. He first burst onto the scene in 1982 when he played the role of Obadiah Slope in the British TV series The Barchester Chronicles. This may have been Rickman’s first on-screen breakthrough, but his career-defining performance came when he starred as the villainous Hans Gruber in the 1988 Hollywood blockbuster film Die Hard.

Remarkably, Patrick Stewart has a career spanning over a jaw-dropping seven decades, with deep roots in London theater. So it may be surprising to learn that he only received Hollywood recognition well into his 40s, when he was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek.

It’s impossible to think of Samuel L. Jackson without picturing his breakout role in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. But what you probably don’t know is that before this performance, he had been acting for over two decades, first making appearances in theater and on Broadway.

Previously a psychiatric nurse and a street performer, Kathryn Joosten eventually found fame after portraying Mrs. Landingham on the hit TV series The West Wing in 1999. After that, she played many other roles in popular shows like Desperate Housewives, which earned her two Emmy Awards.

Before her passing in 1989, Lucille Ball had already spent 60 years in the industry, starting her career as a model and later finding her way to Broadway and the big screen. It wasn’t until she turned 40 that she shot to fame with her legendary performance in the sitcom I Love Lucy, alongside her husband Desi Arnaz.

Similar to her co-stars Viola Davis and Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer’s role in The Help was also her breakthrough performance. Before this film, she was largely under the radar since her 1996 acting debut, having appeared in a mix of movies and TV shows for a little over a decade.

Interestingly enough, Steve Carell was on TV long before he became a household name. In 1996, he had a brief stint on The Dana Carvey Show, then landed a correspondent gig on The Daily Show just 3 years later. But it wasn’t until Carell snagged the role of Michael Scott on the hit series The Office that people really started to notice his comedic talent.

As the only filmmaker making this list, Ang Lee’s career has been nothing short of extraordinary. From stay-at-home dad to Golden Globe winner, Lee began directing internationally in the early '90s, releasing several critically acclaimed movies like Pushing Hands and Eat Drink Man Woman. He truly rose to fame in 1995 when he directed the British classic Sense and Sensibility.

While other actors spent years, and sometimes even decades, pursuing acting careers, Ken Jeong’s path was a little different. Interestingly, he started out as a physician before landing his first role in the 2007 romantic comedy Knocked Up, and it’s safe to say this debut performance became his breakthrough. Since then, Jeong’s acting career has been so successful that he has left medicine behind.

Unlike the other actors on this list, Harrison Ford landed his big break at 35, purely by chance. During his time as a professional carpenter, he scored the opportunity to read lines for actors auditioning for roles in the 1977 film Star Wars. It was then that the director was so impressed with Ford’s delivery that he cast him as Han Solo in the movie, launching his legendary career.

Before Jane Lynch scored her breakout role as Sue Sylvester, the fierce head cheerleading coach on the hit TV show Glee, she had been in the acting industry since the late ‘80s. Her first role was in the 1988 movie Vice Versa, and from that point on, she appeared in numerous commercials and films. But interestingly, her true success only came after her 2009 debut on Glee.

Jessica Chastain made her acting debut in 1998, but much like her co-star Viola Davis, it wasn’t until her breakout role in The Help that she went viral. Unbelievably, in that same year, she also starred in five other films, and from then on, appeared in numerous record-breaking films such as Interstellar, The Martian, and It Chapter Two.

After making his Broadway debut in the late 1960s, Tommy Lee Jones soon established himself as an actor best known for his tough and hard-hitting roles. He starred in several projects over three decades, with his performance in the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive being his breakthrough.

One wouldn’t immediately guess that Morgan Freeman didn’t get his big break until he was 50, judging from the fact that he’s one of Hollywood’s most respected actors. His standout performance came in 1987 when he was cast as Fast Black in Street Smart, a film that wasn’t exactly a commercial success but still became his breakthrough.

It might come as a surprise that Melissa McCarthy’s career actually spans decades. She first appeared on screen in 1997 in an episode of the NBC comedy series Jenny, and later starred in the popular TV series Gilmore Girls. Recognition finally came when McCarthy had a breakout performance in the comedy film Bridesmaids, earning her first Academy Award nomination.

Although Helen Mirren’s career spans over six decades, with her first appearance on the London stage, she only truly gained widespread recognition in her late 50s, when she starred in films like Gosford Park and The Queen. Since then, she has become a highly decorated actress with an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, four BAFTA Awards, five Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award.

From the mid-90s to the early 2000s, Connie Britton starred in several roles in popular TV shows such as Spin City and The West Wing. However, her big moment came in 2006 when she was cast as Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights, and since then, she has become a household name, starring in smash hits like Dirty John and The White Lotus.

Judi Dench is regarded as one of Britain’s most legendary actresses. While she’s best known for her role as M in GoldenEye and the James Bond films, she has actually been a performer since 1957. As crazy as it sounds, Dench only really gained widespread popularity at 61, over three decades after her career officially began.

Despite being in the industry since the late 90s, Ty Burrell wasn’t really on Hollywood’s radar before he became the lovable Phil Dunphy on Modern Family in 2009. Since his big break, he has received two Emmy Awards, an individual SAG Award, and even established his own production company, Desert Whale Productions.

Unlike other actors on this list, Gene Hackman only spent about nine years pursuing an acting career before he scored his breakout role in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. From then on, he starred in quite a few blockbuster movies like The French Connection and Unforgiven, earning two Academy Awards for his performances.

Chances are, most people associate Viola Davis with her unforgettable performance as Annalise Keating in the hit TV series How to Get Away with Murder. Surprisingly, that wasn’t when she rose to fame. Davis actually began receiving attention in her late 40s after her Oscar nomination for her role in the 2011 period drama The Help.

Despite appearing in several small roles in TV shows like Sex and the City since 1999, Bradley Cooper only really broke into Hollywood in 2009. He skyrocketed to stardom after starring in The Hangover, one of the most successful R-rated comedies ever, and became a top-tier actor in Hollywood soon after that.

Remembered as one of Hollywood’s greatest legends, Burt Reynolds began his iconic career in the late ‘50s but didn’t land his breakout role until 1972, when he starred in the film Deliverance. At the time, he was already well into his 30s and had been in the industry for over two decades.

With a career spanning over five decades, Kathy Bates has starred in her fair share of films, TV shows, and even Broadway productions since 1971. Despite this, her career-defining moment came many years later when she played Annie Wilkes in the 1990 film Misery, earning her an Academy Award for Best Actress.

It’s impossible to mention Betty White without picturing her iconic role in The Golden Girls. Believe it or not, she had been acting since the 1940s but only gained recognition after appearing on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1973. Before her passing in 2021, she had earned seven Emmy Awards, three SAG Awards, a Grammy Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

You probably can’t think of the Mafia without picturing James Gandolfini, and that’s because his breakout performance as crime boss Tony on The Sopranos left such a lasting impact. Before his untimely passing in 2013, he had earned 19 awards, including three Emmy Awards, five SAG Awards, one Golden Globe Award, and many others.

Jon Hamm is best known for his breakthrough role in the drama series Mad Men, which aired in 2007 when he was 36. Despite a disappointing start to his career in the late 90s, he pushed on. In a 2009 interview with The Times UK, he said, “So I gave myself five years. I said, if I can't get it going by the time I'm 30, I'm in the wrong place. And as soon as I said that, it's like I started working right away.”

When picturing Ricky Gervais, it’s hard to imagine him as anything other than a comedian, but surprisingly, he started out as a pop star in the 1980s. Eventually turning to comedy in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, he co-created, co-wrote, and starred in the British television sitcom The Office, which skyrocketed him to fame. Gervais’s success doesn’t end there; he also produced and appeared in the record-breaking American rendition of The Office.

Kim Cattrall’s performance as Samantha Jones on HBO's Sex and the City pretty much launched her into the spotlight in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. What many probably aren’t aware of is that she took on the part when she was 42, which was over 20 years after her acting debut.

You might be surprised to learn that, although playing Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds was Christoph Waltz’s breakout performance, it wasn’t his acting debut. Interestingly, at the time he scored the memorable part, he already had a solid acting career in Germany spanning over twenty years.

After his film debut in 1999, Rainn Wilson starred in other small roles in several movies and TV shows. However, it was only when he played the eccentric Dwight Schrute on the sitcom The Office that people took notice of his outstanding acting performance and star quality.

First finding success on Australian TV in the late ‘80s and early '90s, Naomi Watts headed to Hollywood in the 2000s, where she initially struggled to find her footing as an actress. It wasn’t until 2001 that she finally snagged her breakthrough role in the mystery film Mulholland Drive.

Larry David began his TV career in the early ‘80s, first starring in ABC’s Fridays, then briefly writing for Saturday Night Live. He didn’t really take off until the late 1980s when he co-created the hit sitcom Seinfeld with fellow comedian, actor, and producer Jerry Seinfeld. After this, David created the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, which became another popular series.