10 famous women on becoming successful later in life.

In a world that constantly tells women their prime is fleeting, there's an unspoken pressure to achieve — well, everything — very early. From career milestones to personal accomplishments, society has set this invisible clock just tick tick ticking away for women. 

If you're a woman, you better reach your 'success' before you hit 30. We're expected to have it all figured out, to be at the top of our game, as if after that, opportunities just start slipping away. The narrative is clear: do it young or not at all. 

But these famous women are proving that times have changed and success can really come at any age. Here are 10 celebs who found success later in life… and may it serve as a reminder that it is never too late.

Viola Davis. 

Viola Davis attends the 2024 LACMA Art + Film Gala. Image: Getty

This may come as a surprise, because this woman has so many acting credits under her belt, even when she was younger. However, Viola Davis only became a household name at the age of 43 when she starred opposite Meryl Streep in Doubt, a performance which earned her an Oscar nomination. At 51, she went on to play, arguably her most famous role and one of the most iconic lawyers on TV, Annalise Keating on How To Get Away With Murder. 

"I would not have done anything differently, I learned a lot in the ruins," Viola Davis told Cityline in 2020. 

Octavia Spencer. 

Octavia Spencer attends the 76th Creative Arts Emmys Winner's Walk. Image: Getty

After 16 long years in Hollywood, playing small roles on shows like ER and films like Big Momma's House, Octavia Spencer was 41 when she played the role of Minny Jackson in The Help in 2011. It is this role that really launched her career into stardom, winning her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. 

"I think [success] came at the right time. I think success happens when it's supposed to and when you can appreciate it. I am grateful that it didn't happen for me at 22 or 23. I would've been foolish enough to think that we're all entitled to it, instead of it being the divine blessing that it is," Spencer told omg!.

Ali Wong. 

Ali Wong attends the InStyle Imagemaker Awards. Image: Getty

The unofficial queen of comedy did not have an overnight success story. 

While Ali Wong seemed to burst onto the scene in 2016 with her Netflix special Baby Cobra, she had been struggling in the comedy scene for years. Working as a writer on the show Fresh Off the Boat and doing various open mics to get her name out there, Wong was 34 when she got her big break. I'm not going to lie, that still seems incredibly young to me, but by Hollywood's archaic standards, I'd say that's considered a late start. 

Kathy Bates. 

Kathy Bates at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Image: Getty

Kathy Bates received her first breakout role when she was 43. And it was the iconic 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King's Misery, where she played the terrifying Annie Wilkes. Winning both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance, Bates has been a household name ever since. 

"Since my success happened in middle age it coincided with a time when I was trying to decide for myself… did I do the right thing in pursuing this career? You question where you've been in terms of where you want to go next," Bates told the Tampa Bay Times in 1998. 

Yuh-Jung Youn. 

Yuh-Jung Youn attends the press conference of “Pachinko” season two. Image: Getty

Yuh-Jung Youn's success story is one that reminds us all that it's never too late. 

Youn started acting when she was 19, but quit when she got married and had children. When she returned to the profession, she was over 40. And since, she has made a string of incredible film choices including Im Sang-soo's The Housemaid, and more recently, Pachinko and Minari, which won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 73. 

"Me, a 73-year-old Asian woman could have never even dreamed about being nominated for an Oscar. Minari brought me a lot of gifts," Youn told The New York Times in April 2021

Vera Wang. 

Vera Wang attends the 2024 CFDA Awards. Image: Getty

Vera Wang was struggling to find a dress she liked for her own wedding, when she decided to start her own fashion brand in her late 40s. She opened her first salon in New York City in 1990 which has now grown into a global brand. 

"Is [40] old? Perhaps I would have preferred to start off at 20 or 30, but I don't think I would have been anywhere near equipped to know what it takes to be in business. Even at 40, I wasn't entirely sure I should be doing it. It wasn't an era for start-ups. I'd always felt I should learn and earn, and I'd already had two incredible careers working for others — at Condé Nast and then Ralph Lauren — the best in the industry." Harvard Business Review, July/August 2019

Dame Judi Dench. 

Judi Dench attends the "Allelujah" European Premiere. Image: Getty

Dame Judi Dench only just makes it onto the list because she technically had a super successful career in theatre before she landed her first big film role. She was cast in her first leading theatre role at 34, but her career in Hollywood took off when she was in her early 60s, when she was cast as M in the James Bond franchise. 

Kris Jenner. 

Kris Jenner attends The 2024 Met Gala. Image: Getty

The Kardashian/Jenner clan is surely one of the most famous families in the world currently. For the family's matriarch, Kris Jenner, success came at the age of 52, when the first season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians aired. 

"It was a mix of blood, sweat and tears, enthusiasm, determination and just never sleeping and getting the word out there," Kris told The New York Times in 2015.

Kathryn Bigelow. 

Kathryn Bigelow attends the 2018 Rescue Dinner. Image: Getty

Kathryn Bigelow has established herself as one of the great directors of our generation. 

After years of carving out a career in film, she rose to international prominence in her 50s with the release of The Hurt Locker in 2008. Bigelow became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director, proving that talent and determination can shine at any age. She has gone on to direct several critically acclaimed films including Zero Dark Thirty and Detroit. 

Leslie Jones. 

Leslie Jones arrives at the A Night With Whoopi. Image: Getty

In 2014, Leslie Jones became the oldest person to join Saturday Night Live as a cast member. She was 46 at the time. 

"I'm glad this whole success thing is happening now. I can't even imagine a 23-year-old Leslie in this position. They would have kicked me off the set after two days," she said to The New Yorker. 

"I was a less confident person back then. And damn sure not as funny."

Feature image: Getty.