Older Celebs Who Were Gorgeous When They Were Young – Nicki Swift

Now more than ever, older celebrities are getting their well-deserved due. There’s currently a proliferation of movies and TV projects that not only star, but celebrate, folks of a certain age. Older celebrities in the 21st century are at the forefront of redefining what it means to be active and gorgeous. For some, it perhaps requires a little nip and tuck, for others, it means better living and looking without injectables. Regardless of how they keep their looks, it’s never been a better time to be an elder statesperson of a certain stature.

As beautiful and talented as these older celebrities are today, it will probably come as no surprise that they were equally as gorgeous when they were young. Some rocked their glamor on the soundstages of Hollywood when the studio system was still alive and kicking while others strutted their stuff on the boards of Broadway and the West End. No matter how these celebrities chose to spend their youth, they did it with charisma to burn. Let’s take a look back at older celebs who were stunning when they were young and appreciate how far these good-looking people have come.

Brigitte Bardot doesn’t love all the attention these days

Although today she is recognized largely for her animal rights activism and outspoken views on Islam — which have earned her fines for inciting hatred — back in the ’50s and ’60s, sultry French actor Brigitte Bardot was perhaps the world’s best-known 𝓈ℯ𝓍 symbol. An aspiring ballerina and model in her younger years, Bardot made waves in her early roles in French romantic comedies — in which she frequently appeared nude. Bardot even became a 𝓈ℯ𝓍 symbol admittedly worshiped by other famous celebrities, like the Beatles and Bob Dylan.

Bardot’s impact on Western culture is undeniable. Time magazine called her the “original ‘𝓈ℯ𝓍 kitten.'” Her fashion style was popularized around the world — off-the-shoulder sweaters and dresses were later called the Bardot neckline, and the once-controversial bikini became an overnight sensation after she wore one in “Manina the Girl in the Bikini” (1952) and “And God Created Woman” (1956). According to CBS News, the then-teenage star even donned a bikini in 1953 while making her first appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. Bardot celebrated her 88th 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day in 2022.

About 50 years after her final big-screen appearance, Bardot reportedly didn’t totally love the fact that her Hollywood legacy was still a topic of pop cultural conversation. Of a letter regarding the 2023 miniseries “Bardot,” writer-director Danièle Thompson revealed to The Guardian that Bardot had apparently written about how “she was always surprised how unbelievably interested people were in her and did not quite understand why she was not left alone for good.”

Jane Seymour went from Bond Girl to confident leading lady

Known for her cascading, flowing locks of hair and natural beauty, Jane Seymour’s gorgeous looks helped launch her decades-long career as an actor. Before her character “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” became a household name in the 1990s, Seymour’s signature mane helped her score her first major movie role. As she told NPR, when she took off her hat in front of producers of the 1973 James Bond film “Live and Let Die,” her hair came rolling out. The impressed producers immediately cast her in the movie. Working steadily in TV, movies, and the stage throughout the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, Seymour leaned into her beauty in a new way in the ’00s by co-starring in the 2005 comedy “Wedding Crashers.”

On The Today Show, she credited embracing her natural looks for her career longevity and versatility. She said of avoiding cosmetic intervention, “I’m the only actress out there that doesn’t do all the stuff. I have wrinkles. I mean, I actually smile and I can frown, and I can get angry.” Seymour also choses to share her beauty on social media without a filter and she’s her own one-woman glam squad, having picked up the tricks of the beauty trade after working for decades as an actor. She’s flattered by her current 𝓈ℯ𝓍 symbol-status, telling People, “I don’t quite understand what a 𝓈ℯ𝓍 symbol means, but am I still a full-blooded woman? Definitely!”

Sir Ian McKellen’s spent his early years as a British theatre hunk

Younger audiences might know Sir Ian McKellen for playing powerful elders in the “X-Men” and “Lord of the Rings” movie franchises, but before spurring on mutant revolts and leading the Fellowship through Middle Earth, he was a handsome British stage actor taking on some seriously meaty roles. Like many British actors of his generation, his career started on the stage, where he was notably praised for his Shakespearean performances of characters like Richard II and Hamlet. When he played The Bard’s Danish prince in 1971, McKellen’s rakish good looks, complete with tousled hair and fringe jacket, were perfectly in step with the times.

While he appeared in plenty of British television shows as a young man, his film career didn’t really take off until the ’90s, when he starred in and wrote an adaptation of “Richard III.” Even though McKellen hit his Hollywood stride well into middle age, he maintains a youthful attitude. McKellen shared with The Guardian, “Because as you get older, inside, you’re ageless. Inside? Quite honestly? I feel about 12.” Clearly, age is just a concept for McKellen. Now in his ’80s, McKellen continues to work on both stage and screen. He even appeared on the runway at London Fashion Week in 2023, kicking off S.S. Daley Fall 2023 show by reading a poem while wearing pieces from the collection.

Sally Field’s youthful beauty can’t be denied

Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Sally Field got her start in Hollywood as a teenager and charmed audiences with her sparkling, effervescent beauty playing TV characters like teenage surfer Gidget and Sister Bertrille, otherwise known as The Flying Nun. Although Field was surely attractive, she faced adversity – and some serious 𝓈ℯ𝓍ism – when making the leap from television to film. She told BuzzFeed News about struggling as a young female actor to be taken seriously, “Men? Sure. We had Steve McQueen and James Garner and Clint Eastwood. They’re gorgeous and they’re men — they’re allowed,” adding, “But can you name the women?” Field also said she got pushback about her ambitions from her agent who, she confessed to Variety, told her that she wasn’t good enough or pretty enough to be in movies. We highly disagree on all fronts!

Fortunately, Field didn’t listen to her naysayers. She studied at The Actors Studio and earned an Emmy for her performance in the TV movie “Sybil.” From there, Field was back in the zeitgeist, starring in movies like “Smokey and the Bandit,” and winning Oscars for her performances “Norma Rae” and “Places in the Heart.” Now a Hollywood mainstay, Field currently earns praise from her peers for her tenacity. Her “Lincoln” director Steven Spielberg said in Variety, “Through her consistently good taste and feisty persistence, she has survived our ever-changing culture, stood the test of time and earned this singular place in history.”

Steve Martin hasn’t had white hair his entire life

Yes, believe it or not, there was a time when comedian Steve Martin didn’t have his signature white hair. In the 1960s, as a young writer on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” Martin appeared on “The Dating Game” as “Bachelor Number Two” sporting dark hair and groovy sideburns. While writing for “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour,” Martin appeared in a skit sporting not only dark hair, but a bushy beard to boot. Admittedly, his shaggy look was quite attractive, but it didn’t last long. Soon, Martin was pursuing stand-up comedy and his look became more polished, like when he appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1972.

Martin’s comedy career reached meteoric heights in the ’70s, with fans filling arenas to watch his routine. His guest-host turns on “Saturday Night Live,” featuring his performances in sketches like “Wild and Crazy Guys” and “King Tut” made him one of the most beloved entertainers of the time. But at the height of Martin-mania, he quit his stand-up career in 1981. Martin didn’t quit showbiz, rather he recalibrated his career and became an unconventional movie star in his 30s and 40s with his naturally white hair. These days, Martin is as good looking as ever. His friend and collaborator Martin Short quipped to AARP about his seemingly ageless look that it’s because of “the charm of looking 70 when you’re 30.”