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Looking at some of the now popular actresses, it may seem that they were destined to become famous, but in fact, many have been going to success for years. In their youth, they regularly received refusals from directors, but did not give up, continuing to go to auditions over and over again until they got “the one” role.
10 Whoopi Goldberg
Now the actress has all kinds of awards that one can only dream of: Tony, Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Oscar, Grammy. Few celebrities can boast such a collection, but on the way to fame, Goldberg has gone through a lot.
Before graduating from school, she joined the “hippies”, gradually adopting not only their beliefs, but also a love for marijuana, and then for harder drugs.
The turning point for her was the meeting with her future husband, who helped to get rid of addictions and in every possible way contributed to the realization of her creative potential.
Her moment of glory came in 1985, when an obscure 30-year-old self-taught black actress landed the lead role in Steven Spielberg’s Purple Fields. This brought her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe victory, but then everything went on the rise.
9. Diana Rigg
The first serious work in the cinema for her was the role in the sixth part of the Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, where she played the girl of agent 007. Before that, she was known only to fans of the series “The Avengers”, which made noise on TV for several seasons in the 60s gg. Her last notable appearance also took place on TV: she played Olenna Tyrell in HBO’s Game of Thrones.
8. Melissa McCarthy
The funny fat woman, who never had a complex about her appearance, began her career as a stand-up comedian in New York, but quickly moved to Los Angeles with the goal of conquering Hollywood.
Considering that her track record includes a nomination for an Oscar and a Golden Globe, she completely achieved her goal. She is best known for the TV series Gilmore Girls and the films Bridesmaids, St. Vincent and The Spy.
7. Cathy Bates
Kathy Bates made her film debut in the 1971 drama Breakaway, where the 23-year-old actress played a cameo role. Of course, this did not bring her popularity, as did the next few works, including Arthur 2: Stranded, Men Don’t Quit and The Night Mother.
She woke up famous only after the role of Annie Wilks in the thriller “Misery” in 1993, when she was already over 40. Catching up on her youth, she began to receive awards one after another, most recently adding an Emmy to the piggy bank for her work in American History horrors.”
In 2016, she became the owner of a nominal star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and now she has no unconquered peaks left.
6. Katherine Justen
Well known to fans of the Desperate Housewives series, Katherine got her first role only in 1984, when she was already 45 years old. After that, she went headlong into the theater, where she successfully performed until her death, and returned to the cinema in the mid-90s.
A breakthrough for her was the work in the TV project “The West Wing”, where she starred for several years. At the same time, she often appeared in other popular TV shows: Charmed, Gilmore Girls, Malcolm in the Middle, and others.
5. Kim Cattrall
Despite her early film debut (she received her first role at the age of 19), international recognition came to her much later. In the 80-90s, the actress starred in such films as “Porky”, “Robbery”, “Police Academy”, “Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country”, but even if the film “shot” (the drama “Award” was nominated to the Oscars), Kim’s efforts were not properly rewarded.
So it was until 1997, when the 41-year-old actress was cast to participate in the TV series Sex and the City. Perfectly embodying the image of the sensual and sexy Samantha Jones, she became the object of desire for millions of men and an object to follow for the same number of women.
4. Judy Dench
Having built a brilliant career on the stage, Judi Dench for a long time bypassed the cinema. In the theater, she made her debut in 1957, and in the cinema – only in 1968.
Occasionally acting in small but memorable episodes, she seemed to be waiting for the right moment to loudly declare herself. Such a moment came in 1995 with the release of “Golden Eye” – the 17th part of the epic about the adventures of James Bond, where she tried on the image of M, being at the age of 61 years.
After another 3 years, she won an Oscar, and received it in just 8 minutes of screen time in the tragicomedy Shakespeare in Love.
3. Jane Lynch
During her long career, Jane Lynch has played more than 200 roles, starting acting in 1988, when she was already 28. Age, of course, is not advanced, but it is also quite solid for a debut.
The first years she got only small episodes, but gradually she earned more and more screen time.
The “X” hour for her was the work in the series “Two and a Half Men”, which was released on television in 2004. At that time, the actress was already preparing to celebrate her 45th birthday, and the most interesting was yet to come.
Four statuettes “Emmy”, “Screen Actors Guild Award” and “Golden Globe” – all this Lynch received, stepping over the 5th decade.
2. Maggie Smith
Beloved by millions of Harry Potter fans, Professor McGonagall is known to a more sophisticated viewer for very different roles. So, back in 1970, when she was 36 years old, she received her first Oscar for the film The Rise of Miss Jean Brodie, which became her breakthrough. It was her sixth film work, so we can safely say that success came to her quickly.
Despite her venerable age (and she is already 84), Maggie Smith does not even think about retiring, continuing to delight us with her game. This fall, we will see her in the film Downton Abbey, based on the series of the same name by Julian Fellows.
1. Jessica Chastain
The youngest on today’s list (now 41), the actress rose to prominence in 2011, when six films with her participation were released at once, and made her debut three years earlier in the independent film Jolene.
The best works of those years can be considered the roles in The Help and The Tree of Life, which not only delighted film critics and the press, but also brought her well-deserved nominations for Oscar and Golden Globe.