# Actors still relevant in the public eye today who have the longest career being relevant **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [April 11, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527 "2023-04-11T17:29:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/41 "2023-04-12T21:23:38Z")
> **[Ian McKellen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_McKellen)** > > Sir Ian Murray McKellen CH CBE (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades, he is noted for his performances on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural icon, he has received various accolades, including a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award and six Laurence Olivier Awards, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards and M... McKellen began his professional career in 1961 at the [Belgrade Theatre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgrade_Theatre) as a member of their highly regarded repertory company. He’s playing right now in pantomime at the Bristol Hippodrome. That’s 62 years, approximately. Not too bad! ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/42 "2023-04-12T22:40:45Z")
> [@Pavelb1](#): > > Were we to give points for consistency…though his career is a lot shorter then many mentioned here…Harrison Ford would be right up there. Mark Hamill is still going strong as well. In addition to the recent Star Wars films and voice work as The Joker, he provides the voice for the air raid siren app being used in Ukraine. > **[Mark Hamill lends 'Star Wars' voice to Ukrainian air-raid app](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-star-wars-luke-hamill-app-08ec03bf1a2c9c0378857090079f00f9)** > > A downloadable app that has been voiced by “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill is triggered when air raid alarms sound in Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/43 "2023-04-12T22:55:38Z")
By sheer coincidence, I saw Russell last night guesting in an episode of “The Fugitive”. He played Lt. Gerard’s son. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/44 "2023-04-12T23:01:34Z")
> [@its\_the\_daddy](#): > > He’s playing right now in pantomime at the Bristol Hippodrome. Oh, no he isn’t! ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/45 "2023-04-13T03:24:38Z")
How about [Carol Burnett](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000993/)? She turns 90 this month, her first television appearance was in 1955 and she is in 4 episodes of Better Call Saul’s most recent season. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/46 "2023-04-13T07:43:27Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Honorable mention and speaking of Mary Poppins, **Dick Van Dyke** is 97 now and came to fame in 1961 also and only stopped working in 2020. Incorrect. He was on _The Masked Singer_ earlier this year. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/47 "2023-04-13T08:05:27Z")
Is he famous for the Masked Singer? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/48 "2023-04-13T11:07:49Z")
He’s on the Masked Singer because he’s famous. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/49 "2023-04-13T12:18:02Z")
Bob Newhart first became well known in 1960 with the release of his comedy album, which went number one and got Newhart a Grammy. He’s still doing cameo appearances on _The Big Bang Theory_ and _Young Sheldon_, which got him an Emmy, as recently as 2020. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/50 "2023-04-13T13:17:07Z")
Like Betty White, Carl Reiner (actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer, screenwriter, and author) is another performer with a very long, illustrious show business career who just recently passed (2020). Though perhaps better known for his behind-the-camera work, Carl also had a long, memorable career in front of the camera as an actor, spanning 7 decades from the early 50s to 2020 (according to [the IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005348/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1), his last acting part was in 2020, **Home Movie: The Princess Bride** ). He also did a lot of _voice_ acting in recent years. IMHO Carl Reiner was one of the funniest people ever and a major influence on American television humor. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/51 "2023-04-15T03:00:42Z")
I saw Bob in _ **Hell Is for Heroes** _ (1962) the summer before I started second grade. He plays an American GI who spooks the Germans by doing his routine over a field phone they’ve tapped into. The movie made a BIG impression on me. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/52 "2023-04-15T03:31:57Z")
Is that the one where he pretty much does his phone routine to trick the enemy into thinking the Americans had vast resources ready. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/53 "2023-04-15T03:55:41Z")
Yep. And Steve McQueen keeps flicking the ejector port on his M3 submachine gun for no apparent reason. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/54 "2023-04-15T04:25:07Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > [Harrison Ford](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001230/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_4_nm_4_q_harrison%2520ford)’s career goes back to the silents! He was in the 1923 version of _Vanity Fair_! Oh, wait… _Man_, did they crank the movies out back then! He appeared in between 5 and 10 movies a year from 1917 through 1928. Impressive! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/55 "2023-04-15T06:53:08Z")
A couple of long-serving actors over here - [Anne Reid](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Reid) and [Derek Jacobi](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Jacobi) (whom you may know best from Last Tango in Halifax) And if you count singer/actors, [Petula Clark](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petula_Clark) started as a child singer in 1942, diversifying into acting later in the 40s, and was still appearing on stage in a small part in Mary Poppins until earlier this year. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/56 "2023-04-15T07:21:28Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I saw Bob in _ **Hell Is for Heroes** _ (1962) the summer before I started second grade. He plays an American GI who spooks the Germans by doing his routine over a field phone they’ve tapped into. Get yourself Bob Newhart and a telephone, and something entertaining will happen. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/57 "2023-04-15T08:15:33Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@What\_Exit](#): > > > > **Clint Eastwood** not a bad choice and does goes back further. His acting has been limited over the last 2 decades though. > > Indeed; as I noted, he’s been more focused on directing, including, in recent years, _The Mule_ (2018) I was going to say, specifically in reference to _The Mule_, that although Eastwood’s acting has indeed been limited in recent years, it’s also been high profile. I thought _The Mule_ was a sentimental tribute to age (despite being a crime movie) and would have been fitting as his final farewell to acting. Too bad he then decided to perform in _Cry Macho_ and ruin everything. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/58 "2023-04-15T13:32:11Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > A couple of long-serving actors over here - [Anne Reid](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Reid) and [Derek Jacobi](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Jacobi) (whom you may know best from Last Tango in Halifax) It’s a sign of my own age but my first thought for Jacobi is _I, Claudius_. . ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527/59 "2023-04-16T00:11:41Z")
Ditto! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-still-relevant-in-the-public-eye-today-who-have-the-longest-career-being-relevant/982527.md?page=2)