# Actors who have always looked like middle-aged guys **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 1, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959 "2016-01-01T23:51:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/1 "2016-01-01T23:51:08Z")
I swear these guys look/looked the same throughout their entire professional lives (as in, they sprang from the womb as fully-formed middle-aged men): Norman Fell (Mr. Roper; recently saw him in a 1960s film with Ian McKeller and Suzanne Pleshette – looked exactly the same) Ed Asner Lionel Stander (Hart to Hart; saw him in an old TCM flick – though he had darker hair he looked/sounded the same) Abe Vigoda Who else? ---
**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:** [January 2, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/2 "2016-01-02T00:04:47Z")
Walter Matthau (a [picture](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Walter_Matthau_-_1952.jpg) of him in 1952 when he was 32 years old). ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/3 "2016-01-02T00:10:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Walter Matthau (a [picture](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Walter_Matthau_-_1952.jpg) of him in 1952 when he was 32 years old). Good one! We might also add Ernest Borgnine . . ? ---
**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:** [January 2, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/4 "2016-01-02T00:13:36Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Who else? Burgess Meredith Kevin Spacey John Lithgow Steve Martin I suppose it depends a bit on what you think “middle-aged” looks like. In the roles I’ve seen them, none of those would have looked out-of-place playing characters in their mid-30s and above. Even Martin in _The Jerk_ looked older than his character was supposed to be. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/5 "2016-01-02T00:26:06Z")
[QUOTE=I suppose it depends a bit on what you think “middle-aged” looks like. In the roles I’ve seen them, none of those would have looked out-of-place playing characters in their mid-30s and above. Even Martin in _The Jerk_ looked older than his character was supposed to be.[/QUOTE] My point of reference is ca. 1977 (when I was 10) to the present. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/6 "2016-01-02T00:53:12Z")
Leo G. Carroll Edmund Gwynn Bert Mustin Harold Gould Charles Lane Edward Everett Horton Lionel Barrymore John Houseman Most started acting late. Andy Clyde started playing “old man” roles in his 20s, using makeup. By the time he retired, he didn’t need it. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/7 "2016-01-02T01:09:50Z")
David Doyle - “Charlie’s Angels” ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/8 "2016-01-02T01:28:30Z")
Peter Falk. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/9 "2016-01-02T01:28:39Z")
Humphrey Bogart Thelma Ritter ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/10 "2016-01-02T01:32:48Z")
I don’t think Thelma Ritter ever looked like a middle aged guy. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/11 "2016-01-02T02:24:19Z")
Bette Midler ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/12 "2016-01-02T04:10:57Z")
Walter Brennan (more middle-age than old) Wilfred Brambell (was 52 when he played Paul’s grandfather in _A Hard Day’s Night_) ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/13 "2016-01-02T12:15:26Z")
Philip Baker Hall William H. Macy Philip Seymour Hoffman John C. Reilly ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/14 "2016-01-02T12:42:47Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Walter Matthau (a [picture](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Walter_Matthau_-_1952.jpg) of him in 1952 when he was 32 years old). Wow…he looks quite a bit like [Paul F. Tompkins](http://http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=paul+f+tompkins&view=detailv2&&id=1B5CC5BF7262C964E006209B33BE407F9861118E&selectedIndex=2&ccid=wKJtDLph&simid=608056168953678331&thid=OIP.Mc0a26d0cba61e71a9f64baa8e19e0c51H1&ajaxhist=0) in that picture. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/15 "2016-01-02T13:28:33Z")
Agnes Moorehead was always pretty old but then she was 40 when she debuted as the mother in “Citizen Kane” ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/16 "2016-01-02T13:49:50Z")
Jack Klugman ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/17 "2016-01-02T13:58:39Z")
Gene Hackman ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/18 "2016-01-02T16:08:01Z")
Not an actor, but LeBron James has always looked like he was 50. He’ll probably still look like he is 50 if he lives to be 100. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/19 "2016-01-02T16:11:15Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Not an actor, but LeBron James has always looked like he was 50. He’ll probably still look like he is 50 if he lives to be 100. Think he’s bad? [Greg Oden’s](http://http://thacover2.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/oden.jpg) even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959/20 "2016-01-02T16:13:09Z")
Wilford Brimley [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-always-looked-like-middle-aged-guys/741959.md?page=2)