I remember an interview in which he reported with amusement that many that approach him want to get a signature or a picture from “Mermaid Man”! (His character in the Sponge Bob Square Pants cartoons.)
Concerning Ernest Borgnine, there’s an obscure little video called Ernest Borgnine on the Bus. Actually, it’s not a bus, but his motorhome. No plot to the video, more of a documentary-style video showing that Borgnine earned enough money that he doesn’t have to work, and when he’s not working he just hits the road in his motorhome and travels around meeting people and just enjoying the hell out of himself in what for a lot of people would be quiet retirement.
Abe Vigoda is not quite there. He turns 90 in February, and of course recently appeared in a Snickers commercial with Betty White.
He could probably retire just on what his wife Tova has earned from her company; no idea how much her share was but Tova cosmetics have had literally billions of dollars in gross sales, first in mail order then shops and then (big bonanza) QVC. But, if you enjoy your work and your health is decent, why retire?
He’s one of those actors like Max von Sydow (who is somehow only 81) and Vigoda that you look at and wonder “Was there ever a time in recorded history when they were young?”. Not only can you imagine him being John Wilkes Booth’s understudy, but he probably looked middle aged at the time.
Vigoda certainly fits. He was only fifty when he played Tessio in The Godfather - only ten years older than Robert Duvall.
Lauren Bacall just turned 86, and IMDb lists her in a couple movies in post-production.
Ed Asner is 80 and still working.
Not a fan of The Seventh Seal?
The weird thing is that I’ve searched online and I can’t find any pictures of Abe Vigoda as a young man. All I can find are pictures of other people who are saying they look like a young Abe Vigoda. The Godfather was Vigoda’s first big role but he has movie and film credits dating back to 1949. But as far as his image is concerned it’s like he suddenly appeared fully grown in 1971.
Kirk Douglas has acted into his 90’s.
He’ll be 100 in 6 years.
Some actors just always looked old. Burt Mustin (pic) was one of the most famous “old coot” character actors in Hollywood- he didn’t even start acting until he was in his 60s- but then he appeared in everything. The weird thing is that he looked old in his teens.
Abe Vigoda had actually been for a five mile jog the day he auditioned for Barney Miller. His crankiness and tiredness helped get him the role.
I don’t think he’s worked in 20 years but Frank Cady, Sam Drucker on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres, is still alive at 95.
June Lockhart, 85 and famous for “Lassie” and “Lost in Space” is alive at 85 and appeared in a film in 2009.
Mel Brooks is 2000.
They say the secret to being a good writer is to write what you know. Mel’s son writes bestselling zombie books. Hmmm…
I saw a ‘where are they now’ show on ET I believe a couple of years ago and as of that time he was living in Arizona and still very active and basically the tech guru of his retirement home due to a latter day interest in computers.
Here is a young Abe Vigoda.
Hmm. I can see it… weird what makes a constipated mafioso in old age can be cute at 30.
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Norman Lloyd, a member of Orson Welles/John Houseman’s Mercury Theater but probably best known for St. Elsewhere, is still around at 96. He hasn’t acted on film since 2005 but he does do interviews and was an advisor on and a character in Orson Welles and Me.
Kinda reminds me of a handsome, younger version of Rondo Hatton
The first guy I thought of was Matthew Modine
Wait…is that really Abe Vigoda? I thought you were kidding because I thought it was John Krasinski (Jim on The Office).
Sorry; I should have added a smiley. To the best of my knowledge, that’s Krasinski, and the pic is a separated-at-birth coincidence.