Did you believe they were of a certain age but were then surprised to learn their true age was very different from what you thought it was?
There are several celebrities (usually actors) who I am fairly confident that I know their age, where, in fact, I discovered their true age was very different from what I thought it was.
One striking example for me was Paulina Poriskova. I just discovered today that she is 50 years old. She was born in 1965 in Czechoslovakia and I would never have guessed she was anywhere near that age. I became interested in her when I was around 25. At that age, I met a lady from Czechoslovakia and we spent quite a bit of time discussing what it was like for her growing up in that country and escaping from the Communist government there.
Whenever I think of Paulina, I always seem to remember her as she appears in the film “Thursday”. I would have to guess that she was in her early 30s when she made that film. However, I believe that most people would guess she was in her mid twenties at that time.
As it turns out, the truth is that film was made in 1998 and so she would have been 33 when she made it. But, before I learned her true age, I would have guessed that she is still in her early 30s which would have been very wrong. Wrong by at least 20 years.
Anyway, I got to wondering if many other people would likewise have a false guess as to the age of any celebrities.
Are there any celebrities that interest you - for any reason, and you were surprised when you found out their true age because you assumed it was very different?
Scully was 20-21 when the X-Files started, I would have guessed early 30’s just because it would take that long to get a medical degree and go through FBI training.
Morgan Freeman is perpetually 50-year-old looking. Try to track down some photos when he was Easy Reader on the Electric Company in the 70’s.
Ralph Macchio was in his 20’s during the original Karate Kid.
I’m not surprised. She was a famous model in the 80s and appeared in the video for the Cars’ “Drive” in 1984, when she was 19. She and Ric Ocasek married in 1989.
I was surprised recently to discover that Amy Adams is 39. I hadn’t realized that she didn’t start acting until her late 20s and was far older than I thought in everything in which I saw her. She debuted in *Drop Dead Gorgeous *with Kirsten Dunst and I assumed she was about the same age as her I guess.
Miles Davis started making rock and funk oriented music when I was in high school. I was young and ignorant, and didn’t know who he was. I was astounded to learn he was two years older than my father.
> . . . she is 50 years old. She was born in 1965 . . .
2014 - 1965 = 49
My choice would be Barbara Hershey. She’s 66. There’s a scene with her at 4:10 in the following video. She already turned 66 when this spisode was shown on TV, but she might have been only 65 when it was shot:
This one will date me… when I was a kid in the early 1960s, I thought Bob “Captain Kangaroo” Keeshan was maybe fifty-something… I was surprised, later, to learn that he had been in his mid-30s.
Same with Grandpa Jones… not surprisingly, since he played an old character. I figured he was maybe in his late 60s in the “Hee Haw” days, when in fact he was in his early 50s.
Going in the opposite direction, I was surprised to learn that alt-country singer-songwriter Dwight Yoakam is 57… seems like he should be 40-something. He’s almost as old as me!!
A few years ago I was shocked to find out Chelsea Handler was in her early 30’s and a bit younger than me. I had her pegged for at least 40 based on how haggard she looked.
James Marsters was in his late 30s when he became famous as Spike on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and played the role into his 40s on BUFFY and ANGEL, but looked in his 20s.
Johnny Depp will soon be 51 and looks incredible considering he smokes like a steel mill and, by his own admission, was a major league druggy until his late 30s.
There’s a Facebook meme about Tom Cruise being older now than Wilford Brimley was when he starred in COCOON.
Wikipedia says Chelsea Handler is 39, so you’re not too far off.
According to the Internet Pauley Perrette from NCIS (edit: she plays Abby) is 45. She claims she’s not that old, and she definitely looks 15 to 20 years younger.
When Pirates of the Caribbean came out was the first time that I learned that Johnny Depp was older than I am. What?! I’m an old fucking lady. You mean all this time I wasn’t perving out on some baby-dude?