Paul Newman - I think ol’ blue eyes charm over the years has increased. He was always a kind of smug sly charming in his mid twenties/early thirties, but he’s really hung on to the role of delightful old charmer very well, I think. He just has an integrity and grace about him - I can’t think of any other word that better describes a person and his habits than the word class does for Paul Newman. {Trivia - how much older/younger is P. Newman than his wife?}
Julie Andrews - Held on to her good manners all throughout old age. I believe a real example for some dizzy starlets.
Richard Gere - The epitomy of elegance (in a man). As he’s grown older, he seems to have retained the ability to make women swoon and he’s settled into middle age roles very well.
This is cheating a bit - but I’ll say it - Albert Einstein (yes I realize he’s dead). As he grew older, he seemed to become more confident. Granted he was a complicated character, but he instills the slogan “wise old man” wherever I see his fuzzy haired face. Please note that I am not referring to people who look much younger than they really are, rather to people who have kept thier elegance and grace and charm (or formed it) as they have aged.
And why do you think these people have aged so well (persona-wise)? What qualities do they have that make them so classy? Are they more well-mannered, for example?
Celebrities that I vote for who have NOT aged gracefully:
I think he’s the opposite of what the OP is trying for. The older he gets the more open he seems to be about what an asshole he is. I used to love the guy and now I simply cannot stand him.
Also, I’ll confirm Dick Van Dyke. He came to a tribute performance of Bye Bye Birdie at my Highschool (where he went to highschool), and he seems like one of the most intelligent, charming, fun-to-be-around, down-to-earth celebrities I’ve seen.
I’ll second Clint Eastwood. I expected him to be a cantankerous reactionary by now, like John Wayne in his later days, but the last interview with him that I read made him come off quite the opposite.
I’d say Kelsey Grammar. Despite the fact that this man has gone through more in his life than we can even image, he has mellowed and is now living happily. I’m glad for him, and anxious to see what he does next.
(OK, Audrey was a pretty good choice too.)