# Who are our current "Abe Vigodas"? (people you might be surprised to learn are still alive) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [September 7, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985 "2020-09-07T01:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/21 "2020-09-07T02:37:25Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I don’t think the intent of Mahaloth’s OP was only people who have always looked elderly. > Has Willie Mays always seemed old? I’ve never heard that before. He just seems like he’s been around forever. Yes, I agree that the OPs example is a poor one based on the premise he explained. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/22 "2020-09-07T02:41:12Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Betty White just amazes me. _Cracked_ ran a bit not that long ago about sliced bread first being sold after Betty White was born. They said “Sliced bread is the best thing since Betty White”. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2020, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/23 "2020-09-07T02:54:38Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Ruth Buzzi. I always thought she looked old even when she was only in her 30s. She didn’t actually look old at all, but that’s a young kid’s perception. I thought the same for Lily Tomlin. Yes, Ruth Buzzi always seemed old. Lily Tomlin seemed older before. Nowadays she’s so botoxed and facelifted that she doesn’t look much older than she used to as Ernestine. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/24 "2020-09-07T02:55:55Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Yes, I agree that the OPs example is a poor one based on the premise he explained. So I’m just assuming he means people that it seems have been around forever, not just people who have always looked elderly. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/25 "2020-09-07T03:20:12Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > So far, Dr. Auschlander (Norman Lloyd) seems to be holding the record for oldest really well known person. His most recent acting role was in Trainwreck at age 100. And that was in 2014. He’s still living at 105. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/26 "2020-09-07T03:24:21Z")
Roberta McCain is still alive at age 108. She’s best known as the mother of the late Senator and President Candidate, John McCain. John McCain wasn’t exactly young when he died either. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/27 "2020-09-07T03:24:35Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > > > Betty White just amazes me. > > _Cracked_ ran a bit not that long ago about sliced bread first being sold after Betty White was born. They said “Sliced bread is the best thing since Betty White”. Comedy Central held a roast of William Shatner back in the early 2000s. Two of the roasters were Betty White and a comedian named Lisa Lupner. Lupner remarked about Betty White, “Betty’s so old, the grand prize on her first game show was fire.” ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/28 "2020-09-07T03:24:43Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Children’s author Beverly Cleary ( _Henry Huggins_ , _Beezus and Ramona_ , _The Mouse and the Motorcycle_ , etc.) is 104. Came in to post just this. Not long ago I would have also posted Olivia de Havilland, born in the same year a few weeks later. > [@eschereal](#): > > So far, Dr. Auschlander (Norman Lloyd) seems to be holding the record for oldest really well known person. His most recent acting role was in Trainwreck at age 100. Did you know his daughter Josie acted as well? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/e87RZcB7edQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Blind dates haven't changed in 50 years") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e87RZcB7edQ) This guy is 101 and has been in quite a few things. > **[Nehemiah Persoff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehemiah_Persoff)** > > Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American actor and painter. He appeared in more than 200 television series, films, and theatre productions, and also performed as a voice artist in a career spanning 55 years. > His first acting role was as an extra in The Naked City (1948). Persoff is best known for roles as Leo in The Harder They Fall (1956), as Little Bonaparte in Some Like It Hot (1959), as Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik in The Untouchables (1959–1963), as Rebbe Mendel in Y... ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/29 "2020-09-07T03:38:23Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > So I’m just assuming he means people that it seems have been around forever, not just people who have always looked elderly. A thread that basically asks for a list of really old famous people isn’t going to be very interesting. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2020, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/30 "2020-09-07T03:41:23Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > So I’m just assuming he means people that it seems have been around forever, not just people who have always looked elderly. > > A thread that basically asks for a list of really old famous people isn’t going to be very interesting. Take it up with the OP. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > Huh, John Astin is still around, too. He’s only 90. > > He’s a pretty good example because the person to play Gomez much after him died a long time ago(Raul Julia) while Astin is doing just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/31 "2020-09-07T03:46:47Z")
I have no idea why you feel the need to argue the point, but the OPs quote which you included specifically mentions that that example is good not because he’s old but because it’s so unexpected. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/32 "2020-09-07T03:50:32Z")
@Omniscient, you seem to be strangely vigorous in your attempts to steer this thread onto what you think the OP wanted – far more than the OP is, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/33 "2020-09-07T03:56:42Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Abe Vigoda. . .He played grandfathers back when many of us were still small kids, and here we are adults turning grey ourselves and he’s still there. you might wanna check again. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/34 "2020-09-07T03:59:35Z")
Honestly, at this point I could give a shit since we’re basically just posting random golden age actors, have at it. But the “Abe Vigoda” thing has a very specific intent. His age has little to do with it. There was a time when the Dope was all about correctness, guess it’s not a popular idea any more. > **[Abe Vigoda Fulfills Internet Meme](https://www.thedailybeast.com/abe-vigoda-fulfills-internet-meme)** > > The actor was declared dead dozens of times before his real death Tuesday. The owner of AbeVigoda.com, which has chronicled his mortality since 2001, is thankful Vigoda was in on the joke. I mean if an OP starts a thread wanting to play a version of The Match Game but then sets up the rules so it looks like Password are we supposed to just shrug our shoulders because the OP said so? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/35 "2020-09-07T04:04:23Z")
The OP wasn’t as clearly written as it could have been, and you yourself admitted that the OP’s own example didn’t meet the narrower idea that you believe was intended (and the OP then endorsed John Astin as a good example, who doesn’t, either). > [@](#): > > I mean if an OP starts a thread wanting to play a version of The Match Game but then sets up the rules so it looks like Password are we supposed to just shrug our shoulders because the OP said so? IMO, that’s entirely up to the OP. That said, nitpicking, too, is a long-standing SDMB tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/36 "2020-09-07T04:16:16Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Comedy Central held a roast of William Shatner back in the early 2000s. Two of the roasters were Betty White and a comedian named Lisa Lupner. Lupner remarked about Betty White, “Betty’s so old, the grand prize on her first game show was fire.” I loved that roast! ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/37 "2020-09-07T04:22:14Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > and a comedian named Lisa Lupner I’m pretty sure Todd DiLaMucca’s girlfriend was never on Comedy Central. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2020, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/38 "2020-09-07T04:26:44Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > > [@cochrane](#): > > > > and a comedian named Lisa Lupner > > I’m pretty sure Todd DiLaMucca’s girlfriend was never on Comedy Central Lol!! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/39 "2020-09-07T04:33:02Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > I’m pretty sure Todd DiLaMucca’s girlfriend was never on Comedy Central. I admit, I _was_ wondering. 😃 Lisa Lampanelli, perhaps? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2020, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/40 "2020-09-07T04:33:35Z")
Cloris Leachman has always seemed older to me - she was Mary’s older landlady on the Mary Tyler Moore show, old Frau Bucher (neigh!) in Young Frankenstein, and Malcolm’s ancient grandma on Malcolm in the Middle. She’s still kicking at 94, and looks 10 years younger. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985.md?page=3)