# 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:** 34
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/662 "2024-09-18T17:40:08Z")
About a decade ago, I learned the “fun fact” that President John Tyler had two living grandsons. One of them died in 2020, but the other is still with us at 95: > **[Harrison Ruffin Tyler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Ruffin_Tyler)** > > Harrison Ruffin Tyler (born November 9, 1928) is a retired American chemical engineer, businessman, and preservationist. He cofounded ChemTreat, Inc., a water treatment company, in 1968, and restored the Sherwood Forest Plantation. He is a son of Lyon Gardiner Tyler and the last living grandchild of former U.S. president John Tyler. Tyler purchased Fort Pocahontas in 1996 and advocated for its preservation. > Tyler was born on November 9, 1928, to Susan Ruffin and Lyon Gardiner Tyler. His paternal... ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2024, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/663 "2024-09-19T01:43:19Z")
I be a lot of people think Alan Greenspan died years ago, but he’s 98 and still alive. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2024, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/664 "2024-09-19T01:54:41Z")
I was surprised that Perry Farrell, of Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros, was still alive, at least as of a few days ago. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2024, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/665 "2024-09-19T02:05:54Z")
Paige died in June. I had her as a pick in the Death Pool ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/666 "2024-09-19T02:06:54Z")
He’s 65. Why is that surprising? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2024, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/667 "2024-09-19T11:06:18Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > He’s 65. Why is that surprising?. Drugs & Drinking, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/668 "2024-09-23T08:01:13Z")
But if that was a qualifier, about 100 000 aging-but-not-old entertainers would need to feature in this thread. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/669 "2024-09-23T15:21:55Z")
Once you make it past twenty-seven, you’re usually safe. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/670 "2024-09-23T17:35:40Z")
I saw Wayne Newton in a brief appearance the the Bender Jamboree… ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/671 "2024-09-26T01:22:15Z")
Sophia Loren turned 90 on September 20th. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/672 "2024-09-27T00:35:22Z")
This is actually kind of the opposite, but it blows my mind that: It has been over 10 years since Robin Williams and Joan Rivers died. I’m obviously aware it happened, but I feel like they were just with us. Making us laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/673 "2024-09-27T14:16:03Z")
While checking murderers on Columbo, three of the first four female murderers are still alive. Lee Grant - Apparently 96-98 Susan Clark - a “young” 81 Vera Miles - 95 ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/674 "2024-09-27T14:20:15Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > > > Dame Maggie Smith is an excellent example: she was old in 1969, when she was in _The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie_. The point of the title is that Miss Jean Brodie considers herself to be in her prime at a time when most of society considers that she has passed it. > > My dad joked that Maggie Smith had been 60 for about 30 years. > **[Dame Maggie Smith: Harry Potter and Downton Abbey actress dies at 89](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgk7375ngkxo)** > > She won two Oscars and starred in the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey. She had a good run. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/675 "2024-09-27T20:16:49Z")
> **[Time Person of the Year](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Person_of_the_Year)** > > Person of the Year (called Man of the Year or Woman of the Year until 1999) is an annual issue of the American news magazine and website Time featuring a person, group, idea, or object that "for better or for worse ... has done the most to influence the events of the year". The editors select the featured subject in a "secretive ... process", though the Time website or a partner organization also runs an annual online reader's poll that has no effect on the selection. > The tradition of selecti... I was looking at the Time Person of the Year list to see who is the oldest specific recipient still alive and it appears to be Jim Lowell who won in 1968 along with two other members of the Apollo 8 crew. I remember listening to some of his commentary on the Apollo 13 DVD around 20 years back; he was obviously old then and I am pleasantly surprised he is still around. Although I have to say that giving the person of the year to the Apollo 8 crew in 1968 is really weird. While it was an important mission, the obvious space mission to give it was Apollo 11 in 1969 when they gave it to the “middle Americans”. Meanwhile 1968 was a hugely eventful year in which the logical choice would have been Richard Nixon or otherwise RFK or MLK. Incidentally my all-time Abe Vigoda entry is another Time person of the year: Madame Chiang who I was astonished to learn in around 2002 was still alive; she died in 2003 at the age of 105. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/676 "2024-09-27T20:33:40Z")
> [@Lantern2](#): > > it appears to be Jim Lowell who won in 1968 Jim Lovell (note the spelling) was born in 1928 and is now 96. Jimmy Carter won the award in 1976. He’s still alive (as of this moment) and is 4 days shy of turning 100. ---
**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:** [September 28, 2024, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/677 "2024-09-28T05:03:39Z")
> [@Lantern2](#): > > Incidentally my all-time Abe Vigoda entry… Fay Wray was another one. She was famous for starring in the 1933 version of _King Kong_. She lived another 70 years; passed away in 2004 at 96. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/678 "2024-09-28T12:34:50Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Fay Wray was another one. She was famous for starring in the 1933 version of _King Kong_. She lived another 70 years; passed away in 2004 at 96. She was a good example of an “OG” Vigoda. It reached a point in my family that if King Kong was on, we had to say, “Fay Wray is still alive, you know…” ---
**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:** [September 28, 2024, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/679 "2024-09-28T15:04:40Z")
Yes, many of us wondered whatever happened to Fay Wray, that delicate satin-draped frame. ---
**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:** [September 28, 2024, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/680 "2024-09-28T15:12:31Z")
Another entry in the Abe Vigoda Hall of Fame is Luise Rainer. She won back-to-back Best Actress Oscars in 1936 and 1937 (becoming the first person to do so). But then she mostly dropped out of acting and was generally forgotten. But she lived to be 104 years old and didn’t die until 2014. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985/681 "2024-09-28T17:16:48Z")
Brigitte Bardot is 90 today! [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=33) [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=35)