Award shows can often showcase new, up-and-coming young actors and actresses who are breaking out in Hollywood. While this year’s Golden Globes awarded a number of young actors, it also recognized the highly acclaimed performances of many older adult actors and directors.
At 89 years old, Carol Burnett, best known for her comedy variety show, “The Carol Burnett Show,” even has an award named after her. The annual award this year was presented to Ryan Murphy, a 57-year-old producer, for his work on the Netflix show, “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” among countless others.
But Murphy wasn’t the only seasoned Hollywood veteran honored at this year’s event.
Here are the older adults who received a Golden Globe award for their outstanding roles in TV and film this year:
Steven Spielberg (Best Director, “The Fabelmans”)
The 76-year-old took home the Best Director award for his recent film, “The Fabelmans,” which details his life as a teenager, navigating the struggles of anti-semitism and his parents’ marital troubles.
“[I’ve] been hiding from this story since I was 17 years old,” Spielberg said in his acceptance speech, “When I turned 74 years old, I said, ‘You better do it now,’ and I’m really, really happy I did.”
Jennifer Coolidge (Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, “White Lotus”)
The 61-year-old actress earned an award for her performance as Tanya McQuoid in “White Lotus,” a show about the dysfunctions surrounding the guests and employees of a fictional resort.
“I had such big dreams and expectations as a younger person,” Coolidge said in her acceptance speech. “But what happened is they got sort of fizzled by life or whatever. … and then you get older and you’re like, ‘[Nothing] is going to happen anymore. … [You’ve] given me a new beginning.”
Michelle Yeoh (Best Actress, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”)
The 60-year-old actress walked away from The Globes with an acclaimed award for her performance in the recent box office hit, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which creatively follows the life of an exhausted Chinese-American woman trying to finish her taxes.
“I turned 60 last year,” Yeoh said in her acceptance speech. “As the days, the years and the numbers get bigger, it seems like opportunities start to get smaller as well. I probably was at a time where I thought, ‘Hey, come on girl, you had a really, really good run, you worked with some of the best people. … Then came the best gift, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’”
Kevin Costner (Best Actor in a TV Drama,“Yellowstone”)
The 67-year-old actor earned recognition for his recent performance as John Dutton in “Yellowstone,” a show about a family whose ranch is being attacked by developers, an Indian reservation and America’s first National Park.
“I always thought [Yellowstone] was going to be good. All you can think to yourself is that if you’re gonna try to be a part of something, does it have a chance to measure up? Does it have a chance to entertain? I thought ‘Yellowstone’ did, and so it has,” Costner, who could not attend the ceremony, told “Entertainment Tonight.”
Angela Bassett (Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture,“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)
The 64-year-old actress received a Best Supporting Actress Award for her recent role as Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” a Marvel movie centered around the fight to protect a nation after the death of its king.
“The late Tony Morrison said, ‘Your life is already a miracle of chance, just waiting for you to order its destiny.’ But in order for that destiny to manifest, I think it requires courage, to have faith, it requires patience,” Basset said in her acceptance speech. “It’s not easy because the past is circuitous and it has many unexpected detours.”
Although not all older adults were winners, many were still nominated for awards.
These older adult actors and actresses were also recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for their stand-out roles in TV and film this year:
Steve Martin (77): “Only Murders in the Building”
Martin Short (72): “Only Murders in the Building”
Jeff Bridges (73): “The Old Man”
Jamie Lee Curtis (64): “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Colin Firth (62): “The Staircase”
Sheryl Lee Ralph (66): “Abbott Elementary”
John Lithgow (77): “The Old Man”
Emma Thompson (63): “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”
