Hollywood’s Immortals: Legendary Stars Still Alive That Will Absolutely Shock You

Picture it.

Legendary stars who walked the red carpets of Hollywood’s Golden Age are still here.

They are living time capsules.

Each one a piece of history walking among us.

Despite the decades that have passed, they’re still here, standing tall, still shining.

They are proving that age is just a number.

Here are some of the oldest living Hollywood stars you might be surprised to know are still with us today.

Dick Van Dyke.

Although the golden age of Hollywood ended more than 50 years ago, some stars from that era are still alive and still working.

While television played a big role in ending that chapter of cinema, a few actors managed to survive the shift by adapting and taking roles on the small screen.

One of the most beloved stars to do so is Dick Van Dyke.

Known for his friendly charm, perfect comedic timing, and funny physical humor, Van Dyke has entertained generations of fans.

Born Richard Wayne Van Dyke on December 13th, 1925 in West Plains, Missouri, he grew up in Danville, Illinois.

His mother, Hazel, worked as a stenographer, and his father, Lauren, nicknamed Cookie, was a salesman.

Dick is the older brother of Jerry van Dyke who even played his brother on the Dick Van Dyke show.

In high school, he was part of the A Capella choir and the drama club.

These early stage experiences started his love for performing though he once thought about becoming a minister.

During World War II, he left school early to join the US Army Air Forces and tried to become a pilot.

After being turned down a few times for being underweight, he was eventually accepted as a radio announcer.

Later he transferred to the special services where he spent the rest of the war entertaining troops across the US.

He was discharged in 1946.

Years later in 2004, Dick finally received his high school diploma.

Nearly 60 years after he first left school to serve his country.

After World War II, Dick Van Dyke didn’t waste time diving into show business.

In the late 1940s, he worked as a radio DJ in Danville, Illinois.

Around 1947, he teamed up with a performer named Phil Ericson to form a comedy duo called Eric and Van, the Merry Mutes.

The two toured nightclubs on the West Coast with a unique act that combined Panamime and lip-syncing to records.

They later took their act to television in Atlanta, Georgia, performing on a local show filled with skits and music.

Van Dyke‘s television career really took off in New Orleans, where he started at WDSU TV as a solo comedian and later became the host of a comedy program.

His first national TV appearance came in 1954 on Chance of a Lifetime.

In 1959, he made his Broadway debut in The Girls Against the Boys, and not long after, he landed the lead in Bye-Bye Birdie.

The musical had mixed reviews, but Van Dyke‘s performance stood out.

He won a Tony Award in 1961 for best featured actor in a musical.

That success led to his film debut in the movie version of Bye-Bye Birdie, 1963.

While Van Dyke didn’t love how the film shifted focus away from his character, it was a hit.

Then came one of his most famous roles ever, Bert the Chimney Sweep in Mary Poppins, 1964.

Even though Mary Poppins became a beloved classic, Dick Van Dyke‘s attempt at a Cocknney accent was widely criticized and still gets laughed about till this very day.

According to Van Dyke, his accent coach was an Irish actor, Jay Pad Ali, who wasn’t much help, and nobody on set ever told him how off his accent sounded.

Still, the film was a huge hit.

One of its songs, Chim Chim Cherry, which Van Dyke performed, won an Oscar for best original song.

He also took home a Grammy in 1964 alongside co-star Julie Andrews for the film soundtrack.

While Mary Poppins was a major success, most of the comedy films Van Dyke did throughout the 1960s didn’t do well at the box office.

These included What a Way to Go with Shirley Mlan, Fitz Willie, The Art of Love, Some Kind of a Nut, and Divorce American Style with Debbie Reynolds.

That same year, producer Albert R. Broccoli reportedly offered Van Dyke the chance to play James Bond after Shan Connory stepped down.

Van Dyke said no, joking, “Have you heard my British accent?”.

In 1969, Van Dyke showed a more serious side in the comic, a film written and directed by Carl Reiner.

He played a troubled silent film comedian dealing with fame, alcoholism, and ego.

Reiner had written the film specifically for Van Dyke, knowing how much he admired silent film stars like Charlie Chaplan and his idol Stan Laurel.

As the years went on, Dick Van Dyke continued to shine on television.

After diagnosis, murder ended, he reunited with Mary Tyler Moore in a well-received 2003 TV adaptation of The Gin Game.

That same year, he played Dr. Doug Townsend in Scrubs.

In 2004, he returned to his roots with the Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited, a special featuring the original cast.

Though it was hyped as the first new episode in nearly 40 years and earned an Emmy nomination, critics were not impressed.

In 2006, Van Dyke starred in the Murder 101 mystery series on Hallmark Channel as Professor Dr. Jonathan Maxwell.

That same year, he made a return to film, voicing Mr. Bloomsberry and Curious George and playing the villain Cecil Frederick’s in Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller.

Though his cameo in the sequel Battle of the Smithsonian 2009 was cut from the final film, it was included in the DVD extras.

He came back once more in Night at the Museum, Secret of the Tomb 2014.

Van Dyke kept exploring music too.

In 2010, he appeared on the children’s album Rhythm Train, even rapping on one track alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.

In 2017, he released his first solo album in over 50 years, Step Back in Time, a jazz and big band collection of classics from the 1920s to the 1940s.

That same year, he teamed up with Jane Lynch for a holiday duet called We’re Going Carolling.

In 2018, he made a nostalgic return to the world of Mary Poppins, playing Mr. Dawze Jr. in Mary Poppins Returns, the son of one of the characters he portrayed in the original.

For the Marvel series Wanda Vision, Van Dyke was even brought in to advise producers on how to capture the spirit of the Dick Van Dyke show.

In 2023, at age 97, he became the oldest contestant ever on The Masked Singer, performing as Gnome.

His unmasking was met with a standing ovation and he closed the show by singing supercalifragilistic expialidocious.

That same year he appeared in a guest role on Days of Our Lives and was celebrated with a CBS special Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic.

In December 2024, just shy of turning 99, Van Dyke starred in the music video for Coldplay’s All My Love, a project he produced alongside his wife, actress Arlene Silver.

Ava Marie Saint.

Eva Marie Saint was born on July 4th, 1924 in Newark, New Jersey to Quaker parents John Merl Saint and Eva Marie Saint.

She grew up in Delmare near Albany and graduated from Bethlehem Central High School in 1942.

In 2006, she was inducted into the school’s hall of fame.

Saint studied acting at Bowling Green State University where she joined the Delta Gamma sorority and starred in a production of Personal Appearance.

A theater on campus now bears her name.

She was also active in the honorary theater fraternity Theta Alphi and served as the student council’s recordkeeper in 1944.

Her introduction to television began with a job as an NBC page.

In 1946 to 47, she appeared on the live NBC show Campus Hoopla, some of which survives in rare Kinoscope and audio recordings housed at the Library of Congress.

In 1949, she performed live commercials as one of the original Bonnie Maids on Bonnie Maid’s Versatile Varieties.

Saint was featured in a 1947 Life magazine special about the early days of television and again in 1949 in a profile about her struggles as a young actress trying to make ends meet in New York.

Through the late 1940s and early 50s, Saint built a reputation through consistent work in radio, television, and theater.

Her breakout stage role came in 1953 when she co-starred in Horton Foot‘s The Trip to Bountiful on Broadway, earning the Drama Critics Award alongside legends like Lillian Gish and Joe Van Fleet.

In 1955, she was nominated for her first Emmy for best actress in a single performance for her role opposite EG Marshall in Middle of the Night on the Filco Television Playhouse written by Patty Chaiffski.

That same year, she earned another Emmy nomination for a live television musical adaptation of Our Town, starring alongside Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra.

Her early TV work earned her praise as the Helen Hayes of television, a tribute to her standout performances in the new and demanding medium.

Saint‘s film debut came in 1954 with On the Waterfront, directed by Alia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando.

She played Edie Doyle, a young woman whose brother’s death sets off the story’s emotional core.

Her performance earned her the Academy Award for best supporting actress and a BAFTA nomination for most promising newcomer.

Reflecting on her work, New York Times critic ah Wiler wrote that Kazan had cast a pretty and blonde artisan who does not have to depend on these attributes, praising the tenderness and emotional depth she brought to the role.

Saint was paid $7,500 for the part, which launched her successful film career.

Director Alfred Hitchcock surprised many when he cast Eva Marie Saint as the fem fatal in what would become the suspense classic North by Northwest 1959 opposite Carrie Grant and James Mason.

Written by Ernest Leman, the film updated Hitchcock‘s earlier wrong man thrillers such as The 39 Steps, Sabotur, and Young and Innocent.

It became a major box office success and left a lasting influence on the spy genre.

Today, North by Northwest ranks number 40 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time.

Hitchcock took a personal interest in Saint‘s transformation for the role.

He encouraged her to lower her voice for a sultrier tone and even accompanied her on a costume shopping trip to Burgdorf Goodman in New York.

The shift in her screen persona was striking.

She played a mysterious, seductive woman who kept both Carrie Grant and audiences guessing.

The New York Times critic Abe Hiler praised her performance, writing, “In casting Eva Marie Saint as Carrie Grant‘s romantic visav, Mr. Hitchcock has plumbed some talents not shown by the actress here to for she emerges as both the sweet heroine and a glamorous charmer.”

Reflecting on the experience in 2000, Saint recalled Carrie Grant telling her, “See, Eva Marie, you don’t have to cry in a movie to have a good time.

Just kick up your heels and have fun.”

Hitchcock, meanwhile, told her, “I don’t want you to do a sink to sink movie again.

Women go to the movies and they’ve just left the sink at home.

They don’t want to see you at the sink.”

In a 2010 interview, she admitted she couldn’t quite promise him that.

I love those dramas, she said.

Although North by Northwest could have catapulted her into the top tier of Hollywood stardom, Saint made the choice to limit her workload, prioritizing her family life with her husband, director Jeffrey Hayden, and their two children.

Saint received some of her finest critical acclaim for loving 1970, a drama about a commercial artist and his crumbling marriage.

She co-starred as the wife of George Seagull in a film praised by critics, though it struggled to find a wide audience.

Offscreen, St. Married producer and director Jeffrey Hayden on October 28th, 1951.

Their son Daryl was born on April 1st, 1955, just 2 days after she won her Academy Award for On the Waterfront.

She even began her Oscar acceptance speech, joking, “I may have the baby right here.”

Their daughter, Lorett, was born in 1958.

The couple remained together for 65 years until Hayden‘s passing in 2016.

They have four grandchildren.

On July 4th, 2024, Eva Marie Saint turned 100 years old.

She celebrated her birthday surrounded by four generations of her family at home in Los Angeles.

A fitting celebration for a woman whose life has been as full and graceful as her long and storied career.

Mel Brooks.

At 98, the legendary Mel Brooks continues to be a towering and lovable figure in comedy.

His influence spanning television, film, and the stage for more than seven decades.

Born Melvin James Kaminsky on June 28th, 1926 in a tenement kitchen in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

Brooks was the youngest of four sons born to Kate Nay Brookman and Max Kaminsky.

His father’s family was German Jews from Danzig, now Gdansk, Poland, while his mother was a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant from Keev, then part of the Russian Empire’s pale of settlement.

Brooks‘s father died of tuberculosis of the kidney when Mel was just 2 years old, a loss that left a lasting impact on him.

As a small, sickly child, Brooks was often bullied.

But at age nine, a turning point came when he saw anything go starring William Gaxton, Ethel Murman, and Victor Moore at the Alvin Theater.

Afterward, he told his uncle he would not follow the path of most neighborhood boys into the garment district.

He was destined for show business.

By 14, Brooks was working as an entertainer at the Butler Lodge in the Borched Belt, a modest Catskills resort where he met an 18-year-old Sid Caesar.

Known for his outrageous antics, Brooks once stood on a diving board in a derby and alpaca overcoat holding suitcases full of rocks and shouted, “Business is terrible.

I can’t go on.”

before dramatically plunging into the pool, fully clothed.

Brooks graduated from Eastern District High School in January 1944.

Though he planned to follow his older brother into Brooklyn College to study psychology, fate had other ideas.

In early 1944, during his senior year of high school, Mel Brooks was recruited to take the Army General Classification Test, a version of the Stanford Benet IQ exam.

He scored exceptionally well and was placed in the Army Specialized Training Program at the Virginia Military Institute where he studied electrical engineering and even trained in horseback riding and saber fighting.

Later that year at age 18, Brooks was drafted into the US Army and officially inducted at Fort Dicks, New Jersey.

He completed basic training and radio operator instruction at Fort Sil, Oklahoma, then returned to Fort Dixs to await deployment.

In February 1945, Brooks boarded the SS Sea Owl at the Brooklyn Navyyard and was sent overseas.

Brooks served first with the 78th Infantry Division in France and Belgium, working as a forward artillery observer.

In December 1944, he was transferred to the 1,1004th Engineer Combat Battalion and assigned to dangerous duty as a combat engineer during the Battle of the Bulge.

His unit was responsible for clearing mines and booby trapped buildings in the Allied push into Nazi Germany.

Brooks located mines while trained specialists handled the diffusing.

Stationed in towns like Sarbrooken and Balholder, Brooks managed to add his own irreverent flare to war.

Back home, Brooks‘s mother arranged a clerical job for him at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

But Mel had other plans.

He hopped in a cab and told the driver, “Take me to the Catskills.”

There, in the Borched Belt, he worked as a drummer and pianist at resorts and nightclubs.

When a comic fell ill one night, Brooks filled in and never looked back.

He started doing standup, impersonating movie stars, and acting in summer stock theater in Redbank, New Jersey.

His big break came in 1949 when old friend Sid Caesar hired him to write jokes for the TV series The Admiral Broadway Review, paying him $50 a week under the table.

The following year, Caesar launched the legendary variety show Your Show of Shows and brought Brooks onto a dreamw writing team that included Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, Danny Simon, and Mel Tolken.

That room would become a comedy hall of fame.

Throughout the late 1950s, Mel Brooks and his close friend and coowriter Carl Reiner began improvising comedy routines together in their spare time.

Their off-the-cuff performances were a creative outlet when they weren’t working on projects.

One notable instance occurred in October 1959 at a random house book launch for Moss Hart‘s autobiography, Act One, at Mama Leon’s restaurant.

On that evening, Brooks and Riner performed a routine that would go on to become legendary.

In 1963, Brooks co-created the animated short film The Critic, a satire of esoteric art films, which won the Academy Award for best animated short film.

His next major project was a collaboration with comedy writer Buck Henry to create Get Smart, a spoof of James Bond inspired spy thrillers.

Brooks was frustrated by the sensible nature of most TV comedies and wanted to create a show that was anything but ordinary.

“I decided to be the first to do a show about an idiot,” he said.

Starring Don Adams as the bumbling Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 Get Smart debuted in 1965 and ran until 1970, earning seven prime time Emmy awards, including outstanding comedy series in 1968 and 1969.

By 1980, film critics Jean Cisll and Roger Eert referred to Mel Brooks and Woody Allen as the two most successful comedy directors in the world today and America’s two funniest filmmakers.

In 1989, Brooks tried his hand at television again with The Nutouse, a sitcom featuring regular collaborators like Harvey Corman and Chloris Leechman.

Unfortunately, NBC aired only five of the 11 produced episodes before cancing the show.

Brooks then continued directing throughout the 1990s with films like LifeStinks 1991, Robin Hood Men in Tights, 1993, and Dracula: Dead and Loving It, 1995.

Robin Hood: Men in Tights, a parody of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, was a critical success and earned praise for its irreverent humor and oneliners.

In 2001, Brooks took his iconic film, The Producers, to the Broadway stage, where it became a massive hit, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Brick.

The musical received critical acclaim for its heart and humor.

The New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley praised the show, writing, “Mr.

Brooks has taken what could have been overblown camp into a far warmer realm in which affection always outweighs irony.”

The production shattered the Tony Award record, winning 12 awards, more than any show in history, surpassing the previous record held by Hello Dolly with 10.

The musical success led to a 2005 film adaptation with Lane Brick, Gary Beach, and Roger Bart reprising their roles alongside newcomers Uma Thurman and Will Frell.

In April 2006, Brooks began composing the score for a Broadway musical adaptation of Young Frankenstein, which he called perhaps the best movie he ever made.

The show premiered at Seattle’s Paramount Theater in August 2007 before opening on Broadway at the Hilton Theater, formerly the Lyric Theater, in October 2007.

Although the production received mixed reviews, it further cemented Brook‘s impact on theater.

In the 2000s, Brooks also turned his attention to animated projects.

He voiced the character of Big Weld, the master inventor, in the 2005 animated film Robots.

Later, he made a cameo appearance as Albert Einstein in Mr.

Peabody and Sherman 2014, followed by voicing Vlad, Dracula‘s father, in Hotel Transennylvania 2, 2015, and Hotel Transennylvania 3: Summer Vacation 2018.

In 2021, at the age of 95, Brooks released his memoir, All About Me, offering a candid look into his life and career.

Later that year, it was announced that Brooks would write and produce History of the World Part Two, a follow-up TV series on Hulu to his 1981 film, History of the World, Part One.

Brooks‘s contributions to comedy and entertainment were once again recognized, and he received a Prime Time Emmy nomination for outstanding character voiceover performance for his role as the narrator in the series.

James Hong.

James Hong‘s career is proof of perseverance and diversity in Hollywood with over 600 acting credits spanning film and television.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 22nd, 1929 to Chinese immigrant parents, Hong‘s life has been one of both challenge and triumph.

Despite the racism and bullying he faced as a child, he carved out a place for himself in Hollywood, becoming a celebrated actor and voice artist with roles in iconic films and series.

Hong‘s journey into the entertainment industry began after serving in the Minnesota Army National Guard during the Korean War.

It was during his military service that his talent for performance was recognized, leading to a pivotal moment when the camp’s general encouraged him to stay and oversee the camp’s live shows.

After the war, Hong moved to Los Angeles and worked as a road engineer while pursuing acting on the side.

Eventually, he made the leap to acting full-time.

His early years in the industry saw Hong lending his voice to several iconic films, including Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 1956, where he dubbed the voices of characters such as Oata and Dr. Sarrazawa.

He also appeared in numerous television series with standout roles in Perry Mason, The Outer Limits, and Hawaii 5.

Hong‘s long career includes being a founding member of the East West Players, an Asian-American theater organization, and his notable appearances in films like The Sand Pebbles, 1966.

In addition to his acting achievements, Hong has gained recognition for his voice work, notably in animated films like Kung Fu Panda 2008 and Everything Everywhere All at Once 2022, which earned him acclaim particularly for his role as the wise and humorous Gong Gong in the latter.

James Hong‘s career continues to be an inspiration for aspiring actors, showing that passion, persistence, and authenticity can lead to monumental success in an industry that has historically overlooked minority talent.

His contributions to cinema and television are invaluable, and his recent recognition only affirms the lasting impact he has made.

James Hong made memorable guest appearances in shows like The Bob New Hart Show 1972, All in the Family, 1975, and Kung Fu, 1972 to 1975, showing his range across various genres.

Hong also appeared in the 1979 film, The In-Laws, and played a key role as Dr. David Tao in The Carry Treatment 1972, showing his ability to tackle more serious roles in addition to his comedic chops.

In the 1980s, Hong became involved in directing and writing, as well as acting in The Vineyard, 1989, a supernatural thriller that he both starred in and directed.

His recurring appearances in popular series such as Seinfeld, 1991, where he played Bruce, the host of a Chinese restaurant.

Hong‘s guest appearances in Friends, 1998, and The Big Bang Theory, 2007, and his recurring role in The King of Queens, 2006, kept him relevant to new generations of audiences.

Through these roles, Hong not only entertained, but also helped normalize Asian-American representation in mainstream media, often portraying characters who broke from the stereotypes commonly seen in Hollywood at the time.

One of his most recent roles was in Everything Everywhere All at Once 2022, where he portrayed Gong Gong.

This performance brought Hong recognition and earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a cast in a motion picture.

Hong‘s legacy was further solidified when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022 at the age of 93, making him the oldest person to receive this honor.

His recent involvement in the Gremlins, Secrets of the Muay Animated Series, 2023, shows that despite being in his 90s, Hong remains an active and influential figure in the industry.

Elizabeth Waldo.

Elizabeth Anne Waldo, born on June 18th, 1918 in Tacoma, Washington, has led an extraordinary life filled with musical accomplishments and cultural contributions.

As the daughter of Jane Althia Blahett, a conservatory trained singer, and Benjamin Franklin Waldo, a descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson, she was raised in a family rich in artistic heritage.

Waldo and her younger sister, actress Janet Waldo, grew up in Yaka, Washington, where Elizabeth began her musical journey at an early age, starting with singing at age three and taking up the violin by age 5.

Her exceptional musical talent caught the attention of Russian-born violinist Yasha Hifetsz, who helped her secure a scholarship to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Waldo‘s early career was marked by her role in the All-American Youth Orchestra under conductor Leupold Stokowski, which toured South and North America from 1940 to 1941.

This experience sparked her lifelong interest in musical archaeology, particularly with regard to pre-Colombian instruments, which she began collecting during her travels.

After her time with the All-American Youth Orchestra, Waldo settled in Southern California, where she played as a first violinist with the Los Angeles Philarmonic for a season.

She then toured Latin America as a solo performer, playing in various countries such as Panama, Costa Rica, and Cuba.

While in Mexico City, she became a regular on national radio and collaborated with famous Mexican singer Agustine Lara.

She also befriended renowned muralist Diego Rivera, who encouraged her to develop a system of hieroglyphic musical notation for pre-Colombian instruments, a suggestion that would shape much of her future work.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Waldo was an important part of the musical scene, particularly through her involvement with Emma Sumach, the Peruvian American soprano who fused and folk music with Caribbean rhythms, jazz, and opera.

Waldo‘s work with Sumach‘s ensemble greatly influenced her own compositions, which drew from Native American, South American, and Msoamerican instruments.

Her albums such as Maracatu 1959, Rights of the Pagan 1960, and Realm of the Incas 1961 were groundbreaking in their use of indigenous instruments and modern recording techniques, earning her a place in the genres of exotica and new age music.

Waldo‘s dedication to cultural exploration continued with her involvement in composing music for the Latterday Saint Pageant People of the Book 1967 and her scoring of film soundtracks in the 1970s.

In the 1980s, she turned her attention to Chinese music, forming an ensemble to introduce Chinese music and dance to schools in Los Angeles.

Her work included cultural exchange tours to China where she performed her concierto Indo-Americano with the Shian Symphony Orchestra.

In 1987, Waldo founded the New Mission Theater, a venue for multicultural music and art in Northridge, Los Angeles, reflecting her ongoing commitment to fostering cultural understanding through the arts.

At 105 years old, Elizabeth Waldo is not only the oldest living celebrity, but also a living testament to the power of music and cultural exploration.

Her legacy as a pioneering figure in the fusion of indigenous music and contemporary forms, continues to inspire musicians and cultural enthusiasts around the world.

Jacqueline White.

Warm and charming, the leading lady of 1940s films.

White was born on November 27th, 1922 in Beverly Hills, California, although she sometimes claimed her birth year was 1924 in interviews.

She was the daughter of Floyd Garrison White and his wife.

White‘s cousin, Frank Knox, was a prominent figure, serving as the secretary of the Navy and owning a newspaper.

Raised in Beverly Hills, she attended Beverly Hills High School and later studied at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Her path to stardom began through drama classes at UCLA where her talents caught the attention of a casting director.

This led to her film debut in Song of Russia 1944.

But her first lead role came in the 1943 comedy Air Raid Wardens starring Laurel and Hardy.

She had a string of small roles with her performances often in either B movies or as supporting actresses in a movies.

Sometimes uncredited, White signed a contract with Metro Goldwin Mayor, but her career flourished at RKO Pictures, where she starred in films like Banjo and Mystery in Mexico.

She also had a notable appearance in the film Noir Crossfire, 1947, and played a role in the Western Return of the Bad Men, 1948, opposite **