30 People Who Achieved Great Things Later in Life
by Reshwanth A
Updated Mar 26, 2024
30 People Who Achieved Great Things Later in Life
The stories of 30 people who achieved amazing things later in life. That age doesn't matter for being successful. They worked hard and never gave up, and their strong determination and passion helped them overcome challenges and play an important part in their fields.
These examples prove it's never too late to chase our dreams, make a uniqueness, and leave an impact on the world. So, no matter where you are in life, remember the journey is still going, and achieve greatness no matter how old you are.
List of People Who Achieved Success Later in Life
Julia Child
Chef
Samuel Jackson
Actor
Vera Wang
Fashion Designer
Charles Darwin
Scientist
Ray Kroc
Businessman
J. K. Rowling
Author
Donald Fisher
Entrepreneur
Martha Stewart
TV Personality
Sam Walton
Businessman
Alan Rickman
Actor
Harland Sanders
Businessman
Momofuku Ando
Inventor
Oprah Winfrey
Media Mogul
Stan Lee
Comic Book Writer
Tim and Nina Zagat
Publishers
Colonel Sanders
Businessman
Grandma Moses
Artist
Henry Ford
Businessman
Jeff Bezos
Entrepreneur
Jon Hamm
Actor
Rodney Dangerfield
Comedian
Steve Carell
Actor
Harrison Ford
Actor
Reid Hoffman
Entrepreneur
Tom Allen
Yoga Trainer
Wally Blume
Businessman
John Pemberton
Pharmacist
Bob Ross
Painter
John Warnock
Computer Scientist
J. R. R. Tolkien
Writer
Name
Profession
Julia Child
Julia Carolyn Child is a chef, writer, and TV star from America. She helped bring French cooking to the people of America. Her first cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," was popular with both professional chefs and people who cook at home. This cookbook doesn’t only have recipes but also teaches the methods and ideas of French cooking.
Samuel Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American actor. He has acted in many movies over the years and all of them together have made more than $27 billion. Because of this, he is the actor who made the most money ever. People from different generations and with different tastes in movies have been amazed by his outstanding performances.
Vera Wang
Vera Wang is a fashion designer. She is famous for designing beautiful wedding gowns and other elegant dresses. Many people like her special and fashionable designs. Vera Wang has become a respected name in the fashion industry, and her designs have been worn by celebrities and regular people alike. She is talented and creative, which has made her a successful and important person in the fashion industry.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin is a scientist from England. He is best known for his theory of evolution. He said that all living things, including people, have changed over a long period of time through a process called natural selection. Darwin's work on evolution has had an impact on our understanding of the natural world. He looked at and studied many different kinds of plants and animals on Earth.
Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc was a businessman from America who is famous for starting the fast-food restaurant McDonald's. He played an important role in turning McDonald's from a small place that sold hamburgers into a big chain of restaurants all over the world. Kroc saw that the way the McDonald brothers had organized their restaurant was a good idea and he worked really hard to make the business grow. Because of his hard work and new ideas, he changed the fast-food industry and made McDonald's one of the successful brands in the whole world.
J. K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling is a British writer famous for creating the Harry Potter series. Her books tell the story of a young wizard named Harry Potter and his adventures in a magical world. Rowling tells stories in a way that makes people imagine things, and her characters are easy to connect with. This is why so many people all over the world love her books. They made movies based on her books, which were successful. This made her a famous person that everyone knows.
Donald Fisher
Donald Fisher was an American businessperson and co-founder of the popular clothing retailer, Gap Inc. In 1969, he started the company with his wife, Doris Fisher. They turned one store into a global fashion brand. Donald Fisher played an important part in creating Gap Inc.'s image and making it a popular place to buy stylish and reasonably priced clothes. His ideas and business skills helped the company grow and become famous.
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business woman, TV star, and writer who focuses on home and lifestyle subjects. She became famous for giving advice and sharing ideas about cooking, decorating, gardening, and entertaining. Stewart has been on TV shows, written books, and published magazines to help people make their homes and lives better.
Sam Walton
Sam Walton was a successful businessperson from America and the founder of Walmart, a very big retail company. He was born in 1918 and started his journey by opening a small store in 1945. Walton wanted to give customers low prices and lots of things to choose from. Because of his hard work and new ideas for doing business, Walton expanded his store into a retail empire.
Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman was an English actor, he became well-known all over the world for his amazing acting in movies and on stage. He was born in 1946, and he was so talented and could do many different kinds of roles, people in the entertainment industry respected him a lot. One of his most memorable characters was Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. Rickman had a deep voice and a powerful presence that made his characters seem very real and interesting.
Harland Sanders
Harland Sanders, also known as Colonel Sanders, was an American businessman and the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). He was born in 1890 and started his journey with a small roadside restaurant. There, he created a secret recipe of eleven herbs and spices for frying chicken. As people heard about his tasty food, Sanders' restaurant gained popularity. Eventually, he expanded his business through franchising, and KFC became a global fast-food chain famous for its signature fried chicken.
Momofuku Ando
Momofuku Ando was a Japanese inventor and businessman. He is famous for creating instant noodles and starting Nissin Foods. Ando was born in 1910 and saw that people needed fast and easy meals after World War II in Japan. He made a way to dry out noodles so they could be cooked easily by adding hot water. Ando's instant noodles, called Cup Noodles or ramen, became very popular all over the world.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American woman who has achieved many different things in her life. She is most famous for hosting a popular talk show called "The Oprah Winfrey Show." This show was watched by many people and made her extremely famous. On her show, Oprah discussed various topics and interviewed many fascinating guests.
Stan Lee
Stan Lee was a famous American writer and editor who made his mark in the field of comic books. He was born in 1922 and is most famous for creating many popular superheroes, such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. Stan Lee's characters were loved by people all over the world because they had special powers but also faced everyday problems. He helped shape the Marvel Universe and made it a big part of popular culture.
Tim and Nina Zagat
Tim and Nina Zagat are a married couple who became famous for their work in the field of restaurant reviews. They started their own company called Zagat Survey, which published guidebooks and ratings for different restaurants. Tim and Nina Zagat believed in the value of people's opinions, so they created a system where everyday diners could share their own reviews and ratings. This was a unique approach at the time, as most restaurant reviews were written by professional critics.
Colonel Sanders
Colonel Sanders, whose real name was Harland David Sanders, was a man who became famous for his fried chicken. He was born in 1890 and loved cooking. Colonel Sanders created a special recipe for fried chicken that tasted really good. He started selling his chicken at a gas station. It became so popular that he opened a restaurant and later started a fast-food chain called Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
Grandma Moses
Grandma Moses, also known as Anna Mary Robertson Moses, was an American artist, she became famous for her paintings. She was born in 1860 and didn't start painting until later in life. Grandma Moses lived on a farm and painted pictures of country life, like landscapes, farms, and activities. Her paintings were simple and colorful. She didn't have formal training as an artist, Grandma Moses was recognized for her unique style and talent.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American businessman and inventor who is famous for starting the Ford Motor Company. He was born in 1863 and loved machines and engineering. Henry Ford found a way to make cars in large quantities, quickly and cheaper. This way of making cars, called the assembly line, changed the car industry. The Model T, a car made by Ford, became well-known and affordable for many people. It helped make cars popular for transportation.
Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos is an American businessman who is famous for creating Amazon.com. He was born in 1964 and loved technology and computers. In 1994, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com as an online store for books. But it quickly grew and started selling many different things. Amazon became a huge company because of him. Jeff Bezos is known for being creative and making customers happy. He also made e-commerce popular, which is buying and selling things online.
Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm is an American actor who is famous for playing the role as Don Draper in the TV series "Mad Men." He was born in 1971 and started his acting career in the late 1990s. Jon Hamm's acting as Don Draper, a charming person who works in advertising, got a lot of praise and made him very well-known. Apart from "Mad Men," he has also been in many different movies and TV shows, showing that he can act in many different ways.
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield was an American comedian and actor. His real name was Jacob Rodney Cohen. He became famous for his funny jokes and acting. Rodney was born in 1921 and started his career as a stand-up comedian in the 1940s. He had a unique style of humor, where he made fun of himself. His catchphrase was "I don't get no respect." Rodney's comedy was about his life problems and funny things he noticed in everyday life.
Steve Carell
Steve Carell is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work in TV shows and movies. He was born in 1962 and started acting in the 1990s. Steve Carell became really popular for playing Michael Scott, the silly and unaware boss in the show "The Office." People loved his funny skills and he got a lot of applause from critics. He also has a big group of fans.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American actor who is known for his role in popular movies. He was born in 1942 and started acting in the 1960s. Harrison Ford became very famous for playing memorable characters like Han Solo in the "Star Wars" series and Indiana Jones in the "Indiana Jones" movies. Besides these roles, Ford has been in many other successful films, such as "Blade Runner," "The Fugitive," and "Air Force One."
Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman is an American businessman. He started the popular social media site LinkedIn. Reid Hoffman was born in 1967 and has worked in the tech industry for a long time. He is really good at creating online social networks and startup companies. Reid Hoffman played a big part in making LinkedIn grow and become one of the biggest professional networking sites in the world.
Tom Allen
Tom Allen is a truly inspiring person. He did something amazing by starting his yoga journey when he was in his 50s. Before that, he worked for a pharmaceutical company. When he turned 60, he retired and decided to teach yoga to other people. At first, he taught six classes every week, which is really impressive.
Wally Blume
Wally Blume is a businessman who studied Industrial Economics. He started working in the dairy industry and then used his knowledge to create his own ice cream company. What's interesting is that he decided to do this when he was 57 years old. The company he established, Denali Flavors, is famous for bringing us the tasty ice cream flavor called Moose Tracks.
John Pemberton
John Pemberton lived a long time ago and is famous for making a drink called Coca-Cola. He made the recipe for Coca-Cola in the late 1800s, and it became a very well-known and popular drink that many people enjoy all over the world.
Bob Ross
Bob Ross was a famous painter and TV star. He had a show called "The Joy of Painting" where he taught people how to make pretty landscapes using his special painting methods. Bob Ross was calm and nice, and people loved his soothing voice and kind words.
John Warnock
John Warnock is a person known for his contributions to the field of computer technology. He worked together with others to create a company called Adobe Systems. This company makes software for people who work in creative fields. Warnock was really important in making the Portable Document Format (PDF). This format is used a lot for sharing and looking at electronic documents.
J. R. R. Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien was a very famous writer. He is known for writing fantasy books. One of the things he did was create a special world called Middle-earth. In this world, he wrote stories like "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." Tolkien's books are full of big adventures, creatures from myths, and lots of information about the history and culture of Middle-earth.
People Who Achieved Great Things After 60
