The Gist
Celebrities from film, music, art, and comedy have celebrated their milestone 90th birthdays in recent years.
Among the nonagenarian icons who are still working today are Julie Andrews, 90, Marla Gibbs, 94, and Carol Burnett, 93.
Other legends like Michael Caine and Yoko Ono, both 93, have retired and retreated from the spotlight.
After nine decades of life, these celebrities have more than earned the title of legend.
Julie Andrews, Yoko Ono, and Carol Burnett are just a few of the lauded actors, singers, and comedians who’ve celebrated their milestone 90th birthday in recent years. They’ve joined an exclusive club as nonagenarians—and many haven’t slowed down when it comes to creating art and doing good.
The Sound of Music star Andrews continues to write popular children’s books with her eldest daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton. They released The Great American Mousical—which follows a troupe of mouse performers—shortly after Andrews turned 90 in October 2025. “We hope that kids will come away curious about theater, and want to see a show, and want to go to their local theater, want to go to a musical, whatever it may be,” Andrews told People of the whimsical work.
Also inspiring the next generation of performers well into his 90s is Mel Brooks. The storied funnyman is the subject of Judd Apatow’s 2026 HBO Max documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! Apatow appeared on CBS Sunday Morning to discuss the film and its unflappable titular icon in January, telling host Tracy Smith, “[Brooks] is probably the funniest person of all time…[He] had the courage to make comedy both about unimportant things and the most important things.”
Ahead, take a trip down memory lane and revisit where 9 talented stars who are 90 and older started out, as well as what they’re up to as they close in on a century of life.
01 of 09
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren is seen on May 29, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
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The Golden Age of Hollywood saw silver screen siren Sophia Loren take over global cinema. Equal parts strong and sultry in dramas like Two Women and romances like The Voyage, the actress was named one of the greatest American screen stars of all time by the AFI in 1999. The nonagenarian performer most recently appeared in 2020 Italian drama The Life Ahead. She celebrated turning 90 in September 2024, looking as glamorous as ever in a glittering Giorgio Armani Privé gown.
Sophia Loren in a scene from the 1955 movie “The River Girl.”
Credit: Donaldson Collection/Getty Images
02 of 09
Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett at the Season 2 finale event of Apple TV’s “Palm Royale” in January 2026.
Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Carol Burnett has brought generations together with her side-splitting performances in variety series The Carol Burnett Show and films like Annie. When she turned 90 in 2023, the comedian was honored with an NBC television special, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. The same year, she told People of entering her ninth decade, “I can’t wrap my head around it. I still feel like I’m about 11, but I’m amazed. It sure went fast. But I’m glad because I’ve got all my parts—got my hips, I got my knees and I’ve got my brain, so I’m happy about that.”
Carol Burnett in an episode of “The Twilight Zone,” in January 1962.
Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty
03 of 09
Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews in March 2023.
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Andrews has garnered widespread acclaim and dozens of awards over the course of her dynamic stage and screen career. At just 13 years old, she acted for Elizabeth the Queen Mother at the London Palladium as part of the 1948 Royal Variety Performance. Her best-known roles include her joyous lead turn as the titular nanny in Mary Poppins and her Golden Globe–winning performance as Maria in 1965’s The Sound of Music. At 90, Andrews continues to work, narrating Netflix romance Bridgerton as the voice of Lady Whistledown.
Julie Andrews poses for a portrait, circa 1965.
Credit: Getty Images
04 of 09
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks at the L.A. premiere of “Mel Brooks: 99 Year Old Man!” in January 2026.
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At 99 years young, EGOT winner Mel Brooks continues to act, joke, and make the world a happier place. The comic legend behind hits like Blazing Saddles and Spaceballs has credited his longevity to “laughing,” telling People in 2026 that he thinks the activity “keeps you healthy and happy.” His next role will be a reprisal of his Spaceballs character, Yogurt, in the film’s long-awaited sequel. Amazon announced the parody film is slated for an April 2027 release, at which time Brooks will be 100.
Mel Brooks holding his Oscar for ‘The Producers’ at the 1969 Academy Awards.
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05 of 09
Marla Gibbs
Marla Gibbs at a SAG-AFTRA Foundation event in June 2025.
Credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Marla Gibbs received five Emmy Award nominations for her performance as Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons. Her impeccable comedic timing and quotable zingers helped her regularly steal the show across the trailblazing sitcom’s 11 seasons. Gibbs has continued acting well into her 90s, making a guest appearance on Chicago Med in 2026. But it was a motivational social media post that helped the TV star go viral at 94 years old, when she shared a snapshot of herself working out at the gym to Instagram with the caption, “It’s Never Too Late!”
Marla Gibbs in 1985 during the ABC special ‘The Real Trivial Pursuit.’
Credit: Erik Hein/American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images
06 of 09
Michael Caine
Michael Caine at the Red Sea International Film Festival in December 2025.
Credit: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival
When he retired from acting at age 90 in 2023, Michael Caine received an outpouring of support from fans and colleagues grateful for his extensive career. From artful dramas like Hannah and Her Sisters to almost every Christopher Nolan film (including as the Alfred to Christian Bale’s Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy), 93-year-old Caine proved he had the chops for any genre. He recently received a standing ovation at the Red Sea International Film Festival, where former co-star Vin Diesel presented him with an honorary award, The Independent reported.
Michael Caine pictured on March 26, 1966.
Credit: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
07 of 09
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono at the 10th anniversary celebration of ‘The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil’ in 2016.
Credit: JB Lacroix/Getty Images
Artist Yoko Ono reflected on her activism, music, and relationship with her late husband, Beatles artist John Lennon, in the 2025 documentary One to One: John & Yoko. The 93-year-old multi-hyphenate met Lennon in 1966 when he attended an art exhibit of hers in London. They were married from 1969 until his death in 1980, welcoming son Sean Lennon in 1975. While the avant-garde artist has since retreated from the spotlight, reportedly moving to a farm in upstate New York in 2020, her children have provided occasional updates on her life.
“She believed she could change the world, and she did … now she is able to be quiet — listen to the wind and watch the sky,” Ono’s daughter, Kyoko, told journalist David Sheff in his 2025 biography, Yoko (via People).
Yoko Ono photographed in 1967.
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08 of 09
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood at the 20th AFI Awards in January 2020.
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Clint Eastwood celebrated his 96th birthday on May 31, 2026. The acclaimed actor and director got his big break in 1959 CBS Western Rawhide, going on to dominate the genre with appearances in Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy. He later directed Academy Award Best Picture winners like Million Dollar Baby, cementing his status as a first-class filmmaker. “There’s no reason why a man can’t get better with age,” the Hollywood veteran told Austrian newspaper Kurier in 2025, per People. “And I have much more experience today,” he added. “Sure, there are directors who lose their touch at a certain age, but I’m not one of them.”
Clint Eastwood on the set of the TV series ‘Rawhide’ in 1959.
Credit: Getty Images
09 of 09
Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden at the Beverly Hills Film Festival in April 2026.
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With a 70-year career behind her, retired actress Barbara Eden has a lot to celebrate. The I Dream of Jeannie star turned 94 in August 2025. A year prior, on her 93rd birthday, she’d shared a message with fans about the milestone moment. “I am so grateful to have completed another trip around the sun,” Eden said in a statement shared by People. Over 55 years after taking her final bow as Jeannie the genie, the actress has also revealed that fans continue to reach out to her about her star-making role.
“I have lots of [fan] mail from Russia, from China, from places you’d never imagine, all over Europe, Spain, France, the U.K.,” she said in an appearance at the Beverly Hills Film Festival in 2026.
Barbara Eden in a publicity portrait for ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ circa 1967.
Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
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