What 40 iconic actors looked like when they were in their 20s

Meryl Streep is one of the most-awarded actors in Hollywood.

She was born in New Jersey in 1949. After graduating from the Yale School of Drama at age 26, Streep moved to New York City and was soon cast in multiple Broadway shows.

Streep’s first feature role was alongside Jane Fonda in “Julia” (1977),. In 1978 she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in “The Deer Hunter.”

Now in her 70s, Streep has appeared in dozens of popular films, including “Sophie’s Choice,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Into the Woods,” “The Post,” and “Don’t Look Up.”

More recently, the actor has been starring on Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.”

Born and raised in New York, Sigourney Weaver attended the Yale School of Drama and even acted alongside Streep in a theatrical production at Yale.

Although her acting background was theatrical, Weaver was cast in her first film in 1977 as a small character in “Annie Hall” at age 27. Just two years later she was cast as Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott’s space thriller “Alien,” one of her most iconic roles to date.

In the decades since, Weaver has risen to prominence through her roles in everything from “Avatar” to “Finding Dory.”

Diane Keaton was born in Los Angeles in 1946 and would later study acting in New York City.

After being nominated for a Tony for the Broadway play “Play It Again, Sam,” Keaton received her first film role in “Lovers and Other Strangers” at age 24.

Her big break came a couple of years later in Francis Ford Coppola’s film classic “The Godfather.” In her late 20s, she was cast in a slew of films that included “The Godfather Part II,” “Sleeper,” and “Love and Death.”

In 1978, Keaton won the Oscar for best actress in a leading role for her work in “Annie Hall.

She’s since earned great acclaim for work in well-loved movies and TV shows like “Because I Said So,” “And So It Goes,” and HBO’s “The Young Pope.”

Jessica Lange was born in Minnesota in 1949 and moved to Paris as a young adult to study mime theatre and dancing.

When she was 24, Lange relocated to New York City and became a model, which later led to her film debut as the leading lady in 1976’s “King Kong.”

At 27, Lange won the Golden Globe Award for new star of the year for her role in the film.

From then on, Lange’s career quickly accelerated. She now lays claim to award-winning roles in “Tootsie,” “Frances,” “Grey Gardens,” and FX’s “American Horror Story.”

Famed actor Dame Julie Andrews was born in Surrey, England, in 1935 and grew up singing and performing as a young child.

On her 19th birthday, she made her Broadway debut in “The Boy Friend.” Throughout her 20s, she went on to star in huge Broadway shows including “My Fair Lady,” and movies made for television like “Cinderella.”

At age 28, Andrews started filming the Disney movie musical “Mary Poppins,” which would go on to become an iconic touchstone in her filmography.

Now in her late 80s, Andrews has built an incredible acting career that includes beloved films like “The Sound of Music,” “Victor/Victoria,” and “The Princess Diaries.”

Dame Maggie Smith was born in Essex, England, in 1934. She began studying acting at age 16 and made her film and Broadway debuts at age 22.

In 1958, she received her first BAFTA nomination for her role in the film “Nowhere to Go.” Then, at age 26, she performed opposite Laurence Olivier in the Royal National Theatre’s production of “Othello.”

Throughout her late 20s, Smith continued to perform high-profile roles in theatrical plays and films.

Smith went on to become one of the most established actors of her generation. She made her mark in countless movie and TV roles, especially in franchises like “Harry Potter” and ITV’s “Downton Abbey.”

The actor died at the age of 89.

Sally Field was born in Pasadena, California, in 1946 and was the daughter of actor Margaret Field.

At 19, she broke into television with the ABC sitcom “Gidget.” Two years later, she was cast on ABC’s “The Flying Nun.”

When she was 29, the actor played the titular character on CBS’ “Sybil,” a performance that earned her an Emmy Award for best dramatic actress.

Now in her 70s, Field has earned a place among other high-caliber actors due to her work in films like “Norma Rae,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and “Forrest Gump.”

Rita Moreno was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, in 1931 and has seven decades of acting talent in her blood.

Although she had her first Broadway role at 13, Moreno largely acted in minor film roles until she played a star in “Singin’ in the Rain” at 21. Four years later, Moreno’s career gained a huge boost from her supporting role in “The King and I.”

When she was 29 years old, the actor was cast as Anita in “West Side Story” and went on to win the Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance.

Now in her 90s, Moreno has stayed active in film and television — even appearing in Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” in 2021.

Angela Bassett was born in New York City in 1958 and later earned her MFA at the Yale School of Drama.

At 27, she appeared in Second Stage Theater’s production of “Black Girl” and made her first television appearance in the TV movie “Doubletake.”

A year later she played a news reporter in the film “F/X” and soon moved to Los Angeles to pursue film acting full time.

Bassett has become a sought-after actor in Hollywood due to her work in multiple films like “Malcolm X,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “Notorious,” and the “Black Panther” franchise.

The late Betty White was born in Chicago in 1922 and was raised in Los Angeles during the Great Depression.

She made a short appearance on television after graduating from high school, but she put her dreams of acting on hold during World War II to serve the troops.

In her 20s, White made money reading radio commercials and voicing bit parts in radio shows. At 27, the actor starred as a television cohost for the variety show “Hollywood on Television.”

It wasn’t until her 30s that White went on to host her own show, “The Betty White Show,” and appear on a slew of sitcoms.

White’s acting career spanned eight decades and included landmark shows like CBS’ “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and, most notably, NBC’s “Golden Girls.”

The Mississippi-born/Michigan-raised actor was born in 1931. Throughout his 20s, James Earl Jones had a few small performing roles on Broadway and on TV shows.

At the age of 37, he got his big break starring in the play “The Great White Hope,” which earned him a Tony Award in 1969.

He continued his Broadway career in productions of “The Iceman Cometh,” “Othello,” “Fences,” and “You Can’t Take It With You.”

When he made his way to Hollywood, Jones became well known for voicing Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” franchise and Mufasa in “The Lion King.”

The actor died at the age of 93 after a fruitful career. 

Whoopi Goldberg was born in New York City in 1955. She’s now in her 60s, but she’s still well-known for one of her first film roles: Celie Johnson in “The Color Purple.”

The film premiered right after her 30th birthday, but earlier that same year, Goldberg started performing her stand-up comedy show.

She went on to perform in Broadway productions including “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “Xanadu.”

In her 30s, Goldberg won an Oscar for her role in “Ghost.” She later advanced her stardom in both “Sister Act” films, on CBS’ “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and in “The Little Rascals.”

John Travolta is now in his 70s, but his successful career really took off in his early 20s. 

The triple threat (actor, singer, dancer) was born in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1954. At the age of 21, he started his four-year career as Vinnie Barbarino on ABC’s “Welcome Back, Kotter,” which launched him into mainstream fame.

Over the next five years, he starred in hit movies like “Carrie,” “Saturday Night Fever,” “Grease,” and “Urban Cowboy.”

Decades later, Travolta is still well known for those early roles, and he’s since found success starring in “Pulp Fiction,” “Face/Off,” “Hairspray,” and on FX’s “American Crime Story.”

Barbra Streisand was born in Brooklyn in 1942. She has enjoyed decades of success as an actor, singer, and performer.

Streisand started acting in Off-Broadway productions in her late teens, and she landed her first Broadway role in 1962’s “I Can Get It For You Wholesale” just before her 20th birthday. Two years later, the actor originated the role of Fanny Brice in the musical “Funny Girl.”

In her late 20s, Streisand starred in the film adaptations of the musicals “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!,” which launched her film career.

In the years since, she has starred in “A Star Is Born,” “Yentl,” “Meet the Fockers,” and “The Guilt Trip,” and she has also released albums.

Halle Berry was born in Cleveland in 1966. Now in her 50s, she continues to have a successful career as an actor.

Before working on TV and in films, Berry competed in the Miss USA pageants. In 1985, she won Miss Teen All American, and in 1986 she won Miss Ohio USA.

She went on to compete in the Miss USA pageant and came in second place. Later in 1986, she was the first Black woman to represent the US at the Miss World pageant. 

Soon after retiring from pageants, Berry made her acting debut on ABC’s “Living Dolls” in 1989. By 2002, she won an Oscar for her role in “Monster’s Ball.”

Over the years, the actor has become well known for appearing in the “X-Men” and  “James Bond” series. 

Catherine O’Hara was born in Toronto in 1954. The celebrated actor is well known for her decadeslong career in comedy.

At 20 years old, she was working as a waitress at Second City Toronto (a famous improv theater) when she replaced Gilda Radner in the cast. She met longtime acting partner Eugene Levy at the theater, and they both went on to roles on Global’s “SCTV” — Second City Canada’s sketch-comedy TV show.

O’Hara later appeared in films like “Beetlejuice,” “Home Alone,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Waiting for Guffman,” and “Best in Show.”

Now in her 70s, the comedic actor is well known for playing Moira Rose on Pop’s “Schitt’s Creek” alongside Levy.

Nicolas Coppola, known as Nicolas Cage, was born in Long Beach, California, in 1964. He’s now in his 60s, but his acting career took off in his 20s.

In his late teens, the actor got his start in the TV movie “The Best of Times” and in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” He found continued success in films like “Valley Girl,” “Peggy Sue Got Married,” “Moonstruck,” and “Time to Kill,” all before turning 30.

Today, the actor is well known for his roles in movies like “Con-Air,” “Face/Off,” “National Treasure,” “Ghost Rider,” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”

Dana Elaine Owens, known as Queen Latifah, was born in New Jersey in 1970. Since then, she’s built legendary careers in acting and music.

In high school, Latifah picked up her moniker and started her rap career with the album “All Hail the Queen.” By the age of 21, she made her film debut in “Jungle Fever.”

At 29, the celebrity added yet another medium to her career when she started hosting “The Queen Latifah Show.”

She also went on to release seven studio albums and work on hit films and TV shows like Fox’s “Living Single,” “Chicago,” “Last Holiday,” “Hairspray,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” and Fox’s “Star.”

Meg Ryan was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1961. The actor has made a name for herself, especially in the rom-com genre.

She got her start in a few small film and TV roles before getting cast on CBS’ “As the World Turns” at 20.

Now in her 60s, Ryan is well known for her roles in “Top Gun,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Anastasia,” and “You’ve Got Mail.”

Martin Lawrence was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1965, but he mainly grew up on the East Coast of the US. 

When he was 22, he got his start on ABC’s “What’s Happening Now.” Soon after, the actor went on to star on his own hit sitcom, Fox’s “Martin.”

Now in his late 50s, Lawrence is well known for his roles in the “Bad Boys” series, the “Big Mamma’s House” series, and “Death at a Funeral.” He also went on to CBS’ “Panthers.”

This story was originally published in January 2019 and most recently updated on October 21, 2024. 

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