Deepa Gahlot celebrates the seasoned actors who continue to command attention with their craft and charisma
If there is an industry more sexist and ageist than any other, it is show business. Older actors want to be paired with actresses half their age, so women over 40 find themselves being edged out. However, romance is not the only thing actresses are expected to do, so there are a bunch of super talented senior actresses, who still have roles written for them, if not in cinema then on streaming projects. Youth cannot hold a candle to them, as their stardom shines brighter than the limelight.
A pick of ten actress who are over 70, and still hard at work:
Shabana Azmi (75):
After over 50 years of working continuously, she shows no signs of slowing down. Undoubtedly one of India’s finest actresses, with a record of five National Awards (an unparalleled three in a row), she is also a dedicated social activist. In the last five years, she has acted as the lead in the web show, Dabba Cartel, and films like Bun Tikki, Ghoomer, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, TV series Halo and The Empire and British film, What’s Love Got to Do with It? Her upcoming projects include Lahore 1947, Awarapan 2 and USA vs Raj.
Meryl Streep (76):
Regarded as the greatest living actress, she continues to headline major projects. Following her recent roles in The Prom, Extrapolations, Don’t Look Up and Only Murders In The Building, in just the last five years. She reprises her role as Miranda Priestly in the upcoming sequel to The Devil Wears Prada.  The film reportedly follows her navigating the decline of traditional magazine publishing while facing off against her former assistant, Emily (Emily Blunt), who is now a high-powered executive. She is also attached to a much-awaited series adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s award-winning novel, The Corrections. She will be playing Enid Lambert, the family matriarch, in the complex family drama.  She holds the record for the most Academy Award acting nominations (21 total, with 17 for Best Actress, 4 for Best Supporting Actress) and has won three times.
Sigourney Weaver (76):
She remains a major force in mainstream Hollywood with her ongoing central roles in the Avatar franchise, in the role of Kiri. In the last five years, she has appeared in films like Dust Bunny, The Gorge, Master Gardener, Call Jane, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and The Good House. Her upcoming films include a new Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu and the next in the Avatar series. She is renowned for playing strong, intelligent women and was once known as the Queen of Sci-Fi for playing Ellen Ripley (Alien), Dr. Grace Augustine and Kiri in Avatar, and Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters.
Jessica Lange (76):
In the last five years, the glamorous Hollywood star has acted in the TV film The Great Lillian Hall, Feud: Capore vs. The Swans, and Marlow. In 2026, she confirmed to return for the 13th season of American Horror Story; also in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, the film adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s play, she reprises her Tony-winning role as Mary Tyrone alongside Ed Harris. She is also set to star in The Year of Magical Thinking, a film adaptation of Joan Didion’s acclaimed memoir and the Marlene Dietrich Biopic, in which she portrays the legendary actress during her later years in Las Vegas.
Glenn Close (78):
The scary psychopath of Fatal Attraction (1987). is a versatile actress, who continues to land significant roles, such as her acclaimed performance in Hillbilly Elegy and her third Golden Globe win for The Wife. In the last five years, she has done more work than younger actresses. Her film roles include Back in Action, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025), The Summer Book, Brothers, The Deliverance, Heart of Stone, Swan Song, and on TV she acted in All’s Fair, The New Look, Tehran, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. Her upcoming projects include The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping, and Up to No Good. Filmmakers looking to cast formidable older women need look no further than her.
Helen Mirren (80):
The British stage and screen diva remains highly active, recently starring in the miniseries Catherine the Great, major feature films like The Good Liar and the streaming show The Thursday Murder Club. Over the last five years, she has acted in Goodbye June, White Bird, Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, F9: The Fast Saga, Fast X, Golda (as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir). All varied roles and significant ones.
Susan Sarandon (80):
The ever graceful actress has remained active in both film and television, featuring in projects like Blue Beetle, Monarch, The Fabulous Four, The Six Triple Eight, The Gutter, Gracie and Pedro: Pets to the Rescue, Maybe I Do, Ride the Eagle,Jolt and Nonnas.  Her upcoming films include The Accompanist, in which she plays a mysterious foster parent who takes in a young girl after a botched child-welfare investigation; in Unmerciful Good Fortune, a supernatural thriller based on the play by Edwin Sánchez; and the indie drama, Exit Right, in which she plays a woman with inoperable cancer who, afraid of being trapped indoors, moves into a tent in her backyard.
Aparna Sen (81):
Though the Bengal star has cut down on acting and concentrated on direction, she did make a significant screen appearance in the film Ei Raat Tomar Amaar and the documentary Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen. Her recent work as director include The Rapist and Her Indian Summer.
Jane Fonda (88):
A major star and fitness guru, she has maintained a prolific screen career, concluding her long-running series Grace and Frankie. In the last five years, she has appeared in This Is Me. Now: A Love Story,Book Club: The Next Chapter, 80 for Brady, Moving On. She is slated to act in The Summer Book, based on Tove Jansson’s novel, about a young girl and her grandmother spending a summer on an island in the Gulf of Finland. She is known for playing complex, strong-willed, and often socially conscious women, choosing roles that challenged stereotypes, from her early sex kitten image to roles reflecting her political and social activism
Ellen Burstyn (93):
One of the oldest actresses still working, in the last five years, she has continued a busy career, highlighted by her return as Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist: Believer, and a recurring role as Bernadette Stabler in Law & Order: Organised Crime. She also starred in Pieces Of A Woman, Queen Bee, Mother, Couch, This Ordinary Thing, Three Months, The First Lady. Obviously age does not come in the way of her talent and willingness to continue working well past retirement age. Having played women facing deep personal, emotional, or spiritual crises throughout her career, she is recognized for her strong and complex performances.
