Today, August 16, 2023, the incomparable Madonna will celebrate her birthday — her 65th. That’s the official retirement age for many people — but not for her. She’s still stunning, and still going strong. I don’t know her secret, or even if she has one. Maybe she’s just lucky. But her big day caused me to take a look at some of the other amazing celebrities I’ve watched since they (and I) were young. I marvel at their longevity, and celebrate their contributions to our enjoyment of theater, movies, music and TV. And I’ve included one elder statesman. (No, not Biden, McConnell, or what’s-his-name . . . oh, yeah . . . Trump. No, not them.)

There are plenty of celebs looking fabulous in their 60s and 70s. To name just a few:

– Denzel Washington (68) — Love him as a person and in every movie I’ve seen him in.
– The generous Ellen DeGeneres (65) — Such a great showman, and looking at least ten years younger.
– George Clooney — Still a hunk at 62. Saw George in an old Murder, She Wrote episode the other day. Too cute for words.
– Danny Glover (77) – Who can forget his line from Lethal Weapon: “I’m too old for this shit.”
– Mick Jagger (barely 80) and Keith Richards (79) — The Stones, man! Need I say more?
– Meryl Streep (74) — If they were to make a movie of my life, I would want her to portray me.
– Helen Mirren (78) — Fabulous as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, and as a retired spy in Red.
– And the gravity-defying Mikhail Baryshnikov (75) — Seeing him perform in Swan Lake at the Kennedy Center in the early ’80s was unquestionably the greatest theater experience of my life.

But I am totally in awe of those in their 80s and 90s, and even a couple of centenarians. Here’s a list of just some of my favorites, in no particular order:

– Clint Eastwood (93) – Who doesn’t love him?
– Judi Dench (88) – Remember her as “M” in GoldenEye and Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love?
– Harrison Ford (81) – He will always be Indiana Jones.
– Robert De Niro (80) – Never made a bad movie. Happy b’day tomorrow, by the way.
– Maggie Smith (88) – From The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, to Sister Act, to Harry Potter, all the way to Downton Abbey, they don’t get any better than this amazing lady.
– James Earl Jones (92) – The distinguished and versatile gentleman whose voice I can only describe as “rapturous.” The Lion King will never know a more perfect Mustafa.
– Robert Redford (86) – Even without Butch, Sundance lives on.
– Eva Marie Saint (99) – From early TV, and movies such as Exodus and North By Northwest — simply gorgeous.
– Glynis Johns (99) – Two of my favorites were Mary Poppins and While You Were Sleeping. Wishing you an early happy 100th on October 5th.
– Neil Diamond (82) – Knocking them dead for more than half a century, until retiring in 2018 following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. What a great run!

– And finally, a bona fide statesman, and now a centenarian. To Henry Kissinger, who celebrated his 100th birthday on May 27th of this year: I’ve heard you as a keynote speaker, and I notified you when your colleague and my boss, Walter Sterling Surrey, passed away; but I never had the honor of meeting you in person. So I take this opportunity to wish you a belated happy birthday — and as many more as you would like.

Remarkable people, who, in one way or another, have for decades made the world a somewhat better place by offering up their talents to the rest of us. To rehash an old expression: They just don’t make ‘em like that any more.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/16/23