10 Classic Hollywood Stars Who Lived Past 100

Hollywood has produced plenty of legends, but a rare few stayed around long enough to watch themselves become history.

These remarkable stars didn’t just leave a mark on film, they lived to see new generations discover their work, quote their lines, and celebrate careers that spanned nearly a century.

Longevity like this feels almost cinematic itself, proof that true star power doesn’t fade when the credits roll, it keeps shining for a lifetime and beyond.

1. Olivia De Havilland

Can you picture a grace that could silence a whole room?

Born in Tokyo and shaped for the silver screen, Olivia de Havilland captivated audiences in Gone with the Wind and turned swooning into an art form alongside Errol Flynn. Two Oscars followed, along with her landmark legal win against Warner Bros. that helped loosen the studio contract system (she challenged the contract in 1943 and won on appeal in 1944).

Her legal battle became nearly as legendary as Melanie Wilkes herself.

That courtroom victory granted performers greater freedom to choose their own paths instead of remaining trapped in endless studio contracts.

Later decades unfolded in Paris, where she spent her time sipping coffee and watching the world slowly catch up to her pioneering spirit.

2. Kirk Douglas

That dimpled chin became one of cinema’s most recognizable trademarks. The intensity in those blue eyes could melt steel or break your heart, depending on the scene.

Spartacus wasn’t just a role; it was a rebellion.

Douglas publicly credited blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo on Spartacus, a move widely associated with weakening the blacklist. His hundred-plus films ranged from gritty westerns to epic dramas, each one crackling with the energy of a man who refused to phone it in.

Even after a helicopter crash and a stroke, he kept showing up to premieres with that million-watt smile.

3. Norman Lloyd

Most folks knew him as the kindly Dr. Auschlander from St. Elsewhere, but Norman Lloyd’s career stretched back to when talkies were still newfangled. He worked with Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, and basically everyone who mattered in twentieth-century entertainment.

His versatility was the stuff of legend.

One day he’d direct a TV episode, the next he’d steal a scene as a character actor, then maybe produce something groundbreaking before lunch. Lloyd didn’t just witness a century of showbiz evolution; he helped build it, one performance at a time and he kept working across film and television into his later years, living to 106.

4. Connie Sawyer

Comedy gold rarely loses its shine with time. Decades of experience allowed Connie Sawyer to sharpen punchlines she had been refining since vaudeville days.

Scene-stealing appearances stretched from Dumb and Dumber to Pineapple Express, each performance marked by impeccable timing that younger actors could only admire.

Her approach relied on never treating a small role as insignificant.

Diner waitresses, nosy neighbors, and brief two-line appearances all received full commitment, finished with a knowing sparkle that showed she understood the joke and enjoyed every moment.

5. Marsha Hunt

Blacklisted for having a conscience, Marsha Hunt kept her dignity when Hollywood tried to steal it. She stood up during the Red Scare when silence seemed safer, and paid the price with years of lost roles.

But talent doesn’t expire, and neither does courage.

Hunt eventually returned to acting, appearing in everything from stage productions to modern films, proving that integrity ages better than compromise. Her hundred-plus years included activism, artistry, and the kind of grace that makes you sit up straighter just reading about her life and choices.

6. Luise Rainer

Winning two Oscars before turning thirty sounds like something pulled from a fairy tale.

Luise Rainer made it real, then stepped away from Hollywood when the dream factory began to feel more like a nightmare.

Her famous telephone scene in The Great Ziegfeld still teaches acting students how to break hearts without saying very much at all.

Europe offered a quieter life, where she disappeared from the spotlight and later resurfaced with stories explaining why fame rarely proves worth the price tag. By age 104, she had outlived the studio system that once tried to control her along with the executives who believed starlets were interchangeable.

7. George Burns

His laid-back delivery became nearly as recognizable as the punchlines themselves. Vaudeville timing carried George Burns into television stardom, and the laughs continued long after most performers would have stepped away.

An Oscar win at 80 for The Sunshine Boys proved comedy has no expiration date.

His partnership with Gracie Allen helped define an entire era of entertainment.

Performances continued after her passing because stopping would have meant surrender, something Burns never considered an option. Reaching one hundred years old, he still delivered sharp jokes and stayed a pop-culture fixture.

8. Gloria Stuart

Decades after Hollywood forgot her name, Gloria Stuart became one of the oldest acting nominees in Academy Awards history for playing old Rose in Titanic (nominated at 87). Talk about a comeback that makes you believe in second acts.

She’d been a 1930s starlet who traded soundstages for paintbrushes, living a full artistic life away from the cameras.

Then James Cameron called, and suddenly the world remembered what Hollywood had lost. Her dignity and presence in that blockbuster reminded everyone that talent doesn’t fade; it just waits for the right moment to shine again, even at eighty-seven.

9. Bob Hope

Five decades of USO tours turned Bob Hope into a symbol of Christmas for soldiers stationed far from home.

Rapid-fire jokes paired with that famous ski-slope nose appeared everywhere from battlefields to golf courses to the Oscars, a ceremony he hosted a record 19 times, turning him into a recurring face of Oscar night for decades.

Comedy aged gracefully because fresh material kept replacing old routines instead of relying on nostalgia.

At one hundred years old, he was still swinging golf clubs and delivering punchlines, suggesting that laughter might truly be the best medicine for longevity and a calendar packed with appearances.

10. Eva Marie Saint

Clinging to Mount Rushmore alongside Cary Grant in North by Northwest would mark a career peak for most actors. For Eva Marie Saint, the moment felt like just another day on set.

An Oscar win for On the Waterfront arrived early, yet steady work followed for seven decades without tabloid chaos or burned bridges.

Enduring class defined her career, proving elegance never falls out of fashion even as Hollywood repeatedly lost its composure.

Despite turning 100 in 2024, she continued to be the performer Hitchcock trusted to remain composed under duress and much more so on camera.

Note: Details about ages, dates, awards, and historical milestones reflect commonly cited public records and reputable reporting available at the time of writing, but summaries may simplify long careers and complex events. Content is for general informational and entertainment purposes only, not legal, financial, or professional advice.