Looking at some of the currently popular actresses, it may seem that they were written to become famous, but in fact many went to success for years. In their youth, they regularly received rejections from directors, but did not give up, continuing to go to castings over and over again until they got the “same” role.
10. Whoopi Goldberg
Now the actress has all kinds of awards that one can only dream of: Tony, Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Oscar, Grammy. Few celebrities boast such a collection, but Goldberg has gone through a lot on her way to fame.
Without graduating from school, she joined the "hippies", gradually adopting not only their beliefs, but also their love for marijuana, and then to harder drugs.
A turning point for her was a meeting with her future husband, who helped get rid of addictions and in every possible way contributed to the realization of her creative potential.
The moment of fame came for her in 1985, when an unknown 30-year-old black self-taught actress got the main role in Steven Spielberg's film "Flowers of the Purple Fields." This brought her a nomination for an Oscar and a victory in the Golden Globe, but then everything went on increasing.
9. Diana Rigg
The first serious movie work for her was the role in the sixth part of the bond of “On Her Majesty's Secret Service”, where she played agent girl 007. Prior to that, she was known only to fans of the series “Avengers”, which had been making noise on TV in the 60s for several seasons years Her last notable appearance also took place on TV: she played Olenna Tyrell in HBO's Game of Thrones.
8. Melissa McCarthy
A funny fat woman who never was complex about her appearance, began her career as a stand-up comedian in New York, but quickly moved to Los Angeles to conquer Hollywood.
Considering that her track record includes the nomination for the Oscars and Golden Globes, she fully achieved her goal. She was best known for her series The Gilmore Girls and the paintings Bridesmaids, Saint Vincent and The Spy.
7. Katie Bates
Katie Bates debut in the movie took place in the drama "Breakaway" in 1971, where the 23-year-old actress played a cameo role. Of course, this did not bring her popularity, as did the next few works, including Arthur 2: Stranded, Men Do Not Go, and Night Mother.
She woke up famous only after the role of Annie Wilkes in the 1993 thriller Misery, when she was already over 40. Catching up on what she lost in her youth, she began to receive awards one after another, most recently adding Emmy to the piggy bank for her work in American History horrors. "
In 2016, she became the owner of a personalized star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and now she does not have unsubdued peaks.
6. Katherine Justen
Well known to fans of the Desperate Housewives series, Katherine got her first role only in 1984, when she was 45 years old. After that, she went headlong to the theater, where she successfully performed until her death, and returned to the cinema in the mid-90s.
A breakthrough for her was the work in the TV project "West Wing", where she starred for several years. In parallel, she often flashed in other popular series: "Enchanted", "Gilmore Girls", "Malcolm in the Spotlight" and others.
5. Kim Cattrall
Despite the early debut in the movie (she got her first role back in 19 years), international recognition came to her much later. In the 80-90s, the actress starred in such films as “Porky”, “Robbery”, “Police Academy”, “Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country”, but even if the film “shot” (the drama “Award” was nominated to Oscar), the efforts of Kim herself were not properly rewarded.
So it was until 1997, when the 41-year-old actress was casting to participate in the series "Sex and the City." Perfectly embodying the image of the sensual and sexy Samantha Jones, she became the object of lust for millions of men and a role model for the same number of women.
4. Judy Dench
Having built a brilliant career on the stage, Judy Dench for a long time bypassed the cinema. In the theater, she made her debut in 1957, and in the movie only in 1968.
Occasionally starring in small, but memorable episodes, she seemed to be waiting for the right moment to announce herself loudly. Such a moment came in 1995 with the release of Golden Eye - the 17th part of the epic about the adventures of James Bond, where she tried on the image of M, being at the age of 61 years.
After another 3 years, she won an Oscar, and received it in just 8 minutes of screen time in the tragicomedy Shakespeare in Love.
3. Jane Lynch
During her long career, Jane Lynch played more than 200 roles, starting acting in 1988, when she was already 28. Of course, not old age, but for the debut is pretty solid.
In the first years she got only small episodes, but gradually she earned more and more screen time.
The hour “X” for her was the work in the TV series “Two and a Half Men”, which appeared on television in 2004. At that time, the actress was already preparing to celebrate her 45th birthday, and the most interesting was still to come.
Four statuettes “Emmy”, “Award of the Guild of Film Actors of the USA” and “Golden Globe” - all this Lynch received, having stepped over the 5th decade.
2. Maggie Smith
Loved by millions of Harry Potter fans, Professor McGonagall, a more sophisticated viewer, is known for completely different roles. So, back in 1970, when she was 36 years old, she received the first Oscar for the film “The Rise of Miss Jean Brody,” which was a breakthrough for her. This was her sixth movie job, so it can safely be said that success came to her quickly.
Despite his venerable age (and she is already 84), Maggie Smith does not even think to retire, continuing to delight us with her game. In the fall of this year, we will see her in the movie "Downton Abbey", filmed on the Julian Fellows series of the same name.
1. Jessica Chastain
The youngest actress on her list today (she is now 41) became famous in 2011, when 6 films with her participation were immediately released, and she made her debut three years earlier in the independent film Jolin.
The best works of those years can be considered the roles in “The Servant” and “The Tree of Life”, which not only delighted film critics and the press, but also brought her well-deserved nominations for the Oscars and Golden Globes.