A lot of familiar faces in Hollywood are hitting that half-century mark in 2019. What’s wonderful about all of these big birthdays is that many of these superstars are at the peak of their careers right now.
Men and women are showing that there’s life in the entertainment industry after age 40. Take a look at Jennifer Lopez, who is powerful on and off-camera, or Jason Bateman, who’s gone from a teen star to a consistent face on the big and small screens.
Lopez and Bateman are among an accomplished list of celebs who will be blowing out 50 candles on their birthday cakes this year. They’re all proof that if you put in the hard work, the cream rises to the top no matter what your age is. Take some inspiration from these celebrities, who were all born in 1969 and who prove age is truly just a number. Happy 50th birthday to all!
Norman Reedus
Norman Reedus finished out his 49th year by welcoming a baby girl with girlfriend Diane Kruger. He has an adult son from a previous relationship, so he’s hitting all different life milestones in time for his Jan. 6 birthday. Reedus is also a part of peak TV, with The Walking Dead continuing to be a pop culture phenomenon.
Jason Bateman
Jason Bateman is kicking off 2019 by turning 50 on Jan. 14. He has been acting for over 40 years, starting as a child actor in commercials and his first TV show, Little House on the Prairie. His sarcastic wit was on display even at a young age on Silver Spoons. Bateman is now spreading his wings as a director, actor and executive producer on Ozark.
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt had a tough couple of years after he unexpectedly lost his wife, Michelle McNamara, in 2016. His grief was palpable on social media, and he raised his young daughter alone until he met his now-wife, Meredith Salenger, in 2017. With things looking up, Oswalt is going to have a sweet year when he turns 50 on Jan. 27.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston turns 50 on Feb. 11, and she’s just as youthful as the day we laid eyes on her as Rachel Green on Friends. Although the tabloids spent years focusing on her marriages to Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux, she isn’t sweating it at all.
“I don’t feel a void. I really don’t,” Aniston told Elle magazine. “My marriages, they’ve been very successful, in [my] personal opinion. And when they came to an end, it was a choice that was made because we chose to be happy, and sometimes happiness didn’t exist within that arrangement anymore.”
Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem is not only an Oscar winner for No Country for Old Men; he’s also married to another Oscar winner, Penelope Cruz. He and Cruz have two children together, so turning 50 on March 1 is just the icing on the cake.
Terrence Howard
Empire’s Terrence Howard is turning 50 on March 11. The actor reunited this year with his third ex-wife, Mira Pak, even though they divorced in 2015. Maybe a second walk down the aisle with Pak is in his future?
Pauley Perrette
Actor Pauley Perrette will celebrate her 50th birthday on March 27. We don’t know what her next steps will be after 15 years on the CBS show NCIS, but we look forward to her return to TV.
Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd pretty much looks exactly the same as he did when everyone fell in love with him in 1995’s Clueless, which makes it really hard to believe that he’s turning 50 on April 6. His career continues to soar now that he’s a part of the Marvel franchise as Ant-Man.
Cate Blanchett
Earning two Oscars, three Golden Globe Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards before the age of 50 isn’t too bad. Cate Blanchett turns 50 on May 14, and she has a big year ahead. She has a new film, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, coming in March, and she’s currently filming the highly anticipated movie about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
Anne Heche
Anne Heche has led a full life leading up to her May 25 half-century birthday. She dated famous celebrities like Steve Martin and Ellen DeGeneres, and she’s been on TV shows like Chicago P.D.and Men in Trees. Heche has also been open about her mental health struggles. We can’t wait to see what’s next for her.
Peter Dinklage
Peter Dinklage has a big year ahead of him, not only with the series finale of Game of Thrones but also because he’s turning 50 on June 11. The celebrated actor first came on the Hollywood scene in 1991 in an uncredited role as a circus performer in Woody Allen’s Shadows and Fog. He’s now graced us with comedic turns in Elf and more dramatic roles in The Station Agent.
Jennifer Lopez
It’s hard to believe that Jennifer Lopez will be turning 50 on July 24. She’s one of those performers who looks like she’s aging backward. With Alex Rodriguez by her side and a slew of projects ahead, we know 50 will be a good one for the icon known as J.Lo.
Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry joins Friends costar Jennifer Aniston in the 50th birthday club this year. His big day is Aug. 19. We hope 50 is a much better year for him than 49 was! Perry spent three months of 2018 recovering from a gastrointestinal perforation that required abdominal surgery.
Sheryl Sandberg
As the chief operating officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg has been one of America’s leading executives. In 2013, she discussed women and leadership in her best-selling book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Since she accomplished all of this before 50, we’re excited to see where the next 50 years lead her. Her birthday is on Aug. 28.
Jason Priestley
It’s hard to believe that actors from Beverly Hills, 90210 are now a half a century old. Jason Priestley stole our hearts as Brandon Walsh back in the 1990s, and now he’s turning 50 on Aug. 28. He’s transitioned from a teen heartthrob into a very successful TV director on shows like Van Helsing and Saving Hope.
Jack Black
Jack Black seems like a kid in an adult’s body, so it’s hard to believe he’s turning 50 on Aug. 28. It’s probably why he does children-centric films so well, from Goosebumps to School of Rock. In 2019, he’s giving us a sequel to Jumanji alongside Dwayne Johnson.
Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry has accomplished more than most people in Hollywood, and he’s only turning 50 on Sept. 13. He has built a studio in Atlanta, Georgia, has a production company that has a partnership with Oprah Winfrey’s network, OWN, and is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019. To top it all off, this multitalented mogul has his signature character coming back in 2019 in A Madea Family Funeral.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones is another Hollywood talent whose look is timeless. Leading up to her 50th birthday on Sept. 25., this Oscar and Tony Award winner is a triple threat who can sing and dance with the best of Broadway. She’s currently starring in Queen America, a dark comedy about the beauty pageant world.
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani’s personal and professional lives are going strong. She has three handsome sons from her marriage to Gavin Rossdale, and boyfriend Blake Shelton is on her arm. She’s going to sweeten her year by turning 50 on Oct. 3, while continuing to headline her Las Vegas show, Just a Girl: Las Vegas. The show runs through Nov. 2, 2019.
Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy Kerrigan was at the height of her Olympic figure skating career in the mid-’90s when she was thrust into the spotlight. She and Tonya Harding made headlines with the “whack heard ’round the world” in 1994 and again with 2017’s I, Tonya. When Kerrigan turns 50 on Oct. 13, we imagine she’s ready to put the entire saga behind her for the next 50 years.
Matthew McConaughey
Alright, alright, alright! Matthew McConaughey is turning 50 on Nov. 4. Who knew that when he played David Wooderson in 1993’s Dazed and Confused, he would be an Oscar winner by 2014 for Dallas Buyers Club? McConaughey has invested the time in his work while successfully navigating family time with wife Camila Alves and their three children, Levi, Vida and Livingston.
Sean Combs
Sean Combs is an entrepreneur known by many names over the years — Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy or Diddy. He faced a tough year in 2018 with the death of former girlfriend Kimberly Porter, who was the mother of four of his six children. Hopefully, his 50th year, which begins on Nov. 4, sets him on a better path for him and his family.
Ellen Pompeo
Ellen Pompeo ushers in her 50th year on Nov. 10 as the highest paid actress on TV. She invested her time and talent into Grey’s Anatomy for 15 seasons, so she deserves it. Pompeo isn’t resting on her laurels either — she has also been using her voice to promote equal pay for women in the entertainment industry.
Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler has been on our radar since the early 2000s. The actor will be continuing with his action-adventure career with the third installment of the Has Fallen series in 2019, Angel Has Fallen. Hopefully, his 50th birthday on Nov. 13 will be better than his birthday month in 2018, when he lost his home to the Woolsey Fire in California.
Jay-Z
Jay-Z is half of music’s royal couple, thanks to his marriage to Beyoncé. The duo nailed the On the Run II Tour and performed to sold-out audiences across the globe. What will 50 look like for him? We’ll have to wait until Dec. 4 to find out, but we imagine it will be something epic.
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