Celebrities Who Lived to 100 Years Old

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter, who served as United States president from 1976 to 1980 and did many decades of humanitarian work in the years that followed, made it to his 100th birthday on Oct. 1, 2024, a milestone recognized with a concert hosted by the Carter Center and celebrated by many presidents and dignitaries who praised him for his positive impact on the world.

Carter and his wife of more than 70 years, Rosalynn, both entered hospice in early 2023. Rosalynn died in December of that year, but Carter, though physically limited, has lived for 19 months since beginning hospice care; «I think this has been a really meaningful time for him, and it’s been a really reflective time for him,» his grandson Jason told PEOPLE.

Jason also shared that Carter has one last goal to accomplish in his lifetime: the former president recently stated, «I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,» per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Eva Marie Saint

Academy Award winner Eva Marie Saint had big plans for her milestone celebration in July 2024, she told PEOPLE: “I’m looking forward to spending my 100th birthday in Los Angeles with my dear, dear family. Four generations of family members will be gathering together from Los Angeles, Chicago, Santa Barbara and San Francisco.»

She also shared that, though retired from acting, she maintains a full and busy life. «I certainly don’t feel 100 years old,» the actress said. «I continue to take walks out in the fresh air, like watching baseball — especially the Los Angeles Dodgers, and enjoy time with my family and friends. A good life.” 

Gloria Stuart

Actress Gloria Stuart had a long film and television career that began in the 1930s, but she had a phenomenal late-in-life moment in the spotlight when she starred as Old Rose in 1997’sTitanic, for which she earned an Oscar nomination that made her, at 87, the oldest-ever acting nominee.

She worked into her 90s before retiring in 2004; she died in 2010 at age 100 from respiratory failure.

George Burns

Another legendary comedian with incredible longevity, George Burns was born in January 1896 and worked right up until the end, publishing a book called 100 Years, 100 Stories — and even planning three sold-out nights at Caesar’s Palace for the occasion, though he had to cancel because of the flu. He died in March 1996, several months after reaching the milestone.

«As this big day came closer and closer, people kept asking me what I would like for my 100th birthday. What do you give a man who’s been so blessed? Another 100 years? A night with Sharon Stone?» he joked in a statement to well-wishers at the time.

Queen Elizabeth I, the Queen Mother

Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, also named Elizabeth and affectionately referred to as «the Queen Mum,» watched throngs of celebrants turn out in her honor on August 4, 2000, as she waved from Buckingham Palace.

In correspondence sent on her behalf to birthday well-wishers, a note read, «During her long life, Queen Elizabeth has always been encouraged by, and felt grateful for, the friendship and support of many people, and would now like to send you her best wishes and thanks.»

Ellen Albertini Dow

Another actress who found fame later in life, Ellen Albertini Dow began acting in film and TV in the 1980s and soon became recognizable for cameos on Seinfeld and The Wonder Years. But it was her breakout role as the rapping granny in The Wedding Singer that made her a household name, and she acted steadily (including in Wedding Crashers) until 2013, the year she turned 100. She died in 2015 at age 101.

Glynis Johns

Glynis Johns, who died in January 2024 at the age of 100, was one of the most iconic actresses of the 1960s, for her indelible roles as Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins and her Academy Award-nominated performance in The Sundowners. She also won a Tony for A Little Night Music in 1973.

For her 100th birthday in October 2023, Johns told her local ABC affiliate, «It doesn’t make any difference to me. Well, I looked very good for every age.»

Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas, an Oscar-nominated actor and father to actor Michael Douglas, made it to 103 years old before his death in 2020. The movie star, known for roles such as Spartacus, celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by 135 of his family and friends (including his three sons and wife Anne), paying tribute to his iconic career and wonderful job as a father. And to celebrate the milestone, Douglas, who had experienced a stroke in 1996, was handed a glass of vodka by his cardiologist, who had forbidden it years prior.

“He got what he came for,” Douglas’s rep joked to PEOPLE. “He enjoyed it indeed, and then he zipped out. Twenty minutes later, he was tucked into bed.”

Norman Lear

One of the most influential figures in television, who worked right up until his death at 101 in December 2023, Norman Lear was responsible for groundbreaking sitcoms including All in the Family and Good Times. Though he was far more than just a comedian, working to protect First Amendment and voting rights and engaging in other activism, he was funny up until the end as well.

“It’s Norman Lear here, dribbling a bit because he’s entering his second childhood,” the One Day at a Time creator joked in an Instagram video around his 101st birthday in July 2023. “I’ve just turned 101, and that is, they tell me, my second childhood. It feels like that because of the kind of care I’m getting. I get the kind of care at this age that I see children getting, toddlers getting. And so I am now a 101-year-old toddler.”