Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live to 100 years old?
There have been some great actors in Hollywood who reached that feat and upon their passing,
they were remembered as some of the greatest icons in American cinema.
But who were these great actors and how did they become the stars that we now remember
them as?
They saw the opportunity to act in Hollywood – a burgeoning new industry and by the time
they died, they were some of the biggest stars who helped shape this remarkable industry.
Join FactsVerse to learn about some of the great old Hollywood actors who lived to be
100 years old…
BRUCE BENNETT
Bruce Bennett was born as Harold Herman Brix on May 19, 1906, in Tacoma, Washington.
He began his career as an athlete and even made it to the Olympics competing in the shot
put.
As he was growing up, the film industry was becoming even more popular, and he began his
film career in the 1920s.
His first appearance was going to be as Tarzan in the film series made by Paramount – which
would likely have become one of his best-known roles.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
He injured his shoulder and lost the role to Johnny Weissmuller.
Throughout the 1930s, he appeared in a few small uncredited roles and struggled to become
a well-known actor.
He began landing supporting and lead roles in the mid-1930s and was credited as Herman
Brix.
It wasn’t until the 1939 film My Son Is Guilty that he was credited as Bruce Bennett.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, he became a leading man in many major Hollywood films
as well as B-movies.
Later, in the 1960s, he appeared in TV series and TV movies.
His final role was in a 1980 Dutch film called Let the Doctor Shove.
Bruce Bennett is remembered as one of the most versatile actors of his generation and
one of the stars of early Hollywood.
Bruce Bennett died exactly at the age of 100 on February 24, 2007, in Santa Monica, California.
Before we tell you more about old Hollywood actors who lived to be 100 years old, please
like this video and subscribe to FactsVerse for more pop culture stories and interesting
documentaries.
Now, back to the video…
NEHEMIAH PERSOFF
Nehemiah Persoff was born in Jerusalem on August 2, 1919.
He and his family later emigrated to the United States where he grew up in.
He first lived in Brooklyn and then later grew up in the Bronx.
He served in the US Army during the Second World War and was part of the acting company
in the Armed Forces entertaining the troops at various bases.
Upon returning from the Armed Forces, he decided to pursue a career in acting.
He was accepted into the Actors Studio in the late 1940s and he began learning his craft
from there.
He began his acting career in the late 1940s, but it was in the 1950s that his career took
off.
He played the taxi driver in the famous scene in On The Waterfront where Marlon Brando states
that he ‘coulda been a contender.’
His notable film roles were in films such as The Harder They Fall, The Wrong Man, This
Angry Age, Some Like It Hot, Al Capone, The Hook, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Voyage
of the Damned, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Twins.
He also had a few television appearances in shows such as Gunsmoke and Little House and
the Prairie.
His final role was in the TV miniseries Angels in America.
He died at the age of 102 on April 5, 2022.
NORMAN LLOYD
Norman Nathan Perlmutter was born on November 8, 1914, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
While his parents weren’t from a show business family, his mother had an interest in theater
and took young Norman to shows.
This sparked his interest in acting and made him decide to pursue a career in show business.
He began taking acting, singing, and dancing lessons as a child, and this continued well
into his teens.
He became a child performer and often performed in vaudeville shows.
In the 1930s, he became a theater actor and appeared in plays such as Gods of the Lightning,
Noah, and The Crime.
In the 1940s he also began a long-term career as a radio actor during the Golden Age of
Radio.
He also began his film career around this time and the timing couldn’t have been more
perfect.
His first role was a major role as Frank Fry in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Saboteur.
His other major film roles were in films such as The Southerner, Spellbound, The Green Years,
The Black Book, M, Limelight, The Nude Bomb, Jaws of Satan, The Adventures of Rocky and
Bullwinkle, Dead Poets Society, The Age of Innocence,, Trainwreck, and In Her Shoes.
He also appeared in a documentary about his life and career in 2007.
He also had a prolific career in television appearing in shows such as Alfred Hitchcock
Presents, General Electric Theater, The Most Deadly Game, St. Elsewhere, Wiseguy, Wings,
and Modern Family.
He died on the 11th of May, 2021, at the age of 106.
BOB HOPE
Bob Hope was born on May 29, 1930, in London, England.
His parents were both British and he later naturalized as an American citizen when he
moved to the USA.
He began his show business career as an adolescent working as a busker on the streets of London.
This was a far cry away from the film star that he would one day become.
He began his acting career in the 1930s.
One of his first successes was the 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 in which he starred
alongside with WC Fields.
His other popular film roles were in films such as Never Say Die, Some Like It Hot (1939),
Road to Singapore, Road to Zanzibar, Road to Morocco, The Story of GI Joe, Road to Utopia,
The Paleface, Fancy Pants, The Seven Little Foys, The Road to Hong Kong, Cancel My Reservation,
and A Masterpiece of Murder.
Without a doubt, Bob Hope is remembered as an icon of American entertainment despite
his British origins.
He was especially an icon of comedy and he’s remembered as such.
And he died at the age of 100.
He died on July 27, 2003, in LA.
He's served as an icon for many great comic performers from Woody Allen to John Cleese.
And no doubt he’ll continue inspiring future generations.
KIRK DOUGLAS
Kirk Douglas was born as Issur Danielovitch on December 9, 1916, in Amsterdam, New York.
He eventually changed his name to Kirk Douglas before joining the Army.
In the 1940s, upon his return from his military service he began his career in acting – appearing
mostly in commercials and appearing on radio spots.
He also began his acting career during Hollywood’s Golden Age – starting with supporting roles
before graduating to lead roles.
By the time the 1950s rolled around, he became one of the most well-known actors of his generation.
His great roles around this time included roles in films such as The Glass Menagerie,
Ace In the Hole, The Big Sky, The Bad and the Beautiful, The Juggler, The Indian Fighter,
Operation Petticoat, Is Paris Burning?, Spartacus, Tough Guys, and Greedy.
He, of course, became the patriarch of the Douglas family – one of Hollywood’s most
well-known acting families.
Kirk Douglas is remembered as an icon of Hollywood who had a rather fast rise – and deservedly
so.
He died on February 5, 2020, at the age of 103.
HERB JEFFRIES
Herb Jeffries was born on September 24, 1913, in Detroit, Michigan.
Coming from a great musical town, he developed an interest in singing at a young age.
He began performing at various nightclubs starting from the age of 19.
As a young mixed-race man, he experienced racism and had to deal with the harsh Jim
Crow laws whenever he toured the South.
This inspired him to work in cinema – which was a more powerful medium with a wider reach.
In 1937, he appeared in Harlem on the Prairie – giving us one of the first examples of
a non-white Cowboy who served as an icon for minorities in the USA.
His other films included Two-Gun Man from Harlem, Harlem Rides the Range, The Bronze
Buckaroo, Calypso Joe, Chrome and Hot Leather, and Portrait of a Hitman.
His movie career was short-lived but he certainly made an impact as he did with his jazz recordings.
He died on May 25, 2014, at the age of 100.
FRANK M. THOMAS
Frank Marion Thomas was born on July 13, 1889, in St. Joseph, Missouri.
He began his acting career on Broadway in the 1910s but he’s best known for his prolific
film career from the 1930s to the 1970s.
His notable films include: The Big Game, The Ex-Miss Bradford, Breakfast for Two, The Big
Shot, Night Spot, Crashing Hollywood, Bringing up Baby, Shooting High, A Shot in the Dark,
The Postman Didn’t Ring, The Sleeping City, and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
He died on November 25, 1999, at the age of 100.
Are you a fan of any of these old Hollywood
actors?
They were all legends in their own right and lived full lives for the century they were
alive!
Now, here’s what we’d like to hear from you:
Do you think that actors can be remembered well into their 90s or even if they reach
100?
Or do they get forgotten when they retire and audiences only care about contemporary
stars?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
If you liked this story, be sure to hit the 'like' button and Subscribe to FactsVerse
for more great stories!
Hit the bell icon to receive regular notifications!
We’ll see you in the next video!