9 side-by-side photos showing how 50-year-old Hollywood A-listers looked in 1980 versus today

Paul Newman and George Clooney share some heart-stopping Hollywood good looks, and George has even admitted to admiring how the Old Hollywood star aged gracefully on screen. The former celebrated his 56th birthday in 1980 while George turned the big five-oh in 2011.

Like Paul, George has transitioned from a successful career as a leading man to more in-depth character roles, following in the actor's footsteps of more complex roles like The Verdict with his own star turn in hits like The Descendants.

Both Angela Lansbury and Drew Barrymore share a reputed sweetness and core of iron, making successful careers on screen in very different eras, from Drew's star roles in hits like Ever After and 50 First Dates to Angela's own magical turn in Nanny McPhee.

But both actresses have also proven their talent in grittier roles, with Angela working on the 1944 thriller Gaslight and Drew making a famously short appearance in Scream, as well as star performance in Donnie Darko. In 1980, Angela turned her talent to a star role as Agatha Christie sleuth Miss Marple in The Mirror Crack'd while only in her mid-50s. Drew has been vocal about the privilege of aging and celebrated her 50th birthday last year.

These truly are Golden Girls of the sitcom screen! Rue McClanahan was 51 when she starred in the debut episode of The Golden Girls, while Jennifer Aniston turned 50 in 2019.

Both have a shared legacy of shining sitcom stardom, with Rue starring as the glamorous Blanche Devereaux and Jennifer playing fashion-forward Rachel Green on Friends.

Both Marlon Brando and Hugh Grant have a reputation as something of a Hollywood rebel, with Marlon playing a renegade officer in Apocalypse Now at 55 years old and Hugh's more recent turn for the villainous in Paddington 2 in his mid-50s.

While they share a reputation, Hugh has opted for a career shift rather than a formal break from acting, taking on more comedic or complex roles with features like The Gentleman, Heretic and Wonka.

Some celebs surpass the bounds of the red carpet and find themselves in the company of nobility. Grace Kelly is perhaps the most famous example, becoming Princess of Monaco in 1956. She celebrated turning 50 in 1980, just two years before her tragic passing.

Claudia Schiffer might be further down the royal rankings but her marriage to Matthew Vaughn earned her the title of Lady Drummond. In 2020, she turned 50 years old but her timeless beauty has barely changed since the height of her '90s modelling fame.

Brad Pitt turned 50 in 2013 – more than a decade ago – but is still holding on to his ranking as a resident leading man and action hero. Like Brad, Clint Eastwood's regular thrilling turns on screen didn't stop when he turned 50 in 1980: that same year, he starred in Bronco Billy and Any Which Way You Can.

Clint's best-known hits of the action genre include 1971 feature Dirty Harry and Escape from Alcatraz, while Brad's reputation is largely owing to blockbusters such as Fight Club and Troy.

Now 100 years old, Dick van Dyke celebrated his 50th birthday in 1975, years after building a standout reputation as Hollywood's resident music man with hits like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as well as a self-titled sitcom in the '60s.

Hugh Jackman, now 58 years old, has proven his musical talent more recently with screen showcases like Les Miserables and The Greatest Showman, as well as a successful Broadway career including an Olivier nomination for a 1998 performance in Oklahoma!.

Jean Marsh's career took a turn for the magical in the late '80s with hits like Return to Oz and Willow, with the actress turning 50 in 1984. Sandra Bullock has been embracing fantasy fame for a few decades now and was 34 years old when the first Practical Magic released in 1998.

Sandra celebrated the big five-oh in 2014 and, 12 years later, the actress looks just as beautiful at 62 with a recent return to the screen for Practical Magic 2, proving that witches truly don't age.

Leslie Nielsen's star role in Airplane! is still a cult classic favourite today, thanks to its endlessly witty punchlines and his trademark delivery. Four years prior to the 1980 hit, he celebrated his own landmark occasion: his 50th birthday.

Paul Rudd is also a comedy stalwart with performances in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Role Models and Knocked Up. Seven years after he celebrated turning 50, the actor featured alongside Jack Black in Anaconda. Unfortunately, we still don't know his secret to timeless good looks.