The common belief is that if you don’t have life figured out by the time you’re 25, you’re a failure. That’s the age when society believes you should be establishing yourself in the field you want to pursue. We’ve been engrained to think this way about life, but what happens when your dreams and passions haven’t taken off yet? Or, what if you decide you’re not happy with your current circumstance? A lot of people will try to advise against you going after a new passion or career because of fear of the unknown.
However, is there anything scarier than not chasing your dreams during the one life we get to live? No matter what your age is, you shouldn’t feel like you can’t go after what you desire the most. If it doesn’t work out, that’s fine. There will always be another safety net job that comes up. But what if it does work out? What if the risk you take ultimately pays off? You won’t know until you try.
People like Oprah Winfrey and Harrison Ford didn’t give up when things were getting tough. They kept after it, and look where they are now. Jon Hamm was once a restaurant server trying to get his acting career going. He’s played some likable characters in TV shows like “Mad Men” and “Good Omens.” For more information about some of the characters these actors played, click here to read more about the most likable TV characters of all time.
To narrow down this list of famous celebrities who finally achieved success in their 30s, 24/7 Tempo consulted sources like Business Insider, DeMilked, and Collider.
Stan Lee – 39
NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 23: (EXCLUSIVE ACCESS) Comic book legend Stan Lee poses at the opening reception for Stan Lee: A Retrospective presented by the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art on February 23, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Mat Szwajkos/Getty Images)
An entire generation of movie fans can thank Stan Lee for sticking with his passion of writing comic books. He started when he was 17. He waited more than 20 years until his first comic got published. Lee created the entire MCU with characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Black Widow. He saw the vision for what he wanted his stories to look like, and no matter how many moments he felt like giving up, he never did.
Oprah Winfrey – 32
The history of television can’t be explained without Oprah Winfrey mentioned. She landed her first gig as a news anchor, but the emotion she showed while discussing trending topics on air quickly got her fired. In the now infamous quote, Winfrey was told she “Just wasn’t television material.”
Winfrey took the emotions she carried with her in each story to her own show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” when she was 32. Audiences around the world loved the compassion she shared with her guests and the way she made things feel personal. It turns out, she was always television material after all.
Reed Hastings – 36
It’s hard to think about a world without streaming. In 2024, almost every individual television station has its own platform users can subscribe to for the best entertainment. However, there wasn’t a way to watch individual shows and episodes at your pace back in the day. In 1997, Reed Hastings (along with Marc Rudolph) thought consumers should be able to have movies sent to you.
Using the same model as Amazon, the duo launched the subscription based company we now know as Netflix. Hastings was already a successful businessman, but Netflix pushed him into the top 1% of the world. One reason Hastings is so admired is that he turned down an offer from Bezos to buy Netflix in the early days. He saw the potential his company had.
Jessica Chastain – 34
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain attend the European premiere of The Martian at Odeon Leicester Square on September 24, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)
Getting into Juilliard as an actor is one of the biggest accomplishments one can have on their resume. However, getting accepted doesn’t pay the bills. Jessica Chastain was a student who graduated from the esteemed school for future actors. After graduation, Chastain struggled without landing any lead roles for a while.
Despite this, Chastain kept pushing forward. Her determination ended up paying off. In 2011, at age 34, Chastain was cast as a lead in “The Help.” She made her film debut at age 31 in the drama “Jolene,” but “The Help” truly put her on the map. This role helped her showcase her talent around Viola Davis and Emma Stone. Chastain took this momentum right into “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” and “Interstellar.”
Harrison Ford – 35
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 13: Harrison Ford attends the Premiere of 20th Century Studios The Call of the Wild at El Capitan Theatre on February 13, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Snagging one iconic role is hard enough for actors, and two is almost unheard of. That wasn’t the case for Harrison Ford, though. The iconic actor is known for his roles in “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones.” Ford started a career in the Hollywood industry, but hated what he originally got cast in.
Unlike most people on this list, he left the field and became a carpenter for a while. However, when he was offered the role of Han Solo in “Star Wars,” Ford couldn’t pass it up. He took a shot and has now become one of the most influential people in the world.
J.K. Rowling – 32
Creating a world for people to escape into is one of the hardest things to do as a writer. J.K. Rowling’s story of living out of her suitcase for a while is widely documented. However, it’s sometimes hard to imagine the creator of “Harry Potter” as someone who needed to be patient. The novelist was struggling to sell her story to book publications, butshe didn’t give up. She knew she was sitting on a gold mine, and she made sure to capitalize on it.
Jonah Peretti – 31
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 06: Founder and CEO of BuzzFeed Jonah H. Peretti speaks in front of his team celebrating BuzzFeed Inc.s Listing Day at BuzzFeed NYC office on December 06, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for BuzzFeed Inc.)
Getting news that’s reliable and interesting has always been one of the best ways to make money. At age 31, Jonah Peretti founded the Huffington Post. Just one year later, he started Buzzfeed as well. Both of these sources have become reputable ways to get celebrity information.
Sylvester Stallone – 30
COLOGNE, GERMANY - AUGUST 06: Sylvester Stallone attends the German premiere of the film The Expendables 3 at Residenz Kino on August 6, 2014 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
Sylvester Stallone was almost homeless, which is strange truth to grasp given where he’s at today. Before he starred in the Rocky franchise, that’s just where Stallone was at. Stallone tried doing everything a normal, struggling actor in Hollywood would to make ends meet. With his schedule, it became hard to keep consistent serving jobs on the side. Stallone knew himself well enough to continue pursuing his passion, despite feeling like he shouldn’t at times. His persistence worked out well.
Ken Jeong – 38
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 13: Ken Jeong attends the 2023 FOX Winter Junket at Fox Studio Lot on December 13, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
Plenty of actors are unable to claim stable, consistent backgrounds before making it big. This isn’t the case for Ken Jeong, though. Jeong was once a physician, while doing comedy routines on the side. He always had an interest in acting, and he actually considered majoring in theater before pursuing the traditional medical route.
Sometimes, when you know what you want, you just have to go after it. This truth applies no mater how crazy it might be. In 2006, Jeong began pursuing acting full time. While it was a challenge for him to get his feet on the ground, Jeong never lost confidence and has now become a household name around the world.
Jon Hamm – 37
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 08: Jon Hamm attends the Global Premiere of Mean Girls at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater on January 08, 2024, in New York, New York. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
A lot of people make the conscious choice to chase a dream, but stop pursuing it if they get to a certain age. This is the case for Jon Hamm. He earned money waiting tables while trying to become an actor. Hamm told himself if he didn’t make it by 30 years old in acting, he was going to chase another career.
For whatever reason, 30 came and went, but Hamm didn’t give up. In fact, it took him seven more years until the show “Mad Men” came knocking. Hamm got the lead role of Don Draper, and his career skyrocketed. Thanks to the show’s massive success, Hamm is now able to act in whatever he wants.
James Gandolfini – 38
Another show that rewrote the history of television was “The Sopranos.” The show revolved around Tony Soprano, an Italian-American mobster played by James Gandolfini. Prior to this, Gandolfini made money by working as a bartender and club manager.
He graduated from Rutgers University and chased his dreams of becoming an actor. This role couldn’t have been more perfect for Gandolfini, as he himself was an Italian-American who lived in New Jersey. Gandolfini would visit Italy often as a child, due to his parents desire to connect him to his heritage.
Toni Morrison – 39
The dream of all novelists is to get their work published someday. Toni Morrison spent the first years of her adult career as an editor before finally getting her own work published. At 39, Morrison completed “The Bluest Eyes.” This novel was about a young, black woman who wanted to have blue eyes.
The New York Times had great things to say about the novel, which helped propel Morrison’s career forward. After this, Morrison wrote more and more, becoming one of the most beloved novelists in American history.
Jeff Bezos – 31
Stepping down from a successful career on Wall Street is something few people have the courage to do. Jeff Bezos isn’t most people, as society now knows. He launched Amazon when he turned 31, as a way to buy and sell books online. Nobody, including Bezos, could have imagined the success levels this worldwide company would grow to by 2024.
A lot of people took advantage of the internet boom, with Bezos being one. These days, shoppers can buy almost anything they want on Amazon. Bezos is the second wealthiest man on the planet, behind only Elon Musk. This is all thanks to his decision to start his own company from scratch.
Megyn Kelly – 34
Another safe, secure, and enviable job title tons of people aspire for? Lawyer. That’s what Megyn Kelly was when she graduated from law school. However, the career path didn’t fully satisfy her. Kelly decided at age 33 that she wanted to become a news reporter. By 34, she got hired by Fox News. She’s now working as a commentator on SiriusXM.
Something almost everyone on this list has in common is they took a leap of faith or continued believing they’d get their chance to be great, even when it didn’t look like it. Hopefully, seeing stories of successful people chasing their dreams inspires others to continue going after theirs. Kelly’s skills as news anchor and journalist are unmatched. Click here to uncover the 25 best movies about journalists.