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These legendary performers prove that age is just a number! Join us as we look at the earliest-born actors to appear in some of cinema's most iconic franchises. Our countdown features remarkable talents from beloved series like "Star Wars," "The Lord of the Rings," "Harry Potter," and more! Which long-lived actor left the biggest impression on your favorite franchise? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00May I ask why a Jedi Knight is all the way out here on Geonosis?
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the oldest movie actors, living or dead,
00:11that made prominent appearances in iconic film franchises.
00:14Some spoilers to come.
00:15Certainly he can present a bill for such services.
00:19After all, we are not communists.
00:25Ian McKellen, Marvel Cinematic Universe
00:40Born in 1939, this knighted English actor has done it all.
00:45Among his numerous stage, film, and TV credits, McKellen has also starred in not one, but two major film franchises.
00:52There's his meme-worthy turn as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, for instance.
00:55You shall not pass!
01:02But many of you may still know him as Eric Lensher, or Magneto, the morally complex antagonist of the X
01:08-Men series.
01:08With his Shakespearean gravitas, McKellen brought wisdom, verve, and grit to the character, who was also born in the 1930s.
01:16From Shakespearean stages to fantasy epics and superhero blockbusters, it's hard to argue that McKellen built up one of the
01:22most versatile and enduring careers of his generation.
01:25Are you a God-fearing man, Senator?
01:28That's such a strange phrase.
01:31I've always thought of God as a teacher.
01:33As a bringer of light, wisdom, and understanding.
01:37You see, I think what you really are afraid of is me.
01:43Michael Caine, The Dark Knight Trilogy
02:02Born in 1933, this Oscar-winning British icon has enjoyed an extraordinarily long life and career.
02:09Caine was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000, and received a BAFTA fellowship for his five-decade career.
02:15Caine may be most recognizable to moderate audiences, however, as Bruce Wayne's loyal butler and father figure, Alfred Pennyworth, in
02:22Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.
02:24I trust you don't have me followed on my day off.
02:26If you ever took one, I might.
02:30Know your limits, Master Wayne.
02:32Batman has no limits.
02:36Well, you do, sir.
02:37Well, can't afford to know him.
02:39Then what's gonna happen on the day that you find out?
02:41His character is a military veteran, as well as a senior NCO in the SAS.
02:46His less posh take on Alfred matches the tone of Nolan's films perfectly,
02:49and he gets one of the series' most quotable lines to boot.
02:52An icon, indeed.
02:54Some men just want to watch the world burn.
02:58H.M. Wymant, Planet of the Apes franchise.
03:01However, ever since this morning, I'm beginning to wonder if they shot the right baby.
03:06The apes could have switched their baby with one stolen from a zoo.
03:09Or perhaps a circus.
03:11But surely, Mr. Governor, you can't be serious.
03:14This American actor joined the Planet of the Apes franchise relatively late,
03:18but boy, did he make an impression.
03:20Born in 1927, H.M. Wynant was involved in a number of TV's biggest shows,
03:25including Mission Impossible, Perry Mason, and The Twilight Zone.
03:29I swore I'd find him again.
03:30His brother Jerome had done.
03:33It took many years, but I did it.
03:35See, I have him in there now.
03:39So you understand now.
03:41You understand why you must not, under any circumstances, go near that door.
03:45You see how important it is that he stay locked up.
03:47On the big screen, he played the minor antagonist Inspector Hoskins in 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes,
03:54the fourth installment in the original film series.
03:56It's fitting that this remarkably long-lived actor left his mark on an equally enduring science fiction franchise.
04:02Decades later, both remain firmly embedded in pop culture history.
04:06Boy, as soon as you sign this sworn declaration, what does it say?
04:13Only what you've been telling us all along.
04:15That the circus ape is incapable of human speech, and to the best of your knowledge, he's never uttered a
04:20word.
04:21Certainly.
04:23Excellent.
04:24And now we'll check this with the authenticator, then you'll be free to go.
04:28Don Rickles, Toy Story franchise.
04:31Ages three and up.
04:32It's on my box.
04:33Ages three and up.
04:34I'm not supposed to be babysitting Princess Drool.
04:37This comedian's career is monumental for countless reasons,
04:40but he landed on this list for his hilarious voice acting performance
04:43as Mr. Potato Head in the first three Toy Story films.
04:46And in Toy Story 4, though Rickles had passed,
04:49Disney actually used his previous recordings for the character's lines
04:51as a way to honor him and his legacy within the franchise.
04:54They're about to leave!
04:56Leave me!
04:56Oh, how good is that?
04:57The panic is attacking me!
04:59Hey, watch it, buddy!
05:01What do we do?
05:01Interestingly, Rickles' birth year of 1926 also marks the year the Disney Brothers cartoon
05:07studio changed names to its current Walt Disney Studios.
05:10No matter how this animated franchise continues to evolve,
05:13folks of all ages will laugh along with Don Rickles forever through this legendary role.
05:30Harry Dean Stanton, alien franchise.
05:33What I think we should do is just freeze him.
05:35I mean, he's got a disease.
05:35Why don't we stop it where it is?
05:37You can always get to a doctor when we get back home.
05:39Right.
05:39Born in 1926, this Kentucky-born actor passed away in 2017.
05:44He left behind an enduring screen legacy, spending film and television.
05:48Franchise-wise, he played a minor role as an FBI agent in The Godfather Part II.
05:53More significantly, he played engineering technician Brett in 1979's Alien.
05:58His most memorable line, a laconic right.
06:00Whenever he says anything, you say right, Brett.
06:03You know that?
06:04Right.
06:06Parker, what do you think?
06:07Your staff just follows you around and says right.
06:10It's like a regular parrot.
06:11Yeah, shape up.
06:12What are you so kind of parrot?
06:14Right.
06:15Oh, come on, knock it off!
06:16Fun fact, Stanton won the role by telling an amused Ridley Scott that he didn't like sci-fi
06:21or monster movies.
06:22Another fun fact, at least two artists have released songs titled Harry Dean Stanton, including
06:28Pop Will Eat Itself and Ian McNabb.
06:30Clearly, Stanton's legacy lives on through film and song.
06:46Cliff Robertson, Spider-Man franchise.
06:49What do we have to talk about?
06:50Why now?
06:51Because we haven't talked at all for so long, your Aunt May and I don't even know who you
06:55are anymore.
06:55You shirk your chores, you have all those weird experiments in your room, you start fights
07:02at school.
07:02I didn't start that fight, I told you that.
07:05Well, you sure as hell finished.
07:06Oh, good old Uncle Ben.
07:08Whether you're a diehard Spider-Man fan or just any human being on this earth, you'll
07:12easily recognize Robertson in this role.
07:14It's hard to argue that any film character makes a bigger impact in the first half hour
07:18than Uncle Ben.
07:18His tragic death is the impetus behind Peter Parker's crime-fighting journey.
07:22Oh my God.
07:23Hey, stay back.
07:24Stay back.
07:24That's my uncle.
07:27What happened?
07:28Carjacker.
07:29He's been shot.
07:29Look, we just called the paramedics.
07:30They're on their way.
07:32Hey, hey.
07:32Stay back.
07:33Uncle Ben?
07:36Uncle Ben?
07:42When the first Spider-Man film hit theaters, Robertson was 78 years old and appeared in
07:46each installment of the Sam Raimi trilogy.
07:48For some context, the year he was born, the Hollywood sign was just being erected, maybe
07:53just for him.
07:54This guy, Flash Thompson, he probably deserved what happened.
07:58But just because you can beat him up, doesn't give you the right to.
08:05Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
08:10Hazel Douglas, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
08:39Born in 1923 as Hazel Smith, this English actor
08:43accumulated many film and TV credits.
08:46Some of the series in which she appeared include The IT Crowd,
08:49Sunday Night Theater, and The Liverbirds.
08:51She even worked with the aforementioned Ian McKellen as well as Derek Jacobi
08:55in the 2013 sitcom, Vicious.
08:57Now tell me, is this your birthday party?
09:00Yes, it is.
09:02No, it's not.
09:04Don't you know when my birthday is?
09:07April?
09:09Freddy, tell her when my birthday is.
09:12July?
09:14One of her final major film roles was Bathilda Bagshot in 2010's Harry Potter and the Deathly
09:19Hallows Part 1.
09:21It turns out Bathilda is already dead, with Nagini using her to lure Harry into a trap.
09:25Sadly, Douglas passed away in 2016 at age 92.
09:29Ms. Bagshot, who is this man?
09:45Sir Christopher Lee, Lord of the Rings franchise.
09:49What kind of device could bring down the wall?
09:57If the wall is breached, Helm's Deep will fall.
10:01Even if it is breached, it would take a number beyond reckoning.
10:05Thousands to storm the keep.
10:08Tens of thousands.
10:09This polyglot knighted English actor was a certified tough guy.
10:13Lee was a World War II veteran who served as an RAF intelligence officer and later assisted
10:18with efforts to trace suspected war criminals.
10:20He was also a classically trained singer and, of course, a prolific film and television actor.
10:26Specializing in grandly imposing villains, he rose to prominence playing Count Dracula in
10:30the Hammer horror films.
10:31I am glad that you have arrived safely.
10:33Count Dracula?
10:35I am Dracula, and I welcome you to my house.
10:37I must apologize for not being here to greet you personally, but I trust that you have found
10:41everything you needed.
10:43Thank you, sir.
10:44It was most thoughtful.
10:45It was the least that I could do after such a journey.
10:47In the 21st century, however, Lee is arguably best known for his legendary portrayal of Saruman
10:53The White in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
10:56That's not even counting his turn as another count, Dooku in the Star Wars films.
11:00He passed away in 2015 at age 93.
11:02Rest in power, King.
11:04Traitor.
11:06Oh no, my friend.
11:08This is a mistake, a terrible mistake.
11:10They've gone too far.
11:11This is madness.
11:12I thought you were the leader here, Dooku.
11:15This had nothing to do with me, I assure you.
11:17I will petition immediately to have you set free.
11:21Well, I hope it doesn't take too long.
11:23I have work to do.
11:24Richard Conti, The Godfather Trilogy.
11:27We're all grateful to Don Corleone for calling this meeting.
11:30We all know him as a man of his word.
11:33A modest man, he'll always listen to reason.
11:36Yes, Don Barsini.
11:38He's too modest.
11:40He had all the judges and politicians in his pocket.
11:44He refused to share them.
11:47Responsible for portraying one of the most iconic antagonists in film history,
11:51Conti's performance is not one that could easily be forgotten.
11:54That said, when you're watching The Godfather,
11:56you likely wouldn't realize that the actor playing Don Emilio Barzini
11:59was born the same year that the Mexican Revolution ensued,
12:02the first seaplane took flight,
12:04and of the first visible appearance of Halle's Comet in the 20th century.
12:07Sadly, Conti passed away only three years after the first film's release,
12:11but his legacy and memory is forever cemented through the franchise.
12:15It's not like the old days, where we can do anything we want.
12:20A refusal is not the act of a friend.
12:23If Don Corleone had all the judges and the politicians in New York,
12:27then he must share them.
12:29All it does use them.
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12:38Always on, always live.
12:40Are you not entertained?
12:43Marjorie Eaton.
12:44Star Wars Episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back.
12:47What is thy bidding, my master?
12:51There is a great disturbance in the Force.
12:55I have felt it.
12:56We have a new enemy, Luke Skywalker.
13:01When it comes to remarkably long-lived screen actors,
13:04there's one Edwardian-era performer we have to discuss.
13:07Character actress and former painter Marjorie Eaton
13:09secured a place in one of the most successful science fiction franchises of all time,
13:14Star Wars.
13:15He could destroy us.
13:18He's just a boy.
13:20Obi-Wan can no longer help him.
13:23The Force is strong with him.
13:26The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.
13:31At the age of 78,
13:32she physically portrayed Emperor Palpatine in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back,
13:37with Clyde Revel providing the voice.
13:38For the film's 2004 DVD release, though,
13:41newly filmed footage of Ian McDiarmid replaced the original hologram performance.
13:45Even so,
13:46Eaton stands as the earliest Bourne performer featured on our list.
13:49She passed away in 1986 at the age of 85.
13:52R.I.P. Queen.
14:03Who is your favorite long-lived actor to appear in a major movie franchise?
14:06Be sure to let us know in the comments.
14:08END
14:10END
14:11END
14:11END
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