Once upon a time in Hollywood, films featuring senior actors as main characters or elderly actors playing lead roles were considered “box office poison”.
That was until seniors-led films such as Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Grumpy Old Men (1993) became unexpected global box office hits.
The former also won four Academy Awards including Best Actress for Jessica Tandy who at 80 became (and remained) the oldest actress to win a Best Actress Oscar, while the latter revived the careers of ’60s stars Walter Matteau (then 73), Jack Lemmon (then 68) and Ann-Margret (then 61).
Asia too has its fair share of critically acclaimed films featuring elderly characters.
These include Ann Hui’s heart-wrenching Summer Snow (1995), which has Josephine Siao playing a long-suffering caregiver to her dementia-ridden father-in-law (Roy Chiao, then 67) and South Korea’s charming The Way Home (2002), which sees an insufferable 7-year-old city lad learning life lessons from his mute rural village grandmother (first-time actress Kim Eul-boon, then 78).
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In the new millennium, many established actors continue to act their socks off in their golden years.
In 2011, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel — a delightful British comedy boasting leading actors aged between 60 to 80 including Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith — was a sleeper box office hit which, despite its aging main cast, garnered an equally successful sequel with 2015’s The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Some veteran actors even made successful transitions into television as demonstrated by Steve Martin (now 79), Martin Short (74) and Meryl Streep (75) in the hilarious mystery series, Only Murders In The Building (2021-present).
As Michelle Yeoh, who was 60 when she won Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards for her role in the multiverse drama, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), said in her acceptance speech: “Ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime!”
Shows with senior actors
Here are some recent standout seniors-led shows worth watching/bingeing:
- How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024, Netflix)
Credit: Netflix
A young good-for-nothing (Putthipong Assaratanakul) schemes his way to earn favour from his dying grandmother (newcomer Usha Seamkhum, then 77) in hope of inheriting her fortune.
Thailand’s most successful film of 2024 and the first Thai film to make it to the Academy Awards’ 15-film shortlist for Best International Feature Film for 2025, this Asian tearjerker took the world by storm, grossing US$73.8 million (S$101.1m) worldwide.
Besides the leads’ heartfelt performances, the film resonates with audiences with its honest portrayal of dealing with family, death and financial matters. If you did not watch this at the cinemas, watch it on Netflix. Prepare tissues.
- Nyad (2023, Netflix)
Credit: Netflix
At 60, marathon swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening, then 65) aims to complete her lifelong ambition to swim 110 miles from Cuba to Florida, appointing her former partner Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster, then 61) to train her.
Based on a true story, Bening and Foster each garnered their fifth Oscar nomination for their captivating performances in this uplifting biopic.
Last Oscar-nominated for 2010’s The Kids Are All Right, the ever-radiant Bening hardly used a stunt double for the swimming scenes, while two-time Oscar winner Foster proved she is just as riveting on the small screen after winning her first Emmy for 2024’s True Detective: Night Country.
- The Miracle Club (2023, Netflix)
Credit: Netflix
Set in 1967 Ireland, two elderly women (Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates) set off on an adventure to Lourdes along with two younger women (Laura Linney and Agnes O’Casey), each hoping for personal miracles to happen.
Though the premise is clinched and predictable, this film is still a delight and chuckle-worthy thanks to the Oscar-calibre trio of Smith (in her last film), Bates and Linney.
Smith and Bates’ one-liner barbs and quips — akin to their iconic sharp-tongued characters in Downton Abbey (2010-2015) and Titanic (1997) respectively — make this charming little film worth watching alone.
- Nai Nai & Wai Po (2023, Disney+)
Credit: Disney+
This documentary is Taiwanese-American filmmaker Sean Wang’s personal love letter to his Nai Nai (Chinese for paternal grandmother) Yi Yan Fuei, then 94, and his Wai Po (Chinese for maternal grandmother) Chang Li Hua, then 83.
Shot in their Californian home during the pandemic, Wang films the two lively Taiwanese immigrants as they go about their daily lives — from waking up in their shared bed to chatting, dancing and everything else in between. Their affection for each other is undeniable as is their cackling humour.
Nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the 2024 Academy Awards, the film offers insights on how one can grow old gracefully and happily.
- Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (2022, Netflix)
Credit: Netflix
Set in 1950s London, a widowed cleaning lady (Lesley Manville, then 66) goes to Paris determined to purchase the Christian Dior gown of her dreams, charming a few elite people along the way.
Seasoned British actress Manville never failed to shine in supporting roles, from her Oscar-nominated part in Phantom Thread (2017) to her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Princess Margaret in The Crown (2016-2023). In this rare leading role, she steals hearts with her sprightly performance as a woman determined to achieve a life goal.
Worth watching also for the film’s costume design, especially the stunning Christian Dior gowns from the 50s.
- The Father (2020, Apple TV+)
Credit: Apple TV+
An octogenarian (Sir Anthony Hopkins) with dementia loses his grip on reality when his caregiver daughter (Olivia Colman) decides to start a new life in Paris.
From his Oscar-winning performance in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) to The Two Popes (2019), Hopkins has steadfastly mesmerised audiences with his stirring performances and in The Father, his devastating portrayal of an aging man slowly losing his mind is no exception.
Nominated for six Oscars including Best Film and Supporting Actress for Colman, this heartrending drama won Hopkins his second Best Actor Oscar, making him the oldest winning actor at age 83.
Golden Oldies On the Small Screen
- A Man On The Inside (2024-present/Netflix)
Credit: Netflix
A retired widower-turned-amateur-private-investigator (Ted Danson) goes undercover at a swanky retirement home to find a jewel thief, only to unearth an unexpected new lease of life.
Known for his iconic roles in Cheers (1982-1993), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2011-2015) and The Good Place (2016-2020), Danson, 77, is one of those actors whose acting just gets more refined with age, whether it is in comedy or drama.
Based on Chilean documentary The Mole Agent (2020), A Man On The Inside was much acclaimed upon launch and has been renewed for a second season.
- Matlock (2024-present/Hits Now)
Credit: Hits Now
Under the guise of needy widowed lawyer Matty Matlock, Madeline Kingston (Kathy Bates) joins the law firm that she believes withheld evidence that could have saved her daughter’s life.
Using “elderly lady” charm, wit and tricks to solve cases, Oscar and Emmy winner Bates (Misery, American Horror Story), 76, made this gender-flipped reboot of the Andy Griffith-starrer Matlock (1986-1995) a surprising hit.
The Golden Globe nominee — who also made news for shedding 100 lbs (36kg) due to diet and lifestyle changes after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2017 — also nabbed 2025 SAG Award nominations for Matlock, as well as for her role in the TV movie, The Great Lillian Hall (2024).
The 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards will take place on 23 February 2025, while the 97th Academy Awards is on 2 March 2025.** (US Time)
Note: Due to contractual terms, some of the above shows may not be currently available on the streaming platforms indicated.
