“Respect your Elders,” was a blurb on the People page of the Miami Herald recently. It said:
Here are 10 TV performers, all 65 or older, who did some of the best work of their careers this past season.
Kathy Bates, 65: Delphine LaLaurie in American Horror Story, a 19th century slave killer who is cursed with eternal life and buried alive. Lots of fun at parties.
Beau Bridges, 72: Barton Scully in Masters of Sex, a closeted provost who is anything but a
sexual master.
Charles Dance, 67: Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones, the politically savvy lord who just got the world’s worst Father’s Day gift from his son.
Danny DeVito, 69: Frank Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a schemer who always finds new ways to prove that he’s bonkers.
Jane Fonda, 76: Leona Lansing in The Newsroom, a media mogul who would make an awfully nice match for Ted Turner.
Charles Grodin, 79: Dr. Bigelow, the no-nonsense doctor in Louie who believes sarcasm is the best medicine.
Robert Morse, 83: Bertram “Bert” Cooper in Mad Men, the senior partner at Sterling Cooper who showed us how to succeed in business without really trying.
Ed O’Neill, 68: Jay Pritchett, the beleaguered patriarch of Modern Family, who still hasn’t got a handle on being married with children.
Maggie Smith, 79: Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey. Also known as the Don Rickles of pre-WWII England.
Jon Voight, 75: Mickey Donovan, the short-tempered father in Ray Donovan whose 20 years in prison taught him more about revenge than rehabilitation.
Besides being shocked at their ages, as this Grandma thinks everyone is younger than they are, I was shocked that there were only ten names on the list.
Every morning, Grandpa mentions the ages of stars listed on the People page and notes
how many of them are in their 60’s, 70’s, etc. I remember being a teenager and thinking they were so much older than me. Now that I pay attention to age, I see they are mostly my contemporaries. Jane Fonda is my idol. She looks good. She sounds good. She has matured gracefully and successfully and acknowledges her wild past with grace. No way would I ever think she is 76 years old!
Of course, those of us with long (we never say old) years know that we are better now than we were when we are younger. We have made the mistakes, and hopefully learned from them. What is disturbing is that the stars above are called “elders.” What is an “elder” in 2014?
I will take the wisdom, but I do not want the years or the label. I know that I also am doing my best work professionally. Think about it in your careers. We have the battle scars from a lifetime of work and life experience.
What is heartening about the ages above is that the performers are still vibrant in their late
70’s and 80’s and recognized for their skill. Movie and TV stars are our royalty. This Grandma can only hope that the respect and recognition that these “elders” are receiving trickles down to we mere mortals.
We Boomers are ready, willing, and able to continue as vibrant members of our society. I can only hope “elder” in the real world, not the world of movie and TV stars, is no longer synonymous with “put out to pasture.”
Joy,
Mema
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