1. After five years of small uncredited roles and four years as a professional carpenter, Harrison Ford was 34 when he finally starred in Star Wars.
2. Alan Rickman was 42 years old when he made his cinematic debut as the villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard.
3. Jeremy Renner was 31 when he landed his first lead role in the independent film Dahmer.
4. Kristen Wiig was 32 when she was cast on SNL.
5. And Leslie Jones wasn't cast on the show until she was 47.
6. Bryan Cranston played several odd acting parts until he was 44 years old when he got the role of Hal on Malcolm in the Middle.
7. Ty Burrell didn't land his role as Phil Dunphy until he was 41.
8. Ken Jeong didn't get his breakout role as Mr. Chow in The Hangover until he was 40.
9. Samuel L. Jackson was 46 when he took on his role of Jules Winnifield in Pulp Fiction.
10. Ted Danson was 35 when he was hired to portray Sam Malone on Cheers.
11. Melissa McCarthy was 30 years old when she starred as Sookie St. James in Gilmore Girls.
12. Kathy Bates was 42 when she portrayed the crazed nurse Annie Wilkes opposite James Caan in Misery.
13. Julia Child didn't start cooking until she was 36.
14. J.K. Rowling was 32 when she got her first Harry Potter book on shelves.
15. Gene Hackman got his career breakthrough at 37 when he was cast as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde.
16. And Ang Lee was 37 when he made his directorial debut in Pushing Hands. He's gone on to win two Oscars, two Golden Globes, and four BAFTA awards for his directing.
