At what age is a star over the hill?

[Icabod512]

Actors like Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, etc. . . .are over 50, and pushing for more. . . .are they getting over the hill, and is there disparity between the male and female age difference?

How many older female actresses are there? Diane Lane, Meryl Steep, . . .?

At what age should a career plausibly be over?

[Funk-Monkey]

i think it depends on the actor/actress cause if they are talented they could just play 'older' roles....deniro is a good example. al pacino too. there old as hell now and been doin it since their 20's. i dont see any sign of their careers being over anytime soon. with females it seems kinda different, seems like most of them are judged on their looks more than their talent. they can be talented all day long, but let them gain weight or have some other vanity issue...its a wrap.

[RustyRazor]

When you have to.....LINE?
be consistently reminded of your dialogue because you....LINE?!
can't remember your pert.
It says pert!
I'm not blind, damnit! No I don't need glasses!
Pert! Right there, you whipper snapper mother f*&^er!

End scene.

That's when you're over the hill.
Fifty is the new twenty!:D

[bluesbrother965]

I think you're over the hill if you're attempting to act in roles that are suited to a much younger person. Therfore, it's possible to NEVER go over the hill, if you look at what you're doing realistically and think about how old you are. An example of an actor who never went over the hill: Paul Newman. Once he got older, he quit the Butch Cassidy/Cool Hand Luke stuff and started doing roles that corresponded better with his age, i.e. the Verdict, Road to Perdition, the Color of Money, etc. I can't think of an actor who really is over the hill off the top of my head, but I know they're out there.

[Lynn7]

I htink the stars that built their careers as leading men or women in romantic roles are much more vulnerable to be over the hill. HArrison Ford stayed on a little too long when he played the romantic lead in the Anne Heche movie and everyone was criticizing his casting- and he was also criticized for being the romantic lead in SAbrina.

For a while it seemed like Meg Ryan would be forever in these cutsie romantic roles but how can she ( at 45) compete against the Kate Hudsons or Rachel McAdams?

I really admire people like Bruce Willis who are not afraid to take a supporting role in a good movie. He will never be over the hill, IMO. I agree that the actor has to make some realistic assessments of where they are in age and what roles are appropriate. I dont'care how many face lifts someone has, they can never compete wtih true youth. The skin of youth can not be copied- it is a once in a lifetime joy- enjoy it while you have it and then move on to your new age group.