December 2022
With so many losses of beloved icons in 2021 — it started with Cicely Tyson and ended with Betty White — we can sometimes forget just how many other legends we do have left.

Betty was revered, and was arguably the most well-liked, intergenerational, awarded, admired and just plain enjoyed figure in entertainment in the past 100 years. If not #1, she was among those at the top.
A passing like Betty's should encourage us to take notice of the artists we still among us, and to cherish them while they're here.
Here is an edited list of just some living icons age 80 and older, by age (and alphabetically within each age).
As you read, note: (1) I tried to pick names that won't draw blanks to people who are reasonably well-acquainted with pop culture; (2) it's okay if you don't recognize EVERY name (but tell me how many out of 300 you do!); (3) again, I do not have EVERYONE; (4) my very brief description is to jog your memory, not to minimize their CVs; and (5) the list was 300 when I posted it, but with icons dropping left and right, I'm going to reduce the number rather than swapping out names.
Marsha Hunt, 104 — Golden Age leading lady Blacklisted by McCarthy
Nehemiah Persoff, 102 — Was in Some Like It Hot
Norman Lear, 99 — Creator of classic television
Janis Paige, 99 — Stage star noted for films like Silk Stockings
Annette Warren, 99 — Singer who dubbed Ava Gardner in Show Boat (1951)
Bob Barker, 98 — The Price Is Right
Glynis Johns, 98 — Mary Poppins
Larry Storch, 98 — F-Troop
Carole Cook, 97 — A member of Lucille Ball's troupe
Joyce Randolph, 97 — Trixie on The Honeymooners
Eva Marie Saint, 97 — Oscar winner for On the Waterfront, also in North by Northwest
Lee Grant, 96 — Oscar winner for Shampoo
Bill Hayes, 96 — Days of Our Lives
Angela Lansbury, 96 — Gaslight, Murder, She Wrote, Broadway
June Lockhart, 96 — Lost in Space
Dick Van Dyke, 96 — Mary Poppins, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Tony Bennett, 95 — "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" singer, Lady Gaga duets
Mel Brooks, 95 — Blazing Saddles, The Producers
Robert Clary, 95 — Hogan's Heroes
Roger Corman, 95 — Horror director
Shecky Greene, 95 — Comic
Peter Marshall, 95 — Hollywood Squares
Irene Papas, 95 — Greek superstar
Gene Shalit, 95 — Today show film critic
Harry Belafonte, 94 — Calypso singer
Pat Carroll, 83 — Voice of Ursula in The Little Mermaid
William Daniels, 94 — St. Elsewhere, Knight Rider, Boy Meets World
Rosemary Harris, 94 — Tony winner, Aunt May in 3 Spider-Man films
Gina Lollobrigida, 94 — Italian bombshell
Estelle Parsons, 94 — Bonnie & Clyde, Roseanne, Broadway
Barbara Rush, 94 — Peyton Place
Doc Severinsen, 94 — Tonight Show
Burt Bacharach, 93 — Composer
Ann Blyth, 93 — Mildred Pierce
Ed Fury, 93 — Bodybuilder
Clu Galager, 93 — Western actor
Estelle Harris, 93 — Mrs. Costanza
Earl Holliman, 93 — Police Woman
James Ivory, 93 — Merchant-Ivory films, wrote Call Me by Your Name
Cleo Laine, 93 — Scat singer
George Maharis, 93 — Route 66
Marian Ross, 93 — Happy Days
James Hong, 92 — Big Trouble in Little China, "5, 10 minutes" on Seinfeld
Vera Miles, 92 — Psycho
Fernanda Montenegro, 92 — Oscar nominee for Central Station
Terry Moore, 92 — Mighty Joe Young, "wife" of Howard Hughes
Don Murray, 92 — Bus Stop
Bob Newhart, 92 — The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart
Joan Plowright, 92 — stage star, Laurence Olivier's widow
June Squibb, 92 — Nebraska, The Humans
Liz Sheridan, 92 — Mrs. Seinfeld
Barbara Walters, 92 — Today show, 20/20, The View
John Astin, 91 — Gomez on The Addams Family
Clint Eastwood, 91 — Dirty Harry, Oscar-winning director
Jean-Luc Godard, 91 — New Wave film director
Gene Hackman, 91 — Bonnie & Clyde, The French Connection, Lex Luthor in Superman, The Poseidon Adventure
Tippi Hedren, 91 — The Birds, Marnie
Armin Mueller-Stahl, 91 — Oscar nominee for Shine
Lois Smith, 91 — East of Eden, oldest-ever Tony winner for The Inheritance
Frances Sternhagen, 91 — Stage actress, Trey's mom on Sex and the City
Robert Wagner, 91 — '50s heartthrob, widower of Natalie Wood
Joanne Woodward, 91 — Oscar winner for The Three Faces of Eve, widow of Paul Newman
Barbara Bain, 90 — Mission: Impossible, Space: 1999
Carroll Baker, 90 — Baby Doll
Barbara Barrie, 90 — Breaking Away, Barney Miller, Suddenly Susan
Claire Bloom, 90 — Stage star, Limelight, The King's Speech
Leslie Caron, 90 — Gigi
Dabney Coleman, 90 — Mr. Hart in 9 to 5
Angie Dickinson, 90 — Police Woman, Dressed to Kill
Robert Duvall, 90 — The Godfather series, Oscar nominee for Tender Mercies
Barbara Eden, 90 — Jeannie
Mitzi Gaynor, 90 — Hoofer from South Pacific
Marla Gibbs, 90 — Florence on The Jeffersons, Mary on 227
Darryl Hickman, 90 — Leave Her to Heaven
James Earl Jones, 90 — Stage star, The Great White Hope, Claudine, Darth Vader's voice
Hal Linden, 90 — Barney Miller
Rita Moreno, 90 — Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story (both of 'em), Electric Company, The Ritz
Jaye P. Morgan, 90 — Singer, The Gong Show
Dan Rather, 90 — CBS Evening News anchor
Ronnie Schell, 90 — Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
William Shatner, 90 — Captain Kirk on Star Trek, T.J. Hooker, The Practice
Mamie Van Doren, 90 — '50s blonde bombshell
Anouk Aimée, 89 — A Man and a Woman
Ellen Burstyn, 89 — Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The Exorcist, Requiem for a Dream
Petula Clark, 89 — "Downtown" singer
Joel Grey, 89 — Oscar winner for Cabaret
Diane Ladd, 89 — Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, mother of Laura Dern
Piper Laurie, 89 — Carrie
Carol Lawrence, 89 — West Side Story
Loretta Lynn, 89 — Country singer of songs like "You Ain't Woman Enough (to Take My Man)"
Elaine May, 89 — Creative partner of Mike Nichols, director of The Heartbreak Kid, Tony winner for The Waverly Place
Nichelle Nichols, 89 — Uhura on Star Trek
Inga Swenson, 89 — Kraus on Benson
Mary Louise Wilson, 89 — One Day at a Time, star of Broadway's Grey Gardens
Carol Burnett, 88 — The Carol Burnett Show, Annie
Michael Caine, 88 — Zulu, Sleuth, Educating Rita, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Joan Collins, 88 — Alexis on Dynasty
Pat Crowley, 88 — Mom on Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Barbara Feldon, 88 — Agent 99 on Get Smart
Cissy Houston, 88 — Singer, mom of Whitney Houston
Quincy Jones, 88 — Prolific producer, worked with Michael Jackson on Thriller
Jackie Joseph, 88 — The first Little Shop of Horrors, The Doris Day Show
Bernie Kopell, 88 — Doc on The Love Boat
Wink Martindale, 88 — Game show host
David McCallum, 88 — The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Willie Nelson, 88 — "On the Road Again" country singer, pot enthuasiast
Julie Newmar, 88 — One of TV's Catwomen
Kim Novak, 88 — Vertigo
Yoko Ono, 88 — Experimental musician and artist, John Lennon's widow
Charles Osgood, 88 — Retired newsman
Chita Rivera, 88 — West Side Story (on Broadway), stage star
Sylvia Sims, 88 — '50s British actress, Victim
Tom Skerritt, 88 — Picket Fences
Renée Taylor, 88 — Sylvia Fine on The Nanny, widow of Joseph Bologna
Alan Arkin, 87 — Oscar winner for Little Miss Sunshine, The Kominsky Method
Brigitte Bardot, 87 — French actress, one of the most prominent sex symbols of all time
Pat Boone, 87 — Goody two-shoes rocker
George Chakiris, 87 — Oscar winner for West Side Story
Richard Chamberlain, 87 — Dr. Kildare, The Thorn Birds
Judi Dench, 87 — Cabaret (West End), Oscar winner for Shakespeare in Love, M in several Bond flicks
Jamie Farr, 87 — Klinger on M*A*S*H
Louise Fletcher, 87 — Nurse Ratchet in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Barry Humphries, 87 — Dame Edna
Shirley Jones, 87 — The Music Man, Oscar winner for Elmer Gantry, The Partridge Family
Sophia Loren, 87 — Oscar winner for Two Women, Marriage Italian Style, one living woman on AFI's Greatest Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema List
Tina Louise, 87 — Ginger on Gilligan's Island, The Stepford Wives
Laurence Luckinbill, 87 — The Boys in the Band, married to Lucie Arnaz
Shirley MacLaine, 87 — The Apartment, Irma La Douce, Oscar winner for Terms of Endearment, sister of Warren Beatty
Sally Jessy Raphael, 87 — Talk show host
Maggie Smith, 87 — Oscar winner for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, California Suite, Downtown Abbey
Russ Tamblyn, 87 — West Side Story
Frankie Valli, 87 — Four Seasons lead singer
Herb Alpert, 86 — Tijuana Brass band leader
Julie Andrews, 86 — Oscar winner for Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Victor/Victoria, The Princess Diaries
Alain Delon, 86 — French New Wave actor, Purple Noon
Phil Donahue — Talk show host
Judd Hirsh, 86 — Taxi
Steve Lawrence, 86 — Singer with late wife Eydie Gormé
Ruta Lee, 86 — Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Twilight Zone, Roseanne
Jerry Lee Lewis, 86 —Early rocker
Johnny Mathis, 86 — The king of romantic music
Lee Meriwether, 86 — Miss America, one of TV's Catwomen, Barnaby Jones
Donald Sutherland, 86 — Don't Look Now, Animal House, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Hunger Games
Bobby Vinton, 86 — "Beer Barrel Polka" singer
M. Emmet Walsh, 86 — Blade Runner, Blood Simple
Alan Alda, 85 — Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H
Ursula Andress, 85 — Dr. No
Warren Beatty, 85 — Bonnie & Clyde, Shampoo, Reds, Dick Tracy legendary lothario married to Annette Bening
Ruth Buzzi, 85 – Laugh-In
Dick Cavett, 85 — Talk show host
James Darren, 85 — Gidget, The Guns of Navarone
Bruce Dern, 85 — Coming Home, Family Plot, Nebraska, father of Laura Dern
Keir Dullea, 85 — 2001: A Space Odyssey
Nancy Dussault, 85 — Too Close for Comfort
Hector Elizondo, 85 — Pretty Woman, Chicago Hope
Anita Gillette, 85 — Singer, Liz Lemon's mom on 30 Rock
Mark Goddard, 85 — Lost in Space
Louis Gossett Jr., 85 — Oscar winner for An Officer and a Gentleman
Engelbert Humperdinck, 85 — Hunky singer
Glenda Jackson, 85 — Oscar winner for both A Touch of Class and Women in Love, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Tony winner, Labour MP
Walter Koenig, 85 — Chekov on Star Trek
Kris Kristofferson, 85 — Country singer
Pat Priest, 85 — Cousin Marilyn on The Munsters
Robert Redford, 85 — One of the most prominent male sex symbols of all time, Barefoot in the Park, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Way We Were, Oscar-winning director of Ordinary People, founder of Sundance,
Shirley Bassey, 84 — Singer of three James Bond themes
Joyce Bulifant, 84 — Mary Tyler Moore actress, Match Game contestant
Dyan Cannon, 84 — Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, ex-wife of Cary Grant
Elinor Donahue, 84 — Father Knows Best
Roberta Flack, 84 — "Killing Me Softly" singer
Jane Fonda, 84 — Barbarella, Oscar winner for both Klute and Coming Home, On Golden Pond, 9 to 5, Grace and Frankie, daughter of Henry Fonda, liberal political activist
Morgan Freeman, 84 — Famed voice, The Electric Company, The Shawshank Redemption
Philip Glass, 84 — Composer
Dustin Hoffman, 84 — The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Tootsie, Oscar winner for Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man
Polly Holliday, 84 — Flo on Alice
Anthony Hopkins, 84 — Oscar winner for The Silence of the Lambs and The Father
Salley Kellerman, 84 — Hot Lips Houlihan in M*A*S*H (movie)
Frank Langella, 84 — Dracula, Frost/Nixon
Linda Lavin, 84 — Alice on Alice
Garrett Morris, 84 — SNL cast member
Jack Nicholson, 84 — Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Chinatown, The Shining, A Few Good Men, As Good as It Gets, winner of three Oscars
Margaret O’Brien, 84 — '40s child star
Vanessa Redgrave, 84 — Stage star, Oscar winner for Julia, liberal political activist, wife of Franco Nero, mother of Natasha Richardson
Tommy Smothers, 84 — Brother of Dick Smothers, star of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Loretta Swit, 84 — Hot Lips Houlihan on M*A*S*H (TV)
George Takei, 84 — Sulu on Star Trek
Marlo Thomas, 84 — That Girl, Rachel's mom on Friends, daughter of Danny Thomas
Billy Dee Williams, 84 — Lady Sings the Blues, Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars films
Jo Anne Worley, 84 — Laugh-In
Diane Baker, 83 — Journey to the Center of the Earth, Strait-Jacket
Richard Benjamin, 83 — Westworld, comedy director married to Paula Prentiss
John Byner, 83 — Comic actor and impressionist
Claudia Cardinale, 83 — Italian bombshell, The Pink Panther
Tommy Chong, 83 — One half of Cheech & Chong
Ronny Cox, 83 — Deliverance, RoboCop, Total Recall
Ron Ely, 83 — TV Tarzan
Elliott Gould, 83 — Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, M*A*S*H (movie), Ross & Monica's dad on Friends, father of Barbra Streisand's son Jason Gould
Dolores Hart, 83 — Elvis-movie star who left Hollywood to become a nun
Derek Jacobi, 83 — British stage star, Gosford Park, The King's Speech
Gordon Lightfoot, 83 — "Sundown," "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" singer
Rich Little, 83 — Celebrity impressionist
Christopher Lloyd, 83 — Rev. Jim on Taxi, Doc Brown in the Back to the Future movies
Darlene Love, 83 — The Queen of Christmas, she sang lead on "He's a Rebel"
Diana Muldaur, 83 — L.A. Law, Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Paula Prentiss, 83 — The Stepford Wives, married to Richard Benjamin
Rex Reed, 83 — Myra Breckinridge, film critic
Lucille Soong, 83 — Fresh Off the Boat
Terence Stamp, 83 — Billy Budd; The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; Zod in Superman
Connie Stevens, 83 — Singer, Hawaiian Eye, Scorchy, mother of Joely Fisher, ex-wife of Eddie Fisher
Stella Stevens, 83 — The Poseidon Adventure, mother of Andrew Stevens
Liv Ullman, 83 — Ingmar Bergman star
Jon Voight, 83 — Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance, Ray Donovan, conservative activist, father of Angelina Jolie
Fred Williamson, 83 — NFL player, Blaxploitation star
F. Murray Abraham, 82 — Oscar winner for Amadeus
Jane Alexander — Stage star, All the President's Men, Kramer vs. Kramer
John Amos, 82 — Good Times, Mary Tyler Moore
Elizabeth Ashley, 82 — Stage star, Evening Shade
John Cleese, 82 — Monty Python veteran
Judy Collins, 82 — Folk singer
William Devane, 82 — Knots Landing
Melinda Dillon, 82 — Close Encounters of the Third Kind, A Christmas Story
Francis Ford Coppola, 82 — Filmmaker behind the The Godfather series
Samantha Eggar, 82 — The Collector, Doctor Dolittle
Susan Flannery, 82 — Days of Our Lives, The Towering Inferno
Mike Farrell, 82 — B.J. Hunnicutt on M*A*S*H (TV)
George Hamilton, 82 — Perpetually tanned star of Love at First Bite, Zorro the Gay Blade
Paul Hogan, 82 — Crocodile Dundee
Harvey Keitel, 82 — Mean Streets, The Bad Lieutenant, The Piano
Terry Kiser, 82 — Bernie of Weekend at Bernie's
Nancy Kwan, 82 — The World of Suzie Wong, Flower Drum Song
Louise Lasser, 82 — Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
George Lazenby, 82 — James Bond
Michael Learned, 82 — The Waltons, Nurse
Lee Majors, 82 — The Big Valley, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Fall Guy, ex-husband of Farrah Fawcett
Ali McGraw, 82 — Love Story
Ian McKellen, 82 — Gandalf
Maury Povich, 82 — Talk show host, married to Connie Chung
Tony Roberts, 82 — In six Woody Allen movies, including Annie Hall
Neil Sedaka, 82 — "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" singer-songwriter
Grace Slick, 82 — Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship and Starship vocalist
Dick Smothers, 82 — Brother of Tommy Smothers, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Paul Sorvino, 82 — Goodfellas, father of Mira Sorvino
Lily Tomlin, 82 — Laugh-In, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, 9 to 5, Grace and Frankie
Tommy Tune, 82 — Broadway star
Tina Turner, 82 — Rock legend, Auntie Entity in Tommy, "What's Love Got to Do with It?" singer and subject of biopic of the same name
Brenda Vaccaro, 82 — Midnight Cowboy, Once Is Not Enough, Golden Girls, tampon commercials
Frankie Avalon, 81 — Beach-movie staple
James Brolin, 81 — Westworld, Hotel, married to Barbra Streisand
James Caan, 81 — The Godfather, Thief
Julie Christie, 81 — Doctor Zhivago, Don't Look Now, Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait, Afterglow
Pauline Collins, 81 — Shirley Valentine
James Cromwell, 81 — Babe, Succession
Brian De Palma, 81 — Director of Carrie, Dressed to Kill, The Untouchables
Sharon Farrell, 81 — It's Alive, Can't Buy Me Love, Night of the Comet
Linda Gray, 81 — Sue Ellen on Dallas
Herbie Hancock, 81 — "Rockit" musician
Mariette Hartley, 81 — The Incredible Hulk (TV), Kodak commercials with James Garner
Dan Hedaya, 81 — Blood Simple, Nick Tortelli on Cheers, The First Wives Club
Tom Jones, 81 — Sexy singer of "It's Not Unusual," "What's New Pussycat," "Kiss"
Donna Mills, 81 — Knots Landing
Giorgio Moroder, 81 — Disco producer
Chuck Norris, 81 — Martial arts actor
Al Pacino, 81 — The Godfather series, Dog Day Afternoon; Oscar winner for Scent of a Woman; The Irishman, House of Gucci
Cliff Richard, 81 — British Elvis
Smokey Robinson, 81 — Motown legend
Jill St. John, 81 — Bond Girl, married to Robert Wagner
Martin Sheen, 81 — Apocalypse Now, The West Wing, father of Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen
Nancy Sinatra, 81 — "These Boots Are Made for Walking" singer, daughter of Frank Sinatra
Elke Sommer, 81 — Pink Panther sequel A Shot in the Dark sex kitten, embroiled in lawsuit with Zsa Zsa Gabor
Ringo Starr, 81 — Beatles drummer
Patrick Stewart, 81 — Stage star, Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, voice on American Dad!
Toni Tennille, 81 — The Captain and Tennille singer
Daniel J. Travanti, 81 — Hill Street Blues
Dionne Warwick, 81 — Prolific singer of hits like "Do You Know the Way to San José?," "That's What Friends Are For," "Heartbreaker," Twitter sensation, gatherer of hussy numbers
Sam Waterston, 81 — The Killing Fields, Law & Order, Grace and Frankie
Raquel Welch, 81 — Arguably the #1 female sex symbol of the past 60 years, One Million Years B.C., Myra Breckinridge, Seinfeld
Paul Anka, 80 — Singer-songwriter famous for songs like "Diana," "(You're) Having My Baby," "She's a Lady'
Ann-Margret, 80 — Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, Carnal Knowledge, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Tommy, Grumpy Old Men series, Vegas
Joan Baez, 80 — Protest/folk singer
Beau Bridges, 80 — The Fabulous Baker Boys, son of Lloyd Bridges, brother of Jeff Bridges
David Crosby, 80 — Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young singer
John Davidson, 80 — Singer, That's Incredible host
Neil Diamond, 80 — Singer of hits like "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "America," "Heartlight"
Faye Dunaway, 80 — Bonnie & Clyde, Chinatown; Oscar winner for Network; Mommie Dearest, announced wrong Best Picture winner at Oscars
Bob Dylan, 80 — "Blowin' in the Wind" singer/poet
Art Garfunkel, 80 — One half of Simon & Garfunkel, singers of "The Sound of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson," "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Stacy Keach, 80 — Mike Hammer
Sally Kirkland, 80 — Oscar nominee for Anna
Miriam Margolyes, 80 — Outspoken chat show guest, The Age of Innocence
Sarah Miles, 80 — English actress in Blowup (1966), Ryan's Daughter (1970)
Juliet Mills, 80 — Nanny and the Professor, married to Maxwell Caulfield
Franco Nero, 80 — Django, Force 10 from Navarone, married to Vanessa Redgrave
Aaron Neville, 80 — "Don't Know Much" singer
Nick Nolte, 80 — Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Prince of Tides
Ryan O‘Neal, 80 — Love Story, Barry Lyndon, Paper Moon, father of Tatum O'Neal
Paul Simon — One half of Simon & Garfunkel, singers of "The Sound of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," solo singer of "You Can Call Me Al, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," world musician
Martha Stewart, 80 — Self-styled lifestyle guru
Have met and had long chats with Sylvia Sums and Glenda Jackson.
Love Richard Benjamin persona and hold original recording of Elaine May on Perry Como show (with her late and lamented partner Mike Nichols)
Also saw Sally Ann Howes on stage in Summer Song at Manchester (UK)
Opera House in 1956!
Wow, that is wonderful! Great experiences.
You missed Norman Lear 99 years old.
Born on July 27, 1922
Created classic shows like All in the Family, The Jefferson’s, Maude, Good Times, and more.
Well, it’s an edited list … but you’re right, he’s too big not to have added! So I added. 🙂 Thank you!
Wow.
So many . . . . so old.