Some say that the key to success is never giving up, and these stars are proof. Instead of giving up when they still hadn’t seen success by the age of 30, these stars persisted and it paid off big time. Here are some African Americans who became successful later in life.
Oprah
It may feel like Oprah has been on the air since she was a kid but in fact, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” first premiered when Oprah was 32 years old. Even then it took several years to gain popularity.
Samuel Jackson was still working as a social worker very close to the time he had his breakthrough acting role in the movie “Pulp Fiction.” At that point, the actor was 45 years old.
Freeman has acted since childhood, but he was nearly 40 when he became a household name, through his roles in “Another World” and “The Electric Company.”
Somehow this handsome face didn’t earn much recognition until Norm Lewis landed a role in the Broadway production of “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” in 2011. Shortly after he was nominated for a Tony Award. Lewis is 50.
Rashad had an on-again, off-again career on Broadway, but it was her role as the lovable Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” that finally earned her fame, at which point the actress was 35 years old.
Foreman had recognition as a fighter in the ’70s when he fought Muhammed Ali, but he became even more famous when he emerged from retirement at age of 45 to become the oldest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing.
Leakes got a big break when she was chosen as one of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Following that she had some appearances on “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Celebrity Apprentice.” But it wasn’t until her mid-40s that Leakes landed her recurring roles on “Glee” and “The New Normal.”
Goldberg was a mortician (that’s right—she put make up on dead people!) before she landed her breakthrough role in the movie “The Color Purple” in 1985. She was in her 30s at the time.
Sidney Poitier took on several theater and movie roles before he finally was nominated for best actor in his role in “The Defiant Ones,” at which point the actor was in his 30s.
Davis appeared in several well known films and shows including “Eat Pray Love” and “The United States of Tara” but it wasn’t until her role in “The Help” that she became a well known actress. When “The Help” was released Davis was in her mid forties.