Photo:Eddie Mullholland-WPA Pool/Getty; Earl Gibson III/Getty; NBC/getty
Eddie Mullholland-WPA Pool/Getty; Earl Gibson III/Getty; NBC/getty
Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday on Oct. 1, making himthe longest-living presidentand adding yet another achievement to his remarkable resume.
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Carter and his wife of more than 70 years, Rosalynn, both entered hospice in early 2023. Rosalynn died in December of that year, but Carter, though physically limited, has lived for 19 months since beginning hospice care; “I think this has been a really meaningful time for him, and it’s been a really reflective time for him,“his grandson Jason told PEOPLE.
Jason also shared that Carter has one last goal to accomplish in his lifetime: the former president recently stated, “I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,” per theAtlanta Journal-Constitution.
02of 10Eva Marie SaintEarl Gibson III/GettyAcademy Award winnerEva Marie Saint had big plans for her milestone celebration in July 2024, she told PEOPLE: “I’m looking forward to spending my 100th birthday in Los Angeles with my dear, dear family. Four generations of family members will be gathering together from Los Angeles, Chicago, Santa Barbara and San Francisco.“She also shared that, though retired from acting, she maintains a full and busy life. “I certainly don’t feel 100 years old,” the actress said. “I continue to take walks out in the fresh air, like watching baseball — especially the Los Angeles Dodgers, and enjoy time with my family and friends. A good life.”
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Academy Award winnerEva Marie Saint had big plans for her milestone celebration in July 2024, she told PEOPLE: “I’m looking forward to spending my 100th birthday in Los Angeles with my dear, dear family. Four generations of family members will be gathering together from Los Angeles, Chicago, Santa Barbara and San Francisco.”
She also shared that, though retired from acting, she maintains a full and busy life. “I certainly don’t feel 100 years old,” the actress said. “I continue to take walks out in the fresh air, like watching baseball — especially the Los Angeles Dodgers, and enjoy time with my family and friends. A good life.”
03of 10Bob HopeBarbara Alper/GettyBob Hope was a legendary comedian, renowned for his USO performances andrecord-setting Oscar hosting tenure, who made it his 100th birthday in May 2003 before dying two months later.“He was determined to do that,“his daughter told Page Six of her strong-willed father making it to that impressive number. “His grandfather lived to be just short of 100 so Dad’s goal was always to beat his grandpa. I think it kept him alive towards the end.”
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Barbara Alper/Getty
Bob Hope was a legendary comedian, renowned for his USO performances andrecord-setting Oscar hosting tenure, who made it his 100th birthday in May 2003 before dying two months later.
“He was determined to do that,“his daughter told Page Six of her strong-willed father making it to that impressive number. “His grandfather lived to be just short of 100 so Dad’s goal was always to beat his grandpa. I think it kept him alive towards the end.”
04of 10Gloria StuartMartin Mills/GettyActress Gloria Stuart had a long film and television career that began in the 1930s, but she had a phenomenal late-in-life moment in the spotlight when she starred as Old Rose in 1997’sTitanic,for which she earned an Oscar nomination that made her, at 87, the oldest-ever acting nominee.She worked into her 90s before retiring in 2004; she died in 2010 at age 100 from respiratory failure.
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Martin Mills/Getty
Actress Gloria Stuart had a long film and television career that began in the 1930s, but she had a phenomenal late-in-life moment in the spotlight when she starred as Old Rose in 1997’sTitanic,for which she earned an Oscar nomination that made her, at 87, the oldest-ever acting nominee.
She worked into her 90s before retiring in 2004; she died in 2010 at age 100 from respiratory failure.
05of 10George BurnsRon Galella Collection via GettyAnother legendary comedian with incredible longevity, George Burns was born in January 1896 and worked right up until the end, publishing a book called100 Years, 100 Stories —and even planning three sold-out nights at Caesar’s Palace for the occasion, though he had to cancel because of the flu. He died in March 1996, several months after reaching the milestone.“As this big day came closer and closer, people kept asking me what I would like for my 100th birthday. What do you give a man who’s been so blessed? Another 100 years? A night with Sharon Stone?‘‘he joked in a statement to well-wishers at the time.
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Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Another legendary comedian with incredible longevity, George Burns was born in January 1896 and worked right up until the end, publishing a book called100 Years, 100 Stories —and even planning three sold-out nights at Caesar’s Palace for the occasion, though he had to cancel because of the flu. He died in March 1996, several months after reaching the milestone.
“As this big day came closer and closer, people kept asking me what I would like for my 100th birthday. What do you give a man who’s been so blessed? Another 100 years? A night with Sharon Stone?‘‘he joked in a statement to well-wishers at the time.
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Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, also named Elizabeth and affectionately referred to as “the Queen Mum,“watched throngs of celebrants turn out in her honor on August 4, 2000, as she waved from Buckingham Palace.
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08of 10Glynis JohnsKevin Winter/GettyGlynis Johns,who died in January 2024 at the age of 100, was one of the most iconic actresses of the 1960s, for her indelible roles as Mrs. Banks inMary Poppinsand her Academy Award-nominated performance inThe Sundowners.She also won a Tony forA Little Night Musicin 1973.For her 100th birthday in October 2023, Johns told her local ABC affiliate, “It doesn’t make any difference to me. Well, I looked very good for every age.”
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Kevin Winter/Getty
Glynis Johns,who died in January 2024 at the age of 100, was one of the most iconic actresses of the 1960s, for her indelible roles as Mrs. Banks inMary Poppinsand her Academy Award-nominated performance inThe Sundowners.She also won a Tony forA Little Night Musicin 1973.
For her 100th birthday in October 2023, Johns told her local ABC affiliate, “It doesn’t make any difference to me. Well, I looked very good for every age.”
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“He got what he came for,” Douglas’s rep joked to PEOPLE. “He enjoyed it indeed, and then he zipped out. Twenty minutes later, he was tucked into bed.”
10of 10Norman LearNBC/GettyOne of the most influential figures in television,who worked right up until his death at 101 in December 2023, Norman Lear was responsible for groundbreaking sitcoms includingAll in the FamilyandGood Times.Though he was far more than just a comedian, working to protect First Amendment and voting rights and engaging in other activism, he was funny up until the end as well.“It’s Norman Lear here, dribbling a bit because he’s entering his second childhood,” theOne Day at a Timecreator joked inan Instagram videoaround his 101st birthday in July 2023. “I’ve just turned 101, and that is, they tell me, my second childhood. It feels like that because of the kind of care I’m getting. I get the kind of care at this age that I see children getting, toddlers getting. And so I am now a 101-year-old toddler.”
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NBC/Getty
One of the most influential figures in television,who worked right up until his death at 101 in December 2023, Norman Lear was responsible for groundbreaking sitcoms includingAll in the FamilyandGood Times.Though he was far more than just a comedian, working to protect First Amendment and voting rights and engaging in other activism, he was funny up until the end as well.
“It’s Norman Lear here, dribbling a bit because he’s entering his second childhood,” theOne Day at a Timecreator joked inan Instagram videoaround his 101st birthday in July 2023. “I’ve just turned 101, and that is, they tell me, my second childhood. It feels like that because of the kind of care I’m getting. I get the kind of care at this age that I see children getting, toddlers getting. And so I am now a 101-year-old toddler.”
source: people.com