5 Over 50

Cruz Control

Before making her film debut at age 16 in “Jamón, Jamón,” where she met her future husband actor Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz studied ballet at Spain’s Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid. Growing up, she also learned how to cut and color hair from her mother who owned a salon. She quickly achieved international stardom. In 2008, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” making her the first and only (to date) Spanish actress to win. The 2008 film reconnected her with co-star Bardem, and the couple married in 2010. They live in Madrid with their two children, Leo and Luna. Cruz, who turns 50 on April 28, most recently starred opposite Adam Driver in “Ferrari;” ironic since the actress and spokesmodel doesn’t drive.

Entrepreneurial Eva

Born in Miami, Florida, to Cuban parents, Eva de la Caridad Mendez, known as Eva Mendes, was the youngest of four children. Mendes grew up in Los Angeles and studied marketing at California State University before dropping out to pursue acting. She appeared in an “Aerosmith” music video and movies such as “Night at the Roxbury” before starring opposite Denzel Washington in “Training Day.” In 2011, she began dating Ryan Gosling on the set of the indie film “The Place Beyond the Pines,” in which they played a couple with a baby. They have been together ever since and are the parents of two young daughters, Esmeralda and Amada. Mendes, who turns 50 on March 5, has mostly retired from acting to spend time with family. She also launched a sponge company, Skura Style, with her childhood best friend – combining the pair’s “love of great design” and their “inner clean-freak tendencies.”

Comedy Queen

Before pursuing comedy, Wanda Sykes worked as a contractor at the National Security Agency. Chris Rock discovered her during a stand-up gig and hired her to work as a writer on “The Chris Rock Show,” earning her a Primetime Emmy Award. Comic acting roles on “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” followed, as well as a guest starring role as her idol, the comedian Moms Mabley, on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Sykes also starred alongside the iconic Jane Fonda in hit romcom “Monster-in-Law.” The multifaceted actress and comedian, who turns 60 on March 7, met her French wife, Alex, in New York in 2006. They are parents to a pair of fraternal twins, who they are raising to be bilingual. In 2023, Netflix released “Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer.” This year, the Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe-nominated comedian is taking her comedy on the road with a U.S. tour.

Lowe and Behold

After his parents’ divorce, at age 12, Rob Lowe moved from Ohio to California, where he attended high school with his brother, actor Chad and future stars Sean Penn and Robert Downey, Jr. The now-iconic actor, who turns 60 on March 17, long ago shed his “St. Elmo’s Fire” bad boy image with grownup roles in “The West Wing” and “Parks and Recreation.” The former teen idol met his wife, makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff, on a blind date in 1983, and again on a movie set in 1990. They have two grown children, including actor John Owen, who co-stars with his dad on Netflix’s “Unstable.” In 2024, Lowe will host “The Floor,” a new game show on Fox, and appear in a second season of “Unstable,” plus a new season of Fox’s “9-1-1: Lone Star.”

Posh Beckham

After answering an ad in a London magazine advertising for female singers, at age 20, Victoria Beckham was one of five young women hired to join the Spice Girls, whose 1996 debut album sold more than 20 million copies. Born Victoria Caroline Adams, she was soon dubbed “Posh Spice,” and became Victoria Beckham after marrying British soccer star David Beckham in 1999. The couple are parents to four children: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper. After the Spice Girls split up in 2000, Victoria embarked on a solo musical career before becoming a fashion designer and launching a makeup line. In 2023, Beckham was featured along with her family in the hit Netflix documentary, “Beckham.” She recently launched a new fashion line and the first Victoria Beckham fragrance.

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