5 Over 50

Reese Rules

Reese Witherspoon, who turns 50 on March 22, landed her first major acting role in the coming-of-age drama, The Man in the Moon, when she was a teenager. Born in New Orleans, she briefly studied English Literature at Stanford University before returning to Hollywood, where she landed the iconic role of Harvard law student Elle Woods in the comedy Legally Blonde. She went on to win the Oscar for her role as June Carter Cash in the musical biopic Walk the Line, where she took singing lessons and learned to play the autoharp. An entrepreneur, she founded the lifestyle brand Draper James in 2015 and launched Reese’s Book Club two years later. Subsequently, Witherspoon launched her own production company, Hello Sunshine, where she produced and starred in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies (for which she won an Emmy), and the acclaimed Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show. Witherspoon lives in Nashville and has three children, Ava and Deacon Phillipe, and Tennessee Toth. She once told In Style, “I know who I want to spend time with and who I don’t. And that is one of the great things about getting older — it just clears out so much space. I want to be with my mom, my kids, and the people who fill my tank.”

Radiant Russell

Born in California but raised in Texas, Arizona, and Colorado, actress Keri Russell relocated to Florida during high school to appear on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club alongside future stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Russell appeared in minor roles in the TV shows 7th Heaven and Married…with Children before landing the lead in the popular drama series Felicity at the age of 22. The actress has been in a relationship since 2014 with Matthew Rhys, with whom she co-starred in the spy drama The Americans. The pair live in a historic brownstone in Brooklyn, New York, with their son, Sam, who was born in 2016. She also has two children, River and Willa, with her ex-husband Shane Deary. More recently, she has been commuting to London, where she stars in the award-winning Netflix series The Diplomat. A proponent of natural beauty, Russell, who turns 50 on March 23, has said, “So far, I like my age (ask me in 10 years, maybe I’ll have changed my tune...).”

Sterling Success

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, two-time Emmy Award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown, who turns 50 on April 5, went by his middle name, Kelby, until he was 16. A high school athlete, Brown studied economics at Stanford University before switching to drama. After years of playing minor roles on TV shows such as ER and NYPD Blue, he landed his breakout role as attorney Christopher Darden in the FX limited series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, earning him his first Emmy Award. He then starred in the NBC drama series This Is Us, for which he won another Emmy Award. He met his wife, actress Ryan Michelle Bathe, when they were both students at Stanford. The couple married in 2007, have two sons, and live in Los Angeles. Oscar-nominated for the comedy-drama American Fiction, Brown is currently playing a secret service agent in the hit Hulu political thriller Paradise. Because his father died young of a heart attack, Brown meditates 20 minutes a day and runs. “It’s easier to maintain a level of fitness than it is to lose it and try to get it back,” he told Men’s Health.

Getting it Wright

Actress Robin Wright, who turns 60 on April 8, began dancing as a child and was scouted as a model at 14 in Southern California before landing her first significant acting role on the soap opera Santa Barbara at 18. She went on to deliver iconic performances in the fantasy film The Princess Bride and in Forrest Gump, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her role opposite Tom Hanks. Wright went on to star in the Netflix political drama series House of Cards, for which she won a Golden Globe. More recently, she starred in the Amazon Prime psychological thriller The Girlfriend, which she also executive-produced and directed. Wright shares two children, actors Dylan and Hopper, with her ex-husband, actor/director Sean Penn. Now living by the English seaside with her partner Henry Smith, whom she met at a pub, Wright recently reflected on turning 60. She told AARP's Movies for Grownups: “I don’t see it as the end of an era. It’s just another number that’s a little bit bigger. It hasn’t shifted me in any way.”

From Havana to Hollywood

Born Andrés Arturo García Menéndez in Havana, Cuba, actor Andy Garcia, who turns 70 on April 12, moved to Miami with his family at the age of five. Growing up, his Little League coach was future Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke. Garcia met his wife, producer Marivi Lorido Garcia, when they were both students at Florida International University. He proposed the night they met. They married in 1982 and had four children. Early in his career, García worked the loading docks at the Beverly Hilton Hotel alongside fellow aspiring actor Bryan Cranston. After landing minor TV roles on Murder, She Wrote and Hill Street Blues, he broke through with the films The Untouchables and The Godfather: Part III, earning him an Oscar nomination. He currently stars as cartel boss Gallino on the Paramount+ drama series Landman. Based in Los Angeles, Garcia enjoys spending his spare time competing in golf tournaments. When accepting an award last year, Garcia said, “Never take a step backwards, not even to gain momentum.”

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