OLDEST LIVING CELEBRITIES, PART 1

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The list is correct as at March 2023

Having said that, I may have jinxed them

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By the way:

Jinx is a term that’s both a noun and a verb and describes a situation where a person or thing is thought to bring bad luck or cause an unfortunate event to occur. It was even used as a warning in the past.

The word jinx, in the sense of a thing or person that brings bad luck, is first recorded as sports slang from the US in the early years of the twentieth century. Most of the early American citations relate to baseball and are spelt jinks:

Any one who can furnish reliable information leading to the conviction of the miscreant who put a “jinks” on the Los Angeles baseball club’s batting eyes last spring will likely receive a free pass for the rest of the season by advising Manager Morley.

Los Angeles Times, 12 July 1904.

According to the most recent thinking, the term originally came from an 1887 musical comedy called Little Puck, which included a character name Jinks Hoodoo, described as “a curse to everybody, including himself”. Hoodoo, a variation of voodoo, is recorded from the early 1880s in the sense of a person or thing that’s supposed to bring bad luck. At this time, Jinks was not an uncommon first name, nickname or family name and didn’t have such associations. By the 1890s the character’s name had been picked up, although spelt wrongly, as a way to describe a person who brings bad luck. It then became the bad luck baseball term.

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Henry Kissinger

Age: 99

Born in Fürth, Germany, Kissinger arrived in the United States 15 years later and became a naturalised citizen in 1943. From 1954 to 1971, Kissinger had various roles as a member of the faculty at Harvard University. This included serving as Study Director, Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy, for the Council of Foreign Relations from 1955 to 1956.

It was these various positions relating to foreign policy and international relations that led to Kissinger becoming the 56th Secretary of State of the USA - a position he held from 1973 to 1977. Kissinger was also the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from 1969 to 1975.

During these periods, Kissinger served under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Kissinger has no shortage of impressive achievements. In 1973, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam. The pair were given this award for their attempts to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the Vietnam War.

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Eva Marie Saint

Age: 98

In a career spanning over 70 years, Eva Marie Saint has worked in film, theatre, radio and television. Across these 70 years, she won an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as multiple nominations at the Golden Globes and British Academy Film Awards.

In 2022, Saint became the oldest living Academy Award winner, highlighting the part she played in the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Her debut film appearance came in On the Waterfront (1954), and it was this moving portrayal of Edie Doyle that won her the Academy Award for best supporting actress.

Some of the other classic movies she's appeared in include Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959) and Exodus (1960). Saint has appeared in TV shows and movies as recently as 2014, including A New York Winter’s Tale.

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Jimmy Carter

Age: 98

An influential figure in American politics, Jimmy Carter is best known for serving as the 39th president of the United States. He served a single term from 1977 through to 1981 and was succeeded by Ronald Reagan.

Some of Carter’s biggest accomplishments across his four years as president include protecting 103 million acres of Alaskan land, creating the Department of Education and bringing peace between Egypt and Israel.

His ability to resolve conflicts was seen as particularly powerful, and in 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in finding peaceful solutions to international disputes, along with efforts in advancing human rights.

Today, Carter is both the longest-living president and the one with the longest post-presidency. What’s more, Carter is also the third-oldest living person who served as the leader of their nation.

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Dick van Dyke

Age: 97

American film actor and entertainer, Dick Van Dyke is renowned for physical comedy and buckets of charm. Born in Missouri, he was introduced to acting at school, although was only able to begin pursuing it professionally later in life, due to being drafted to serve in the Second World War.

Once his performing career started, Van Dyke quickly established himself as a family favourite, on both American television and film. His best-remembered role is almost certainly as Burt the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins, in which he famously speaks with a questionable but endearing Cockney accent. Audiences also loved him as the titular star of The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Over the course of his long and varied career, Van Dyke became a legend of American show business. As a result, he’s received Emmys, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a Kennedy Centre Honor.

Van Dyke has continued working in recent years, despite being in his 90s. In 2018 he appeared in Mary Poppins Returns, a sequel to the original film, in which he sings and tap dances with as much charisma and vigour as ever.

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David Attenborough

Age: 96

The brother of successful actor and film producer Richard, David Attenborough is one of the UK’s most well-loved broadcasters. Attenborough is best known for various innovative educational TV programmes dealing with all aspects of nature, including the nine-part Life series which ran on and off from 1979 to 2008.

Attenborough’s voice is one of the world’s most recognisable, thanks to his calming yet still authoritative narration on these shows and many more, including more recent shows such as Natural World (2000-2017), Africa (2013), Galapagos (2013) and Frozen Planet (2011).

Over time, Attenborough’s works have become increasingly vocal about his support for environmental causes, including the steps which need to be taken to reduce the effects of climate change and the importance of switching to renewable energy sources.