She’s not been seen regularly on screen for 20 years – but vintage Coronation Street favourite Thelma Barlow is still going strong aged 91.
As we told yesterday, the actress who played Mavis Wilton from 1971 to 1997 – famed for her “I don’t really know” catchphrase – has turned down a return to the soap three times.
Since leaving the cobbles, Thelma has starred in dinnerladies and Fat Friends, but after not seeing her on TV for a while, some people assumed she was no longer with us.
But she is very much alive and kicking, just like these other celebs you have may have thought were dead, as Natasha Wynarczyk reveals.
Dick van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke at the Disney’s ‘Mary Poppins Returns in 2018 (Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)
American star Van Dyke shot to fame playing chirpy chimney sweep Bert in 1964’s Mary Poppins, and appeared in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang four years later. He then went on to have a series of TV appearances in shows such as Diagnosis: Murder.
Now 94, the actor is happily married to second wife Arlene Silver, who is in her 40s and regularly posts videos of her husband working out in the gym.
Van Dyke is still performing and dancing, even releasing a solo album in 2017 and making a cameo appearance in 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns. In a recent interview, he said: “Age is more than a number, it’s a mindset.”
Christopher Plummer
Christopher played Captain von Trapp in the Sound of Music (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Plummer’s best-known role was Captain von Trapp in the 1965 hit The Sound of Music.
He starred in several other films after that, including the musical Lock Up Your Daughters – but it took him until he was 80 to be nominated for an Oscar.
It was for his portrayal of author Leo Tolstoy in 2010’s The Last Station. At the time, he joked: “I said it’s about time! I mean, I’m 80 years old, for God’s sake.”
Plummer lost that year, but recieved an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in 2011 film Beginners, making him the oldest winner in that category.
He is now 90, and his last film appearance was in 2019 movie Knives Out.
Angela Lansbury
Angela has had some iconic roles over the years (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Brit actress Angela Lansbury has done it all during her lengthy career, from treading the boards on Broadway to receiving an Oscar nod for her 1944 film Gaslight.
Her biggest role was as writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, and she also voiced Mrs Potts in the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast.
In 2013, she was given an honorary Oscar for her achievements in the entertainment industry and a year later became a Dame. Now 94, she lives in California.
Tony Bennett
Tony gained a younger audience after collaborating with Lady Gaga (Image: Getty Images)
Crooner Bennett has sold more than 50 million records since his first number one hit in 1951 and is still performing to this day.
A big Twitter user, he is known for sending inspirational messages to his 144,000 followers.
He’s also found a new audience of younger fans in recent years, releasing a duets album with stars such as late singer Amy Winehouse, Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga.
He also recorded a No1 album, Cheek to Cheek, in 2014 with Gaga. Bennett, 93, is also a painter working under the name Anthony Benedetto – his art is exhibited in a number of galleries worldwide.
Chubby Checker
Chubby made waves in the music scene with his smash hit Twist (Image: Getty Images)
The American rock ‘n’ roll singer is famed for sparking the craze for hip-swivelling dance the Twist thanks to his 1960 hit single of the same name.
Chubby Checker, who was born Ernest Evans, is now 78 and has had a lengthy career.
His 2008 single Knock Down the Walls was No1 on Billboard’s dance chart, and he released a ballad called Changes five years later.
In 2015, Checker helped produce Rock and Roll to The Rescue, a show designed to raise funds for and encourage people to adopt rescue animals in need.
Geoffrey Palmer
Geoffrey starred in Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies (Image: Getty Images)
English actor Palmer is best known for his roles in sitcoms such as The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and As Time Goes By.
He also starred in films including A Fish Called Wanda, The Madness of King George and James Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies.
Now 93 he has been acting into his later years, last appearing in Paddington in 2014.
Two years ago, his As Time Goes By co-star Judi Dench dubbed him the “naughtiest man I have ever worked with” as she presented him with an Oldie of the Year award.
Burt Bacharach
Burt has won countless awards over the years (Image: Getty Images for TCM)
A six-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Oscar winner, Bacharach’s songs have been recorded by more than 1,000 different artists including Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones since his career kicked off in the late 1950s.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Bacharach had cameo roles in Hollywood movies, including the Austin Powers franchise, and he was a vocal coach on the 2006 series of American Idol.
Now 92, in January this year he announced he was releasing a brand new song – his first for 15 years – called Bells of St. Augustine.
Jimmy Cricket
Jimmy Cricket first found fame in the 1970s (Image: Hulton Archive)
And there’s more! Northern Irish comedian Cricket found fame in the 1970s, after previously working as a Butlin’s Redcoat.
He featured in The Krankies Klub alongside the Krankies and Bobby Davro and was a regular in the Royal Variety Show.
In 2007 he appeared alongside other veteran comics in the video for the Comic Relief single, a cover of The Proclaimers’ song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by Matt Lucas as Andy Pipkin and Peter Kay as Brian Potter.
Now 74, he has been fairly quiet since then apart from charity work.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
