Getting older doesn’t mean slowing down. From Sophia Loren, the fabled actress who’s campaigning for children’s safety to Lenny Kravitz, the rock icon who’s trying his hand at furniture design, here are five celebrities who prove that age is nothing but a number.
Getting older doesn’t mean slowing down. From Sophia Loren, the fabled actress who’s campaigning for children’s safety to Lenny Kravitz, the rock icon who’s trying his hand at furniture design, here are five celebrities who prove that age is nothing but a number.
Sophia Loren
If you think that the film industry is ruled by twentysomething ingénues, you may want to reconsider. Sophia Loren, the 81 year-old screen legend who owes her fame to classics such as Two Women and Houseboat regularly combines acting roles with fundraising efforts – she recently starred the Human Voice and was the guest of honour at La Dolce Italia Gala Charity Dinner, an event whose proceeds go to children’s safety organisation the Alannah and Madeleine Foundation.
Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz proves that it’s never too late to switch gears when it comes to achieving your dreams. In 2003, the 51-year-old Grammy winner, who’s best known for rock n’roll anthems such as American Woman, fulfilled a lifelong passion for furniture by launching Kravitz Design, a design firm that takes creative cues from his travels around the world. He’s also partnered with commercial interiors brand CB2 to launch a ‘70s inspired homewares range heavy on zig-zag graphics and touches of brass.
Yoko Ono
Age hasn’t dampened Yoko Ono’s relentless work ethic. The trailblazing 82-year-old performance artist, who achieved cult status with her ‘60s work Grapefruit and was the subject of a major retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art this year is an ambassador for women’s and gay rights as well as an ardent peace activist – her charity Imagine Peace has built over 90 schools around the world to date.
Ken Done
Ken Done knows that artistic ambitions aren’t limited to the young. The iconic Australian painter, whose Techicolour images of Sydney hooked the world on the Harbour City, still works every day in his Mosman studio and actively launches new exhibitions and projects despite turning 75 this year. He’s also an advocate for conversation – he painted a Black Rhino sculpture as part of a Taronga Zoo community art project that raised awareness about rhinoceros extinction rates in 2014.
Vivienne Westwood
Few fashion designers wear the icon tag as well as Vivienne Westwood. Although the British fashion designer is best known for training the world’s eye on the London fashion scene, she’s also known for applying her outlandish creativity to her politics – a September 2015 incident that saw the 74 year-old drive a tank into prime minister David Cameron’s property to protest fracking is a case in point.