From Julia Morris to Vera Wang: Just 14 women whose careers took off after they turned 40.

From Mark Zuckerberg to Kylie Jenner, it seems everywhere we look people are finding success at a younger and younger age.

Heck, even reality TV star JoJo Siwa is out there building a multi-million dollar empire at the ripe old age of 16.

And while it’s incredibly inspiring to watch young people kicking life goals and climbing career ladders, they seem to be the only success stories we hear about.

Very rarely do we read about the women who have found their stride after they turn 30 or dare we say… 40.

But it’s a lot more common than you think.

At the end of 2020, instead of 30 Under 30 and NextGen lists, please profile middle-aged people who just got their big breaks. I want to read about a mother of 2 who published her first novel, a director who released their first studio feature at 47, THAT’S THE LIST WE WANT.

— Melissa Hunter (@melissaFTW) January 7, 2020

So we decided to round up a list of 14 influential women who have found success well into their 40s and 50s, because success is definitely not just a young person’s game.

Melissa McCarthy

We all know and love comedy legend Melissa McCarthy, but she didn't become a household name until she was 41-years-old and found huge success in the 2011 hit movie Bridesmaids. From there, McCarthy went on to star in films like Identify Thief, The Heat and Spy. 

Kim Cattrall

There simply is no one else who could play Sex and the City's Samantha Jones like Kim Cattrall. But it was a role that didn't come about until Cattrall was a 41-year-old. Before that, the actress worked on films like Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China and Mannequin. 

Julia Morris

Julia Morris spent the first half of her career as a comedian, actress, TV presenter and producer but it wasn't until 2013 at the age of 45 that she landed the role of Gemma Crabb in drama series House Husbands. Morris continued to kick career goals and eventually scored a gig hosting I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! back in 2015.

Betty White

The long-standing queen of comedy has been gracing our screens for decades, but Betty White didn't become a household name until she joined the cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1973 at 51. From there, White went on to star in The Golden Girls, That '70s Show and Boston Legal. 

Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch was 43 when she landed her first major role in the mockumentary Best in Show. She later went on to play Paula in The 40-Year-Old Virgin at the age of 45 before landing the role of Sue Sylvester on Glee at 51. Her part in Glee saw Lynch take home an Emmy, Golden Globe and a SAG Award.

Vera Wang

Ok, so technically speaking Vera Wang found success early in life when she became Vogue's senior fashion editor at the age of 23. But it wasn't until she was 40 that Wang began her career as a fashion designer which kick-started her multi-million dollar company.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis made history when she became the first woman of colour to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the ABC hit series How To Get Away With Murder. But her success didn't happen overnight.

After studying at Julliard, Davis made her Broadway debut when she was 31 in the play Seven Guitars and eventually went on to appear in small TV roles such as City of Angels and Law & Order. Her career really kicked off went she turned 43 and landed a role alongside Meryl Streep in Doubt. 

Dame Judi Dench

Judi Dench began making a name for herself during her 30s when she played a number of roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company. But it wasn't until she played the iconic role of 'M' in James Bond's GoldenEye at the age of 61 that she really shot to stardom. Since the role, Dench has taken home an Oscar and has been nominated over six times.

Kathy Bates

No matter when you were born, we've all seen a TV show or movie that's featured the legendary Kathy Bates (I'll forever know her as the slightly terrifying Miss Hannigan from Annie). Nonetheless, Bates didn't land her big-break until she was 42 when she played a kidnapper in the 1990 Stephen King adaptation Misery. The role transformed her career and earnt her an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

Toni Morrison

American author Toni Morrison was 40 when her first book The Bluest Eye was published in 1970. And her success didn't stop there. She eventually went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her book Beloved and the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Dame Helen Mirren

After making it on Broadway at age 49, Mirren began appearing on the big screen in her late 50s with roles in Gosford Park and Calendar Girls. At 61 years young, she won her first Oscar for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen in 2006.

Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer's big break didn't come until she was 41 years old and won an Oscar for her role in The Help. Before that, the actress made appearances in A Time to Kill and Spider-Man. Spencer is also a successful children's book author and released her latest novel in 2015.

Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow will forever be remembered as the first woman in history to win an Academy Award for best director, for the 2009 war film The Hurt Locker. The now-iconic American director was 57 years old at the time.

Connie Britton

Actress Connie Britton landed the role of Tami Taylor in the hit TV show Friday Night Lights at 40. Six years later and she's playing country singer Rayna Jaymes in the successful TV show Nashville at 46.

Feature Image: Getty.