50 then and now

Courteney Cox, left, who turned 50 in June, is shown next to Frances Bavier, who cultivated a much older look when she began playing the beloved Aunt Bee on "The Andy Griffith Show" in her 50s.

Rob, Lowe, left, who turned 50 in March, and is still considered a sex symbol by many, is shown next to Wilford Brimley, who was 51 when he starred in the 1985 classic "Cocoon," about a group of senior citizens rejuvenated by aliens. (Brimley is shown here in "Coccon: The Return," which came out in 1988, when he was 54.)

Model Elle Macpherson, left, turned 50 in March. She recently served as host and executive producer for the reality show, "Fashion Star." She's shown next to the late Vivian Vance, who was beloved as Lucy Ricardo's pal Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy." Vance was just 42 when she started playing Ethel, but in past because her husband was played by 64-year-old William Frawley, people often assumed Vance was much older.

Denzel Washington, left, will turn 60 in December. He's shown with the late legendary actor Mickey Rooney, who was 59 when he starred in "The Black Stallion." Washington continues to play active roles in thrillers, and will next star in the movie adaptation of "The Equalizer." But Rooney shouldn't be overlooked--he began acting as a child star, and worked for 90 years.

Sandra Bullock, left turned 50 in July. On the verge of the half-century mark, she wasn't judged too old to play an astronaut in 2013's critically acclaimed "Gravity." She's shown with late actress Ann B. Davis, who was 43 when she took on the role of beloved Brady famlly live-in maid in "The Brady Bunch."

George Clooney, right, is 53, and his two most recent movie roles were as an astronaut in "Gravity" and a soldier in "Monuments Men." He's shown here with the late Jim Backus, who is most famous for playing millionaire Thurston Howell III on "Gilligan's Island," a role he took on at age 51. (Natalie Schafer, the actress who played his wife, Lovey, was 64 when "Gilligan's Island" began.)