By Amina Moustapha
Some people who are in their late twenties and early thirties might believe that time for success has already passed them by. Others who have failed several times or their work has gone unnoticed also translated their lack of success to incompetence.The following names were all late bloomers in their careers and they are the very proof that no matter what your age, success goals should not be pursued in tight deadlines.
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby: Creators of Marvel Universe
When Stan Lee first drew his comics, ‘The Fantastic Four’, he was shy of his 40th birthday. Jack Kirby was 43 when he created the highly successful superhero ‘Captain America’. Together, they led the expansion of the legendary Marvel Universe from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation. This eventually led to the creation of Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron-Man, Thor, the X-Men and many other fictional characters.
George R. R. Martin: Author of the Game of Thrones Saga
Martin began selling short stories professionally in his twenties. His fourth book, “The Armageddon Rag”, was unsuccessful. ‘It essentially destroyed my career as a novelist at the time’. At the age of 43, he began what would eventually turn into his epic fantasy series: A Song of Ice and Fire. It became the New York Times No. 1 Bestseller. HBO Productions purchased the television rights for the series. It attained an exceptionally broad international fan base, and also won 26 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Susan Boyle: A Scottish Singer
Susan Magdalane Boyle came to the hall of fame at 55 when she appeared as a contestant on the TV program ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. Within nine days of the audition, the video of her performance had been watched over 100 million times. Her first album was released in November 2009 and debuted as the number one best-selling album on charts around the globe.
Meryl Streep: Hollywood Actress
Streep’s love for acting showed while she was still in high school. She appeared in numerous school plays, went to Yale School of Drama and took part in numerous theatre productions in Broadway. In her late twenties, she auditioned for ‘King Kong’. The producer Dino De Laurentiis stated that she was too unattractive for the role. Few years later, while Streep was in her thirties, she was spotted by Robert De Niro who suggested her for a role in his movie ‘The Deep Hunter’. Streep is now considered by many to be the greatest film actress of all time.
