The oldest actress to appear in a feature film unfortunately passed away in 1997 at the age of 122. Coincidentally, she is also the oldest person ever on record. Jeanne Calment, at the young age of 114, made a guest appearance in the 1990 film Vincent and Me; technically making her an actress. Whilst many more well-established Hollywood Golden Age greats have sadly left us, there are still a few alive today; many of whom have left lasting legacies that they continue to uphold. Here are some of the most notable people from Old Hollywood who are still alive, kicking, and continuing to make a difference as of 2018.

Julie Gibson

At the monumental age of 104, Julie Gibson is currently one of the oldest living celebrities. Famed for being a singer, burlesque dancer and Hollywood actress, her most enduring roles were small parts in the iconic Three Stooges’ films Three Smart Saps (1942) and Sock-a-Bye Baby (1942). She first entered the world of showbiz when she was discovered singing with the Jimmie Grier orchestra in 1937. From then on, she landed feature roles in Lucky Cowboy (1944), Bowery Buckaroos (1947) and Are You With It? (1948). Not much is known about Julie Gibson currently, though we do know what generally happened after her acting career began to wane. She became an acting and accent coach, helping a new generation of stars.

Kirk Douglas

Author, director, actor, producer; we’re lucky to still have the legendary Kirk Douglas alive today at the age of 101. Nominated for an Academy Award three times in his lifetime, he’s done it all from the epic Spartacus to a plethora of westerns. Douglas really does represent the Golden Age of Hollywood, and it’s hard to believe such an iconic celebrity is still in our presence. It seems he can’t quite believe it too, having said, “I never thought I’d live to 100.”

Marsha Hunt

Marsha Hunt currently resides in California at the age of 100, having retired from acting indefinitely. However she was, and still is, a known for her commitment to activism and humanitarian work today. The actress, famed for her roles in Born to the West (1937) and Pride and Prejudice (1940), was actually blacklisted by Hollywood studio executives during the 1950s for her activism, which included criticism of the industry and taking part in collectives such as Hollywood Fights Back. Due to the blacklist, the leading lady was then resigned to much smaller and sparser roles until she moved in to semi-retirement in the 1960s. To this day, she continues to fight for causes such as global pollution, third-world poverty and same-sex marriage.

Jerry Maren

At 98, Jerry Maren may not be as old as some of the other stars in this list; however, he is the last surviving munchkin from MGM classic The Wizard of Oz (1939). Not only that, but he is also one of only two surviving cast members from the film – the other being 98 year old Caren Marsh Doll, Judy Garland’s dance stand-in. At the time of filming, Maren was just 18 years old and stood at 3 feet six inches. Since then, he has had an eclectic film career despite there often being few roles for little people. He appeared in the Marx Brothers’ At the Circus (1939), and even portrayed Mayor McCheese for McDonald’s commercials.

The original Golden Age of Classical Hollywood Cinema is well and truly over, but the industry is always undergoing a renaissance of new ideas and talent. If we look to the surviving stars of yesteryear, we can get a perspective on just how important Old Hollywood was in forming the cinema industry we know today; and which celebrities helped shape it.