From Vera Wang to Martha Stewart: The famous women whose defining achievements came in their 40s, 50s and beyond

We've been told that in life, it's never too late to achieve our goals, start again or start afresh – and it's certainly been proven true time and time again.

Indeed, there's a number of high-profile women for whom the saying rings true.

Women including famed designer Vera Wang, culinary queen Martha Stewart and late actress Betty White didn't let their age stop them, finding success and hitting huge career milestones in their 40s, 50s and beyond.

Watch the videos above.

Meanwhile, American tennis icon Venus Williams will set a record at the 2026 Australian Open this week, becoming the oldest woman to compete in the main draw at 45 after receiving a wildcard.

We have no doubt that when she hits the court, she'll remind us why she has such an iconic reputation in the first place.

Read on for more iconic women who've proven there's no age limit or barrier to achieve your hopes and dreams.

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Vera Wang launched her brand at 40

Vera Wang is known the world over for her incredible collection of bridal dresses, fragrances and even homewares.

But what you might not realise is that she didn't launch her epynomous brand until she was 40.

Want previously worked at Vogue, which is no mean feat, and before that she tried her hand at figure skating.

Yet she still felt the fear of starting a business at 40, and told CNBC Make It: "I thought maybe it's just too late for me."

Her father encouraged her to start her own business when she struggled to find a wedding dress to wear on her own big day around that time.

"I was 39, which [today] doesn't seem that old for weddings but when I got married in 1989, it was," she said.

Of following your ambitions, Wang added, "Regret is far worse than never having tried and worse than failure."

Now she has a huge celebrity clientele, with Victoria Beckham among the stars who've walked down the aisle in Vera Wang.

Martha Stewart and the art of reinvention

Martha Stewart, 84, really has tried everything.

She started her career modelling, was a stockbroker and has since gone on to build an empire as a culinary and hosting queen, with various cookbooks and TV shows under her belt.

Her first book, called Entertaining, was published in 1982 when she was in her forties.

Meanwhile, the first preview issue of her Martha Stewart Living Magazine didn't come out until 1990.

In a recent interview, she shared her best words of advice as she reflected on career turnaround after her life 'fell into a chasm' over her insider trading scandal.

"Try and get a stable position in your work, if you can," she told nine.com.au in a roundtable chat ahead of her 2025 visit to Australia.In Conversation With Martha Stewart event as part of Vivid Sydney.

"I had the best... then I fell into a chasm with a lawsuit that was brought against me which was hideously unfair, time-consuming and extremely expensive, in terms of not only money, but in terms of my own work."

"You just have to be very strong-minded, you have to be ready to accept the bad with the good and somehow get out of it.

"If you are a good person and if you have good ideas, never lose faith in yourself."

Betty White's career took off in her 50s

Betty White, who died at the age of 99 in 2021, enjoyed an incredibly successful career in media and showbusiness.

But she didn't find huge fame and success until her later years.

In 1973, she scored a role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which really put her on the map. She was in her 50s at the time.

She then scored a role in the now-iconic The Golden Girls in the '80s.

Viola Davis' Hollywood takeover

Viola Davis, 60, is one of Hollywood's most acclaimed actresses, with a number of awards under her belt, including an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.

But her breakout role wasn't that long ago.

That breakout is widely considered to be the 2008 film Doubt, co-starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.

She scored an Academy Award nomination, a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the role.

"It took many years of getting knocked down and getting back up to finally say, 'Okay, I think I'm pretty tough. I've got this,'" she previously told People.

Rosamund Pike and the "freeing" nature of maturing

They say wisdom comes with age, and Rosamund Pike believes there's nothing bad about maturing.

The British actress, 46, has had huge success in Hollywood with films including 2014's Gone Girl and 2002's Die Another Day.

In 2017, the Wheel of Time star spoke about the "freeing'' nature of getting older and maturing to Vulture.

Rosamund said she is "ready" to "headline some films" and admits it would have been too difficult to do when she was younger.

"I've become free. I don't give a s--t. I've lost my vanity. I don't care, really! I just don't care," she said.

"Once you've shed the pressure of being a young woman, you're allowed to just be a woman. It's freeing."

Dame Judi Dench proves age is no barrier

Dame Judi Dench, 91, had a remarkable career in theatre and TV over the years, and of course, in film.

Aged 87, she became one of the oldest ever Oscar nominees for Best Supporting Actress for the film Belfast in 2022.

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