Famous 97 Years Old

Retired American astronaut Jim Lovell commanded the iconic Apollo 13 mission and was one of the first three human beings to fly to the Moon, orbit it, and get back to Earth. He had also been a US Navy captain. Following his retirement, Lovell launched a restaurant in Lake Forest.

Gina Lollobrigida is an Italian actress and photojournalist counted amongst the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and 1960s. Considered a  sex symbol in her youth, she had a successful career both in the film and TV industries. She later built a second career as a photojournalist. She is a recipient of the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award.  

While he grew up to be a Harvard math professor, that didn’t stop Tom Lehrer from pursuing his childhood love for music. He gained fame as a satirical composer, with songs such as So Long, Mom, I’m Off to Drop the Bomb and That Was The Year That Was.

James Watson is a geneticist, molecular biologist, and zoologist. He is credited with co-authoring the academic paper that propounded the double helix structure of nucleic acids such as DNA for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962. In 1977, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1997, he was awarded the National Medal of Science.

Rosemary Harris is an English actress known for playing Aunt May in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man film series. The winner of several awards, including a Golden Globe Award and Tony Award, Harris was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1994, she received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 1994 film Tom & Viv.

Frank Borman is an American former US Air Force colonel, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, businessman, and NASA astronaut. The commander of Apollo 8, Borman was the first of 24 astronauts to have flown to the Moon. In 1982, Frank Borman was made an inductee of the International Space Hall of Fame.

Bud Grant is known for his 18-year stint as the Minnesota Vikings head coach. He has 168 NFL wins, making him one of the most successful NFL coaches. He is also 4-time Grey Cup champion. Post-retirement, he focused on bringing about environmental reforms, such as the conservation of wetlands.

L. K. Advani is a retired Indian politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. A co-founder of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he has also been the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha on two occasions. He is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honor.

Peter Munk was a Hungarian-Canadian investor, businessman, and philanthropist. He is credited with founding numerous high-profile business ventures, such as Clairtone Sound Corporation Limited, Barrick Gold Corporation, and TrizecHahn Corporation. He also helped found the Peter and Melanie Munk Charitable Foundation which has given away over $300 million to various non-profit organizations that aim at improving the lives of Canadians.

Reynaldo Bignone was an Argentine general who ruled as a military dictator from 1982 to 1983. He was involved in the kidnapping and murder of people who opposed the military junta during the Dirty War. He also ordered the annihilation of all documentation on the missing people. Reynaldo Bignone was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment in 2010.

Micheline Bernardini is a French retired nude dancer who worked at the Casino de Paris. Bernardini is best known for modeling Louis Réard's first two-piece swimsuit, which he later called the bikini. After achieving immense popularity by modeling the first bikini in 1946, Micheline Bernardini went on to appear in several revues at the Tivoli Theatre from 1948 to 1958.

A pioneer of optical and kinetic art, Yaacov Agam is best-known for his 3-D creations. The son of a Russian rabbi, he studied art in places such as Jerusalem and Paris. His art includes manipulable sculptures, musical fountains, and fluid geometric forms. He also created the largest menorah in the world.

Endel Tulving is an Estonian-born Canadian experimental psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist. He is best known for his pioneering research on human memory. He earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University and began his academic work at the University of Toronto, where he remained for the rest of his career. He is a recipient of the Canada Gairdner International Award. 

Arnold Rüütel is an Estonian agricultural scientist and politician. He is best known for his service as the President of Estonia from 2001 to 2006. He also served as the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Estonia from 1990 to 1992.

Daisaku Ikeda is a Japanese Buddhist educator, author, philosopher, and nuclear disarmament advocate. He is best known for serving as the founding president of the world's largest Buddhist lay organization, Soka Gakkai International (SGI). Daisaku Ikeda has won several international awards like the United Nations Peace Medal, Tagore Peace Award, and Rosa Parks Humanitarian Award.

Desmond Morris is an English ethologist, zoologist, author, and surrealist painter. He is well-known for his book The Naked Ape and for his TV shows, such as Zoo Time. Desmond Morris is also known for his work as the writer and presenter of the popular BBC documentary The Human Animal.

One of the founding members of the CoBrA art movement, Belgian abstract painter Pierre Alechinsky grew up with varied artistic interests, including folk art. Currently based in France, he works in a flexible painting style, embracing flaws and accidents in the final composition, incorporating the traditional processes of Japanese calligraphy into his paintings after a trip to that country.

Hans Modrow is a German politician best known as East Germany's last communist premier. In 1995, Modrow was convicted of perjury and electoral fraud by the Dresden District Court after the conclusion of Communist rule in Germany. Since German reunification, Hans Modrow has been writing several books on his political experiences.