From: robgood@bestweb.net   
      
   On Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 10:09:59 PM UTC-4, Howard wrote:   
   > When The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered in 1970, Ed Asner was 41. He    
   > was just slightly older than actors like Seth Rogan or Jonah Hill are    
   > today, but he looked much older.    
   >    
   > Part of it may be baldness, except there are present day bald actors who    
   > are older but who don't look similarly old. Keegan Michael Key, for    
   > example, is 50, and Jason Statham is 54.    
   >    
   > I don't think it was his pudginess -- Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill also    
   > tend toward portly, but I think that tends to make them look younger, if    
   > anything. And seeing as Asner acted for another 50 years, his general    
   > demeanor at 40 wasn't gimpy or achy at all back in 1970.    
   >    
   > Wilford Brimley and Art Carney are two other actors who played advanced    
   > senior citizens in their 50s. Did actors just look naturally older in    
   > the past? Was it a function of lighting and makeup? Or do actors today    
   > tend to take advantage of surgery, botox, etc. that happens to be    
   > extremely natural looking?    
   >    
   > Or, was it just the case of a bad sample on my part? I know Jack Benny,    
   > for example, was known for looking 39 well past his 39th birthday, so I    
   > may simply be selecting bad examples to compare.   
      
   There've always been a few actors around on stage and screen who've   
   specialized in playing people much older than themselves.  However, I don't   
   think Ed Asner was cast specifically as "old looking".  Still, the existence   
   of "old person players" shows his    
   looks aren't that rare.  What does it?  Wrinkles and other loose skin (such as   
   jowls) on the face and hands, plus acting crochety.   
      
   Bob in Andover   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)