All the stars celebrating milestone birthday in 2019

January 04, 2019

While they may seem timeless to their fans, Hollywood’s favourite stars celebrate big birthdays just like the rest of us! This year, some of the biggest names in entertainment are ringing in a nice round number while enjoying other personal and professional milestones, too.

Jennifer Lopez turns 50 in the same year that will see her release her first-ever skin-care line. Three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep will be 70 and taking on a role unlike any she’s ever played before – that of first-time grandmother! Emma Thompson, meanwhile, who just received her damehood and is set to star in the latest Men in Black sequel, says she’s “never felt so powerful and so calm” as she looks ahead to her 60th. “It’s such a great feeling!”

Click through to see all the stars celebrating a milestone birthday this year...

Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>DAKOTA JOHNSON - 30</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Oct. 4, 1989, in Austin, Texas <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> At 10, the daughter of Hollywood icons Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson made her onscreen debut in <em>Crazy in Alabama</em>. The project was a family affair as she acted alongside her younger sister, Stella Banderas, as daughter to the movie’s star, mom Melanie, and was directed by her then-stepfather, Antonio Banderas. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> The always busy actress has two projects in the works for 2019: the horror movie <em>Wounds</em> with Armie Hammer and <em>The Peanut Butter Falcon</em> opposite Shia LaBeouf. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “I finally feel that I’m in the right place at the right time in my life.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>TAYLOR SWIFT - 30</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Dec.13, 1989, in Reading, Penn. <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> Performing her hit single "Teardrops on My Guitar" at the 2008 Stagecoach Country Music Festival in California, the 18-year-old announced her arrival to the music industry. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> With a Grammy nomination (for Best Vocal Album) and a continuing tour for her album <em>Reputation</em>, the superstar will have a busy 2019! <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “It just seems to be difficult to be a woman in music and to grow older. I just really hope that I will choose to do it as gracefully as possible.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>BRIE LARSON - 30</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Oct. 1, 1989, in Sacramento, Calif. <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> The Oscar-winning actress has come a long way since appearing without any lines in Jennifer Garner’s 2004 romantic comedy <em>13 Going on 30</em>. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> Brie will don her superhero vest as the titular role in <em>Captain Marvel</em> before joining her fellow Marvel teammates in <em>Avengers: Endgame</em>. The new year might also usher in a wedding: she’s been engaged to boyfriend Alex Greenwald since 2016. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “There is so much to be gained from adulthood! Feelings just become so much deeper. That is what’s so hard and exciting about being a human being.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>DANIEL RADCLIFFE - 30</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> July 23, 1989, in London <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> Before winning fans through the wizarding world of Harry Potter, the actor made his official debut in the BBC’s 1999 adaptation of the Dickens novel <em>David Copperfield</em>, playing the title character as a young boy. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> Daniel continues to star in <em>The Lifespan of a Fact</em> on Broadway until mid-January before his new film, the action-comedy <em>Guns Akimbo</em>, is released. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “When you begin acting quite young, you’re having to make up a lot of experiences you haven’t actually had yet. And so you find ways of doing that.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>NINA DOBREV - 30</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Jan. 9, 1989, in Sofia, Bulgaria <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> While she was born in Bulgaria, Nina moved to Toronto at age two, and like any young Canadian actor, she got her start on <em>Degrassi: The Next Generation</em> in 2006. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> Nina will star in the upcoming CBS sitcom <em>Fam</em>, about a teenager who decides to move in with her older sister (Nina) and her fiancé. The show, premiering on Jan. 10, is Nina’s return to television after <em>The Vampire Diaries </em> ended in 2017. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “I’ve reached a point where I’m comfortable in my own skin, and I do what I need to do to feel good. The dancer’s feet, the bruises on my legs, they’re not going to go away. It’s just a part of life!”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>KATE HUDSON - 40</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> April 19, 1979, in Los Angeles <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> The daughter of Goldie Hawn and musician Bill Hudson made her own mark in the film <em>Almost Famous</em> and received a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination! <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> Having just welcomed Rani, her first daughter, into the world, the mother of three and creator of athletic clothing company Fabletics will be taking her health to new heights in 2019 as a global ambassador for WW — the company formerly known as Weight Watchers. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “You can use all the creams in the world but I’m telling you, the best thing for aging is being active and healthy.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>MINDY KALING - 40</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> June 24,1979, in Cambridge, Mass. <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> After landing a job as the only female writer for the beloved comedy series <em>The Office</em>, Mindy joined the cast as Kelly Kapoor, a woman who was “an exaggerated version of what I think [people] believe my personality is.” <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> After a year that saw her become a mother to daughter Katherine, Mindy is set to star with Emma Thompson in the film <em>Late Night</em>, which she wrote and produced. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “Don’t be scared if you don’t do things in the right order, or if you don’t do some things at all. I didn’t think I’d have a child before I got married, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>JAMES McAVOY - 40</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> April 21,1979, in Glasgow <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> James’s first big movie moment was in the 2005 fantasy feature film <em>The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</em>. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> The <em>Atonement</em> star will be hopping between good and evil, reprising his roles as Professor X in <em>Dark Phoenix</em> and the superhuman psychopath Kevin in <em>Glass</em>, the follow-up to 2000’s <em>Unbreakable</em> and 2016’s <em>Split</em>. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “Even though I’m established, I always feel like I need to take a challenge. So I’m quite keen to push the envelope.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>SARAH POLLEY - 40</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Jan. 8, 1979, in Toronto <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> Before wowing audiences by directing films like <em>Away From Her</em> and adapting Margaret Atwood’s <em>Alias Grace</em> into a miniseries, Sarah was delighting Canadian audiences as the star of <em>Road to Avonlea</em>. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> The mother of two may finally see her screenplay for John Green’s novel <em>Looking for Alaska</em> hit theatres with Charlie Plummer in the lead role. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “I’m constantly learning. One of the things I’m really learning is to let other people’s voices come through, and not just my own.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

PINK - 40

BORN Sept. 8, 1979, in Doylestown, Penn. BREAKTHROUGH After declaring herself the anti-Britney of pop-punk, Alecia Moore (a.k.a. Pink) released her successful debut album, Can’t Take Me Home. Rocking what would become her signature crop, the singer wowed at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards. THIS YEAR The mother of Willow, 7, and Jameson, 2, will kick off her Beautiful Trauma world tour in March, taking her hit music from North America to Europe and South America. In early January, she and Carey Hart will celebrate 13 years of wedded bliss. WORDS TO LIVE BY “I am of the mindset that it’s a blessing to grow old. That if your face has lines around your eyes and mouth it means you’ve laughed a lot. I pray I look older in 10 years, ’cause that will mean I’m alive.”

Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY - 50</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Nov. 4, 1969, in Uvalde, Texas <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> No matter how many films Matthew makes, the father of three can’t escape his character in Richard Linklater’s 1993 film <em>Dazed and Confused</em>! He even quoted the iconic phrase “all right, all right, all right” when he won the Best Actor Oscar for <em>Dallas Buyer’s Club</em> in 2014. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> The anticipated neo-thriller <em>Serenity</em> co-starring Anne Hathaway hits theatres in January. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “I feel like I always need to be accomplishing something, for my own happiness and significance. I gotta work.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>JENNIFER LOPEZ - 50</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> July 24, 1969, in New York City <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> She’s always had those killer dance moves! Jenny from the block first made her mark as a Fly Girl dancer on 61 episodes of <em>In Living Colour</em>. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> After a three-year residency in Las Vegas, you’d think the triple threat might want some downtime, but the mother of 10-year-old twins Max and Emme will be kicking off a tour next year and releasing a much-anticipated skincare line, too. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “At some point, I’m going to age. They’ll say, ‘She looks old!’ But, right now, I’m holding it together. I really believe that when you take care of yourself and work to stay healthy, you’re better able to take care of those you love.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>JENNIFER ANISTON - 50</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Feb. 11,1969, in Los Angeles <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> While audiences fell in love with her iconic character Rachel on <em>Friends</em>, it was the TV adaptation of <em>Ferris Bueller’s Day Off</em> that gave the soon-to-be star her first taste of Hollywood. Titled <em>Ferris Bueller</em>, Jen co-starred as the title character’s sister for one season before the show was cancelled. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> Jennifer will reunite with <em>Just Go With It</em> co-star Adam Sandler for the comedy <em>Murder Mystery</em>, where the two play a couple suspected of – you guessed it! – murder. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “I don’t think life stops after 50 — if anything, it gets more and more exciting. For some reason, we don’t honour or pay respect to aging.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>JASON BATEMAN - 50</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Jan. 14, 1969, in Rye, N.Y. <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> The father of two started his career at the age of 11 on <em>Little House on the Prairie</em> as James, a boy adopted by the Ingalls family. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> The Netflix series <em>Ozark</em> will return to the streaming service for a third season with its star Jason stepping behind the camera to direct at least four episodes. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “I always thought it’s important for people to treat one another with respect at work, no matter what industry you’re in. [That] has allowed me to do a lot of listening, and I continue that to this day.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>CATHERINE ZETA-JONES - 50</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Sept. 25, 1969, in Swansea, Wales <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> Though she made her film debut in 1990 in <em>1001 Nights</em>, it wasn’t until <em>The Mask of Zorro</em> in 1998 that audiences sat up and took notice of Catherine. Her chemistry with Antonio Banderas was so successful, it was reprised in 2005’s <em>The Legend of Zorro</em>. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> Although the mom of two keeps busy with the web series <em>Queen America</em>, Catherine is also the brains behind Casa Zeta-Jones, her stylish home collection. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “What shaped me as an actor [was] getting older. As I mature as a woman, as a mother, as a wife, I’m not scared anymore.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>EMMA THOMPSON - 60</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> April 15, 1959, in London <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> The formidable actress won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1987 miniseries <em>Fortunes of War</em>, opposite her first husband Kenneth Branagh. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> There’s no shortage of projects for Emma in 2019. In addition to <em>Late Night</em>, she’ll star with Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth in <em>Men in Black: International</em> and <em>Last Christmas</em> with Emilia Clarke. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “I’ve never felt so powerful and so calm. I just don’t care, because I’m too old. It’s such a great feeling!”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>MARIE OSMOND - 60</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Oct. 13, 1959, in Ogden, Utah <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> Having made her debut in her siblings’ act the Osmond Brothers aged four, Marie has barely known a life outside of the spotlight. After releasing her album <em>Who’s Sorry Now</em> and performing with brother Donny in 1975, Marie solidified her spot in music history. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> In November, the Grammy-nominated singer and her brother will be wrapping up their 11-year run in the Las Vegas show <em>Donny & Marie</em>. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “I have eight beautiful children, three beautiful grandchildren, and I have a husband. I don’t even mind aging. We’re having a ball!”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>MERYL STREEP</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> June 22, 1949, in Summit, N.J. <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> Meryl burst into the industry with a supporting role in Robert De Niro’s <em>The Deer Hunter</em>, earning herself an Oscar nod – the first of her record-shattering 21.
<strong>THIS YEAR</strong> As usual, Meryl will be delighting fans in everything she appears in, including a guest role on HBO’s <em>Big Little Lies</em>. Plus, she’ll become a grandmother in 2019 – her actress daughter Mamie Gummer is expecting. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “You have to embrace getting older. Life is precious, and when you’ve lost a lot of people, you realize each day is a gift.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>RICHARD GERE - 70</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> Aug. 31, 1949, in Philadelphia <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> Before he was closing jewelry boxes on Julia Roberts’ fingers, Richard starred in <em>American Gigolo</em>, a 1980 star-making vehicle that propelled him to new heights. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> Following other huge stars into the world of television, Richard will star in his first major TV role in the psycho-thriller series <em>MotherFatherSon</em>. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “I have never dyed my hair in my life – and I am not going to start now. Why bother? I am not kept awake worrying about such things at
five o’clock in the morning.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>JESSICA LANGE - 70</h2>
<strong>BORN</strong> April 20, 1949, in Cloquet, Minn. <strong>BREAKTHROUGH</strong> The blond bombshell made her mark in film by appearing as the damsel in distress in 1976’s <em>King Kong</em>, beating out Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn for the role. <strong>THIS YEAR</strong> Ryan Murphy’s favourite muse will take a break from the horror genre to appear in <em>The Politician</em>, a comedy series starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Platt. <strong>WORDS TO LIVE BY</strong> “In recent years I’ve tried to come to grips with the idea that you can actually choose to be happy. You can choose not to let things affect you negatively.”
<p>Photo: © Getty Images