Aging gracefully isn’t easy especially for women in the entertainment industry. While men only seem to become more in demand as their hair starts to turn grey, women have to constantly battle Father Time to keep getting roles in films or on television. The music industry can be equally as unforgiving with young kittens like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Adele tearing up the charts while older ladies often get left behind. That’s not the way it has to be. This list of 40 beautiful female celebrities over 40 proves it is entirely possible to have a successful career after you blow out the candles on your fortieth birthday cake. Enjoy!
*Please note, this list is in alphabetical order by the celebrity’s first name. I’ve also excluded anyone that has copped to a lot of plastic surgery because, while I have no problem with plastic surgery, it really doesn’t count as ‘aging gracefully’. Some stars on this list have probably had work done but it’s either not obvious or not confirmed and I don’t deal in rumors.*

40. Uma Thurman
Birthdate: April 29, 1970
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Current Age: 42

39. Vanessa L. Williams
Birthdate: March 18, 1963
Birthplace: Tarrytown, New York
Current Age: 49

38. Tina Fey
Birthdate: May 18, 1970
Birthplace: Upper Derby Township, Pennsylvania
Current Age: 42

37. Stacey Dash
Birthdate: January 20, 1966
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York
Current Age: 46

36. Sofia Vergara
Birthdate: July 10, 1972
Birthplace: Barranquilla, Colombia
Current Age: 40

35. Shania Twain
Birthdate: August 28, 1965
Birthplace: Windsor, Ontario
Current Age: 47

34. Sandra Bullock
Birthdate: July 26, 1964
Birthplace: Arlington County, Virginia
Current Age: 48

33. Salma Hayek
Birthdate: September 2, 1966
Birthplace: Veracruz, Mexico
Current Age: 46

32. Naomi Watts
Birthdate: September 28, 1968
Birthplace: Shoreham, Kent
Current Age: 43

31. Monica Bellucci
Birthdate: September 30, 1964
Birthplace: Umbria, Italy
Current Age: 47

30. Mary-Louise Parker
Birthdate: August 2, 1964
Birthplace: Fort Jackson, South Carolina
Current Age: 48

29. Mariska Hargitay
Birthdate: January 23, 1964
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Current Age: 48

28. Marisa Tomei
Birthdate: December 4, 1964
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
Current Age: 47

27. Maria Bello
Birthdate: April 18, 1967
Birthplace: Norristown, Pennsylvania
Current Age: 45

26. Lucy Liu
Birthdate: December 2, 1968
Birthplace: Queens, New York
Current Age: 43

25. Lauren Graham
Birthdate: March 16, 1967
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
Current Age: 45

24.Kristin Davis
Birthdate: February 24, 1965
Birthplace: Boulder, Colorado
Current Age: 47

23. Kristin Chenoweth
Birthdate: July 24, 1968
Birthplace: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Current Age: 44

22. Kelly Hu
Birthdate: February 13, 1968
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
Current Age: 44

21.Juliette Binoche
Birthdate: March 9, 1964
Birthplace: Paris, France
Current Age: 48

20. Jeri Ryan
Birthdate: February 22, 1968
Birthplace: Munich, West Germany
Current Age: 44

19. Jennifer Lopez
Birthdate: July 24, 1969
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York
Current Age: 43

18. Jennifer Aniston
Birthdate: February 11, 1969
Birthplace: Sherman Oaks, California
Current Age: 43

17. Jada Pinkett-Smith
Birthdate: September 18, 1971
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
Current Age: 40

16. Helena Christensen
Birthdate: December 25, 1968
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Current Age: 43

15. Halle Berry
Birthdate: August 14, 1966
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Current Age: 46

14. Gwen Stefani
Birthdate: October 3, 1969
Birthplace: Fullerton, California
Current Age: 42

13. Famke Janssen
Birthdate: November 5, 1965
Birthplace: Amstelveen, Netherlands
Current Age: 46

12. Eva LaRue
Birthdate: December 27, 1966
Birthplace: Long Beach, California
Current Age: 45

11. Elizabeth Hurley
Birthdate: June 10, 1965
Birthplace: Basingstoke, Hampshire
Current Age: 47

10. Elle Macpherson
Birthdate: March 29, 1963
Birthplace: Killara, Sydney
Current Age: 49

09. Diane Lane
Birthdate: January 22. 1965
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Current Age: 47

08. Denise Richards
Birthdate: February 17, 1971
Birthplace: Downer’s Grove, Illinois
Current Age: 41

07. Courtney Cox
Birthdate: June 15, 1964
Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama
Current Age: 48

06. Cindy Crawford
Birthdate: February 20, 1966
Birthplace: DeKalb, Illinois
Current Age: 46

05. Charisma Carpenter
Birthdate: July 23, 1970
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada
Current Age: 42

04. Catherine Zeta-Jones
Birthdate: September 25, 1969
Birthplace: Swansea, Wales
Current Age: 42

03. Catherine Bell
Birthdate: August 14, 1968
Birthplace: London, England
Current Age: 44

02. Cameron Diaz
Birthdate: August 30, 1972
Birthplace: San Diego, California
Current Age: 40

01. Brooke Burke-Charvet
Birthdate: September 8, 1971
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut
Current Age: 40