Late bloomer

A late bloomer is a person who does not discover their talents and abilities until later than normally expected. In certain cases, the individual may be as old as 60, and retirement may lead to this discovery. The late bloomer is something of a contrast to a child prodigy and as such they often occur in almost opposite fields.

For example, late bloomers are common in business and politics, while child prodigies are rare in these fields. Child prodigies are most commonly involved in music or mathematics, where late bloomers are uncommon. The concept of the "late bloomer" is highly debatable, however, owing to the difficulties associated with defining the common attributes that constitute a so-called "late bloomer". For instance, there has been considerable debate on whether a "late bloomer" is a person who begins painting or writing later in life, or is it a person who becomes a famous painter or a famous writer later in life, after having practiced their art for many years prior to attaining fame (or notoriety)? Furthermore, how should one characterize the artist who practices their art for many years but never becomes the object of public fame? The above argument is supported by the argument that many so-called "late-bloomers" are labeled as such only after achieving some level of fame or notoriety, despite years of practicing their art.

Starting late

The reasons why some people do not realize their talents until fairly late in life are varied. In several cases the person may have been disadvantaged or isolated in their earlier years and therefore unable to do much with the potential they had. In the case of some of the women listed issues of sexism or family necessity may have kept them from pursuing a goal in their younger years. Interestingly losing a spouse, in several of cases thus found, led or pushed the person to try a new direction in life. Other reasons include excess leisure time from a well-planned retirement.

The term "late-bloomer" may also refer to an individual who has done poorly in school as a child and adolescent but who develops serious intellectual interests in his 20's or 30's and enrolls in college, where he performs particularly well and is subsequently able to establish a professional career.

The term "late bloomer" is also used to refer to an individual who loses their virginity at an age that is considered advanced for the society in which they live. W.B. Yeats (age 30), and Pierre Trudeau (age at least 28) are all "late bloomers" in this sense.

"Late Bloomer" can also refer to children who suffer from delayed puberty. In most cases, this reference is made to a child's height.

Fields discussed

Acting

In acting Peg Phillips might be one of the best examples as she first pursued acting as a professional after her retirement from accounting. Although not a noteworthy actress Clara Peller might be noted for having an even later start in entertainment. Richard Farnsworth became an actor after 40 years as a stunt man, although he had had a few small uncredited roles when younger. Rodney Dangerfield was an actor/comedian who didn't really start until he was 42. He had done clubs when he was younger, but stopped in order to work as a salesman. Zelda Rubinstein was 48 before she had her first role, a minor part in Under the Rainbow, but is more known for her "debut" in the Poltergeist film series starting the following year. Chicago native, Chi McBride, best known for the role as the principal in the series Boston Public, only got into acting when he was 31. Danny Glover had a brief stint in the career of politics before he had involved himself in acting at 28. BAFTA winning British actress Liz Smith did not become a professional actress until the age of 50.[1]

Art

In art "late bloomers" are most often associated with Naïve art. This term is used for untrained artists so fits those who start late in life without artistic training. Hence the classic late bloomer is Grandma Moses whose painting career began in her seventies because of arthritis. An even older example is Bill Traylor who started drawing at age 83. Another painter who started late in life is Alfred Wallis who began painting after his wife's death in his 60s.

Business

In business Irene Wells Pennington became best known in her nineties when she helped straighten out irregularities in her husband's oil business after he went senile in his own 90s. Colonel Sanders began his franchise in his sixties and can also be deemed a late in life financial success. In his mid-50s Taikichiro Mori founded the business that made him, for a year or two, the richest man in the world. He came from a merchant family, but had been a business professor before his 50s.[2]

Games and Sports

In shooting there have been two figures of note whose accomplishments occurred in their sixties or later. Joshua Millner of Britain was 61 when he won his Olympic gold medal in Free rifle, 1000 yards. Swedish marksman Oscar Swahn won two Olympic gold medals in the running deer, single shot event at the age of 60. He won his last medal, silver, at 72 making him the oldest medalist.

In athletics Philip Rabinowitz (runner) set a sprinting record for centenarians.

It should also be noted that in professional sports, an athlete's career usually ends in the mid-to-late 30s, so a player who breaks through in his late 20s/early 30s would be considered a late bloomer in this context. One such example is Kurt Warner, who entered the NFL at age 28, and went on to become a two-time MVP and Super Bowl champion. Baseball pitcher Randy Johnson, who made his Major League debut at 25, but didn't reach superstar status until he was 30, might also be considered a late bloomer, as might defender Marco Materazzi of Inter Milan, who started playing soccer professionally at 26. former NBA star, Hakeem Olajuwon did not touch a basketball until he was 15, and his athleticism in his sport soccer and fundamentals from the game handball helped him advanced as one of the greatest bigmen to play in NBA.

Cricket player Michael Hussey made his test debut for Australia in 2005 at the age of 30, after having played state cricket for Western Australia for 11 years. He has since maintained a test average of over 70, second only to the great Don Bradman in players who have played over 20 innings.

Heavyweight champions Ken Norton and Rocky Marciano did not take up boxing until their twenties, but both enjoyed successful careers at the highest level of competition.

Music

Anton Bruckner is a rare example of a musical late bloomer. Although he played church organ some in his twenties he did not become a composer until his 40s. Singer K. T. Oslin released her first album at age 47 which was a major country music success. Al Jarreau is, also, an example when he released his first album at age 38. Andrea Bocelli was a lawyer, who did not release his first album until he was 34.

Filmmaking

One of the most shining examples of late bloomers in filmmaking is the Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira. Born in 1908, he worked sporadically in filmmaking from the 1930's. He completed his first feature film in 1941 called Aniki-Bobo. Due to circumstances beyond his control (difficulty in financing, having to deal with his family's business), he didn't complete his second feature film until 1971 (when he turned 63). 2 years later, he completed his third feature film, Benilde or the Virgin Mother (1973). Five years later, he made his breakthrough film (oringially commissioned by Portuguese TV) called Doomed Love. After his critically acclaimed film Francisca (1981), he became a full time filmmaker (at the age of 73).

Politics

• In politics Melchora Aquino's first references in Filipino history largely concerned as an elder or grandmother of the revolution. Silas C. Swallow was a minister who became a Prohibition Party activist in his sixties. Marjory Stoneman Douglas's might also fit. Her first environmental work of note occurred when she was almost 60, at 78 she founded "Friends of the Everglades", and she continued until she was over age 100.
• John Boehner graduated from College 9 years after graduating from high school.

Religion

The great proponent of Gaudiya Vaishnavism A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness or the Hare Krishna movement in 1966 at the age of 70. Within the final twenty years of his life Prabhupada translated over sixty volumes of classic Vedic scriptures (such as Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam) into the English language.

Writing

Mary Wesley might be a classic example. She wrote two children's books in her late fifties, but her writing career did not gain note until her first novel at 70. This came after the death of her husband. Harriet Doerr published her first novel at age 74 and it went on to great praise. A possibly more well known example might be Laura Ingalls Wilder. She became a columnist in her forties, but did not publish her first novel until her sixties. Children's author Mary Alice Fontenot wrote her first book at 51 and wrote almost thirty additional books, publishing multiple volumes in her eighties and nineties. Charles Bukowski did not publish his first novel until age 49 after a lengthy career working odd jobs and then at a post office. Richard Adams's first novel, the bestseller Watership Down, was published when he was in his fifties. Anthony Burgess, the novelist best known for A Clockwork Orange, didn't publish his first novel until he was 39. The Marquis de Sade didn't publish his first novel, Justine, until he was 51. Henry Miller didn't publish his first novel Tropic of Cancer until he was 44. Raymond Chandler published his first short story at 45, and his first novel, The Big Sleep at 51.

In other areas of writing poet Wallace Stevens started late in life after years as an insurance salesman and executive. Although he was first published at 38, his "canonical works" came out in his fifties. In philosophy Mary Midgley had her first book when she was 56. Edmond Hoyle wrote a booklet on whist in his late sixties. To avoid unauthorized copies he wrote the copyrighted A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist at age 70.

The Indian writer Nirad C. Chaudhuri wrote his autobiography The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian at the age of 54. He wrote a sequel to it Thy Hand, Great Anarch! at the age of 90. He published his next work (and his final work) Three Horsemen of the New Apocalypse at the age of 100.

Aron Ettore Schmitz published his first novel Senilità in his 38th year, however it was not until he published Zeno's Conscience that he made a breakthrough, aged 61. Even this was self-published.

See also

• Child prodigy

External links

• Related article in Time magazine The Surprising Power of the Aging Brain