Barbara Knox – Coronation Street – Age 87

For some actors, starring in a soap opera is only a stepping stone to success. But Barbara Knox’s decades-spanning career with Coronation Street proves that being a soap star is enough to make a performer legendary. She immortalized the character, Rita Tanner. And for that, she’ll always have a place in Brits’ hearts.

Aside from the acclaim, Knox’s reported $275K salary likely convinces her to stay aboard even as she enters her late 80s. But you’d be surprised to know how the two-time British Soap Award winner still fears that she’d get axed and even loses sleep whenever she forgets her lines, one co-star shared in 2020.