Women We're Thankful For

We've made a list of seven outstanding Boomer women (just in time for Thanksgiving) who have earned our gratitude for the ways they have proved that being female and older are not obstacles to inspiring respect and admiration.

Helen Mirren, because she proved it's possible to become a superstar in your 60s

Mirren's remarkable career spans four decades and includes acclaimed work in the theater, on television, and in films. Yet the third time she portrayed a British queen proved to be the charm. In 1994, she was a queen consort in "The Madness of King George," an Oscar-nominated role that she followed with her performance as Elizabeth I in the 2005 miniseries that won her both an Emmy and Golden Globe. Then, when she was 61, she capped her achievements with an Academy Award--winning performance for Best Actress as Elizabeth II in "The Queen."

That film also earned her the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Drama, a Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Drama, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actress. The same year, the Critics Circle in Britain presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts. In 2007, "People" magazine named her to their list of the 100 Most Beautiful People and in 2011, after she turned 66, "LA Fitness" magazine chose her as the "Best Body" although she was competing with the likes of Kelly Brook and Jennifer Lopez.

In an HBO interview, Mirren said: "People always say, Oh, it's so terrible, there aren't enough roles for women, you know? And I've always said, Work on getting good roles for women in real life, and then the roles for women in drama will follow."

Meryl Streep, because she has proved she's the Iron Lady of Actresses Streep, now 62 and still going strong, has shown that she can star in musicals, romantic films, comedies, and anything else she decides to take on. She is widely regarded as one of the most versatile and talented actresses of our time.

Her first Oscar win was for the 1979 film "Kramer vs. Kramer" and her second was for "Sophie's Choice" in 1982. She holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations, at 16, and the most Golden Globe nominations, at 25. She has won two Emmys, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Cannes Film Festival award, four New York Film Critics Awards, five Grammy Awards, a BAFTA award, an Australian Film Institute Award, and a Tony Award, among others.

In 2004 the American Film Institute granted Streep a Lifetime Achievement Award. She got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998, and May 27, 2004 was proclaimed "Meryl Streep Day" by then Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields. Still, the Streep honor we are most thankful for here at ThirdAge is her 1998 Crystal Award given by Women in Film for outstanding women who have helped expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. That she has certainly done in spades.

Queen Elizabeth II, because she proved that the grandmother of the groom could produce a helluva wedding During her reign of over 59 years, the second-longest for any British monarch, Elizabeth has shown an impeccably regal public persona. But Helen Mirren, who had tea with the Queen, told an About.com Guide: "There is a twinkle to her and a relaxation about her that you don't really see in her formal moments, and her formal moments is what we mostly see. 99.9% of the time we see those formal moments and they're very familiar to us. That, to all of us, is ‘The Queen’. But there is another queen/woman/Elizabeth Windsor who is very easy and welcoming and sparkly and with the most lovely smile, and alert and not that sort of reserved and cool gravitas that she normally communicates."

The Queen's off-duty persona that Mirren was privy to may well be the key to why Elizabeth, now 85, was able to stage manage a wedding for Wills and Kate which galvanized a measure of esteem for the monarchy that had been sorely lacking. Not only Britain but the whole world suddenly saw the royals in a far better light. Elizabeth clearly came out the other side after what she called her "annus horribilis" when a perfect storm of divorces and death and a terrible fire all struck nearly at the same time. We say, good for her -- and thanks for being a stalwart role model.

Hilary Clinton, who proved you can be more appreciated and popular than ever in your 60s After being in the public eye for decades in capacities as varied as First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State, Hillary has survived the scrutiny that came with her marriage scandal and shown us that her own work is what really matters. With great success, she has used her position as Secretary of State to focus attention on the international rights of women and the economic empowerment of financially depressed regions around the globe.

Her trademark “town hall” meetings both here and in other countries have gone a long way toward improving equal access to education, employment, health care, and legal help for women everywhere.

In the presidential nomination race of 2008, Hillary won more primaries and delegates than any other female candidate had ever done. She lost to Obama, but not by a large margin. Will he put her on the 2012 ticket as his Vice Presidential running mate? That remains to be seen. For now, we're just thankful for all that Hillary, 64 and stil the quintessential "good girl," has already done to improve the lives of so many people in such varied circumstances around the world.

Angela Merkel, because she is doing her best to sort out Europe's financial mess In her role as the German chancellor, she has been unwavering in her insistence that Europe's faltering economies accept austerity measures, however painful they may be. "Time" magazine, upon naming her one of 2011's 100 most influential people in the world, lauded her this way: "As the first woman leader of a major continental European power, Angela Merkel has used her extraordinary talents to maintain the delicate balance of Germany's grand coalition. These talents were put to use in jump-starting Europe's economy, which was in a slump when she took power in 2005. Alongside French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who shares her taste for decisive political action, commitment and hard work, Merkel, 56, worked tirelessly to steer Europe through the financial crisis."

Now of course, Sarkozy has disagreed with Merkel on the role of the European Central Bank in the debt crisis. Along with Spain, Britain, and other countries, France has called for the ECB to act as a lender. But Merkel has continued to reject this approach because she believes it will only serve to create hyperinflation. She hasn't budged yet in spite of tremendous pressure. We applaud her for the strength of her convictions in the face of so much opposition.

Diane Sawyer, because she proved a women can anchor the evening news -- and still get the big gets Since leaving ABC's "Good Morning America" in December of 2009 to take up her current spot as the anchor of ABC's flagship news program, "ABC World News," Sawyer, at 65, has shown that she can get the most sought after guests such as Jaycee Dugard and Gabby Giffords like nobody else. During her broadcast journalism career, Sawyer has interviewed numerous political figures including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. In 2007, she interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. She has also interviewed, among many others, Fidel Castro, Manuel Noriega, and big names from the entertainment world.

After Diane joined "ABC World News," ratings skyrocketed by 8% for 60 days after her first four weeks, averaging 8.8 million viewers. She signs off at the close of her nightly broadcast by saying "I'll see you right back here tomorrow night." We'll be there! And thanks, Diane, for your skill and sensitivity in drawing out the people we want and need to hear about. You're a master of that, for sure!

Aung San Suu Kyi, because she has proved that patience can pay off Burma's staunch democracy champion, now 65, announced her plans to run in forthcoming elections just days after her party rejoined the political playing field. Suu Kyi was under house arrest for nearly 15 of the 21 years from 1989 to 2010 with only brief periods of freedom. During that time, on May 2nd of 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Burma and the roof of her house was blown away. She lost electricity and was forced to use candles at night because she was not given a generator.

She was honored with the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Other prestigious awards followed. At last, on November 13th 2010, she was released from house arrest for a final time. That she is now continuing her work for peace and democracy is laudable beyond measure. We join the chorus of awe and appreciation that resonates around the world.