This Iconic Star of ‘The Graduate’ Is 83—Her Transformation Will Shock You

Katharine Juliet Ross went from being an unknown actress to a famous star overnight. She is best known for playing Elaine in *The Graduate* alongside Dustin Hoffman. Over the years, many people called her a Hollywood bombshell.

Ross has had a long and successful career in acting. However, her personal life has been quite different. She has been married five times. Luckily, her fifth marriage to the beloved actor Sam Elliott has turned out to be a happy one.

It’s been a while since Katharine Ross appeared on screen, but her life is about more than just acting. Even at 83, she is still a true beauty. Here’s everything you need to know about Katharine Ross and what she looks like today.

Katharine Ross took part in her school’s production of *The King and I* and decided she wanted to pursue acting seriously. However, after just one year, she dropped out of school. Instead, she applied to The Actors Workshop in San Francisco and moved into a small apartment above a grocery store.

### Katharine Ross – Early Life & Career

For three years, Ross worked hard to improve her acting skills. She eventually landed some small roles in television shows. Not only was she talented, but she also knew how to audition well.

“I was queen of the screen tests,” Ross told *Life Magazine* in 1968. “I made daily trips from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back in time for the Workshop’s curtain call. I played many different types of hit-and-run drivers: an innocent driver, a tough driver, and a wealthy, snobby teenage driver. On *Gunsmoke*, I played a sympathetic character with a clubfoot.”

While in college, Ross met her first husband, Joel Fabiani, and they married in 1960. He was the first of her five husbands, but more on that later.

The years after her marriage to Fabiani were important for Ross. She became known for her many roles in television Westerns, which suited her beauty perfectly.

However, even though it might sound like a dream to be cast in many shows, it wasn’t always easy for Katharine Ross. Like many young stars in the business, she faced exploitation and challenges. Simply put, it wasn’t all fun and games for young TV actors in the 1960s.

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Katharine Ross shared a memory about auditioning for a film directed by Samuel Goldwyn Jr. called *The Young Lovers*. She was supposed to screen test with Peter Fonda, but he wasn’t available, so they brought in Chad Everett instead. He didn’t know the role was already filled, and he was giving it his all. Katharine didn’t have the heart to tell him. After several sessions with a hairdresser to get her look right, they ended up cutting all her hair off, and in the end, they cast someone else.

### Katharine Ross – Cast as Elaine in *The Graduate*

Ross reflected on the time, saying it was great because the old studio system was ending, and new styles of filmmaking were starting. Films with small budgets, like the one she auditioned for, were becoming popular. This shift eventually led to the indie film movement.

Katharine made her TV debut in an episode of *Sam Benedict* in 1962. Her first movie role was in *Shenandoah*, a Civil War film starring James Stewart, in 1965. The following year, she signed a deal with Universal Studios. While working on her first starring role in the film *Games*, director Mike Nichols noticed her talent.

He cast her in her most famous role: Elaine in *The Graduate*, alongside Dustin Hoffman.

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“Dustin Hoffman was a New York stage actor. He looked like he had just rolled out from under a rock; he was so pale. He just wanted to get back to his off-Broadway play. Even though we eventually became friends, my first thought was, ‘Oh my God — this guy is dressed in black and looks like a ghost,’” Ross remembered in an interview with the *Houston Chronicle*.

She also mentioned that Gene Hackman, who was Dustin’s roommate at the time, was supposed to play her father but dropped out for some reason.

*The Graduate* became a classic, and Katharine became a star overnight. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and received a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year.

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In 2017, Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott starred together in a movie called *The Hero*. In this film, Elliott played an aging Western film star, and Ross played his ex-wife. While the movie doesn’t reflect their real lives, it allows the couple to try new things together.

“I think we just like making movies, and having that creative experience together is the best,” Elliott told the *Los Angeles Times* in 2016.

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“It’s just fun. It’s a whole different kind of energy to go home with someone you’re working with rather than go home to someone who isn’t working. It’s a totally positive experience,” he added.

Ross and Elliott split their time between their homes in California and Oregon. Earlier this year, they attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards together. Katharine has not acted in any films or television shows for several years.

However, she has become a successful author and has published several children’s novels.

Mother Welcomed Her First Child at 66 and Has Lived with Public Rejection since Then

The memories of the day you become a parent will be ones you hold dear forever. A unique child who depends on you has just entered the world. You must provide them with the finest environment and encouragement while they work to achieve their goals.Adriana Iliescu gave birth to her first child in 2005, and because she was 66 at the time, her story received extensive media coverage.Adriana was overjoyed when her daughter Eliza was born.

The elderly mother has been out of the public eye for 17 years, but some recently released, well publicized images of her daughter have brought her back.There are those days that can completely alter someone’s life. Undoubtedly, every parent who has ever experienced parenthood will concur that it is impossible to adequately express the moment you greet your child.When you first catch that cute child looking up at you, it’s the sweetest sensation in the world.Some people are born into history books and become immortal.When Eliza Iliescu was born in Romania in 2005, she had that exact experience. Because of the girl, the girl’s mother made history.
At 66 years old, Adriana Iliescu became the oldest mother ever. Eliza’s birth garnered media attention for obvious reasons, earning Adriana a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.In 2010, Adriana opened up about motherhood and shared her experiences after receiving severe criticism after giving birth. The people thought she was selfish and unduly old.“The mirror is cruel to women, but if you judge me by my vitality, I’d say I’m a young lady. When I’m a little more exhausted, I feel like I’m 37, yet I just feel like I’m 27. Women more than half my age are healthier than I am.“People think it’s humorous to refer to me as ‘grandma,’ but Eliza wasn’t there to make me appear younger. I don’t ever feel my age.Adriana, who was 71 at the time, also said during her conversation with the British tabloid that she planned to have another child.
She said, “Medically, it’s doable. It could be done, since I understand experiments with a 70-year-old woman are currently taking place in England. I am in good health and believe that having another child in the future is conceivable, but I’m not in a rush right now.Adriana and Eliza have a similar bond to most mothers and daughters over time. Eliza is a young child who is tremendously joyful, humorous, and intelligent.Although a lot of people have an opinion about Adriana’s age, the mother claims that Adriana is a great mother and takes good care of Eliza.“I don’t consume alcohol or smoke. Eliza will be 20 years old when I die if I survive as long as my parents did. I still believe I have a lot to offer her.Adriana did not plan on getting pregnant at such a late age. When Adriana Iliescu was a young newlywed, she was forced to have an abortion due to health issues. She was 24 when her husband abandoned her.Adriana subsequently focused on other facets of her life, such as her job as a professor at a Romanian university.As I was working, “I couldn’t even think about a child.”But I wasn’t ready to have children until I finished my doctorate at age 37. However, IVF did not exist back then.Adriana was 57 years old when in-vitro fertilization became an option in Romania. Adriana’s first pregnancy in 2000 resulted in miscarriage despite her attending counseling.

Many people turned their backs on her because she wanted to have children. They thought Adriana was acting immorally, but she persisted in her desire to have children and never gave up.

Eliza was eventually born after receiving treatment from Dr. Bogdan Marinescu in Bucharest. Adriana had really been expecting triplets, but only Eliza survived after the other two died in the womb. Unfortunately, because of her premature delivery, she had to spend a lot of time in the NICU.
Adriana, who was deeply religious, wanted to baptize her daughter immediately after she had grown into a strong young child. Sadly, some religious organizations opposed Adriana having a kid at such a late age. At Eliza’s baptism, Adriana encountered weird looks from the nuns, one of them even referred to her as “the creation of dark energy.”
Adriana claims that Eliza is a gift from God. Today’s Adriana Iliescu

Adriana gave birth to her first child in 2022, which has been 17 years ago. Adriana is usually mistaken for Eliza’s grandmother, but they are currently having a great time together.
But the seasoned mother is still in great physical and mental shape. She is a very loving person, and that is what it takes to nurture a child.

Adriana is 83 years old and still writes. She claims to be in good health and has published more than 25 children’s novels. She appears to be a fantastic mother, but she still holds down a part-time professorship in Bucharest.
Adriana has also ensured that Eliza’s future is in capable hands.

When Adriana chose to use IVF, she made an agreement with the physician. He will be the girl’s godfather and legal guardian in the event that Adriana passes away.
Eliza, who is 17 years old, wants to study and attend college, but Adriana initially prefers to keep her family’s private affairs private. Eliza, who always makes the honor roll, continues on her mother’s academic tradition.

Compared to many people in their 25s and 30s, she appeared to be performing better. She is COMMITTED to her child and has no outside interests to divert her. Her daughter has an amazing energy and seems to be very content, happy, and well-rounded.

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