Actors don’t retire – they keep on working until the roles dry up.

It’s rare for an actor to officially quit the scene – the great Gene Hackman and Sean Connery are two recent exceptions. And many actors continue to produce fine work in their golden years.

Here’s a salute to five such actors, professionals who not only keep getting gigs but retain the greatness of their youth.

To qualify, the actors must still be actively seeking parts (so Clint Eastwood who is coy about his acting future, doesn’t qualify) and still occasionally giving performances reminiscent of their younger selves.

Note: the list includes only one actress … to me, a reminder that male actors are allowed to age on screen without the stigma actresses often endure.

1. Michael Caine – (77) Nobody does it better, or make it look so darn effortless. Caine is working furiously again, like he did back in the 1980s. And with wonderful performances in films like “Is Anybody There?,” “Flawless” and, presumably, “Harry Brown,” Caine’s weathered visage cannot hide his extreme talent.
2. Jack Nicholson – (72) Jack remains Jack, a remarkable feat given his body of work. He hasn’t been on the big screen since the mediocre “Bucket List” from 2007, but his acting chops – and presence – endure. He’s set to re-team with James. L. Brooks later this year, a combination which should yield some vintage moments.
3. Dustin Hoffman (72) – The erstwhile “Tootsie” is a tough choice here, in part because he hasn’t had many great roles in recent years. But he was terrific in “Last Chance Harvey,” an overlooked gem which showed him, once more, at the peak of his powers.
4. Dame Judi Dench (75) – Very few actors could steal scenes from 007, but Dench makes it look like child’s play. Her complex turn in “Notes on a Scandal” showed she could still set off cinematic sparks with a well turned phrase or arched brow.
5. Morgan Freeman (72) – This actor got a late start in Hollywood, and he’s still making up for lost time. His recent Oscar nomination for “Invictus” is the latest sign of an actor getting better with age.

(Photo: Sir Michael Caine remains at the top of his profession.)

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Think fast. What was the last great lead role for Dustin Hoffman?

It’s been a while, right? (1997’s “Wag the Dog” is your best bet here)

Hollywood doesn’t do many favors for actors north of 60.

“Last Chance Harvey” is a minor miracle for two reasons. It lets Hoffman shine in ways we haven’t seen in a decade, and it’s a romance that doesn’t follow the rom-com boilerplate.

And we haven’t even mentioned Hoffman woos the delightful Emma Thompson in the film.

Hoffman plays Harvey, a soon-to-be unemployed jingle writer jetting off to his daughter’s wedding in London. But said daughter is thisclose to being estranged, and Harvey has even worse ties to his ex-wife (Kathy Baker) and her new beau (James Brolin).

So when he sees an attractive woman named Kate at a London eatery, he decides to chat her up.

Really, what has he to lose at this point?

But Kate has her own burdens to bear. She’s perpetually single and lives with her controlling mother. Surely, love just isn’t in the cards for her, right?

What follows is an awkward courtship and a wedding ceremony that far outshines the histrionics in “Rachel Getting Married.”

It’s a given that Hoffman and Thompson share wonderful screen chemistry. But what’s unexpected is how rich the screenplay and situations prove to be. A film starring two Oscar winners could have coasted on their star power.

Instead, the actors are ably supported by young writer/director Joel Hopkins, who should be put in charge of the next Sandra Bullock romance – and fast.

The film’s final act includes a tired plot device meant to hype the “will they or won’t they” love story, but the moment soon passes, and we’re left with the stars trying one last time to find love.

The complex resolution is as satisfying as nearly every scene in “Last Chance Harvey.”

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(Photo: Dustin Hoffman stares into space while his life crumbles around him in “Last Chance Harvey.”)

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Think getting older is the kiss of death at the box office?

Some aging icons beg to differ, and they’re sending a message to Clooney, DiCaprio and co. – it’s not your town just yet.

Last year’s death door dramedy “The Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman brought in $93 million.

Now, “Gran Torino,” starring the 78-year-old Clint Eastwood, is taking no prisoners at the box office.

“Gran Torino” rocketed to number one over the weekend, beating out those battling Brides Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. Monday, “Torino” grossed $2.8 million domestically. The next 3 highest grossing films came in at slightly above or below $1million Monday, according to Warner Bros., the studio behind “Torino.”

So what gives? Audiences could be clamoring for bona fide movies stars – and ignoring the crow’s feet and age spots.

Or perhaps these films serve an underserved market — anyone over 21 years of age who is sick of bad horror sequels and formulaic fare.

A better test comes this week with the release of “Last Chance Harvey.” Will audiences flock to see a senior citizen like Dustin Hoffman woo Emma Thompson, more than two decades his junior but still of a “certain age?”

Let’s hope so, or successes like “Gran Torino” will be the exception that studio bosses choose to ignore.

(Photo: Clint Eastwood is still making our day with “Gran Torino,” his latest box office hit.)

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Is there anything more yawn-inducing than a giggly celeb interview on Jay Leno’s couch?

One reason so many listeners flock to The Howard Stern Show is that his interviews aren’t planned down to the letter, even if the chat often veers straight toward the boudoir.

“Tonight Show” interviews are programmed down to the last syllable.

Actor makes self-deprecating entrance. Leno throws out a set-up for said actor to tell his funny/cute/bizarre anecdote … and then the customary movie/TV plug ensues.

One glaring Leno exception is whenever Dustin Hoffman visits “The Tonight Show.”

He dropped by last week to pump up interest in “Last Chance Harvey,” and the two-segment interview proved as winning as the film itself (WWTW review on Friday).

Hoffman is at that age where his self-censors have atrophied, so his banter is light, funny and a bit randy. He often tells a long joke when he visits “The Tonight Show,” and his stumbles and bumbles in the telling are often funnier than the punch line.

But Hoffman is a cutup without any material, and he brings out the rascally comic hidden deep within Leno’s corporate exterior. And he gets his movie plugged while charming Leno – and the audience.

(Photo: Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman flirt in “Last Chance Harvey.”)

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Overture Films must be pretty proud of two of its 2008 releases.

The studio just posted the scripts for “The Visitor” and “Last Chance Harvey” online for anyone to read.

It’s particularly interesting to put “Harvey” out there, since the movie hasn’t gone into wide release just yet (that comes Dec. 25).

Good for Overture for bringing attention to two of 2008’s better films. “The Visitor” might bring star Richard Jenkins an Oscar nod, and “Harvey” gives Dustin Hoffman his best starring role in years.

And, best of all, Overture did not put the script for “Righteous Kill” online.

(Photo: Liane Balaban dances with Dustin Hoffman during a poignant moment from “Last Chance Harvey.”)

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Put Dustin Hoffman in the same category as fellow living legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. They’re all great actors who rarely get great scripts anymore.

Think “88 Minutes, “City by the Sea” and “Meet the Fockers.”

It’s not easy getting older, especially for actors who see all the juicy roles go to guys named Tom, Will or Brad.

It’s why “Last Chance Harvey” is such an unqualified exception.

The film, coming out Dec. 25, got its world premiere last night (Nov. 22) at the 31st Starz Denver Film Festival. The movie stars Hoffman as an aging jingle writer whose job, and family ties, are hanging by a thread. Enter Emma Thompson, a lonely airport employee whose isolation is only lifted by the company of her overbearing mum.

Will serve up a full review later, but suffice to say the film blazes its own rom-com trail and gives Hoffman his best role in ages.

(Photo: Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman may be falling for each other in the upcoming romance “Last Chance Harvey.”)

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Anyone notice a similar arc in most, if not all, of Jack Black’s movies?

At first, he’s enjoyably daffy. By mid-film you want to strangle his character. Then, slowly, his manic energy wins you over despite your steeliest defenses.

I ran through those emotions in the new kiddie flick “Kung Fu Panda,” for which Black provides the main character’s voice.

“Panda” stars Black as a roley-poly panda named Po who dreams of becoming a kung fu master while slinging noodles for his father’s restaurant.

A series of clumsily staged events forces Po to accept a monumental challenge – to become the Dragon Warrior and defend his village against the evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane, oozing even more menace than he did on “Deadwood”).It’s up to a yoda-like kung fu master named Shifu (Dustin Hoffman, another casting coup) to turn Po into a lean, or at least leaner, fighting machine.

The jokes in “Kung Fu Panda” rarely rise above the obvious, and the action is so frenetic it’s hard to follow, let alone get invested in. But it’s the sweet bond forged between Po and Shifu that seals the deal. Their mentor-pupil relationship feels real, or at least as real as any animated film can conjure.

After seeing the new animated film “Kung Fu Panda” one thought came to mind. Nobody does it like Pixar. Still. That doesn’t mean movies like “Panda” aren’t a hyper kinetic kick for the kiddies. And for the kid in all of us.

(Photo: Jack Black voices Po the Panda in “Kung Fu Panda”)

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