Turning 40 and even 50 no longer means retirement or only mom roles for glamorous kdrama actresses.

In decades past, actresses often retired when they married or aged out of leading lady roles, but some of kdrama's most beautiful older actresses are changing all that.

Several kdrama actresses over 40 continue to score great roles. A few do play moms or wicked prospective mother-in-laws, but others also take leading roles as wives and love interests.

There's no rule that says women always look better in their 20s than they do in their 40s. For example, many would say that Kim Sung Ryung is even more attractive now than she was when she began acting. The 46-year-old actress was just cast in the upcoming drama, "The Heirs" with Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye.

The actress works consistently, having recently appeared as Baek Do In Kyung "Yawang," Seo Ji Soo in "The Chaser," Oh Eun Hee in "Syndrome" and Ji Na's mom in "Padam Padam: The Sound Of His and Her Heartbeats." She won a KBS Excellence in Acting award for her role in "The Chaser."

Lee Mi Sook, 53, was a top actress in the 80s. She appeared in several films, most notably "Whale Hunting," "The Winter That Was Warm," and "Wanderer in Winter." She retired from acting in 1987 when she married but returned a decade later in the film, "An Affair." She played a good mom in "Love Rain" and a bad mom in "Cinderella's Sister" but she also did a gorgeous fashion spread in Elle Korea in 2010, playing the older woman having an affair with BigBang's TOP. She is currently playing glamorous actress Song Mi Ryung in "You're The Best Lee Soon Shin."

Kim Hye Soo, 43, recently starred in "God of the Workplace" as super-temp Miss Kim. She will appear in a film this year, titled "The Face Reader." Kim has acted since she was a high school student and her career shows no sign of slowing down. She became known as a femme fatale for her roles in "Hypnotized," "The Red Shoes" and Tazza" and she is just as glamorous today as she was then. Her dramatic red carpet looks continue to contribute to her sultry movie star appeal.

Kim Nam Joo, 42, appeared as Cha Hoon Yee, a working woman with annoying in-laws in last year's weekend drama hit "My Husband Got A Family." The drama earned ratings over 50 percent and its popularity was attributed to the to the relatable family problems it realistically portrayed. Kim, who has won several best actress, couple and style awards, looks amazing.

Hopefully, these talented actresses have many more drama roles in their futures.