grand old man

American  

noun

1. a highly respected, usually elderly man who has been a major or the most important figure in a specific field for many years.

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Example Sentences

As Betsie and I stepped out with Father between us, a murmur of horror greeted the sight of “Haarlem’s Grand Old Man” being led to prison.

From Literature

“Haarlem’s Grand Old Man” they called him and they were setting about to prove it.

From Literature

The grand old man of Victorian letters was once a young romantic whose grief-soaked verse still dazzles and unsettles.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the city of L.A. itself, the grand old man of adobes is the Avila Adobe, built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, once mayor of the city.

From Los Angeles Times

The grand old man going out on the grandest stage of them all.

From BBC