At first sight some 19th century architects had improbably long careers; for instance Barry, Pugin and Scott. As you know, their children took up the architectural baton from their fathers’ giving this impression.
A 20th century author (1897 – 1976) who wrote more than forty books, lots adapted for film, TV and the wireless, had four wives, two children and he has never been mentioned in almost 2,600 posts – incroyable!
CJ Sansom is an author who has found his metier writing historical whodunnit mysteries set in Tudor England with Shardlake as his hunchback lawyer hero. Maybe he chose a lawyer as before he became a full time author he practised as a solicitor.