Can You Become a Great Player Later in Life

I am curious if there have been any high level players be they IM or GM who have got started playing chess later in life.
Chess seems to me like something that you need to have in your head in a young age to be truly great at, (Carlsen, Fisher, many other all started really young)... And it doesn't help that mental processing speed slows down with age...

But can you start at say, 35-50, and still become a master level player?

Yes! definitely! I met some people who became IM after the 30s...

Jonathan Hawkins (British champion) became a GM at the age of 31.

This brings me hope :)

Here is an interesting article about the ages of people first becoming a GM:

http://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/9891/what-is-the-average-age-to-become-a-grandmaster

Here is another good article about becoming a GM:

http://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/8767/can-almost-anyone-become-a-grandmaster-if-they-devoted-their-life-from-age-6?rq=1

I don't know if it's possible to be a GM being a patzer..., but...; who am I to say anything?

Finegold became GM (USA) all his GM norms came from USA at 40-41 years old. That is the oldest age to become GM ever.
But all GM's learned chess at a young age. The younger the stronger.
M. Carlsen played a very strong game when he was 13 look at him now.
Example I learned chess in my 50's I will never be GM

I think there's a disconnect between what the OP is asking and the answers he's getting. While many players get their GM norms at a more advanced age, they begin playing chess at a very young age, and were very strong players for a very long time before finally sealing the deal when "old".

basically I am 24 and asking if theres a snowballs chance I could be a 2000+ player someday