1. Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
He appeared in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron (1977). After retiring from bodybuilding, he gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action star, with his breakthrough in the sword and sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian (1982), a box-office hit with a sequel in 1984. What Arnold really needed was a super hero / warrior style role in a lavish production that utilized his chiseled physique, and gave him room to show off his growing acting talents and quirky humor. Conan the Barbarian (1982) was just that role.
2. Sylvester Stallone:
Rocky (1976)
Sylvester Stallone (born July 6, 1946, New York, New York, U.S.) American actor, screenwriter, and director who was perhaps best known for creating and starring in the Rocky and Rambo film series, which made him an icon in the action genre. Stallone gained worldwide fame with his starring role in the smash hit Rocky (1976), a sports drama about a struggling boxer, Rocky Balboa, taking on heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. On March 24, 1975, Stallone saw the Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner fight. Sylvester Stallone (born July 6, 1946, New York, New York, U.S.)
3. Jason Statham:
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
His past history working at market stalls inspired his casting in the Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000). The commercial success of these films led Statham to star as Frank Martin in the Transporter trilogy (2002–2008). Lock, Stock was the film that gave Statham his big break, apparently after French Connection (who he modelled for at the time) invested in the picture and introduced him to Guy Ritchie.RELATED:
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4. Jackie Chan:
Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978)
His first major breakthrough was the 1978 kung fu action comedy film Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, which was shot while he was loaned to Seasonal Film Corporation under a two-picture deal. He then enjoyed huge success with similar kung fu action comedy films such as 1978’s Drunken Master and 1980’s The Young Master. Jackie Chan began experimenting with elaborate stunt action sequences in The Young Master and especially Dragon Lord (1982). In 1998, Rush Hour was released and became a breakout Hollywood film for Jackie Chan, propelling him to international stardom.
5. Jean-Claude Van Damme:
Bloodsport (1988)
Van Damme’s breakout film was Bloodsport, which opened on 26 February 1988, based on the alleged true story of Frank Dux. Van Damme is best known for his martial arts action movies. His most successful films include Kickboxer (1989), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994), and JCVD (2008).
6. Jet Li:
Shaolin Temple (1982)
After retiring from competitive Wushu at age 18, Li went on to win great acclaim in China as an actor, making his debut with the film Shaolin Temple (1982), which instantly catapulted him to stardom in East Asia. The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce.
7. Tony Jaa:
Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003)
Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior in 2003 made Tony Jaa Famous, Jaa’s break-out role as a leading man. Jaa did all the stunts without mechanical assistance or computer-generated effects and it showcased his style of extreme acrobatics and speedy, dance-like moves.
they were able to put together a short film showing what Jaa could do with the help of instructor Grandmaster Mark Harris. One of the people they showed it to was producer-director Prachya Pinkaew.
8. Donnie Yen:
Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
After filming Drunken Tai Chi and Tiger Cage (1988), Yen made his breakthrough role as General Nap-lan in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), which included a fight scene between his character and Wong Fei-hung (played by Jet Li). Yen had a starring role in the film Iron Monkey in 1993. He is best known for injecting mixed martial arts into Asian cinematography and popularising the self-defence fighting style of wing chun kung fu through his Ip Man movies (2008-2019). But Yen began acting in films and on television.
9. Chuck Norris:
Good Guys Wear Black (1978)
Chuck Norris is an American actor and martial artist. He has appeared in a number of action films, such as Way of the Dragon, in which he starred alongside Bruce Lee, and was The Cannon Group’s leading star in the 1980s. He played the starring role in the television series Walker, Texas Ranger, from 1993 to 2001. While Norris continued acting, friend and student Steve McQueen suggested he take it seriously. Norris took the starring role in the action film Breaker! Breaker! (1977), which turned a profit. His second lead, Good Guys Wear Black (1978), became a hit, and he soon became a popular action film star.RELATED:
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10. Dolph Lundgren:
Rocky IV (1985)
His film debut came in A View to a Kill (1985). However, it was his performance in Rocky IV (1985) later that year that definitely got him noticed.
Lundgren’s breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in Rocky IV as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, he has starred in more than 69 films, almost all of them in the action genre.
11. Scott Adkins:
Extreme Challenge (2001)
His first break came when he was offered a role in a Hong Kong martial arts film called Extreme Challenge (2001) (aka Extreme Challenge). Spotted by Head of The Hong Kong Stuntmen Association and director Wei Tung and English-born Hong Kong movie expert Bey Logan, Adkins found himself in the East for the first time.
He is best known for playing Russian prison fighter Yuri Boyka in the 2006 movie Undisputed II: Last Man Standing and its two sequels: Undisputed III: Redemption (2010) and Boyka: Undisputed (2016) and as Casey Bowman in the 2009 movie Ninja and its 2013 sequel Ninja: Shadow of a Tear.
12. Michael Jai White:
Tyson (1995)
Acting career. White’s first major starring role and breakout performance was in the 1995 HBO film Tyson, as heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. He portrayed the eponymous character in the 1997 film Spawn, making him the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture.
13. Keanu Reeves:
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
His breakthrough role came when he played time-travelling slacker Ted “Theodore” Logan in the science fiction comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) with Alex Winter, which was an unexpected commercial success. Reeves followed this with a supporting role in Ron Howard’s comedy Parenthood.
Greater stardom came for playing Neo in the science fiction series The Matrix, beginning in 1999. He played John Constantine in Constantine (2005) and starred in the romantic drama The Lake House (2006), the science fiction thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), and the crime thriller Street Kings (2008).
14. Liam Neeson:
Schindler’s List (1993)
Liam Neeson is an Irish actor. He rose to prominence with his acclaimed starring role in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 Oscar winner Schindler’s List.
2008 changed Neeson’s career trajectory with the release of Taken. At 57 years old, Neeson became an unlikely action star, setting off a 15-year run that includes hits like The Grey, A Walk Among the Tombstones, and four action films with Jaume Collet-Serra.
15. Dwayne Johnson:
The Scorpion King (2002)
The Scorpion King was Johnson’s first-ever lead role in a movie, and if it wasn’t for this film, the course of Hollywood would have been completely different and Johnson likely wouldn’t have become the biggest movie star in the world. Aug 5, 2023
Johnson’s most successful box office role has been Luke Hobbs in the Fast & Furious franchise too. He first appeared as the character in Fast Five (2011) and helped catapult the film series into one of the top-grossing movie franchises in history.
16. Vin Diesel:
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Vin Diesel He came to prominence in the late 1990s, and first became known for appearing in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan in 1998.
He followed up with commercially successful films such as Boiler Room (2000), The Pacifier (2005) and Find Me Guilty (2006). The Fast and the Furious (2001) established Diesel in his most-famous role, as the charismatic street racer–thief Dominic Toretto.He gained stardom as a leading action star headlining numerous franchises including Fast & Furious, XXX, and The Chronicles of Riddick.
17. Antonio Banderas:
Philadelphia (1993)
Banderas broke through to mainstream American audiences in the Jonathan Demme film Philadelphia (1993), as the life-long partner of lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks), who has AIDS. The film’s success earned Bandera’s wide recognition. Banderas is also known for films such as Desperado (1995), Assassins (1995), Evita (1996), and The Mask of Zorro (1998). Banderas earned various accolades in the Best Actor category including the Cannes Film Festival Award, Goya Award, and nominations from the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.
18. Tom Cruise:
Risky Business (1983)
Cruise began acting in the early 1980s and made his breakthrough with leading roles in the comedy film Risky Business (1983) and the action film Top Gun (1986). Critical acclaim came with his roles in the dramas The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). Since then, Cruise has established himself as an action star acting in science fiction and action films, often performing his own risky stunts. His films have grossed over $4 billion in North America and over $11.5 billion worldwide.
19. Harrison Ford:
Star Wars (1977)
Ford made his film debut in an uncredited appearance in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966) and went on to play supporting roles in such films as Journey to Shiloh (1968), Getting Straight (1970), American Graffiti (1973), and The Conversation (1974). He gained worldwide fame for his starring role as Han Solo in the epic space opera film Star Wars (1977), a role he reprised in four sequels over the next four decades. The multimedia franchise became a global cultural phenomenon. His films have grossed more than $5.4 billion in North America and more than $9.3 billion worldwide.
20. Bruce Willis:
Moonlighting (1985-1989)
Bruce Willis He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series Moonlighting (1985–1989) and has appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero for his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise (1988–2013). Willis’s other notable credits include The Last Boy Scout (1991), Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), Armageddon (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable, The Whole Nine Yards (both 2000), Tears of the Sun (2003), Sin City (2005), The Expendables, Red (both 2010), Looper (2012) and Glass (2019).
21. Kurt Russell:
Escape from New York (1981)
He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963–1964). In the late 1960s, he signed a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company, where he starred as Dexter Riley in films such as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972), and The Strongest Man in the World (1975).
Escape from New York
(1981) He did it first by casting Russell in a TV biopic about Elvis Presley entitled simply “Elvis.” He then turned Russell into an action hero two years later with the release of this film set in a dysfunctional New York City which has now become a maximum security prison.
22. Michelle Yeoh:
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Michelle Yeoh is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early films in Hong Kong, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in Hong Kong action films where she performed her own stunts. These roles include Yes, Madam (1985); Magnificent Warriors (1987); Police Story 3: Supercop (1992); The Heroic Trio (1993); and Holy Weapon (1993). After moving to the United States, Yeoh gained international recognition for starring in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and in Ang Lee’s martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), the latter for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
23. Bolo Yeung:
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Bolo Yeung He is globally known for his performances as Bolo in Enter the Dragon (starring Bruce Lee), and the dominant Chong Li in Bloodsport (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme) as well as other numerous appearances and long career in Hong Kong martial arts films.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Yeung starred in numerous martial arts films, his breakout film was Bloodsport too. Shot on a 1.5 million USD budget, it became a box office hit in the spring of 1988. Jean-Claude Van Damme had the leading role as Frank Dux, while Yeung played the role of Chong Li. A strong friendship formed between the two actors on the set of Bloodsport, and Van Damme invited Yeung to appear in his subsequent film Double Impact.
24. Sammo Hung:
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Hung is one of the pivotal figures who spearheaded the Hong Kong New Wave movement of the 1980s, helped reinvent the martial arts genre and started the zombie-like jiangshi genre. He is widely credited with assisting many of his compatriots, giving them their starts in the Hong Kong film industry, by casting them in the films he produced, or giving them roles in the production crew.
Hung’s big break as a film actor came with a role as a sparring partner in the Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon (1973). He established his reputation as a skilled physical comedian in several kung-fu comedies, beginning with “Enter the Fat Dragon” (Enter the Fat Dragon (1978).
25. Bruce Lee:
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Bruce Lee was renowned for his martial arts prowess and helped popularize martial arts movies in the 1970s. Lee starred in films such as Tang shan da xiong (1971), Jing wu men (1972), and Enter the Dragon (1973). He is noted for his roles The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972); Golden Harvest’s The Way of the Dragon (1972), directed and written by Lee; and Golden Harvest and Warner Brothers’ Enter the Dragon (1973) and The Game of Death (1978), both directed by Robert Clouse. Widely considered one of the best movies of 1973 and one of the best martial arts movies of all time, Enter The Dragon is Lee’s magnum opus. Enter the Dragon was estimated to have grossed over US$400 million worldwide (estimated to be the equivalent of over $2 billion adjusted for inflation as of 2022), against a budget of $850,000.
26. Steven Seagal:
Under Siege (1992)
Steven Seagal By 1991, he had starred in three successful films, and would go on to achieve greater fame in Under Siege (1992), where he played Navy SEALs counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback.
Released on October 9, 1992, Under Siege was both a critical and commercial success, receiving two Academy Award nominations for sound production and grossing over $156.6 million at the global box office. It is often considered Steven Seagal’s best film to date. It was followed in 1995 by a sequel, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, which was not as well received.
27. Mel Gibson:
Mad Max (1979)
Mel Gibson After college, had a few stints on stage and starred in a few TV shows. Eventually, he was chosen to star in the films Mad Max (1979) which became his breakthrough, and Tim (1979), co-starring Piper Laurie. He starred opposite Judy Davis in a production of Romeo and Juliet. During the 1980s, he founded Icon Entertainment, a production company, which independent film director Atom Egoyan has called “an alternative to the studio system”. Director Peter Weir cast him as one of the leads in the World War I drama Gallipoli (1981), which earned Gibson a Best Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute.
28. Brad Pitt:
Thelma & Louise (1991)
After playing minor television and movie roles, Pitt captured the public’s attention as a charming scoundrel in the film Thelma & Louise. He followed up with such movies as A River Runs Through It, and Legends of the Fall (1994). Pitt found greater commercial success starring in Steven Soderbergh’s heist film Ocean’s Eleven (2001), and reprised his role in its sequels. He cemented his leading man status starring in blockbusters such as the historical epic Troy (2004), the romantic crime film Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
29. Will Smith:
Bad Boys (1995)
Smith achieved wider fame as a leading man for the action film Bad Boys (1995) and the science fiction comedy Men in Black (1997); he later reprised his role in several sequels. After starring in the thrillers Independence Day (1996) and Enemy of the State (1998), he received Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his portrayal as Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001), and as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). As of 2024, his films have grossed over $9.3 billion globally, making him one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.
30. Nicolas Cage
Moonstruck (1987)
Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards. Known for his versatility as an actor, his participation in various film genres has gained him a cult following.
He starred in the Coen brothers’ crime comedy Raising Arizona (1987) as a dim-witted ex-con. Cage’s biggest breakthrough came in 1987 with the romantic comedy Moonstruck, in which he starred alongside Cher as a hot-tempered baker who falls in love with his estranged brother’s widowed fiancé.
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