Bruce Jun Fan Lee (Lee Siu Loong) was born in 1940 in San Francisco, CA while his parents were on tour with the Chinese Opera. Ultimately raised in Hong Kong, Bruce Lee was a child actor appearing in more than 20 films. At the age of 13, Bruce took up the study of wing chun gung fu under renowned wing chun master, Yip Man.
Bruce left Hong Kong at the age of 18, came to the United States and made his way to Seattle, Washington where he worked in the restaurant of a family friend. He soon enrolled in the University of Washington where he pursued a degree in philosophy. Bruce began to teach gung fu in Seattle and soon opened his first school, the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. Two more schools followed in Oakland and Los Angeles. Concurrently Bruce married his wife, Linda and had his two children, Brandon and Shannon. In the mid sixties, Bruce was discovered while doing an exhibition at the Long Beach Internationals and a role as Kato in the tv series The Green Hornet soon followed. During this time, Bruce was also developing his own martial art, which he ultimately named Jeet Kune Do (translated: the way of the intercepting fist).
Bruce's art was steeped in a philosophical foundation and did not follow long held martial traditions. Instead it had at its core the ideas of simplicity, directness and personal freedom. After The Green Hornet series was canceled, Bruce encountered resistance while working in Hollywood and so headed to Hong Kong to pursue a film career. In Hong Kong he made 3 films, which consecutively broke all box office records and showcased martial arts in an entirely new way. Hollywood took notice and soon Bruce was making the first Hollywood / Hong Kong coproduction with a film called Enter the Dragon. Unfortunately, Bruce Lee died in 1973 before this film was released. This film catapulted him to international fame. Today Bruce Lee’s legacy of self expression, equality, and pioneering innovation continues to inspire people all around the world.
Long Bio
Bruce Jun Fan Lee was born in the hour of the Dragon, between 6 and 8 a.m., in the year of the Dragon on November 27, 1940 at the Jackson Street Hospital in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Bruce was the fourth child born to Lee Hoi Chuen and his wife Grace Ho. He had two older sisters, Phoebe and Agnes, an older brother, Peter, and a younger brother, Robert. Bruce’s parents gave him the name “Jun Fan.” The English name, BRUCE, was given to the baby boy by a nurse in the Jackson Street Hospital although he was never to use this name until he entered secondary school and began his study of the English language.
At the age of three months, Lee Hoi Chuen, his wife Grace and baby Bruce returned to Hong Kong where Bruce would be raised until the age of 18. Bruce’s most prominent memory of his early years was the occupation of Hong Kong by the Japanese during World War II (1941-1945). At the age of 13, Bruce was introduced to Master Yip Man, a teacher of the Wing Chun style of gung fu. For five years Bruce studied diligently and became very proficient. He greatly revered Yip Man as a master teacher and wise man and frequently visited with him in later years.
In high school, one of Bruce’s accomplishments was winning an interschool Boxing Championship against an English student in which the Marquis of Queensbury rules were followed and no kicking was allowed. Bruce was also a terrific dancer, and in 1958 he won the Hong Kong Cha Cha Championship. He studied dancing as assiduously as he did gung fu, keeping a notebook in which he had noted 108 different cha cha steps. In addition to his studies, gung fu and dancing, Bruce was also a child actor under the tutelage of his father who must have known from an early age that Bruce had a streak of showmanship. By the time he was 18, he had appeared in 20 films.
At the age of 18, Bruce was looking for new vistas in his life, as were his parents who were discouraged that Bruce had gotten into some trouble fighting and had not made more progress academically. In April of 1959, with $100 in his pocket, Bruce boarded a steamship in the American Presidents Line and began his voyage to San Francisco.
Bruce did not stay long in San Francisco, but traveled to Seattle where a family friend, Ruby Chow, had a restaurant and had promised Bruce a job and living quarters. By now Bruce had left his acting and dancing passions behind and was intent on furthering his education. He enrolled at Edison Technical School where he fulfilled the requirements for the equivalent of high school graduation and then enrolled at the University of Washington. At the university, Bruce majored in philosophy. His passion for gung fu inspired a desire to delve into the philosophical underpinnings and many of his written essays during those years would relate philosophical principles to certain martial arts techniques.
In the three years that Bruce studied at the university, he supported himself by teaching gung fu, having by this time given up working in the restaurant, stuffing newspapers or various other odd jobs. The small circle of friends that Bruce was teaching encouraged him to open a real school of gung fu and charge a nominal sum for teaching in order to support himself while attending school. One of his students in 1963 was a freshman at the University of Washington, Linda Emery. Linda knew who Bruce was from his guest lectures in Chinese philosophy at Garfield High School where she had been a student, and in the summer after graduating, at the urging of her Chinese girlfriend, Sue Ann Kay, Linda started taking gung fu lessons.
Bruce and Linda were married in 1964. By this time, Bruce had decided to make a career out of teaching gung fu. Leaving his Seattle school in the hands of Taky Kimura, Bruce and Linda moved to Oakland where Bruce opened his second school with James Lee.
Having now been in the United States for five years, Bruce had left behind any thought of acting as a career, and devoted himself completely to his choice of martial arts as a profession. In 1964 Bruce was challenged by some gung fu men from San Francisco who objected to his teaching of non-Chinese students. Bruce accepted the challenge and the men arrived at the kwoon in Oakland on the appointed day for the face off. The terms were that if Bruce were defeated, he would stop teaching the non Chinese. It was a short fight with his opponent giving up when Bruce had him pinned to the floor. Even though he had won, he was winded and discouraged about his inability to put the man away in under three minutes. This marked a turning point for Bruce in his exploration of his martial art and the enhancement of his physical fitness. Thus began the evolution of Jeet Kune Do.
Just as Bruce was cementing his plans to expand his martial arts schools, fate stepped in to move his life in another direction. In August of 1964, Ed Parker, widely regarded as the father of American Kenpo, invited Bruce to Long Beach, CA to give a demonstration at his First International Karate Tournament. A member of the audience was Jay Sebring, a well-known hair stylist to the stars. Jay told his producer client, William Dozier, about having seen this spectacular young Chinese man giving a gung fu demonstration just a few nights before. Mr. Dozier obtained a copy of the film that was taken at Ed Parker’s tournament. The next week he called Bruce at home in Oakland and invited him to come to Los Angeles for a screen test.
About this time things were changing in Bruce’s personal life as well. His own number one son, Brandon Bruce Lee, was born February 1, 1965. One week later Bruce’s father, Lee Hoi Chuen, died in Hong Kong. Bruce was pleased that his father had known about the birth of the first grandchild in the Lee family. Bruce was in a period of transition at this time, deciding whether to make acting his career or continue on the path of opening nationwide schools of gung fu. His decision was to focus on acting and see if he could turn it into a productive career, which showcased his passion for the martial arts. Bruce loved to teach gung fu, and he loved his students. However, he had begun to see that if his schools became more numerous, he would lose control of the quality of the teaching. His love for martial arts was such that he did not wish to dilute the quality with which he approached it.
The years between 1967 and 1971 were lean years for the Lee family. Bruce worked hard at furthering his acting career and did get some roles in a few TV series and films. (See Filmography) To support the family, Bruce taught private lessons in Jeet Kune Do, often to people in the entertainment industry. Some of his clients included Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Stirling Silliphant, Sy Weintraub, Ted Ashley, Joe Hyams, James Garner, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and others. One more blessing was the arrival of a daughter, Shannon Emery Lee, on April 19, 1969. She brought great joy into the Lee household and soon had her daddy around her little finger. During this time Bruce continued the process he had started in Oakland in 1964, the evolution of his way of martial arts, which he called Jeet Kune Do, “The Way of The Intercepting Fist.”
Bruce was devoted to physical culture and trained devotedly. It was actually his zealousness that led to an injury that was to become a chronic source of pain for the rest of his life. On a day in 1970, without warming up, something he always did, Bruce picked up a 125-pound barbell and did a “good morning” exercise severely injuring his back. After much pain and many tests, it was determined that he had sustained an injury to the fourth sacral nerve. He was ordered to complete bed rest and told that undoubtedly he would never do gung fu again. For the next six months, Bruce stayed in bed. It was an extremely frustrating, depressing and painful time, and a time to redefine goals. It was also during this time that he did a great deal of the writing that has been preserved. After several months, Bruce instituted his own recovery program and began walking, gingerly at first, and gradually built up his strength.
In 1970, when Bruce was getting his strength back from his back injury, he took a trip to Hong Kong with son Brandon, age five. Hong Kong producer Raymond Chow contacted Bruce to interest him in doing two films for Golden Harvest. Bruce decided to do it, reasoning that if he couldn’t enter the front door of the American studios, he would go to Hong Kong, establish himself there and come back in through the side door.
In the summer of 1971, Bruce left Los Angeles to fly to Hong Kong, then on to Thailand for the making of “The Big Boss,” later also called “Fists of Fury.” Although the working conditions were difficult, and the production quality substandard to what Bruce was accustomed, “The Big Boss” was a huge success.
In September of 1971, with filming set to commence on the second of the contractual films, Bruce moved his family over to Hong Kong. “Fist of Fury,” also called “Chinese Connection” was an even bigger success than the first film breaking all-time box office records. Now that Bruce had completed his contract with Golden Harvest, and had become a bankable commodity, he could begin to have more input into the quality of his films. For the third film, he formed a partnership with Raymond Chow, called Concord Productions. Not only did Bruce write “The Way of the Dragon,” also called “Return of the Dragon,” but he directed and produced it as well. Once again, the film broke records and now, Hollywood was listening.
In the fall of 1972, Bruce began filming “The Game of Death,” a story he once again envisioned. The filming was interrupted by the culmination of a deal with Warner Bros. to make the first ever Hong Kong-American co-production. The deal was facilitated mainly by Bruce’s personal relationship with Warner Bros. president, Ted Ashley and by Bruce’s successes in Hong Kong. It was an exciting moment and a turning point in Hong Kong’s film industry. “The Game of Death” was put on hold to make way for the filming of “Enter the Dragon.”
“Enter the Dragon” was due to premier at Hollywood’s Chinese theater in August of 1973. Unfortunately, Bruce would not live to see the opening of his film. On July 20, 1973, Bruce had a minor headache. He was offered a prescription painkiller called Equagesic. After taking the pill, he went to lie down and lapsed into a coma. He was unable to be revived. Extensive forensic pathology was done to determine the cause of his death, which was not immediately apparent. A nine-day coroner’s inquest was held with testimony given by renowned pathologists flown in from around the world. The determination was that Bruce had a hypersensitive reaction to an ingredient in the pain medication that caused a swelling of the fluid on the brain, resulting in a coma and death.
The world lost a brilliant star and an evolved human being that day. His spirit remains an inspiration to untold numbers of people around the world.
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
The 40 greatest action stars of all time
Moviegoers can't seem to get enough of the action flick. Good or bad, it's usually two hours when viewers can escape reality. Plenty of actors have made a living taking on action roles, so we figured we would look at 40 of the best action movie stars ever. We didn't include the folks at Marvel and DC because this is not about putting on a superhero costume to get the job done.
1 of 40Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
Sony/TriStar
Though not the quintessential action star, the versatile Banderas has flexed his muscle in some memorable high-impact roles, most notably as a revenge-seeking mariachi in 1995's Desperado. He also stood out in Assassins, The Mask of Zorro, and as part of The Expendables franchise. Hey, why not include his voice as the swashbuckling cat Puss in Boots?
2 of 40Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Bronson was a tough guy personified, whether playing a cop. cowboy, or soldier. Bronson, a U.S. Army veteran, thrived mostly in supporting roles until the Death Wish films began in the mid-1970s when he was in his 50s. Bronson's work as vigilante Paul Kersey in those films turned him into a new generation of action-film fans.
3 of 40Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Cage won an Oscar for his role as a down-on-his-luck alcoholic in 1995's Leaving Las Vegas, but he's also done well in the action genre. Mainstream hits like The Rock, Face/Off, and Con Air made Cage a bona fide action star and showed a bit of his creepy side on-screen. Though the 2000s weren't nearly as successful for Cage, he showed up well in the adventure thriller National Treasure in 2004.
4 of 40Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
The pride of Hong Kong has done a nice job of mixing his martial skills with some solid comedic timing, thus becoming one of the biggest action stars ever. It took some time for the former stuntman to enjoy mainstream success, but he ran with it when he did. Rumble in the Bronx (1995), the Rush Hour films, and even his voice work in Kung Fu Panda are some highlights of Chan's lengthy resume.
5 of 40Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
As one of the better actors to take on the role of James Bond, Craig certainly gets a spot on this list. However, he had some quality action roles under his belt before taking over Bond from Pierce Brosnan in 2005, such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Munich. He also should be noted for his high-impact work in Defiance (2008), Cowboys & Aliens, and even the 2017 heist comedy Logan Lucky.
6 of 40Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe
Versatility is what makes Crowe one of the greatest actors of this generation. That includes his ability to take on action roles, none more so than in Gladiator (2000), for which Crowe won the Best Actor Oscar. He went for it again with such films as Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 3:10 to Yuma, and Robin Hood. Though, some would argue his off-screen life might be even more action-packed.
7 of 40Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
It's only fitting that we talk action stars after Cruise reprised his role of Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick — the part that solidified him as one of the biggest names in Hollywood with 1986's Top Gun. While Days of Thunder followed suit, Cruise's stock as an action staple rose even higher when he became the leading man as Mission: Impossible was brought to the big screen in 1996. His other notable action roles include Vanilla Sky, Minority Report, Collateral, the hilarious Tropic Thunder, Jack Reacher, and American Made.
8 of 40Sean Connery
Sean Connery
The first — and arguably still the best — actor to portray the legendary James Bond character, Connery is an icon in every sense of the word, and perhaps solely for his Bond films. But there is much more to his action film resume. There's his Oscar-winning role as Jimmy Malone in The Untouchables (1987), and before that, The Man Who Would Be King and Highlander.
9 of 40Matt Damon
Matt Damon
As with any major motion picture star, especially leading male actors, eventually, they find their way into action thrillers. The superstars tend to get a franchise, and that's the case with Damon and the Bourne family of movies. His Jason Bourne roles proved Damon could succeed in action pictures. He's also come through in similar types of films like Contagion and Elysium, though the latter was not all that successful.
10 of 40Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel
Diesel became an international star with his role as Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious (2001), and he has not looked back. He's the undisputed face of that particular franchise as well as that of the Pitch Black series of films (which includes The Chronicles of Riddick) and the XXX franchise.
11 of 40Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Eastwood might have a spot on the Mount Rushmore of action stars. Whether it's his work in such Spaghetti Westerns as A Fistful of Dollars (1964) or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) to the Dirty Harry series beginning in the 1970s and the '80s classic Heartbreak Ridge, Eastwood is at home with a gun in his hand and cigar in his mouth. One of the great American actors and directors ever, Eastwood is still as cool as they come.
12 of 40Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-fat
Perhaps one of Hong Kong's most beloved actors, Chow seems capable of doing it all. That includes some stellar action work with prominent director John Woo and such mainstream hits as The Replacement Killers (1998), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).
13 of 40Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Ford is near the top of the list when it comes to the most popular action stars ever. Come on, the guy is part of arguably the two biggest movie franchises of all time in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, as two of the coolest characters in film history. Not to mention, he was stellar in Blade Runner, The Fugitive, and Air Force One. Of course, he also starred as Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.
14 of 40Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Say what one wants about Gibson's off-screen persona, the man has made some fine action movies. Gibson became a star thanks to the Mad Max series and Lethal Weapon movies but was elevated to a Hollywood giant with Braveheart. Gibson has never been afraid to take chances with films, both as an actor or director.
15 of 40Pam Grier
Pam Grier
Star of the 1970s blaxploitation films such as Foxy Brown, Grier's characters don't take any lip from anybody. Playing tough female roles, Grier, who made a resurgence in Quentin Tarantino's 1997 hit thriller Jackie Brown , has been an influence on many young female Black actresses who laud her strength and empowerment.
16 of 40Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton
Admittedly, Hamilton is on this list solely for her role as Sarah Connor in the Terminator films. But her portrayal as the futuristic cyborg slayer in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day is among the best female action roles of all time. We'll give her some credit for Dante's Peak even before she became a real star with the underrated John Carpenter-written Black Moon Rising from 1986.
17 of 40Tony Jaa
Tony Jaa
Inspired by the likes of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li, Jaa might not be a household name with casual American moviegoers, but he's blossomed into a martial arts/action star internationally. He made his mainstream screen debut in the Furious 7 (2015) and may not be flying — or rather, fighting — under the Hollywood radar for too long.
18 of 40Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson
Arguably the current king of action cinema, Johnson might not be relinquishing that crown for a while. If not at the theater to watch a Johnson flick, you'll probably still see a preview of one of his upcoming films pop up before the feature. From his breakthrough as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001) to 2019's Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and Jumanji: The Next Level, and even 2021's Red Notice, The Rock is not going anywhere.
19 of 40Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
There is not a role Jolie is incapable of playing, and that includes action pictures. Her first true spin within the genre came as the titular character in 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. She followed with Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted, and Salt to round out the last decade. Like Pam Grier, Jolie has left an indelible mark with her roles in these films from a female empowerment standpoint and is capable of tackling any project she takes on.
20 of 40Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Once dubbed by VH1 as the "reigning queen of kick-butt," Jovovich might be at her best when doing just that on screen. Her breakthrough role came alongside Bruce Willis in the science-fiction action thriller The Fifth Element (1997). She shined in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc and became a true star in the Resident Evil film franchise.
21 of 40Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
The king of martial arts action films, Lee opened the door for guys like Jackie Chan to walk through. The films of the genre that have followed still don't seem to compare to the brilliant, seemingly effortless work Lee put forth in 1970s martial arts classics such as Enter The Dragon and Fist of Fury. Despite a short film career, Lee's influence on martial arts films and the actors who followed can't be understated.
22 of 40Jet Li
Jet Li
Li might not have the star power as Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, but he could hold his own on the martial arts/action film scene. Though Li shined in War (2007) with Jason Statham, The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) with Chan, and alongside the all-star cast of The Expendables movies, we still think his best role might be that of Han Sing in 2000's Romeo Must Die.
23 of 40Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren
Lundgren's breakthrough came as Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa's international nemesis in 1985's Rocky IV. That was the start of a stellar action career for the chiseled Swede, who went on to star as He-Man in Masters of the Universe. Solid efforts in Red Scorpion and Universal Soldier followed. After many direct-to-video efforts, Lundgren became part of The Expendables family (like many others on this list).
24 of 40Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
One of the biggest stars of the 1960s and '70s, McQueen was a cool customer — the kind of actor moviegoers wanted to be like. His action roles were in films that were more along the lines of dramatic thrillers, though disasters, car chases, and shootouts were part of the plot lines. McQueen's work in The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Great Escape (1963), and The Towering Inferno (1974) still holds up well today.
25 of 40Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Neeson has starred as a wide range of characters during an extremely successful career, and his action roles should be celebrated. Early on, his most notable parts were in The Dead Pool (1988) and Darkman (1990), a turn in the Star Wars prequels, and perhaps his most ruthless role in the Taken (2008) films. Neeson wasn't that bad as Hannibal Smith in The A-Team (2010) movie, either.
26 of 40Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Maybe the title of this list should be "Chuck Norris and everyone else." While those jokes regarding how tough Norris is are funny, it's a tribute to a guy who literally made a living starring in action films — then, of course, those Total Gym commercials. In the mood for some good old-fashioned, feel-good senseless Hollywood violence? Check out The Octagon, Forced Vengeance, Missing in Action, Code of Silence, and The Delta Force. Then take cover.
27 of 40Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
For as much as critics pan the schlock Reeves has starred in, film audiences have never been able to stay away from him. His action film career really started as Johnny Utah in 1991's Point Break. He became a box-office superstar with Speed (1994) opposite Sandra Bullock, followed by The Matrix films, and more recently, the whole John Wick phenomenon.
28 of 40Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Russell's days as a leading action star might be in the past, but he's still among the most respected in the business. In his hard-guy, early work as the great Snake Plissken, action cult classics like Escape from New York and Escape from L.A. still hold up well today. One of the most versatile actors of all time, Russell even succeeded win the action comedy Big Trouble in Little China and has popped up in the Fast and the Furious franchise.
29 of 40Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold probably tops that list if we were ranking the greatest action stars of all time. From world-famous body builder to action hero staple to politician, Schwarzenegger has always been larger than life. Whether as part of the Conan and Terminator franchises or in Commando, Predator, or Total Recall — he even poked fun at himself in Last Action Hero — Arnold truly is the lord of the action movie world.
30 of 40Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal
Following in the footsteps of Chuck Norris and other modern-day martial arts entertainers, Seagal was an action-film mainstay during the late 1980s and into the '90s. Complete with his jet-black ponytail and tan frame, Seagal cleaned house on screen and at the box office with hits like Above the Law (1988), Marked for Death, Out for Justice, Under Siege, and Executive Decision.
31 of 40Will Smith
Will Smith
As big as a universal entertainer as Smith became in the early 1990s, it was only a matter of time before the Fresh Prince started making action movies. It started with the buddy comedy Bad Boys (1995) followed by blockbusters Independence Day and Men in Black. By this time, Smith was a worldwide superstar and continued to take on science-fiction action roles that fans still flock to see today.
32 of 40Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Snipes' early film work was consumed by comedic roles, but that changed with the neo-gangster hit New Jack City (1991) when we got a glimpse of him flexing some muscle. He then became an action flick staple thanks to Passenger 57, Boiling Point, Demolition Man, and U.S. Marshals, and then he really hit it big with 1998's Blade — and the series of films that followed.
33 of 40Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Some might think it's a neck-and-neck race between Stallone and Schwarzenegger for the best action star in movie history. Fair enough. While the Rocky movies might not be considered action flicks, the first two in the franchise opened the door for Stallone to become a superstar and, ultimately, an action film staple. Nighthawks followed, and his continuing role as John Rambo took Sly's career to even greater heights. Popcorn action works like Cobra, Tango & Cash, Demolition Man, and Judge Dredd only added to the fun.
34 of 40Jason Statham
Jason Statham
At this moment, if we're going to talk about the current "big three" of action-adventure films, Statham would round out a group that includes Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson. Statham's early roles in films like The Italian Job (2003) paved the way for him to make real money as an A-list action star in such franchises as The Expendables and the Fast and Furious — the latter in which we can see him team up with Johnson in the spinoff Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
35 of 40Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists
The late, great Swayze was stellar at mixing drama and action. Though he's probably best known for sappy films like Dirty Dancing and Ghost, where he displayed minimal physical angst, Swayze starred in arguably three of the most popular guilty pleasure action films of the 1980s and '90s: Red Dawn, Road House, and Point Break.
36 of 40Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
We first got a real eye on the "Muscles from Brussels" in the surprise 1988 hit Bloodsport (arguably, still his best film), and the rest is action hero history. From the late 1980s to the 1990s, Van Damme and Steve Seagal were staples of Hollywood action films. Cyborg, Kickboxer, Double Impact, Universal Soldier, and, of course, Timecop are just a few of his highlights.
37 of 40Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg
Wahlberg follows along the lines of Will Smith. He's a big enough box office draw that his fans — and moviegoers in general — will come to see him in just about anything. Wahlberg also does enough of them that, while he's missed on more than a few action roles, he fared well in hits like Three Kings, Planet of the Apes, and Contraband. The point is that if Wahlberg keeps making action films, people will continue to watch.
38 of 40John Wayne
John Wayne
Whether in westerns or war films, the "Duke" usually delivered. From his breakthrough role in the western Stagecoach (1939) to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), The Longest Day (1962) to True Grit (1969), Wayne was one of Hollywood's biggest stars from the late 1930s and into the '70s. He's still the epitome of cool when it comes to leading men in Hollywood action films.
39 of 40Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Often considered the first true sci-fi heroine, Weaver earned critical acclaim as Ripley in 1979's Alien. She became an even bigger action star with the following films in the series, including the sequel Aliens, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Though Weaver's career delved into more dramatic roles and several comedy spins, she's again shown her action and sci-fi chops somewhat in Galaxy Quest and Avatar.
40 of 40Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
He's part of the all-time "big three" with Arnold and Sly. But let's not just celebrate Willis' hard-guy, be-quirky-in-the-face-of-death attitude only for the Die Hard franchise. Armageddon was blockbuster cheese at its best, and Willis might have delivered some of his best one-liners in the underrated 1991 classic The Last Boy Scout. Plus, his vignette in Pulp Fiction provided the most action and entertainment within the film.
Jeff Mezydlo has written about sports and entertainment online and for print for more than 25 years. He grew up in the far south suburbs of Chicago, 20 minutes from the Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting, Ind. He’s also the proud father of 11-year-old Matthew, aka “Bobby Bruin,” mascot of St. Robert Bellarmine School in Chicago. You can follow Jeff at @jeffm401.