15 Best Action Movie Stars Of All Time, Ranked

Action movies have been a staple of cinema since the first cameras rolled. They have surely evolved in leaps and bounds since the first moving pictures were screened to audiences, with bigger budgets and more daring stunts creating an ever-greater spectacle. But it’s not necessarily the car chases, gun battles, or big explosions they rely on most — it’s their stars, who lead these films with gusto, grit, and plenty of flying fists.

Early action heroes on the big screen weren’t quite as bombastic as we’re used to today, of course. Some would hardly even be recognized as action stars in the way we know them these days. Nevertheless, every era of film history has its big action stars, but whether they’re toting a machine gun or just good in a fight, the biggest and the best all share one thing in common: They have a towering screen presence that demands your attention. But who are the best of the best? Read on for our ranking of the 15 best action movie stars.

Sigourney Weaver earns her place on our list thanks to a single franchise. But what a franchise it was, and her impact on pop culture and cinema itself is nearly incalculable because of it. Arguably the first woman to become a bona fide blockbuster action movie star, Weaver may have seemed like an odd choice to lead a sci-fi/horror thriller in the late 1970s. But when she took the role of Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” she changed the movie business forever: Suddenly, action heroes were no longer the sole domain of steely-eyed male actors like Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson.

In the 1986 sequel, “Aliens,” Weaver teamed with director James Cameron, who took Ripley from scrappy underdog to gun-toting warrior, proving Weaver could be every bit the badass as her space marine cohorts. That Weaver did it at a time when larger-than-life stars like Stallone and Schwarzenegger were tearing up the box office makes it all the more impressive. She’d reteam with Cameron for “Avatar,” and while that became the biggest movie of all time, she will always be remembered as Ripley, perhaps the most groundbreaking action hero of all time.

He might not have the massive muscles of other heroes from the 1980s, but Kurt Russell starred in some of the best action movies of the era. From sci-fi horror landmark “The Thing” to the post-apocalyptic thriller “Escape from New York” and the supernatural action classic “Big Trouble in Little China,” the decade saw Russell make a name for himself as an audience favorite while playing action heroes like Snake Plissken and Jack Burton.

Russell capped off the 1980s playing half of the title duo in the team-up film “Tango and Cash.” The following decade produced even more fan favorites, with Russell earning praise for his role in the firefighter action movie “Backdraft,” while his role as Wyatt Earp in “Tombstone” made him a Western action hero as well. A more versatile actor than many action movie stars, Russell has also starred in family movies, heartfelt dramas, and rom-coms, but it’s his action movies that he’ll always be remembered for. And while he turned down a role in “The Expendables,” he did return to the genre for a part in “Fast Five” in 2011.

In the early ’90s, Wesley Snipes was right up there with the biggest names in the genre. He may have gotten his big break in the 1989 sports comedy “Major League,” but he became an action star with “Passenger 57” three years later. After that, his role in 1994’s “Demolition Man” cemented him as one of the best in the business.

In “Demolition Man,” Snipes stars opposite Sylvester Stallone. A lesser actor might have been trampled by the Italian Stallion, but Snipes runs circles around Sly, proving that he is every bit the action star as his more popular contemporaries. Then, in 1998, Snipes entered the superhero genre by playing the title role in “Blade,” and it can’t be overstated just how critical the film and his performance are to the superhero genre.

With the success of “Blade” — thanks largely to Snipes’ dominant performance — Hollywood discovered there was a ton of potential in comic book adaptations of lesser-known heroes, leading directly to the superhero movie craze of the 2000s. No Wesley Snipes? No MCU. And that alone makes him one of the most important action movie stars in Hollywood history too. 

The modern-day answer to Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana came to action movie attention in the mid-2000s with a role in the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” film. She soon established herself as the biggest star in sci-fi by appearing in two major franchises in 2009: “Star Trek” and “Avatar.” Cast as a young version of Lt. Uhura aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, she received top billing alongside Chris Pine (Captain Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Mr. Spock), while “Avatar” became the biggest movie ever made. In just one calendar year, she became one of the highest-grossing actors in Hollywood. 

Two years after starring in “Star Trek: Into Darkness” — still the top moneymaker in the series – Saldana entered another sci-fi franchise, playing Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” She’d return to play the character in two sequels, a Christmas special, and two “Avengers” movies. And by returning in “Avatar: The Way of Water,” she remarkably holds the distinction of starring in the three biggest box office hits ever, and four of the top six. It might be five soon, with “Avatar: Fire and Ash” slated for late 2025.

Next to Wesley Snipes, there may be no wilder action star than Jason Statham, who debuted in the 1998 Guy Ritchie crime comedy “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” and became an instant favorite for his brawny, fist-first attitude. But it was after the turn of the century that Statham became a true action star, starring in “The Transporter” in 2002 and the ensemble heist film “The Italian Job” a year later.

With two of his own franchises — the “Transporter” trilogy and the totally bonkers “Crank” duology — Statham was already one of the 2000s’ biggest action heroes when he was recruited to form “The Expendables” in 2010. Since then, he’s joined the “Fast and Furious” franchise, which got him his own spin-off opposite Dwayne Johnson in “Hobbs and Shaw,” and more recently, landed his third solo franchise, the monster movie series “The Meg.” Granted, Statham isn’t famous for starring in the biggest or even the best action movies, but that’s also part of his charm — he possesses a certain blue-collar appeal that makes him easy to root for, and easier to love.

Donnie Yen was a former stuntman who became a star in his native China, appearing in Hong Kong cinema favorites like “Iron Monkey” and “Drunken Tai Chi.” He made his stateside debut in the early 2000s with small roles in “Highlander: Endgame” and “Blade II,” but it was back in China where he kept wowing audiences with his slick martial arts moves and fluid fighting style that dazzled on the big screen. He finally got his own franchise in the late 2000s when he starred in “Ip Man,”  a martial arts biopic of the legendary Wing Chun master. 

“Ip Man” was such a huge hit that despite being a biographical film, it received three sequels, which upped the action and ditched the biography to become one of the most fun martial arts film series in recent memory. Known for his quiet, stoic demeanor, Yen’s legendary status saw him recruited by multiple Hollywood franchises, leading to starring roles in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “John Wick 4.” Suffice to say, Yen is the biggest martial arts action star of the 21st century. Well, maybe the second biggest…

More than an action star, Michelle Yeoh is one of just two actors on this list to have won an Academy Award, and the only one to nab the trophy for her performance in an action movie. A massive multinational superstar, Yeoh was well known in China long before coming to Hollywood, where in one of her first American roles she played Bond girl Wai Lin in 1997’s “Tomorrow Never Dies.” She became a true sensation in the U.S., though, thanks to Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” a joint American/Chinese production.

From there, Yeoh never looked back, and the number of action tentpoles she’s appeared in keeps increasing. This includes major roles in “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the live-action epic “Mulan” in 2020, and soon, an “Avatar” sequel. Then, of course, there’s “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” the sci-fi action movie that earned her a best actress Oscar. Meanwhile, she’s never stopped being a star in her native China, while another franchise role, Emperor Georgiou in “Star Trek: Discovery,” led to her own “Trek” TV movie, “Section 31.” All together, she rightly deserves to be in the same conversation as the biggest action stars who have ever lived.

Keanu Reeves has two distinct periods in his career where he was an action hero: In the ’90s, he gained fame for thrillers like “Point Break” and “Speed” before starring in one of the best sci-fi action movies ever: 1999’s “The Matrix.” A watershed film akin to “Star Wars,” “The Matrix” was so refreshingly different that it influenced nearly every action and sci-fi movie that followed, with plenty of direct imitators.

A decade after “The Matrix Revolutions,” and following a string of disappointments, Reeve came back with a bang once more with “John Wick.” Like “The Matrix” before it, “Wick” changed action movies forever. Its slick, stylish production boasted some of the best gun-fu since the glory days of director John Woo, not to mention a down-and-dirty style of action that brought the genre back to its roots, emphasising practical stunts, gritty fight scenes, and heroes who felt every punch. With three sequels and more on the way, Reeves’ legend as one of the best action movie stars continues to grow.

When it comes to martial arts masters, many could be considered kings of the craft and a few are even on this list. But none can compare to the sheer lunacy of Jackie Chan, who often combines spectacular martial arts moves with a sense of comedy that makes it even better.

Probably the greatest action-comedy actor to ever live, Chan’s career began in China in the 1970s. It took off in the 1980s, when he starred in some of the biggest hits to ever play in the Middle Kingdom, including the iconic “Police Story” series and “Legend of the Drunken Master.” Then came the genre-rattling “Rumble in the Bronx,” which many credit for helping to bring Hong Kong cinema to the United States.

Once Chan came to America in the mid-’90s, he added Hollywood star to his resume, starring in “Rush Hour” and “Shanghai Noon” (which made our list of the 50 best action-comedies of all time). He might not have the blockbuster success of some of the actors higher on this list, but there is nobody else like him.

Sylvester Stallone was among the biggest names in Hollywood in the 1980s. He actually got his start as a screenwriter, however, penning the script to “Rocky,” and while that film and its many sequels featured plenty of bone-crunching mayhem in the ring, it was “First Blood” — a film surprisingly based on a true story — that turned him into an action superstar. The film saw Stallone packing serious heat and firing off countless rounds of ammo, setting the tone for all ’80s action movies that would follow.

Stallone had plenty of other action hits that same decade, from “Cobra” and “Over the Top” to several “Rambo” and “Rocky” sequels. The ’90s ramped it up further with “Demolition Man,” though the decade is better known for his flops, like “Judge Dredd” and “Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot.” Despite those and other lackluster films, however, Stallone came back with a vengeance to create “The Expendables,” an all-star franchise that proved he and his fellow ’80s action stars were still at the top of their game.

While there were certainly more physically imposing action icons in the 1980s, few could pack the punch of former sitcom star Bruce Willis. Willis broke the mold of action movie stars of the day by being a more ordinary man, rather than an unstoppable mountain of muscle. That reputation was earned thanks to his role as John McClane, the beleaguered cop who single-handedly stops a diabolical terrorist plot in 1988’s “Die Hard,” a movie so good and so influential that it birthed an entire subgenre of movies.

Sure, one could point to other action epics that dot his career, like “The Fifth Element” or “Armageddon” — both classics in the genre — but for our money, Willis earns his spot as one of the greatest action stars of all time thanks to John McClane alone, which is quite a feat. Few other actors have become so beloved, so influential, and so legendary thanks to a single role or movie. But that’s the power of Bruce Willis, easily one of the most relatable action stars to ever appear on-screen.

Thanks to “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones,” Harrison Ford is the face of two of the most popular action franchises ever. Getting his start in the 1970s, he had the dashing good looks of old Hollywood stars, with a toughness and grit that allowed him to bridge the gap between understated old-school action stars of the past and the overly muscled heroes of the ’80s. But his action career hardly begins and ends with Han Solo and Indiana Jones.

In the 1990s, Ford was getting older but was no less an action favorite, starring in a pair of Jack Ryan films and playing a heroic U.S. president in “Air Force One.” A true Hollywood legend, Ford is perhaps the most beloved star on this list who also transcends the genre. Known for his down-to-earth persona in thrillers like “Witness,” “Frantic,” and “The Fugitive,” Ford excelled at playing ordinary men pushed into impossible circumstances. He was also among the first to return to his most famous roles after decades away, coming back in the 21st century for sequels to “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Blade Runner.” 

The undisputed king of martial arts movies, Bruce Lee wasn’t just an action star; he was a legitimate pop culture phenomenon. Few actors in the history of cinema have garnered as much praise or fame, with his wild popularity crossing international shores and transcending the language barrier. He died young, too, losing his life at just 32 years old, and that he managed to attain such a level of greatness in such a short time — on film and off — is a testament to his remarkable talent.

Among the first stars to be a martial artist first and an actor second, Bruce Lee was stunning Chinese audiences in the 1950s before he broke out a decade later in the United States. There, he got his first taste of Hollywood fame on television playing sidekick Kato on “The Green Hornet.” But the small screen couldn’t contain him, and before long, he was turning out instant classics left and right, from “Fists of Fury” to “Enter the Dragon.” A trailblazing pioneer in the genre, Bruce Lee is nothing less that the GOAT of martial arts movies.

Tom Cruise may have started as a serious dramatic actor, but when he starred in “Top Gun,” he became a proper action movie star. As Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Cruise possessed an unmistakable magnetism that came from a rare combination of gung-ho grit and suave charm. But it was in 1996 that his action star status was elevated to new heights when he starred as Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible.” 

Nobody knew it at the time, but the Brian De Palma film led to one of the biggest action franchises of all time, and its success is largely owed to Cruise. The “Mission: Impossible” films demonstrated that Cruise was no prima donna, willing to not just do his own dangerous stunts, but insisting on it. From his mountain-climbing sequence in “Mission: Impossible 2,” to scaling the world’s tallest building in “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” Cruise continued topping himself again and again. 

By the time “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” rolled around, Cruise’s over-the-top, practical stunts became arguably the main reason to keep watching the series. He’s one of the few actors who can still draw an audience by name alone.

Nobody has ever been as big in the action genre as Arnold Schwarzenegger, before or since, literally or figuratively. A true celebrity, Schwarzenegger was as famous for his personality as for his movies and life story as an award-winning Austrian bodybuilder who conquered Hollywood. We can point to his iconic roles as the T-800 in a half dozen or so “Terminator” films, or his roles in classics like “True Lies,” but no mere list can properly convey just what a sensation Schwarzenegger was in the ’80s and ’90s.

Indeed, Schwarzenegger starred in some of the best action movies ever made, but his popularity was even bigger than his biceps. His movies were events, his accent was endlessly homaged by adults and kids alike, and he was lovingly parodied on a regular basis, even having his own long-running parody sketch on “SNL.” 

In fact, Arnold — the rare star who can be ID’d by first name alone — was so popular that he was a shoo-in when he entered a race for the governor of California in a special recall election. When he took office, his fame preceded him, earning him the affectionate nickname, the Governator. If there’s a bigger action star than Arnie, we haven’t found them.