The Best Action Stars In Movie History Ranked

Best Action Stars in Movie History

It’s a very rare occurrence in today’s box office market when one name can draw a crowd at the Cineplex. Today’s movies, especially action films, need a number of big names to attract a big audience. But back in the day (the ‘80s and ‘90s), the action star (not “stars”) was the norm. These men and women did not need to team up with other action stars to create interest.

Established action franchises are today’s norm. These franchises are carried by at least two action stars, typically more, though, a far cry from what action films looked like. While action cinema from yesteryear is gone, it did establish memorable action stars who still are working today. So, let’s take a look at the 10 best action stars in the history of films.

10. Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford first became associated with the action movie market when he played Han Solo in 1977’s Star Wars. He returned for more action in the 1980 sequel The Empire Strikes Back and then truly showed he could be an action star by appearing as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

From then on, Ford dove into action films with more films in the Star Wars franchise as well as the Indiana Jones series. Other characters such as Jack Ryan (twice), President James Marshall, John Book, and Rick Deckard are just a few that have cemented Ford as a premiere action star.

9. Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver’s career has admittedly not been filled with action films, but the actress established herself as one of the top action stars when she first took on the role of Ellen Ripley in the 1979 hit Alien. Showing a penchant for being strong and resourceful, her Ripley character would establish how female action stars would be seen in the future. Weaver would return to the action genre as Ripley three more times.

8. Jason Statham

Jason Statham began his film career with two Guy Ritchie films, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998 and then in Snatch in 2000. Those two movies made Statham an instant action star and from then on, it has been one action film after another. Whether he plays Chev Chelios in the Crank films, Frank Martin in the Transporter series or even Lee Christmas in The Expendables franchise, Statham’s on-screen presence and impressive stunts have made him a favorite in the genre.

7. Keanu Reeves

From where he started to where he is now and where he is going, Keanu Reeves has become one of the most exciting action stars of our generation. He started making noise in the action film market with 1991’s Point Break, then films like Speed and Johnny Mnemonic led him right into The Matrix franchise, which turned him into an action star. But what really solidified it for Reeves was when he became John Wick in 2014, a role that just saw its fourth film.

6. Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood started it all with his turn as The Man With No Name in Sergio Leone’s Dollar Trilogy. He moved on from the spaghetti westerns and jumped into police fare with his Dirty Harry films. Eastwood remained in the action film genre with his tough persona in films like Every Way But Loose, Tightrope, City Heat, and Space Cowboys. These and a number of intense performances have solidified his place in action movie history.

5. Jackie Chan

The one thing you know without a shadow of a doubt about Jackie Chan films is that the man can perform a stunt. And, if for some reason he can’t, he will keep trying until he gets it right. Known for his incredible martial arts skills that he combines with his wild stunts, Chan’s films like Drunken Master, Police Story, and the Rush Hour films opposite Chris Tucker have made Jackie Chan one of the most exciting action stars worldwide.

4. Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise has done it all in film, from drama to romantic comedies to action films. His first foray into action movies came in 1986 with Top Gun. It would take him 14 more years before he would jump back in with Mission: Impossible and from that time, Cruise’s name has been associated with all things action.

On top of the Mission: Impossible franchise and the Top Gun films, he can call Edge of Tomorrow, Knight and Day, and his Jack Reacher films as ones that have made him an action star. It also helps that he has built his reputation on performing his own stunts.

3. Sylvester Stallone

There aren’t many actors out there with a better action movie resume than Sylvester Stallone. Starting with Rocky Balboa and rolling into John Rambo, Stallone was one man who owned the action movie market. His action movies were always wild, and his action movie characters were always physical.

Stallone loved to challenge himself physically in his films and did so in movies like Tango & Cash, Cliffhanger, Cobra, and Demolition Man. Stallone is old school action who continues, even at the age of 76, to light up the screen in action films.

2. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee was a martial arts legend who died way too young in 1973. Prior to that, Lee established himself as one of the top action stars and left a legacy that lives on. Lee gained recognition in the United States when he was hired to play Kato in the television series, The Green Hornet.

He then crossed over to feature films with bit parts in The Wrecking Crew and Marlowe. When things fizzled in Hollywood for Lee, he went back to Hong Kong to make films like The Big Boss and Fists of Fury before hitting it big with Enter the Dragon, a film that hit US movie screens after Lee passed away at the age of 33.

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger

If you look up “action star” in the dictionary, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s picture would be right next to it. Arnie has been flexing his massive action star guns pretty much since he arrived in America. In 1982, he became Conan the Barbarian and 2 years later started a franchise that would be career-defining as The Terminator.

Then came Commando, Red Sonja, Raw Deal, and Predator. The remainder of his career has consisted of one action film after another and continues on even today as he is starring in the hit TV series, FUBAR. It’s not hard to see why in German, Schwarzenegger means action star.