They don’t make action stars like they used to. The action film genre today isn’t as solid as it was when legendary action stars like Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sean Connery ruled the silver screen.
![ROMEO MUST DIE MOVIE STILLS, The 5 Best Action Stars](https://wmmr.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/GettyImages-1413861.jpg)
Kharen Hill 2000 Warner Bros.
Action stars are a rare breed, and throughout the decades, there have been a list of leading men and women dominating the action movie world. In the ’80s, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, and Harrison Ford made legendary action films.
By the ’90s, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Bruce Willis, and Jackie Chan took over as the fresh faces of the genre. The early 2000s saw Daniel Craig, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Vin Diesel, Will Smith, and Matt Damon usher in the new wave of action stars.
Sometimes, action stars butt heads in the competitive world of acting. Long before they appeared in The Expendables franchise together, Stallone and Schwarzenegger were bitter rivals in the ’90s. As we previously reported, Stallone said they “couldn’t stand to be in the same galaxy together for a while. We truly, truly loathed each other.” In fact, Stallone said that their feud was so intense that they would fight over film projects, which led Schwarzenegger to trick the Rocky star into starring in a horrible movie: 1992’s Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.
Not many female actors take up the action genre, but those who do are legendary. Sigourney Weaver, Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Michelle Yeoh, Charlize Theron, Milla Jovovich, Pam Grier, Michelle Rodriguez, Lucy Liu, and Uma Thurman are among those leading ladies who will be kicking a– and taking names. Some of our all-time favorite action movies have a female lead, like the Kill Bill saga, Mad Max: Fury Road, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
A sign of a great action hero is the longevity of their characters. Whether it’s in a standalone film or an entire series, some of the most iconic characters throughout the years are James Bond, the Terminator, John Wick, Jason Bourne, Rambo, Indiana Jones, and A Man With No Name.