Ed Travis
No. 15: Toshiro Mifune — Top Action Movie Stars
Mifune is the ultimate cinematic samurai. Across the planet, consciously and unconsciously, when people try to bring up a mental image of a samurai, he has Toshiro Mifune’s face.
It almost pains me to have Mifune this low on the list, but again, he is more of the roots or ancestry behind what we consider an action hero today...
No. 12: Chow Yun Fat — Top Action Movie Stars
It is quite possible that Chow Yun Fat’s work with John Woo is what brought me into an awareness of my special love for action cinema.
I discovered ‘Hard Boiled,' ‘The Killer’ and ‘A Better Tomorrow 2’ while working at a video store in the late 1990s...
No. 18: Jason Statham — Top Action Movie Stars
I genuinely hope to see Jason Statham’s action movie career remain on the upswing, and would highly enjoy seeing him rise up this list. He is certainly the torchbearer for today’s modern American action cinema.
While guys like Van Damme and Lundgren are mostly releasing DTV titles, Statham is still up on the big screen and appealing to younger generations as well as “the ladies...
No. 21: Vin Diesel — Top Action Movie Stars
I kind of feel like I like Vin Diesel more than anyone else I know, so ranking him in this list might be questionable to some. But with the voice, the physique and the brains to be a major leading man, I still like to hope that Diesel’s best days are ahead of him...
No. 23: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — Top Action Movie Stars
"The Rock" is one of the most likeable entertainers working today. He is a wrestling super mega star, easily ranking amongst the greatest pro-wrestling personalities to ever slam a body. But not a single one of his wrestling co-stars have ever made such a successful leap into action cinema...
No. 25: Steven Seagal — Top Action Movie Stars
The ponytail. The spiritualism. The pot belly. The reality television. Steven Seagal’s ego is its own action star, and we kind of love to hate him for it.
When I was growing up nobody broke bones like Seagal did. He was also the king of action movies with three-word titles that I’ve never been able to keep straight: ‘Marked For Death,' ‘Above The Law,' ‘Hard To Kill...
The 25 Greatest Action Stars of All-Time!
Regardless of what you thought of the first 'Expendables' film, or how high or low you’ve set your expectation levels for its sequel, it really cannot be denied that 'The Expendables 3' truly has assembled a cast of Earth’s mightiest heroes. In celebration of this bounty of testosterone, we felt now was the time to assemble a list of the greatest action movie stars of all-time.
No. 24: Tony Jaa — Top Action Movie Stars
If you go with quality over quantity, then Tony Jaa easily belongs on this list. Jaa is the face of Thai action cinema and his work is adored around the world. He's a martial artist, sure, but it's his breathtaking stunt work and use of Muay Thai in his choreography that makes him so fresh and exciting...
No. 22: Dolph Lundgren — Top Action Movie Stars
Dolph Lundgren is a fascinating entry on this list. European, enormous, martial arts trained and possessing a degree in Chemical Engineering. He is a renaissance man and although his movies tend to be DTV affairs these days, he seems to be having a blast and taking chances to step into directing shoes as well...
No. 20: Donnie Yen — Top Action Movie Stars
Donnie Yen has worked long and hard, and has become possibly the top Hong Kong movie star working today. His earlier films never quite sold me on his action star prowess for some reason, notwithstanding ‘Iron Monkey.' But right around the time that ‘Ip Man...