Ed Travis
No. 19: Jet Li — Top Action Movie Stars
There was a brief period where I would have said Jet Li’s ‘Fist of Legend’ was my very favorite martial arts film. But higher exposure to great kung fu movies has lessened my love for that title just a little bit.
If Jackie Chan was successful by being the anti-Bruce Lee, I almost feel that Jet Li rose to prominence by being the anti-Jackie Chan...
No. 17: Chuck Norris — Top Action Movie Stars
I’m sure you’ve got jokes. And I know that some of those jokes are hilarious! But our man Chuck is cut from that special fabric of action hero that rose to prominence because of their real-life achievements in martial arts.
Chuck was the Professional World Middleweight Karate Champion from 1968-1974, when he retired from competition...
No. 16: Jean-Claude Van Damme — Top Action Movie Stars
I grew up at the perfect time and place to worship Jean-Claude Van Damme as a kid. I never missed a Van Damme film in the 1980s and early 1990s, and when his star began to fade a little bit, I always wished I could get in touch with him to offer him some pointers...
No. 14: Lee Marvin — Top Action Movie Stars
Perpetually grey-haired, Lee Marvin and Wilfred Brimley battle for the title of stars who were seemingly born old men. And yet, Marvin had a stone-etched visage, an old-fashioned voice and a toughness that emanated from his core.
His final role was opposite Chuck Norris in ‘The Delta Force,' and somehow, even in his advanced years, you believed he could hold his own on the battlefield...
No. 13: Tom Cruise — Top Action Movie Stars
Yeah, yeah, you got jokes about Tom Cruise’s cinematic running or you’ve got opinions about his wacky beliefs or his love life. I have those too. But think hard and try to come up with a performance where Tom Cruise phoned it in?
He is much more than an action star, but his action endeavors have been some of the more thrilling offerings from the US film market in the 2000s...
No. 1: Sylvester Stallone – Top Action Movie Stars
There are quite a few reasons to rank Sylvester Stallone as the greatest action star of all time, foremost of which is that he IS the greatest action hero of all time. It isn’t really a bold or risky choice because Stallone just plain possesses the eye of the tiger...