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.

For one thing, very few other stars on this list burst onto the scene with Oscar nominations for both Best Screenplay and Best Actor (‘Rocky’ in 1977). For another thing, Sly Stallone is synonymous with action. Sure, he has a few dramas and comedies under his belt, but across the globe there is nobody as identifiable as the name and face of action cinema.

And lastly, you have to take Sly’s resilience into account. Being as closely tied to the action brand as Stallone means he has had to weather a number of ups and downs in the action genre’s popularity. But in his most recent renaissance (with Stallone in his 60s, no less) we’ve been given a 6th ‘Rocky’ film, a 4th ‘Rambo’ film, and several new potential franchises are on the way with ‘The Tomb’ and ‘Bullet In The Head’ on top of ‘The Expendables’ franchise. Stallone, like his most iconic character, has a fire in his belly and simply refuses to stop bringing us his unique brand of machismo.

"In town you're the law, out here it's me. Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe." -– John Rambo, ‘Rambo’

More From ScreenCrush