The 25 Most Badass Action Stars of All Time - Mandatory
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The 25 Most Badass Action Stars of All Time

Related: arnold schwarzenegger, Entertainment, harrison ford, movies, sylvester stallone, tom cruise

By Rob Fee Aug 28, 2012

  • 1 of 25

    I consider myself a tough guy. I’ve got tattoos. I own a camouflage t-shirt. I rarely scream when I open a can of biscuits and it pops oh so loudly. I’m a man’s man. With that being said I would literally fill my camo pants with urine if any of these guys (or gals) decided to get up in my face. I proudly present to you the 25 Most Bad Ass Action Stars of All Time.

    25. Tom Cruise

    Say what you will about his personal life and the time he declared his love of "Dawson’s Creek" while bouncing on Oprah’s couch but anybody that could portray the most elite secret agent ("Mission Impossible") and make bartending look that cool ("Cocktail") is fine in my book. 
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  • 2 of 25

    24. Milla Jovovich

    The first of two ladies on the list, Milla is best known for her zombie hunting role as Alice in "Resident Evil" where she’s been cloned, killed, mutated, and cryogenically frozen. She also saved the universe in "The Fifth Element" so we all owe her a debt of gratitude.
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  • 3 of 25

    23. Vin Diesel

    If you have any doubts as to why Vin Diesel deserves to be on this list, watch his scene in "Knockaround Guys" where he not only demolishes the local bar’s tough guy, but also explains to him beforehand how he is going to demolish him. It doesn’t get more bad ass than that.
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  • 4 of 25

    22. Charles Bronson

    Honestly, after 5 "Death Wish" movies I don’t know how there are any bad guys left. Bronson did it all, from old west gun slinger to modern day vigilante. They don’t make action stars like him anymore.
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  • 5 of 25

    21. Liam Neeson

    It seems like Liam Neeson has been around forever in films like 'Rob Roy" and "The Phantom Menace", yet it wasn’t until "Taken" that he really turned into a hardcore bad ass. If that isn’t enough, he’s also the guy who trained Batman. Pretty decent resume.
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  • 6 of 25

    20. Kurt Russell

    Russell was one of the go-to tough guys of the 80s and 90s taking the roles of everything from Wyatt Earp to Futuristic Anarchist Snake Plissken. Just to prove he wasn’t done yet, Russell showed up big time in 2007’s "Death Proof" as Stuntman Mike, which may have been his most extreme role yet.
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  • 7 of 25

    19. Michelle Rodriguez

    I wouldn’t say there are a lot of girls who scare me. Ones that I wouldn’t want to pass on a dark street. Michelle Rodriguez is an exception. Skipping the romantic comedies, Rodriguez has been kicking ass since her debut film "Girlfight". Between her roles in "Halo", "Lost", and "Avatar" she may also be living the dream of every nerd out there.
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  • 8 of 25

    18. The Rock

    The Rock has always been a big guy since his days in the WWE, but he turned into an absolute monster in 2011’s "Fast Five". Even after his roles as the Scorpion King and Chris Vaughn in the remake of "Walking Tall", something tells me we’ve only seen the beginning of The Rock’s career.
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  • 9 of 25

    17. Jet Li

    You know you’re tough when you’re the only member of "The Expendables" under 200 lbs. Jet Li amazed American audiences with his breakout role in 1998’s "Lethal Weapon 4" doing something that we’d all eventually want to do; punch Mel Gibson.
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  • 10 of 25

    16. Sean Connery

    I don’t care what anyone says, Connery will always be James Bond. Connery has been taking out bad guys and getting the girl since the 50’s and could still pull it off today. We haven’t gotten a film from him since "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" but if he keeps voice James Bond video games I’ll be content with that.
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  • 11 of 25

    15. Jason Statham

    Busting onto the scene in 1998’s "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", Statham has embraced his action star persona with several successful movie franchises including "The Transporter" series and "The Expendables". Even when he does animated roles like 2011’s "Gnomeo & Juliet" he plays a bad ass gnome!
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  • 12 of 25

    14. Kiefer Sutherland

    It’s Jack Bauer. Does anything else really need to be said? He’s defeated every terrorist organization you can think of and is rumored to have taken out Osama bin Laden personally. I mean it’s Jack Bauer.
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  • 13 of 25

    13. Harrison Ford

    He was the intergalactic tough guy in "Star Wars" and the most kick ass archaeologist ever in "Indiana Jones". If you’re a guy in your late 20s-early 40s you went as him for at least one Halloween. It sounds like an ad for the most interesting man in the world but it’s not, it’s Harrison Ford.
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  • 14 of 25

    12. Samuel L Jackson

    Try thinking of a movie Samuel L. Jackson wasn’t in. You can’t do it can you? Jackson set the bar for ass kicking in "Pulp Fiction" then went even further becoming the first black guy in "Star Wars" (it’s a prequel so technically it’s before Billy Dee right?). If that’s not enough he also organized this little group called the Avengers. You may have heard of them.
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  • 15 of 25

    11. Steven Seagal

    If your uncle had a ponytail in the 90s, it was because of Steven Seagal. This master in Kendo and Aikido boomed onto the action scene in the 90s with huge hits like "Under Siege" and "Above the Law". He is now a Buddhist and can be seen in the corner of UFC stars like Anderson Silva. 
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  • 16 of 25

    10. Jackie Chan

    It’s hard to believe Jackie Chan got his first role in 1962. He has always done his own stunts ,which if you’ve seen any of his films, is incredible considering he is now 58 years old. Unfortunately Jackie retired from action films recently and will portray his famous character Asian Hawk one last time in Chinese Zodiac later this year.
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  • 17 of 25

    9. Chuck Norris

    Ah Chuck Norris, the internet’s famous superhero. His legend has become that of a demigod and, although probably not quite to that level, Chuck kicked some serious ass. He ruled the 80s before settling into the iconic role of Walker, Texas Ranger for over a decade. You can catch Chuck in the new "The Expendables" movie or on any t-shirt in Hot Topic.
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  • 18 of 25

    8. Dolph Lundgren

    Possibly the greatest action movie villain ever, Dolph showed up in "Rocky IV" and scared the crap out of all of us. Every American was afraid of Russia after seeing ol’ Drago literally destroy Apollo Creed. I just wish he would bring back that amazing flat top.
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  • 19 of 25

    7. Jean Claude Van Damme

    The 90s were a great time to be Jean Claude. Every movie he starred in just sounded tough; "Sudden Death", "Hard Target", "Maximus Risk", "Death Warrant", the list goes on. He’s dropped off in the past few years but if you’ve forgotten how tough he was, go watch "Bloodsport". That last fight alone would get him on this list.
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  • 20 of 25

    6. Steve McQueen

    You don’t get a nickname like the King of Cool without earning it. The guy every guy wanted to be in the 60s, McQueen starred in films like "The Great Escape" and "Bullitt" which took him to another level of badass-ness. Did I mention he’s in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame? 
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  • 21 of 25

    5. Bruce Willis

    If you’re looking for a bad ass cop, you go to Bruce Willis. His role as John McClane in "Die Hard" will go down as his most famous character but Willis has done so many great movies. Everything from "Hart's War" with Colin Farrell to "The Last Boy Scout" for what was probably his toughest role despite being teamed with Damon Wayans.
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  • 22 of 25

    4. Bruce Lee

    The absolute icon of martial arts movies, he pioneered the way for the stars of today. The difference between Lee and most action stars is that he kicked butt off the screen as well. He was an infamous street fighter but unfortunately he was before YouTube or camera phones so we’ll never know just how bad ass he was. You owe it to yourself to check out his classic catalog of films.
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  • 23 of 25

    3. Clint Eastwood

    Is there any 80+ year old man that you’d bet on in a street fight other than Clint Eastwood? From "Dirty Harry" to "The Outlaw Josey Wales" to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", he set the standard for the tough guy. A legend like this only comes around once a generation.
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  • 24 of 25

    2. Arnold Schwarzenegger

    No action star has better catch phrases than Arnold. He didn’t just kill, he did it with style. Even after his hiatus as the governor of California, the Terminator hasn’t slowed down at all, lining up a list of action roles over the next several years. 
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  • 25 of 25
    Next: Epically Hilarious Photos

    1. Sylvester Stallone

    There’s no action star that has done what Stallone has throughout his career. "Rambo" and "Rocky" aren’t just roles, they’re icons. He’s been the action star of every decade since the 70’s and with "The Expendables" growing popularity it’s safe to assume he could define another as well.
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kitty2199

Your list seriously needs to be reorganized. Jean Claude is better than Jet LI? And Sylvester Stallone tops the list? Bruce Lee should be #1 and you know it. I call foul on this one.

May 10 2013 at 10:05 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Motea

Disappointed that you did not have Uma Thurman from the Kill Bill series. Best chick fight ever.

May 09 2013 at 10:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

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