Action Heroes of the 80's

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger

With an almost unpronounceable surname and a thick Austrian accent, who would have ever believed that a brash, quick talking bodybuilder from a small European village would become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, marry into the prestigious Kennedy family, amass a fortune via shrewd investments and...

Conan the Barbarian - 26 Conan the Destroyer - 26 The Terminator - 32 Red Sonja - 26 Commando - 130 Raw Deal - 25 Predator - 47 The Running Man - 14 Red Heat - 7

2. Sylvester Stallone

Actor | Rocky

Sylvester Stallone is an athletically built, dark-haired American actor/screenwriter/director/producer, the movie fans worldwide have been flocking to see Stallone's films for over 40 years, making "Sly" one of Hollywood's biggest-ever box office draws.

Sylvester Stallone was born on July 6, 1946, ...

First Blood - 2 Rambo: First Blood Part II - 74 Cobra - 41 Rambo III - 115 Tango & Cash - 15 Bonus: Death Race 2000 - 7

3. Kurt Russell

Actor | Escape from New York

Kurt Vogel Russell was born on March 17, 1951 in Springfield, Massachusetts and raised in Thousand Oaks, California to Louise Julia Russell (née Crone), a dancer & Bing Russell, an actor. He is of English, German, Scottish and Irish descent. His first roles were as a child on television series, ...

Escape from New York - 12 The Thing - 12 Big Trouble in Little China - 6 Tango & Cash - 5 Bonus: The Deadly Tower - 14

4. Chuck Norris

Actor | Walker, Texas Ranger

Chuck Norris is familiar to fans worldwide as the star of action films such as The Hitman (1991), The Delta Force (1986) and Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990). He also starred in Missing in Action (1984) and its sequels, Firewalker (1986) and Sidekicks (1992). He was an executive ...

The Octagon - 15 An Eye for an Eye - 13 Forced Vengeance - 9 Lone Wolf McQuade - 26 Missing in Action - 70 Missing in Action II: The Beginning - 24 Code of Silence - 45 Invasion USA - 30 The Delta Force - 52 Missing in Action III: Braddock - 55

5. Chow Yun-Fat

Actor | Wo hu cang long

Chow Yun Fat is a charismatic, athletically built and energetic Asian-born film star who first came to the attention of western audiences via his roles in the high-octane/blazing guns action films of maverick HK director John Woo.

Chow was born in 1955 on the quiet island of Lamma, part of the ...

Hard Boiled Killers - N/A See-Bar - N/A The Head Hunter - 9 Hong Kong 1941 - 7 Blood Money/Hong Kong Specialist - N/A A Better Tomorrow - 55 Code of Honour/Triad Savages - N/A Rich and Famous - 10 Rich and Famous II: Tragic Hero - 69 Flaming Brothers- 19 A Better Tomorrow II - 98 Tiger on the Beat - 15 Goodbye, My Friend - 8 City War - 18 The Killer - 95 A Better Tomorrow III - 4 God of Gamblers - 5

6. Mel Gibson

Actor | Braveheart

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born January 3, 1956 in Peekskill, New York, USA, as the sixth of eleven children of Hutton Gibson, a railroad brakeman, and Anne Patricia (Reilly) Gibson (who died in December of 1990). His mother was Irish, from County Longford, while his American-born father is ...

Attack Force Z - 14 Mad Max: The Road Warrior - 18 Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdone - 8 Lethal Weapon - 16 Lethal Weapon 2 - 16 Bonus: Mad Max - 8

7. Michael Dudikoff

Actor | Platoon Leader

Michael Dudikoff was born in Redondo Beach, California, USA. Michael is an actor and assistant director, known for Platoon Leader (1988), American Ninja (1985) and Bachelor Party (1984). Michael has been married to Belle since September 18, 2004. They have three children.

American Ninja - 32 Avenging Force - 10 American Ninja 2: The Confrontation - 27 Platoon Leader - 17 River of Death - 17

8. Shô Kosugi

Actor | Ninja Assassin

Easily the best known actor/martial artist during the 1980s ninja cinema craze, Kosugi was a proficient martial artist & skilled weapons performer which was highlighted in his several starring roles.

Kosugi grew up as the youngest child and only son of a Tokyo fisherman, and began his martial arts ...

Revenge of the Ninja - 16 Nine Deaths of the Ninja - 24 Pray for Death - 40 Rage of Honor - 60 Black Eagle - 21

9. Harrison Ford

Actor | Raiders of the Lost Ark

Harrison Ford was born on July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, to Dorothy (Nidelman), a radio actress, and Christopher Ford (born John William Ford), an actor turned advertising executive. His father was of Irish and German ancestry, while his maternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Minsk, ...

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back - 6 Raiders of the Lost Ark - 12 Blade Runner - 2 Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi - 5 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - 21 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 13 Bonus: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope - 16

10. Peter Weller

Actor | RoboCop

Peter Frederick Weller was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to Dorothy Jean (Davidson) and Frederick Bradford Weller, a federal judge and career helicopter pilot for the United States Army. He traveled extensively as his father literally flew around the world. Before he was out of his teens, he ...

Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension - 9 Robocop - 23

11. Roddy Piper

Actor | They Live

Roddy Piper was born Roderick George Toombs on April 17, 1954 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was a pro wrestler from 1973-1987 in the NWA, Pacific Northwest, California. He was a longtime mainstay in the WWF, and was one of the biggest "bad guys" in the WWF during the early '80s, before ...

Hell Comes to Frogtown - 6 They Live! - 29

12. Jackie Chan

Actor | Ngo si seoi

Hong Kong's cheeky, lovable and best-known film star, Jackie Chan endured many years of long, hard work and multiple injuries to establish international success after his start in Hong Kong's manic martial arts cinema industry.

Jackie was born Kong-sang Chan on April 7, 1954, on Hong Kong's famous ...

Half a Loaf of Kung Fu - 15 Fantasy Mission Force - 51 Winners & Sinners - 0 My Lucky Stars/Winners & Sinners 2 - 6 The Protector - 7 Police Story - 0 Armour of God - 34 Police Story 2 - 4 Bonus: The Hand of Death - 11

13. Reb Brown

Actor | Space Mutiny

Reb Brown was born on April 29, 1948 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Space Mutiny (1988), Uncommon Valor (1983) and Yor: The Hunter from the Future (1983). He has been married to Cisse Cameron since September 8, 1979.

Yor: The Hunter from the Future - 63 Uncommon Valor - 40 Howling II: Stirba – Werewolf Bitch - 18 Strike Commando - 95 Mercenary Fighters - 9 White Ghost - 18 Space Mutiny - 36 The Firing Line - 82 Robowar - 21 Cage - 15 Bonus: Last Flight to Hell - 48, Street Hunter - 5, Cage II - 2

14. Robert Ginty

Actor | The Exterminator

Born in New York, rugged, virile, hard-looking action star Robert Ginty initially sought a career in music, becoming involved in several rock bands from age 16 on. During this stage he actually got to play and hang out with several rock legends, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana ...

The Exterminator - 10 Gold Raiders/Commando Gold - 92 Warrior of the Lost World - 53 Exterminator 2 - 21 White Fire - 28 Mission Kill - 21 Programmed to Kill - 10 Three Kinds of Heat - 10 Code Name Vengeance - 49 Bonus: Cop Target - 12

15. Sam J. Jones

Actor | Flash Gordon

Actor Sam J. Jones was born in Chicago, Illinois but grew up in Sacramento, California. He was educated at Mira Loma High School in Sacramento and went on to serve as a United States Marine. Jones made his screen debut in Blake Edwards' comedy film 10 (1979). In 1980, he was cast in the iconic role...

Flash Gordon - 30 Silent Assassins - 26 Whiteforce - 31 Trigon Fire - 34 Bonus: In Gold We Trust - 26

16. Miles O'Keeffe

Actor | Ator 2: L'invincibile Orion

Attended the Air Force Academy Prep School after high school. He quit and switched over to Mississippi State to play football, but was forced to quit when he broke his hand. He then transferred to the University of the South, and graduated with a B.A. in psychology. He worked a year as a counselor ...

Ator: The Fighting Eagle - 9 Ator II: The Blade Master - 29 The Lone Runner - 62 Ator III: Iron Warrior - 41 Hell's Heroes - N/A Double Target - 74 Phantom Raiders - 85 The Hard Way - 153

17. Patrick Swayze

Actor | Dirty Dancing

Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on August 18, 1952 in Houston, Texas, to Patsy Swayze (née Yvonne Helen Karnes), a choreographer, and Jesse Wayne Swayze, a chemical plant engineer draftsman. His mother owned a dance school in Houston, where Patrick was also a student. His father passed away in 1982. ...

Red Dawn - 37 Steel Dawn - 18 Road House - 5 Next of Kin - 5

18. Charlie Sheen

Actor | Two and a Half Men

Charlie Sheen was born Carlos Irwin Estévez on September 3, 1965, in New York City. His father, actor Martin Sheen (born Ramon Antonio Gerard Estevez), was at the time just breaking into the business, with performances on Broadway. His mother, Janet Sheen (née Templeton), was a former New York art ...

Red Dawn - 21 The Wraith - 5 Platoon - 19

19. Eddie Murphy

Actor | The Nutty Professor

Edward Regan Murphy was born April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York, to Lillian Lynch (born: Lillian Laney), a telephone operator, and Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer who was also an amateur comedian and actor. After his father died, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a ...

48 Hrs. - 1 Beverly Hills Cop - 3 Beverly Hills Cop II - 4 Harlem Nights - 13

20. Brent Huff

Actor | Shameless

Brent Huff, is an award-winning actor, writer and director best known for his recurring roles in Shameless, The Rookie, The Rookie: Feds, Pensacola: Wings of Gold and Black Scorpion. Huff has also written and directed numerous successful films such as, The Jackie Stiles Story (2022), A Genie's Tail...

Strike Commando 2 - 96 Nine Deaths of the Ninja - 8 Cop Game - 21 Born to Fight - 188

21. Rutger Hauer

Actor | Hobo with a Shotgun

Blond, blue-eyed, tall and handsome Dutch actor Rutger Hauer enjoyed an international reputation for playing everything from romantic leads to action heroes to sinister villains. Hauer was born in Breukelen, a Dutch town and former municipality in the province of Utrecht.

He was the son of Teunke ...

Nighthawks - 38 Blade Runner - 2 Ladyhawke - 10 Flesh + Blood - 13 The Hitcher - 19 Wanted: Dead or Alive - 5 Blind Fury - 19 Bonus: Beyond Justice - 12, Nostradamus - 30, Deathline/Redline - 24, Tactical Assault - 9, Hobo with a Shotgun - 12

22. Richard Norton

Actor | Under a Red Moon

A powerful screen presence, Richard Norton wins the applause of international audiences with his engaging ability to play either the hero or the heavy. Rare versatility and focused work ethic have enabled him to build an expanding library of almost 100 film and television titles. The disciplines ...

Future Hunters - 20 Return of the Kickfighter - 59 Equalizer 2000 - 57 Not Another Mistake - 122

23. Rick Hill

Actor | Cheers

Rick Hill is the author of the New York Times' #1 Best-Seller: "Pete Rose, My Prison Without Bars". He appeared in more than 50 episodes of network television, including Today's F.B.I. (1981). Hill directed multiple episodes of Born Free (1998) and Hollywood Safari (1998). He served as a "script ...

Deathstalker - 12 The Devastator - 20 Fast Gun - 51 Bonus: Dune Warriors - 33, Deathstalker IV: Match of Titans - 15

24. Timothy Dalton

Actor | The Living Daylights

At a consistently lean 6' 2", green-eyed Timothy Dalton may very well be one of the last of the dying breed of swashbuckling, classically trained Shakespearean actors who have forged simultaneous successful careers in theater, television and film. He has been comparison-shopped roundly for stepping...

Flash Gordon - 21 The Living Daylights - 10 License to Kill - 13

25. Dolph Lundgren

Actor | Rocky IV

Dolph Lundgren was born as Hans Lundgren in Stockholm, Sweden, to Sigrid Birgitta (Tjerneld), a language teacher, and Karl Johan Hugo Lundgren, an engineer and economist for the Swedish government. He lived in Stockholm until the age of 13, when he moved in with his grandparents in Nyland, ...

Masters of the Universe - 41 Red Scorpion - 92 The Punisher - 76

26. Mark Hamill

Actor | Star Wars

Mark Hamill is best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy - Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) - a role he reprised in Star Wars: Episode VII - ...

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back - 5 The Big Red One - 24 Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi - 62 Slipstream - 12 Bonus: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope - 106, Midnight Ride - 13, Time Runner - 15

27. Michael Biehn

Actor | Aliens

Michael Connell Biehn was born on July 31, 1956 in Anniston, Alabama, to Marcia (Connell) and Don Biehn, a lawyer. He grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, and at age 14 moved with his family to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where he won a drama scholarship to the University of Arizona. He left prematurely two ...

Aliens - 16 Bonus: Dead Men Can’t Dance - 16, Dragon Squad - 15, Planet Terror - 15

28. Frank Zagarino

Actor | Shadowchaser

Blonde, athletic and muscular actor, Frank Zagarino was born in Los Angeles on December 19, 1959 and grew up in Miami where he attended Miami Dade College; Zagarino starred as hero and villain in many low-cost action and science fiction films; appeared in movies such as Project Shadowchaser (1992) ...

Barbarian Queen - 7 Hammerhead - 6 Striker - 127 Ten Zan: The Ultimate Mission - 44 Trained to Kill - 8 Cy Warrior - 11

29. Daniel Greene

Actor | Falcon Crest

Daniel "Danny" Greene grew up in Miami, Florida with a loving and supportive mom, dad and sis. He played sports year round, attended Florida State University on a football scholarship and is a die hard Seminole for life. For part of his Jr year, he lived in Florence, Italy on the FSU Foreign Study ...

Hands of Steel - 9 Hammerhead - 17 Skeleton Coast - 7 Bonus: Mal d'Africa - N/A, Soldier of Fortune - 30

30. Bruce Willis

Actor | Die Hard

Actor and musician Bruce Willis is well known for playing wisecracking or hard-edged characters, often in spectacular action films. Collectively, he has appeared in films that have grossed in excess of $2.5 billion USD.

Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany,...

Sunset - 12 Die Hard - 10

31. Val Kilmer

Actor | The Doors

Val Kilmer was born in Los Angeles, California, to Gladys Swanette (Ekstadt) and Eugene Dorris Kilmer, who was a real estate developer and aerospace equipment distributor. His mother, born in Indiana, was from a Swedish family, and his father was from Texas. Val studied at Hollywood's ...

Top Gun - 1 Willow - 31

32. Robert Patrick

Actor | Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Robert Hammond Patrick was born on November 5, 1958 in Marietta, Georgia, raised there and Boston, Mass., Dayton, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, and Cleveland, Ohio. The eldest of five children. He attended the Bowling Green State University in Ohio, but dropped out after he took a drama course and ...

Future Hunters - 17 Eye of the Eagle - 50 Killer Instinct - 108 Warlords from Hell - N/A

33. Roger Moore

Actor | Moonraker

Roger Moore will perhaps always be remembered as the man who replaced Sean Connery in the James Bond series, arguably something he never lived down.

Roger George Moore was born on October 14, 1927 in Stockwell, London, England, the son of Lillian (Pope) and George Alfred Moore, a policeman. His ...

For Your Eyes Only - 16 Octopussy - 14 A View to a Kill - 5 Bonus: Live and Let Die - 8, The Man with the Golden Gun - 1, Shout at the Devil - 9, The Spy Who Loved Me - 34, The Wild Geese - 4, Moonraker - 14

34. Yukari Ôshima

Actress | Lik wong

Daughter of a Chinese woman, who spent her childhood in Nishi Ku (Fukuoka City). When she was in elementary school, her parents divorced and she went to live with her mother, who ran a little restaurant. Being a child she practiced karate in junior high school, represented Kyushu in several ...

The Millionaire’s Express - 10 Close Escape - N/A Final Run - 7 A Punch to Revenge - N/A

35. Moon Lee

Actress | Tian shi xing dong

Moon Lee was born on February 14, 1965 in Hong Kong. She is an actress, known for Fighting Madam (1987), Fatal Termination (1990) and Mission of Justice (1992).

Angel - 27 Angel II - 11 Killer Angels - 23 Angel III - 20 Devil Hunters - 12 Angel Enforcers - N/A The Revenge of Angel - N/A Princess Madam - 25

36. Ronald L. Marchini

Actor | Karate Cop

Ronald Lee Marchini (aka Ron Marchini) is an American martial artist who is a champion in karate and action films actor. He wrote books on karate with Leo Fong, a martial artist known for Power training in Kung-Fu and karate. In May 1964, at Takayuki Kubota's All-Stars Tournament in Los Angeles, ...

Murder in the Orient - 6 Death Machines - 21 Ninja Warriors - 24 Forgotten Warrior - 76 Jungle Wolf - 55 Return Fire - 48 Bonus: Omega Cop - 41, Karate Cop - 17, Karate Raider - 18

37. Lewis Collins

Actor | Jack the Ripper

Underrated British leading man predominantly of the Seventies and Eighties, Collins made his mark in the 1970s action drama The Professionals (1977). As hard man William Bodie, Collins became a household name worldwide. Unfortunately, since the show ended in 1983, Lewis Collins has been miscast in ...

Who Dares Wins - 5 The Commander - 15 Commander Leopard - 73 Codename: Wild Geese - 26

38. Lou Ferrigno

Actor | The Incredible Hulk

An internationally famous and well respected bodybuilder / actor, Lou Ferrigno first appeared on TV screens in 1977 as the musclebound title character of The Incredible Hulk (1978), the alter ego of meek scientist David Banner. Ferrigno was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1951 and as a child ...

Hercules - 90 The Seven Magnificent Gladiators - 4 The Adventures Of Hercules - 30 Desert Warrior - 51 Sinbad Of The Seven Seas - 33 Bonus: Instant Death - 40

39. Mark Gregory

Actor | Fuga dal Bronx

Mark Gregory was born on May 2, 1964 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was an actor, known for Escape from the Bronx (1983), 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982) and Thunder (1983). He died on January 31, 2013 in Castel Madama, Lazio, Italy.

Bronx Warriors - 12 Escape from the Bronx - 37 Afghanistan: Last War Bus - 80 Just a Damned Soldier - 65

40. Bruno Minniti

Actor | Rage - Fuoco incrociato

Bruno Minniti was born on December 5, 1954 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor, known for A Man Called Rage (1984), Thor the Conqueror (1983) and Rush (1983).

Days of Hell - 76 Rush - 77 Rage - 22 Thor the Conqueror - 12 Secret Of The Incas' Empire - 31

41. Harrison Muller

Actor | She

Harrison Muller is known for She (1984), The Throne of Fire (1983) and 2020 Texas Gladiators (1983).

2020 Texas Gladiators - 9 The Final Executioner - 8 She - 13 The Violent Breed - 44 Miami Cops - 19 Getting Even - 33

42. Michael Sopkiw

Actor | Shark: Rosso nell'oceano

Although his moment in the acting spotlight was regrettably fleeting, Michael Sopkiw did nonetheless prove to be a delightfully sincere, spirited and enthusiastic asset in the four enjoyably low-rent mid-80s Italian exploitation features he starred in. Born in 1954 in Connecticut, the handsome and ...

2019: After The Fall Of New York - 38 Blastfighter - 40 Massacre In Dinosaur Valley - 25

43. Max Thayer

Actor | S.W.A.T.

Max Thayer was born on June 18, 1946 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and cinematographer, known for S.W.A.T. (2003), Planet of Dinosaurs (1977) and Hot and Deadly (1982).

No Retreat, No Surrender 2 - 41 Deadringer - 12 No Dead Heroes - 109 Phantom Soldiers - 95