Movies - TV
The 18 Best Action Movie Actors Ranked
By LIAM GAUGHAN
18. Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson is a fascinating case study in how an established actor can transform into an action star. In 2008, Neeson took a chance on the action thriller "Taken," which became a surprising sensation thanks to Neeson's iconic phone speech and portrayal of an aging hero; after "Taken," Neeson became a full-on action star.
17. Dolph Lundgren
Born in Sweden, Dolph Lundgren suffered from significant physical abuse at a young age, but worked through his hardships to become an athlete and receive a degree in chemical engineering at the highly selective KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Lundgren brings a raw strength to his films that makes him compelling as both heroes and villains.
16. Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton did something very dramatic with the character of Sarah Connor in the "Terminator" franchise: Sarah transformed from a helpless victim in 1984's "The Terminator" to a buffed heroine in 1991’s "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." Outside of "The Terminator" series, Hamilton also took on an action role in "Dante's Peak."
15. Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen created an antihero screen persona that was distinct in the 1960s and showed a dexterity in his roles that helped redefine many action subgenres. The actor embodied a combative spirit in “Bullitt,” became a believable conman in “The Thomas Crowne Affair,” and pushed himself physically for the realistic prison break movie “Papillion.”
14. Sean Connery
Not many stars can claim they've created an action hero who has thrilled audiences for almost six decades, but Sean Connery did exactly that with James Bond. "From Russia with Love" features one of the best Bond action sequences ever — specifically, Connery's fight against Robert Shaw on a train.