The most popular action movie actors. The best action actors

I invite you to remember the legendary actors who became symbols of action films of the 90s. All of them continue to act in film to this day, but the peak of their fame was, of course, in the 90s of the last century.
We deliberately omit from the list Schwartz, Sly, Seagal and Van Damme, who are still more or less well-known, not least thanks to the Expendables franchise.

Mark Dacascos

In the nineties, thanks to this native of Hawaii, the world learned what capoeira is and how a hitman can mourn each of his victims. Years later, Dacascos was not left without work. He realized in time that he could go on television. Now Mark is one of the villains of the police series “Hawaii Five.0”, as well as the idol of housewives and fans of the show “Iron Chef”. In this program, Dacascos serves as the host and referee for the contenders for the title of best cook.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

The Japanese, who threatened to take the souls of the heroes of Mortal Kombat, seemed to be the personification of evil in the action films of the nineties. For the last ten years, Tagawa has been playing episodic roles, but there were exceptions, for example, the film “Hachiko: The Most Faithful Friend.” Now a bright streak has come in the actor’s career. First of all, he is a guest star in the TV series Revenge. Secondly, Tagawa appeared alongside Keanu Reeves in the fantasy action film 47 Ronin. By the way, a couple of years ago Cary-Hiroyuki traveled around the post-Soviet space. Here he gave an acting master class at the “Molodist” festival, and in Russia he looked for a bride on the “Let’s Get Married” show.

Eric Roberts

Fifteen years ago, the characters of the animated series “South Park” said that no one cared about Eric Roberts. Indeed, since the second half of the nineties, the career of Julia Roberts's older brother began to decline - qualitatively, but not quantitatively. This year Eric has about forty films coming out, in some of which he even plays the leading role. Roberts tried to launch his own reality show, in which celebrities would frequent his bar, but it did not go beyond the pilot episode. Eric is unlikely to have a bright future in cinema, but his only daughter Emma is making her first successes in cinema.

Michael Dudikoff

At one time, Dudikoff was the star of the American Ninja franchise and the Cobra television series, contributing to a golden collection of B-movie action films. In 2002, he stopped acting altogether and started teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This year, Dudikoff appeared on screen for the first time in many years - he has a tiny role in the action film Olympus Has Fallen. Recently, the artist stated that he wants to play at least someone in the third “The Expendables.” He also runs an online resource in which he talks about his family, his love for acting, martial arts and philosophy. “There is strength in simplicity,” Dudikoff writes in one section of the site.

Cynthia Rothrock

The eighties and nineties were a time not only of imperturbable, pumped-up movie heroes, but also of women equal in strength to them. Blonde Cynthia Rothrock, a five-time karate champion, also found her place in the film industry. True, she achieved success not in her native States, but in Hong Kong, starring in the films “Evil for Good,” “Dragon Lady,” “Tiger Claw” and others. When the female version of Bruce Lee on the screen was not needed, Rothrock took up what she does best - martial arts. Now she successfully teaches karate at her own school in California.

Don "Dragon" Wilson

Don Wilson became the kickboxing world champion eleven times and starred in the Bloody Fist series eight times. The American-born athlete-actor believes he could have become as famous as Jet Li or Jackie Chan if he had had an Asian accent. Today, Don makes a living by selling T-shirts with his image on it and occasionally starring in what he calls bad movies. He also dreams of one day bringing to life the B-Team project, a film that would bring together the best stars of old second-rate action films.

Frank Zagarino

The bleached half-box and pale skin made Frank Zagarino one of the most recognizable actors in low-budget action and horror films. The “Shadow Hunter Project” trilogy, in which he played an albino cyborg, is the most famous of Zagarino’s fifty film works. He would star in even more films, but the actor does not want to take on very small roles. For the last six years, Zagarino has not worked in films, although he keeps in shape. He doesn't sit idle either: Frank runs his own film projector rental company.

Orenzo Lamas

When Renegade ended with its fifth season, it was a difficult time for the show's main star, Lorenzo Lamas. For several years he was interrupted by unnoticeable work on TV, until in 2004 he was cast for a role in one of the longest-running American television melodramas, “The Bold and the Beautiful.” In 2009, Lorenzo, along with his ex-wife and children, starred in the reality show “Life of Lamas,” but without success: the program was closed before the end of the season. Today, the artist continues to work in episodes of big movies and on TV, now as Lamas-Craig. Lorenzo borrowed the second part of his surname from his new wife.

Dolph Lundgren

Our audience fell in love with Lundgren after the role of Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky 4. Fortunately, the Swedish actor's career did not end there. He acted annually, and in the mid-2000s he himself acted as a director. Lundgren was one of the first to be invited to the film “The Expendables.” Now Dolph is preparing for the premiere of the third part and is trying himself as the host of the TV show “Race on Stage,” in which participants will recreate famous scenes from films.

bolo young
Bolo starred in several kung fu action films, but his most famous role was the villain Chong Li in the American film studio Cannon Films' film Bloodsport, where his partner was Jean-Claude Van Damme. After this role and in the future, Bolo developed the image of the classic “muscular scoundrels” on the screen, and one of his few roles as a positive hero was his work in the films “Hardest Impact”, “Hardest Impact 2” and Cop 2000. Ian’s last significant role became the 2007 film “Close Combat,” shot jointly by film crews from the United States and Kazakhstan, which, however, did not make it onto the wide screen or on video. In 2008, Bolo officially left the cinema, while retaining his position as chairman of the Hong Kong Physical Fitness Commercial Organization and manager of the Taipei International Bodybuilding Association.

Rutger Hauer
In the late 1980s, Rutger Hauer was ranked among the fifty most "listable" actors in the world in a list made by the elite Hollywood Reporter. However, the actor never achieved any serious cinematic achievements during these years (and much later), probably because Hauer never particularly aspired to this, perceiving cinema as a job.

In the 1990s, the actor increasingly began to collaborate with small independent film studios, trying to escape the image imposed on him by Hollywood, which reduced his popularity in the United States. But in his homeland, the Netherlands, Rutger Hauer remains very popular, as evidenced by the noisy celebration of his 50th birthday in 1994. A retrospective of his most famous paintings was shown, which was preceded by the documentary film “The Actor in Orange” (Acteur van Oranje). A year later, to mark the 100th anniversary of world cinema, the Dutch postal service issued a commemorative set of stamps, one of which depicted Hauer in a role from the film “Turkish Delights” (and the film itself was recognized as “the best Dutch film of the century” in 1999, at the National Film Festival ).

The second half of the 1990s and the beginning of the new millennium began quite successfully for the actor, who signed a contract with his new agent Joan Hyler. During this period, he starred in Hallmark films - The Call of the Wild (1996) based on the novel by Jack London and Merlin (1998) - on NBC in the fantasy tale The Tenth Kingdom "(eng. The 10th Kingdom, 1999), where he played the role of the evil Hunter. The film “Simon Magus” (Simon Magus, 1998), where Hauer played the gentle and kind poetry reader Count Albrecht, was presented at several international film festivals.

In April 1999, Hauer received the title of "Best Actor of the Century" in the Netherlands, which was celebrated on Dutch television with a non-stop all-day retrospective of his films. In 2000, he tried his hand at directing, resulting in the release of the short film “The Room,” based on the book by the Dutch writer Harri Muelisch, which received the Audience Award at the Paris Film Festival the following year as “best short film.” "

By his own admission, Rutger never wanted to be an actor because he is shy by nature, however, he really enjoys making independent films in his studio. By the way, he is a member of the board of trustees of the Higher School of Directors and Scriptwriters in St. Petersburg. He first visited the city on the Neva while participating in the filming of the adventure film “The Key of the Salamander”, where he played the main role, and on March 23, 2011 he came to Moscow for its premiere

In 2012, Hauer appeared on Dutch singer Arjen Lucassen's album Lost In The New Real as a voice-over artist.

Van Damme
Van Damme received his first full-fledged role in the film “No Retreat, No Surrender” (1986), playing the Russian fighter Ivan Krashinsky. Due to difficulty pronouncing the name, Jean-Claude Van Varenberg changed his name to Jean-Claude Van Damme, in memory of his deceased friend.

Initially, Van Damme was supposed to play the role of the Predator in the film “Predator”, which, according to the original idea of the creators, was supposed to possess combat techniques similar to martial arts, but was replaced by another actor - Kevin Peter Hall. According to the official version, the reason for the replacement was a change in the concept of the Predator to physical power - next to the tall athletes of Dutch's squad, the short Van Damme looked unconvincing. However, Jesse Ventura, who also starred in the film, said that the reason for Van Damme’s exit from the project was a conflict with one of the leaders of the film crew, which led to a brawl.

Van Damme in Cannes
With great difficulty, getting into the office of the famous producer Menahem Golan, after much persuasion, the unknown Van Damme received a role in the film “Bloodsport” (1988), the script of which had been gathering dust with the producer for 2 years. The film was first shown in Malaysia, then in France and only then in the USA. The film was a huge success worldwide, grossing over $30 million on a budget of just over $1 million.

The success of Bloodsport immediately made Van Damme a new action star. His image in the film served as the prototype for the character Johnny Cage in the computer game Mortal Kombat. Looking at him, young people all over the world went to karate sections and began to play sports. Van Damme's subsequent films - "Cyborg" (1989), "Kickboxer" (1989), "AWOL" (1990), "Death Warrant" (1990) and "Double Impact" (1991) - only consolidated his success.

Gaining experience and working on himself, Van Damme began to get roles in A-class films: “Universal Soldier” (1992), “Hard Target” (1993), “Nowhere to Run” (1993), “Time Patrol” (1994). Thus, he soon stood on par with such action stars as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his fee increased to $8 million.

Matthias Hues (born February 14, 1959) is a famous actor of German origin who plays villains in action films, mainly in martial arts films. Holder of a black belt in karate and kickboxing in heavy weight. He is best known for his roles in films such as Angel of Darkness, Knuckle Knuckles and Black Belt.

Kurt Vogel Russell (March 17, 1951, Springfield, Massachusetts) is an American actor, screenwriter and producer. First of all, he was remembered by the viewer for his many roles in science fiction films and action films of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He continues his creative career to this day.

In November 1986, Andrew Davis filmed a five-minute audition that included Kelly LeBrock and Steven Seagal. Warner Brothers management liked it and wanted Steven Seagal to demonstrate what he could give them. Therefore, in 1987, Ovitz organized an aikido demonstration in the studio for fifteen of the most responsible administrators from Warner Brothers. For this purpose, tatami mats were specially transported to the studio. The demonstration lasted 10 minutes and included Steven Seagal, Matsuoka and Greg Dunn, who was superior in size and physical form to Steven Seagal. The demonstration turned out to be bright and dynamic. Ovitz got a call back almost immediately and was told that they would cast Seagal in the Warner Bros. film Above the Law.

In September 1987, Steven Seagal and Kelly LeBrock celebrated a wedding for a hundred guests at an Italian restaurant in the San Fernando Valley. After some time, they began filming the film “Above the Law.” The dojo moved and the first scenes of the film were shot at Seagal's third dojo in California on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. The famous 1988 black belt test took place right there; the first for Seagal in America and with the following results: Haruo Matsuoka - yondan, Larry Reynosa - yondan, Greg Dunn - sedan, Phil Chen - sedan and Sean Dawson - sedan. The exam was held behind closed doors and drawn curtains with a huge number of injuries: knocked out teeth, a dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, blood on the tatami and on the gi.

With a very modest budget of seven million dollars, the film “Above the Law” turned out to be very successful: it collected more than 30 million. The film's success was due, among other things, to the fact that real aspects of Seagal's life were included in the script. Due to the chaotic coverage of the film by journalists, there was confusion about how much of the film reflected Seagal's real life and how much was fiction. Steven Seagal himself said about this film: “I was happy that I got the opportunity to play myself.”

In 1990, Seagal starred in the film Death Defying with his wife Kelly LeBrock. In an interview with Arsenio Hall's TV program, Steven Seagal said that the film was difficult to make. It was obvious that the director and Seagal simply could not find a common language. Despite Seagal's opinion that the film could have been much better, the film was very successful and grossed over $50 million. In the same year, the film company “20th Century - Fox” “It Must Be Removed” was released. The producers allowed Seagal many liberties. And Seagal believes that this film contains the best fight scenes of his career.

In 1991, the Warner Brothers film In the Name of Justice was released, filmed in Brooklyn, New York.

After many unsuccessful attempts, the administration finally got Seagal to sign a contract for the film “Under Siege.” Seagal again worked with director Andrew Davis.

In 1992, the dojo moved to its final location on National Boulevard in West Los Angeles. Very quiet area. The most conservative dojo in America flourished under the leadership of Haruo Matsuoka. The flow of students has changed qualitatively. Now the dojo was visited less often by Seagal-obsessed film buffs and more often by students seeking first-class aikido instruction. The dojo never strayed from the path set out by Steven Seagal.

In 1993, preparations for the filming of the film “Man of Honor” were completed, but after the first week of filming, the film was stopped. Joe Roth left the company and the film could not be financed. Steven Seagal paid more than a million dollars in employee salaries out of his own pocket. And this would be Seagal's debut as a director.

In 1994, Warner Brothers quickly took advantage of the situation and invited Seagal to direct the film In Mortal Danger. The film was allocated $50 million.

Meanwhile, in the mid-90s, Shihan Seagal resumed traveling to Japan to participate in all-Japan aikido festivals. So in 1993 and 1996 he took part in festivals that were filmed for Aikijournal at the personal invitation of Kisomaru Ueshiba (son of the founder of Aikido).

At the end of 1994, the marriage of Steven Seagal and Kelly Le Brocq broke up. The culprit was their children's 16-year-old nanny, Arissa Wolf, with whom Stephen had fallen in love.

In June 1995, a new film starring Steven Seagal, Under Siege 2, appeared on movie screens. That same month, he immortalized his footprint on the famous Hollywood Walk in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, in 1996, Arissa Wolf, who became Seagal's third wife, gave birth to his next child - daughter Savannah. In the same 1996, two more films with Seagal’s participation, “Ordered to Destroy” and “Shimmering,” were released.

If in the first Seagal played a minor role, where his character dies in the middle of the film, then Seagal had high hopes for “Shimmering”. But it turned out to be a standard action movie in the Seagal style, where he plays the role of Superman, who, shooting without fail and demonstrating martial arts techniques, deals with the Russian mafia.

In the subsequent films “Fire from Hell” and “The Patriot,” released in 1997 and 1998, Seagal decided to touch on environmental issues. He appeared as an environmental activist who first prevented toxic waste from entering the bowels of the earth, and then developed a vaccine against a deadly virus that affected an entire area.

In 1998, Steven Seagal delved into Buddhism. At Mindrolling Monastery, Venerable Lama Penor Rinpoche recognized Seagal as the reincarnation of the famous Tibetan teacher Chorden Dorje. But for this, Seagal had to stop acting in films where there is violence and death, which he did, breaking contracts for the filming of several films.

For three years nothing was heard about Seagal. All this time he shuttled between Los Angeles and Southeast Asia (Tibet, Nepal, India, Thailand).

In 2000, he acted as a producer of the film “The Prince of Central Park.”

In 2001, a scandal broke out in which Seagal’s name appeared. Julius Nasso, who was previously Segal's business partner in the film business, sued him for $60 million for breaking contracts. Nasso then claimed that he lost $25 million because of this. In response, Seagal filed a counterclaim, in which he indicated that a certain mafia structure was trying to extort money from him, $150 thousand for each film. According to the case materials, one of the mafiosi of the Gambino clan and Nasso were caught with a recording in which they discussed how to extort money from Seagal. So in June 2002, during the operation, 17 members of the clan were arrested, and among them were not only the perpetrators, but also the leaders. Julius Nasso claimed that he was forced to do something vile and declared that he was innocent. He was released on $1.5 million bail.

Meanwhile, Steven Seagal was forced to return to films; court cases took a toll on the actor’s budget. So in 2001, two films with Seagal, “Clockwork” and “Through Wounds,” were released.

In 2002, two more films with Seagal’s participation, “Neither Alive nor Dead” and “Foreigner,” were released. The films he starred in over the next 8 years did not reach movie screens, being limited to video distribution. In the same year, a grandiose project was conceived with the participation of Seagal, the film “Genghis Khan”, in which Stephen was supposed to appear in the image of Genghis Khan himself. He even began to get into character, gaining 20 kg. But the project was not destined to come true.

But Seagal did not despair for long and in 2003 began filming a long-planned film about Japan, in which he used part of his biography. The main character of the film, who lived his entire life in Japan, studied its culture and customs, studied various types of martial arts, and later became a government agent, was involved in an operation to neutralize the Yakuza clans responsible for the murder of the Prime Minister.

The film was released in 2004, along with two other low-budget action films, “Hunt the Beast” and “Out of Reach.” In the next five years, Seagal “shot” a whole clip of low-budget films (two or three films a year), trying to regain his former glory.

In 2006, Seagal became a grandfather - his eldest son Kentaro had a son. In 2007, a second child was born.

In September 2009, the 58-year-old actor became a father for the seventh time.

In 2010, in Robert Rodriguez’s film “Machete,” the seemingly forgotten Seagal played an uncharacteristic role, one of the most noticeable in the film and interesting in his creative biography.

Sylvester Stallone was born in New York. His father, hairdresser Frank Stallone Sr. (eng. Frank Stallone, Sr., 1919-2011), is an immigrant from Sicily; mother, Jacqueline Leibofish, is of French and Jewish descent. Stallone's father, Frank, was known for his violent temper and cruelty to polo horses, as well as being a big lover of women. Stallone's mother, Jacqueline, the daughter of famous Washington lawyer John Paul Leibofish (1896-1956), performed on stage at Billy Rose's legendary Diamond's Horseshoe Club

At the age of 15, initially abandoned after his parents' divorce from his father, Stallone moved in with his mother and began studying at a special school for troubled teenagers.

Then the actor went to study in Switzerland at the American College, while working as a coach and continuing to play in the theater. Returning to the States and already determined to become an actor, Sly went to study dramatic art at the University of Miami. After graduating from the acting department, he returned to New York and played in small theater productions. Stallone managed to play in several films and two television series, followed by the film “Rocky” (1976), for which he wrote the script and sold it under the condition of his participation in the leading role. Stallone has two Oscar nominations for Rocky.

The Rocky sequels cemented his success and popularity, despite the fact that he participated in writing the scripts for all 6 parts. After Part 3 of Rocky, Stallone began the plot of Rambo, based on the book of the same name by David Morell, where his role as Rambo was also important. His 3 parts were also successful, but not as successful as Rocky. For example, part 2 received a golden raspberry for the worst plot, worst actor, worst enemy and worst film of the year.

After films such as Rambo III and Rocky IV, Sylvester began acting in less successful films such as Cobra, Locked Down, Stop! or my mother will shoot...” But the films "Destroyer" and "Specialist" brought him back to fame. The film "Angel of Vengeance" brought him $20 million and great success.

Christopher Lambert English Christopher Lambert, real name Christophe Guy Denis Lambert, French. Christophe Guy Denis Lambert; genus. March 29, 1957, Long Island, New York, USA) - French and American actor, winner of the Cesar Award (1986).

Over a 30-year film career, he starred in more than 60 films. Lambert played both in comedies (Arlette, Hercule and Sherlock vs. the Mafia, Why Me?) and in intellectual films (Underground, Kill a Priest). However, the actor gained real popularity thanks to the roles of single heroes in science fiction and action films (“The Fortress/The Final Countdown,” “Mortal Kombat,” “Cool Guns”), among which the most important is the immortal warrior Connor MacLeod from the film “ Highlander".

11 Sep 2018

When the first video stores appeared in our country, teenagers began to regularly run there to watch American action films. Seeing brutal, pumped-up men who stylishly deal with a bunch of enemies and then make stupid jokes was much more important than school lunch. Yes, yes, it was pocket money that was spent on this entertainment.

Rambo, Terminator, Rocky and many other American heroes became idols for the generation of the 80s and 90s. Back then, Arnie and Stallone were still young and full of strength, but time moves inexorably forward. ! Let's see together how our favorite actors have changed.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

His first films were “Conan the Barbarian” and “Terminator”. This year he played in the Russian-Chinese film “Viy 2. The Secret of the Dragon Seal.”

Chuck Norris

Chuck was a martial artist, which was the reason for his invitation to the set. Unfortunately, the actor has not acted in films for a long time. He last appeared in The Expendables 2.

Hulk Hogan

The most popular wrestler in the world was bound to appear in films sooner or later. After appearing in Rocky III, Hogan began starring in trash action films. He ended his acting career several years ago.

Dolph Lundgren

The American actor of Swedish origin became famous thanks to his role as a Soviet boxer in the film Rocky 4. Next year he will work with Stallone again in the fourth installment of The Expendables.

Kurt Russell

Kurt has been acting in films since childhood, but audiences fell in love with him for his roles as brave guys in action films of the late 80s and early 90s. In 2019, Russell will star with DiCaprio and Pitt in the highly anticipated film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Bruce Willis

Every fan of hot shootouts knows Willis primarily as Die Hard. The elderly actor still stars in mind-blowing films.

Sylvester Stallone

The multiple winner of the infamous Golden Raspberry Award is not even going to stop. His track record of mindless films is extensive, but we still love him.

Jean-Claude Van Damme

The Belgian karateka and kickboxer, after receiving recognition in his homeland, set off to conquer Hollywood. America appreciated his talents, giving him leading roles in several box-office films. Now Van Damme produces films.

Michael Dudikoff

Dudikoff mostly played positive characters in action films who save comrades, ladies and others from enemy hordes. First of all, his name is associated with “American Ninja” - a parody of action films of the 80s.

Christopher Lambert

During his long career, the actor managed to star in many comedies, dramas and thrillers, but people loved him for his portrayal of lone heroes in action films. The main one is Connor MacLeod in the film “Highlander”.

Jackie Chan

This Chinese actor needs no introduction. How many boys signed up for oriental martial arts classes under the impression of his films? A man, an artist and a legend.

Wesley Snipes

Vampire Slayer Blade is the actor's most recognizable role. After serving a three-year prison sentence from 2010 to 2013 for tax evasion, Snipes returned to acting.

Peter Weller

Peter unexpectedly became famous thanks to the role of RoboCop. The actor never liked this film, so after filming the second part he refused to participate in the filming of the sequel.

Mel Gibson

It's surprising that the winner of two Oscars managed to combine his love for serious cinema and action films. However, early in his career, Gibson mostly played tough guys.

Steven Seagal

Stephen is a classic action actor. Throughout his career, he has played dozens of roles, but they are of the same type. In the finale, of course, he deals with everyone.

A moment of nostalgia for the naive, however. The dialogues in them are terribly primitive, and the motives of the characters are very controversial. We can make complaints about the quality of the production, but if we put all this aside, then we are left with an excellent film to have fun on a cold evening.

Action films do not make us think, but only bring us pleasure from what is happening on the screen. However, all this is impossible without your favorite actors. Thanks to them for this work.

Author of the article

Vyacheslav Yuryev loves historical topics and everything related to travel. If you need a brief information about some distant country, feel free to contact Slava. This editor will unearth little-known facts about the lives of military leaders and literary classics. At the same time, he is not alien to modern technologies, from fashionable gadgets to the exploration of outer space.

They are the coolest action heroes. Invincible, noble and strong, they repeatedly saved humanity and our planet. Today tochka.net remembers our favorite actors from action films of the 90s. What do they look like now? Check out our selection!

Arnold Schwarzenegger, 66 years old

Arnold Schwarzenegger © tochka.net

The popular American actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to actively act in films, engage in his own bodybuilding competition, write books of memoirs and travel around the world with their presentation.

In September, a new film by iron Arnie will be released in Ukraine - the thriller “The Tomb,” where he starred in a duet with Sylvester Stallone.

Sylvester Stallone, 67 years old

Sylvester Stallone © tochka.net

Sylvester Stallone, known by his nickname "Sly", was remembered by the audience, of course, for his roles as the hero soldier John Rambo ("Rambo I-IV") and boxer Rocky Balboa ("Rocky").

Stallone is currently working on the action movie The Expendables 3, which will begin filming in September in Los Angeles.

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Bruce Willis, 58

Bruce Willis © tochka.net

"Die Hard" Bruce Willis, a tough lone hero who has repeatedly saved the world, continues to work in his usual role. Although, in one of his last interviews, the actor admitted that he was pretty tired of action films.

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Jean-Claude Van Damme, 53 years old

Jean Claude Van Damme © tochka.net

Karateka and kickboxer Jean-Claude Van Damme is one of the main heroes of action films of the 90s. He starred in more than 50 films, including the cult Kickboxer, Double Impact and Universal Soldier. Now he is producing and directing fight scenes, and in 2014 his new directorial work will be released, the drama Full Love, where Van Damme played the main role and also acted as a screenwriter, editor and producer.

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Steven Seagal, 61 years old

Actor, screenwriter, martial artist, musician and sheriff. First of all, he became famous thanks to the action movie "Under Siege", where he played a simple ship's cook who saved the ship from terrorists.

It recently became known that the actor will appear in the film "The Expendables 3", where he will be accompanied by Mickey Rourke, Nicolas Cage, Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Wesley Snipes.

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Mickey Rourke, 60 years old

A talented actor, rebel and professional boxer, Mickey Rourke will forever be remembered for his roles in the films 9 1/2 Weeks, Angel Heart and Rumble Fish. After a decline in his career, which led to problems with alcohol and drugs, Mickey Rourke was still able to return to the screens. Rourke's resurrection as an actor was the drama "The Wrestler" (2008) by Darren Aronofsky, where he brilliantly played wrestler Randy Robinson.

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Harrison Ford, 71

Harrison Ford, who became famous for his roles in the Indiana Jones films, Blade Runner, Patriot Games and The Fugitive, will join the star-studded cast of The Expendables 3! The super action movie is scheduled for release in the summer of 2014.

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Antonio Banderas, 53 years old

The famous Spaniard and leading Hollywood handsome man Antonio Banderas only becomes more attractive with age. In addition to acting, Banderas voices cartoons and produces perfumes under his own name.

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Chuck Norris, 73 years old

Cool Walker, Chuck Norris - martial artist, invincible superhero and Internet meme character, will forever remain one of the best actors in his genre.

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Clint Eastwood, 83 years old

The main character of Westerns, Clint Eastwood, has now switched to directing work. And if he does act, it’s only in his own films. Eastwood makes deep psychological films - "Million Dollar Baby", "The Changeling", "Gran Torino" - masterpieces from a true master of his craft.

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On October 17, Mikael Hofström’s film “Escape Plan” was released in Russian cinema, which is a classic action movie that seems to have come to us from the good old 90s. Starring two world-famous superheroes: and. Both actors recently starred in the film “The Expendables,” but were lost among other equally brave guys. And now, when no one bothers them, Sly and Schwartz perform a duet. Both have a couple of dozen films with a similar plot. Specifically, in this, their heroes will try to escape from the most reliable, super-secret and high-tech prison. It doesn't take a visionary to guess that everything will work out for them. The world premiere of the film took place back in July. While the film reached Russia, it managed to earn a fairly high rating and deserve many accolades. There is no doubt left: audiences miss the cult action heroes of the 90s, and the actors who once played them are now experiencing a second wave of popularity. Those who replaced them could not fully replace the heroes who had retired, so they are returning!

Arnold "Terminator" Schwarzenegger, 66 years old

Arnold Schwarzenegger's film debut was the film "Hercules in New York", released in 1969, where "Iron Arnie" played the son of Zeus, Hercules, who went to Earth and ended up in modern New York. You don't have to delve too deeply into the plot of the film. Just look at the young and extremely attractive Arnie, who a year earlier became Mr. Universe. Having appeared on the big screen, the young actor began to look forward to new interesting roles. His first success came 13 years later, after the film “Conan the Barbarian,” where he played a hero from a fictional prehistoric era who wants to take revenge on the high priest for the death of his parents. He was followed by roles in the action films “Terminator”, “Predator”, “Total Recall”, which made Arnie a star. For his role in the film “Terminator 3,” Schwarzenegger received a record fee of $30 million and left films to enter politics. But, like his cult characters, who repeatedly uttered the legendary “I’ll be back,” Arnold returns. A year ago, he starred in the sequel to Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables, followed by The Hero Returns and Escape Plan. And it seems that Schwarzenegger is not going to end his film career. He didn’t do well with politics, but in Hollywood “Iron Arnie” is in great demand: the actor has 3 films planned for 2014, and in 2015 the audience will again see their favorite actor in his usual role - .

Sylvester "Rambo" Stallone, 67 years old

Sylvester Stallone began his acting career with roles in several minor films and two TV series. But then success immediately followed. Stallone wrote a script about an unlucky boxer who became a champion and took it to the film studio. There he was offered a huge sum of 150 thousand dollars. Stallone put forward a counter offer: one dollar for the script, the main role in the film and a small percentage of the proceeds. And I was right. The film "Rocky", released in 1976, made him not only famous, but also rich. Six years later, Stallone created another iconic image: the Vietnam War veteran Rambo, who alone is worth an entire army. Having directed five parts of “Rocky” and three parts of “Rambo”, Stallone appeared in the film “Cliffhanger” and began acting in less successful films such as “Cobra”, “Locked Down”, “Stop!” or my mother will shoot...” But the films "Destroyer" and "Specialist" brought him back to fame. In 2006, Stallone decided that the story of Rambo and Rocky was not over yet. Having released one more part of his cult franchises, the actor decided to bring together all the brave guys of Hollywood. This is how “The Expendables” was born - a picture that brought together Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and. But one part of the adventure did not include professional mercenaries. , and then plan a third one, which will be released in 2014.

Dolph "Universal Soldier" Lundgren, 55

The actor's first success came with the film "Rocky 4", where he played the main negative character - the terrifying Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Then there were roles in the action films “Lord of the Universe” and “Red Scorpion”. The next two films became the most famous in Lundgren's career after Rocky 4, although the actor did not receive praise from critics. Showdown in Little Tokyo, in which Dolph played a Los Angeles cop fighting the Japanese mafia, received mostly negative reviews for his acting. But the actor did not give up. His next film was the famous "Universal Soldier", where he played a couple. The plot of the film tells the story of American soldiers killed in Vietnam, who were revived and turned into universal soldiers - invulnerable and fearless cyborgs, ideal machines for carrying out special operations. Lundgren became one of these “machines”. The audience liked the film, but the critics were not happy. “It’s a thankless task to play dumb jocks who fight throughout the film, exchanging monosyllabic nonsense,” said the famous critic Roger Ebert, commenting on the actor’s performance. Then Lundgren's career began to decline: he began to appear in films that were almost not popular. Despite the abundance of work in cinema, people slowly began to forget about the actor. But in 2010, Dolph returned: “Universal Soldier 3: Rebirth” was released, which received mostly positive reviews from viewers and critics, and a year later, Lundgren starred in “Universal Soldier 4.” Then Sylvester Stallone invited him to play in The Expendables. This year, four films with his participation have already been released, including “Race,” and for 2014, in addition to the third part of “The Expendables,” three more films are planned. Perhaps among them there is a picture that can rank with “Universal Soldier”.

Chuck "Cool Walker" Norris, 73

Chuck Norris is one of the most popular personalities on the Internet. Fans, and just people who know at least something about him, spread various jokes on blogs, social networks and forums, emphasizing the incredible coolness of Chuck Norris. “Chuck Norris threw a grenade and killed 50 people. And then it exploded,” “When Chuck Norris hits his head on the concrete, it’s not Chuck who bleeds, but the concrete!” and the like. And this kind of jokes gave rise to films in which Chuck Norris played. Being a martial artist, Chuck Norris (whose real name was Carlos Ray Norris Jr.) got into movies with the help of Steve McQueen, to whom he gave karate lessons at his own school. The first notable role was “The Way of the Dragon.” He liked acting in films, and Chuck decided to take acting lessons from real professionals. In 1993, CBS offered him the role of Texas Ranger Walker, and the actor accepted. He also starred in the films “Code of Silence”, “Invasion USA”, “Missing in Action”, “The Devil’s House”. In 2005, Chuck starred in the action film Shadows of the Past, where he played a private detective specializing in searching for people. Then there was a pause in his acting career. But when Sylvester Stallone decided to make a sequel to The Expendables, he couldn’t do it without Chuck Norris. By the way, in this film Norris’s character reproduced the “fact” that the cobra that bit him died in agony. The actor himself treats these “facts” with humor. “I am aware of various statements about me, known as “Chuck Norris Facts,” that have recently appeared on the Internet and in email newsletters. I've seen some. Many of them are funny, many are quite unusual. I've studied the Wild West more than the wild world of the Internet, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. This is completely unexpected for me. Of course, boys are always boys, and I have no intention of being offended or taking this any seriously. Who knows, maybe these jokes will make young people want to know about my real life in my recently published autobiographical book Against All Odds? They might even be interested in my recently published Riders of Justice novels, set in the Wild West. I am very proud of this literary experience,” Chuck Norris wrote on his official website.

Mickey "Battering Ram" Rourke, 61

A former professional boxer, Mickey Rourke once took part in an amateur performance and forever fell in love with the acting profession. After studying at the Lee Strasberg Actors Studio, Mickey Rourke began taking Hollywood by storm. He was first remembered by audiences as a motorcyclist from the film Rumble Fish, released in 1983. The film paved the way for the novice but talented actor to make it to big cinema. Then there were the cult “9 1/2 Weeks,” which made Rourke a recognized movie star. One of his best roles is considered to be the role of a private detective in the film “Angel Heart”, where his partners were Charlotte Rampling. In the 90s, the actor's career began to decline. His last notable role was the role of a drug-addicted ex-convict in the film “Bullet.” Then there were only roles in low-budget trash action films. In 2003, Robert Rodriguez brought Rourke back to the screens, inviting him to the film “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”, and in 2005 he played a role in the cult film “Sin City”, on which three directors worked at once: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez and. But Rourke’s truly triumphant return to the screens was his role in the film “The Wrestler,” where the actor played the role of a wrestler nicknamed Taran. In one of the interviews, the actor admitted that he had previously been unemployed for 10 years and was very happy for the chance given to him. After this picture, the directors again remembered Mickey Rourke. In 2010, he played in such films as “Iron Man 2”, “Thirteen”, “The Expendables”. Since then, the actor has been filming regularly, believing that he has not yet played his main role. In 2014, two films with his participation were released - the continuation of Sin City and the action film Skin Trade, where Mickey Rourke will play one of the main roles.

Steven "Nico" Seagal, 61

Steven Seagal got into cinema by accident. Some Hollywood stars (Sean Connery, for example), whom Steven Seagal helped in film productions, were trained at his school of martial arts. One of these students, director of a major Hollywood agency Michael Ovitz, was impressed by Steven Seagal's skill and invited him to play the role of tough cop Niko in his film Above the Law. The film turned out to be very successful, grossing $30 million against a budget of seven million. This was followed by the action movie “Despite Death”, where he played, in fact, the same Nico - Los Angeles detective Mason Storm, taking revenge on his enemies. In general, in almost all of his first films, Seagal played heroes of the same type - tough cops, avenging either a friend, a family, or themselves. Two years later, Andrew Davis' action film Under Siege was released on wide screens - the only film in Seagal's career to be nominated for an Oscar. Three years later, the story of Marine Casey Rayback continues. If in the first part Seagal's hero alone fights terrorists who have captured a ship with nuclear weapons, then in the second film his hero also alone fights terrorists who have captured a train in which he was a passenger. In 1996, two more films with Seagal’s participation were released: “Ordered to Destroy” and “Shimmering.” In the first, the actor played a minor role, where in the middle of the film his character dies. And in the second film, Seagal appears in the image of Superman familiar to the viewer, who, shooting without fail and demonstrating martial arts techniques, deals with the Russian mafia. After starring in two more films, Steven Seagal delved into Buddhism. For three years nothing was heard about the actor: he was shuttling somewhere between Los Angeles and Southeast Asia. But the need to improve the budget returned the actor to cinema: in 2001, two films with his participation were released at once: “Clockwork” and “Through Wounds”. Over the next eight years, most of Seagal's films were not released on wide screens, being limited to video distribution. In 2010, the now slightly forgotten actor shone in Robert Rodriguez’s film “Machete,” playing an uncharacteristic role, but one of the most noticeable in the film and interesting in his creative biography. This year, two more films featuring the actor will be released: the thriller “Leaky Street” and the action movie “Punitive Squad.”

Jean Claude Van Damme, 53 years old

Karateka, bodybuilder and kickboxer Van Damme received his first full-fledged film role in the film “No Retreat, No Surrender,” playing the Russian fighter Ivan Krashinsky. Two years later, the then unknown Van Damme came to the office of producer Menahem Golan and, after much persuasion, received a role in the film Bloodsport. The film was a huge success, grossing over $30 million against a budget of one million, and made the aspiring actor a new action star. His image in the film served as a prototype for the character Johnny Cage in the computer game Mortal Kombat. The actor's subsequent films, such as "Cyborg", "Kickboxer", "AWOL", "Death Warrant" and "Double Impact" consolidated his success. Then came the cult “Universal Soldier,” which put Van Damme on a par with Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Years passed and Van Damme grew as an actor, and his participation in the action movie became a guarantee of the quality of the film. The karate style with masterful footwork and the constant display of classic splits distinguished Van Damme's heroes from others. In January 2010, the third part of the action film “Universal Soldier” was released, in which the main roles were played, of course, by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. When preparing to film his “The Expendables,” Stallone invited Van Damme to play the role. But the actor refused, saying that it was absolutely pointless. But the actor agreed to shoot in the sequel to the action movie. In August 2012, The Expendables 2 was released, where Van Damme played the role of the main villain. In May of this year, another film with the actor in the title role was released - the action movie "Eagle Way", where Van Damme played another tough guy, probably not the last in his career.

Bruce "Die Hard" Willis, 58

In a recent interview, one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, Bruce Willis, admitted that he was very tired of action films, but he was quite happy with the money that films of this genre brought him. “Explosions are the most boring part of my job. When you've seen enough of fireballs, they don't bother you anymore. I understand that some of my viewers love explosions, but, to be honest, I’m already tired of them,” says the actor about the films that brought him the greatest fame. At the beginning of his acting career, the actor had to play for several years in little-known theaters and perform episodic roles in television productions. In the late 80s, he was noticed and invited to star in the TV series “Moonlight Detective Agency.” The actor gained worldwide fame from his legendary “Die Hard,” the fifth part of which, entitled “Die Hard: A Good Day to Die,” was released in February of this year. Bruce also has the 1991 hit “Hudson Hawk” under his belt, where the actor played the lead role and also co-wrote the screenplay. The role of a single hero was assigned to the actor in such films as “The Fifth Element” and “Rising of Mercury”, “Twelve Monkeys”. The next step in his career as the #1 action hero was Michael Bay's blockbuster Armageddon. () In 1999, Willis decides to abandon the role that had become boring to him and plays a psychologist in one of the highest-grossing films of all time - the film “The Sixth Sense.” Then, consolidating his success, Bruce starred as a comedian in films such as “The Whole Nine Yards” and “Baby.” But still, the “good guys” are closer to Willis - in 2005, “Hostage,” “Sin City” and “Lucky Number Slevin” were released. Five years later, audiences greet their hero in his usual image: in the film RED, Willis plays former CIA agent Frank Moses, who was about to retire, but is forced to return. Naturally, “The Expendables” could not do without Bruce - the actor starred in the second part and, perhaps, will take part in the third. This summer the sequel to the film RED was released, and next summer we can expect a sequel to Sin City. And the sixth part of Die Hard is just around the corner. Although the actor says that he is quite fed up with action heroes, the audience is in no hurry to agree with him, and every time they enthusiastically go to the film where Bruce Willis, with a gun at the ready, again saves someone.

The action genre, judging by it, is considered one of the most primitive and simple in cinema. However, many of us began our acquaintance with cinema with such films and in our imagination we often imagined ourselves in the place of the main character.

Time passes and the old-school muscular movie heroes are replaced by a younger generation of actors, but this does not mean that the old men should be scrapped. I invite you to find out what action heroes and villains are doing now.

What do popular action movie actors of the 1980s and 1990s do?

Dolph Lundgren

Chuck Norris

Today Norris has become an Internet legend - a standard of strength and courage. And this happened at a time when the artist had just given up his film career. In 2005, the last TV movie about the cool Walker was released, and Chuck was about to retire, but funny facts about the actor appeared on the Internet, making young people remember their former hero. Chuck sued those who wanted to publish a book of jokes about him, but Internet fame turned out to be in his favor. Norris was offered to star in Warcraft commercials, exercise equipment and political promotions, write an author's column on a news website, visit American soldiers in Iraq and, finally, return to the screens in The Expendables 2. Recently something terrible happened: Norris shaved his mustache.

Mark Dacascos

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Eric Roberts