Where would movies be without action? It’s practically written into the DNA of the medium. And wherever you find action, you’ll almost always find heroes fighting to save the day. But while there have been several versions of the Hollywood action hero over the decades, a select few have left indelible marks on the pop culture. Val Kilmer’s Doc Holiday made such an impression that he’s been cited as the reason people became real life cowboys. Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Jean-Claude Van Damme inspired multiple generations of men and women to dedicate their lives to the study of martial arts. The military and police department’s ranks have swelled because of wannabe heroes hoping to follow the likes of Axel Foley and John Matrix into service.
But that’s enough talk. Let’s get to the action.
These are the 50 Greatest Action Movie Heroes of All Time*.
*not including superheroes
50. Casey Ryback (Steven Seagal) | Under Siege (1992)
Steven Seagal gets a lot of shit these days for being a phony baloney douchebag, but back in the late 80s when he introduced Western audiences to his kinetic brand of aikido, people were blown away.
From 1988 to 1991, Seagal appeared in four action movies, each using the same three word title formula and each adhering to the same basic cops vs crooks plot. These were all fun action movies and of varying quality, but the 1992 Andrew Davis-helmed flick Under Siege took things up a notch. For the first time, Seagal’s impressive martial arts skills were matched by the acting chops of a pro like Tommy Lee Jones. Jones’s portrayal of the rogue CIA agent and Davis’s skillful direction elevated the material above B grade action, but it was Seagal’s chop socky skills that drove the movie’s many impressively choreographed scenes, and those fights are what I look forward to every time I rewatch it.
Seagal may or may not be a douche in real life, but his on screen aikido skills are no less impressive three decades later, and that is why Casey Ryback remains one of his most memorable characters and one of the best action movie heroes of all time.
–William Dhalgren
49. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) | Fast & Furious (Franchise)
It’d be hard to believe back in 2001 that Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto would go on to become one of the most beloved action movie characters of the 21st century, but with a message of family and Corona, that’s exactly what happened. The Fast & Furious movies themselves are hit or miss, but the writing has never done the characters wrong, with almost every new member of Toretto’s extended family becoming an instant fan favorite.
Like Robert Downey Jr. with Iron Man, Diesel has become in many ways Toretto in real life, blurring the lines between actor and character. Under that badass exterior is a total softie who will always have the back of those closest to him, whether they’re a quarter-mile away or halfway around the world. And like a good brother, Dom isn’t afraid to crack a few skulls or inflict a beating if you cross his siblings. So raise your Corona to the OG Fast baddie, Dominic Toretto.
–Marmaduke Karlston
48. Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) | Bloodsport (1988)
I believed everything movies told me when I was a kid. If the movie told me it was based on a true story, I assumed every bit of what that movie showed me was true. Yeah, I was a naive country boy. But I think it was more than that. I wanted to believe.
I remember finding a book on ninjas in a Walden Bookstore in a mall when I was around 12 or 13. One section explained how ninjas were able to jump so high. You dig a shallow hole and jump out of it for some set amount of time. I don’t remember how long. Once you’d done that, you dig the hole a bit deeper and jump out of it again for some set amount of time. Rinse, repeat until you could jump 20’ in the air from a standing position. I remember showing my dad, and him scoffing. But I’d seen it in a movie, I told him. He scoffed again. But I knew better.
And when Bloodsport (a true story!) came along, I knew I had my proof. And I knew I was gonna be a ninja and prove my dad wrong.
Unfortunately, I never learned how to jump 20’ in the air, and I never became a ninja. And neither, apparently, did Frank Dux. According to the internet, Dux is a fraud. A faux ninja.
But if Dux’s exploits were fake, Jean Claude Van Damme’s martial arts moves were anything but. His high kicks and precise martial arts technique was self-evident. And his turn as the American Ninja Frank Dux in Bloodsport not only made him a star, but it earned him a place among the greatest action movie heroes of all time.
–William Dhalgren
47. Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) | The Equalizer (Franchise)
I don’t think most people are really into the Equalizer franchise, and I totally get that. I avoided it for a long time as just Denzel Washington trying to emulate Liam Neeson’s success, reinventing himself as an action star in his later career. And yeah, that is totally what’s happening here. The thing is, it works. Denzel Washington makes it work. His version of Robert McCall is like the Terminator. He doesn’t threaten or posture, he just tells you what he’s going to do – and that’s kill the shit out of you for being a bad guy/hurting people. There’s even a sense of a character arc over the series as he goes from a retired Marine and DIA Officer to an avenging angel to a guy who just wants to protect the community that saved and accepted him. The movies are thrilling and satisfying, but it’s Robert McCall and Denzel’s performance that kept me coming back.
–Bob Cram
46. James Dalton (Patrick Swayze) | Road House (1989)
As a kid growing up in the 80s, I wanted to be like all of the action movie heroes I saw in all the movies. But the boots of ninjas, police detectives, elite soldiers, and spies are hard to fill. It’s fun to dream, and dreams shouldn’t be limited by what seems possible. But then Dalton from Road House came along, and somehow he seemed a little bit more within reach of a skinny country boy like me. We never find out much about Dalton’s past. I suppose he could have been an ex-crack soldier. Like a SEAL or Green Beret. Or maybe he’d had a career as an elite police officer before showing up to be the cooler at the Double Deuce in a little berg in Missouri. But we have no reason to believe any of that is the case. And all we really know about Dalton is that he knows his way around the bar business and that he is an expert in martial arts.
That seems within reach of even the simplest country boy.
Matching Patrick Swayze’s cool or good looks is another thing, though. And those martial arts skills he displays in the movie? Turns out he learned those on set. Which makes them all the more impressive.
Despite Swayze’s natural charm and rugged features, Dalton still made more of a grounded, realistic hero, even if the plot of Road House is a bit silly at times. Dalton is a bad ass and he makes a great capstone to the 80s action movie hero.
–William Dhalgren
45. John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) | Commando (1985)
This will definitely not be the last time we’ll see an Arnold Schwarzenegger character on our list, and if that’s a problem for you, GET TO DA CHOPPAH! In all seriousness, while it’s often difficult to separate the larger-than-life actor from his roles, let’s delve into the relatively straightforward character of John Matrix.
A dedicated single father, John takes care of his daughter, Jenny (Alyssa Milano) in their picturesque mountain lodge. A former Delta Force commando, Matrix retired to be there for his daughter after the death of his wife.
This idyllic life is interrupted when his old CO shows up to tell him someone has killed all the other members of his former team. Said baddies follow soon after to kidnap Jenny – BIG MISTAKE – and it’s full-throttle from here! Car chases, kidnapping, grand theft, assault on law-enforcement officers, and perpetrating international incidents all culminate in John facing off against a fat Freddy Mercury wannabe in a chainmail wife-beater.
I’m not kidding.
What makes Matrix great is he’s immediately sympathetic, incredibly competent at dispatching scumbags, and drops cheesy one-liners with the best of ’em. Played by one of the greatest action stars just hitting his stride, this potentially flat character is elevated to macho greatness!
–Jeff Cram
44. Yuki Kashima (Meiko Kaji) | Lady Snowblood (1973)
At first glance, Yuki Kashima lacks the nuance of a lot of the heroes on this list. Described as an asura demon (a demigod of war or violence in Buddhism), she is ruthless and singularly focused on avenging her mother. She is much more than that, though, and despite her efforts, she still feels for others and grieves the parents she lost. Many comparisons have been made between Yuki and the Bride from Kill Bill (also on this list), but despite the obvious comparisons, I think they are distinctly different characters. Yuki presents a much more unshakeable face of pure, unbridled rage and hostility, and though you feel for her, she is cold even to her allies. An interesting note: when she introduces herself to others in the film, she introduces herself as Shurayukihime, which is a fun play on words since Shirayukihime translates to Princess Snow White, and Shura means asura while Shira means white. Basically, the Snow White Revenge Demon. We love to see it.
–Valerie Morreale
43. Rama (Iko Uwais) | The Raid (2011) & The Raid 2 (2014)
Anyone else would have died. Most everyone else DID die. Rama is a rookie on the squad that raids an apartment block – run by criminals – but he’s also one of the best fighters on the squad. When things go south (and boy do the go south) Rama does his best to survive, keep those around him safe, and find his brother – the whole reason he signed up for the raid in the first place. Iko Uwais has a wholesome, everyman look, but his fighting skills are top tier. And Rama’s ability to take a punch (or a hundred) and keep moving, keep surviving, is what sets him apart in a movie full of badass fighters. Rama is the core of what makes The Raid work, and you can’t help but cheer him on, hoping he’ll keep getting up, keep putting the bad guys down, and maybe, just maybe, survive the day.
–Bob Cram
42. Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) | Ben-Hur (1959)
I almost didn’t know where to start with this one, because I LOVE Judah Ben-Hur. To me, he’s not just a quintessential action hero, but one of the greatest hero’s journeys ever portrayed in cinema. His rivalry with Messala is apparent to the audience before the characters are even aware of it, and while Judah’s anger fuels his revenge, it is also the love he has for his family, who will never be the same because of Messala’s actions. I can’t talk about this movie without mentioning the chariot race, which is still jaw-dropping and tense almost seventy years later. Still, it’s the full context of the movie that gives this scene weight, and ultimately Judah’s journey towards letting go and reclaiming the man he once was. This is the second hero on this list whose soundtrack I used in my wedding, so it’s safe to say I recommend you watch it.
–Valerie Morreale
41. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) | The Hunger Games (Franchise)
A cultural icon of the early 2010s, Katniss Everdeen didn’t set out to become a symbol—she was simply trying to protect her sister from the brutal Hunger Games. But in simply being determined to survive, she soon found herself standing up to a dystopian regime with nothing more than a bow and a quiet, burning conviction: the face of modern resistance. In The Hunger Games, Katniss brought vulnerability and rage, love and defiance, into a single, grounded performance that inspired a generation – heck, even in my post-teenage years I was inspired. Whether bowing to the game makers in rebellion or giving the now-iconic three-finger salute (which I still send to friends as a darkly comic “may the odds be ever in your favour”) her true power in her authenticity. Jennifer Lawrence played her with layered intensity—equal parts hardened survivor and emotionally raw teen. Katniss changed the game for action heroines, igniting a wave of book-to-film YA dystopias like The Maze Runner and Divergent, and showing that girls could be the warriors, the leaders. She’s more than a Mockingjay—she’s the girl on fire.
–Thomas Riest
Action Movies | 40-31
Who are some of your favorite action heroes? Maybe they will show up later on this list!