the BEST

1. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee remains the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular media. Had it not been for Bruce Lee and his movies in the early 1970s, it's arguable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream North American and ...

2. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Actor | Terminator 2: Judgment Day

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...

3. 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, ...

4. 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 ...

5. Jet Li

Actor | Huo Yuan Jia

Jet Li born Li Lian Jie in Beijing, China. He started training at the Beijing wushu academy (wushu is China's national sport, largely a performance version of various martial art styles) at age eight. He won five gold medals in the Chinese championships, his first when he was only 11. In his teens,...

6. Jean-Claude Van Damme

Actor | Double Impact

Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, an accountant. "The Muscles from Brussels" started martial arts at the age of eleven. His father introduced him to martial arts when he saw his son was ...

7. Wesley Snipes

Actor | Blade

Wesley Trent Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida, to Marian (Long), a teacher's assistant, and SMSGT Wesley Rudolph Snipes, an aircraft engineer. He grew up on the streets of the South Bronx in New York City, where he very early decided that dance and the theatre were to be his career. He attended ...

8. 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 ...

9. Steven Seagal

Actor | On Deadly Ground

Steven Frederic Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan, to Patricia Anne (Fisher), a medical technician, and Samuel Seagal, a high school math teacher. His paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants, and his mother had English, German, and distant Irish and Dutch, ancestry. The enigmatic ...

10. 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, ...

11. Jason Statham

Actor | Crank

Jason Statham was born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, to Eileen (Yates), a dancer, and Barry Statham, a street merchant and lounge singer. He was a Diver on the British National Diving Team and finished twelfth in the World Championships in 1992. He has also been a fashion model, black market salesman ...

12. Scott Adkins

Actor | John Wick: Chapter 4

Scott Edward Adkins was born on June 17, 1976 in Sutton Coldfield, England, into a family that for generations were butchers. Along with his elder brother Craig, he was raised by their parents, John and Janet (Sanders) Adkins, in a loving middle-class family. Scott attended Bishop Vesey's Grammar ...

13. Michael Jai White

Actor | Black Dynamite

Michael Jai White is an American actor and martial artist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn. White ...

14. Donnie Yen

Actor | Ip Man

Donnie Yen was born in Guangzhou, China. His mother, Bow-sim Mark, was a kung fu master and his father, Kylster Yen, a newspaper editor and amateur musician. When Donnie was just two years old, the family moved to Hong Kong and then, when he was 11, to Boston, Massachusetts.

There, Master Bow-sim ...

15. Tony Jaa

Actor | Ong-bak 3

Japanom Yeerum was born on February 5, 1976, in the northeastern province of Surin, Thailand. His parents were elephant herders. Jaa watched martial arts films as a young kid and began to emulate some of his idols, from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Jet Li. Jaa studied martial arts at the local ...

16. Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Stunts | Ip Man

Born in Hong Kong, Sammo Hung's acting career began while he was training in acrobatics, martial arts and dance as a child at the China Drama Academy, and he received acclaim for his performance with a troupe called "The Seven Little Fortunes." He made his feature film debut as an actor at the age ...

17. Mickey Rourke

Actor | Sin City

Mickey Rourke was born Phillip Andre Rourke, Jr. on September 16, 1952, in Schenectady, New York, the son of Annette Elizabeth (Cameron) and Philip Andre Rourke. His father was of Irish and German descent, and his mother was of mostly English and French-Canadian ancestry. When he was six years old,...

18. Vin Diesel

Actor | Guardians of the Galaxy

Vin Diesel was born Mark Sinclair in Alameda County, California, along with his fraternal twin brother, Paul Vincent. He was raised by his astrologer/psychologist mother, Delora Sherleen (Sinclair), and adoptive father, Irving H. Vincent, an acting instructor and theatre manager, in an artists' ...

19. Mark Dacascos

Actor | Le pacte des loups

Mark Dacascos is an actor, director, martial artist, and television personality. Whether seen on the big screen or small, playing the good guy or the bad, Mark has been making audience stand up and take notice for many years.

This May, Mark will be seen in highly anticipated film John Wick: Chapter ...

20. Jing Wu

Actor | Liu lang di qiu

Born in Beijing China in 1974, he was sent to train at Beijing Wushu Academy when he was 6 years old as both his Father and Grandfather were also Martial artists. In 1995 he was spotted by Yuen Woo-Ping who had come to the academy to look for a martial artist for the film Tai Chi 2 (aka Tai Chi ...

21. Bolo Yeung

Actor | Bloodsport

Bolo Yeung was born in China. He began his martial arts training at the age of 10. Growing up he took an interest in bodybuilding. Later he became know as Chinese Hercules after becoming Mr. Hong Kong bodybuilding champion. He held the title for ten years. Because of his impressively muscular ...

22. Gary Daniels

Actor | The Expendables

Gary Edward Daniels (born 9 May 1963) is an English actor, a martial arts artist, a martial arts action film star, a producer, and a fight coordinator. . Daniels who was also interested in films, starred in two motion pictures in 1988 made in the Philippines. These were Teddy Page's action martial ...

23. Darren Shahlavi

Actor | I Spy

Darren Shahlavi was seven years old when he started training in martial arts in an old drama theatre in Manchester, England. Inspired by Bruce Lees films and other action movies such as Star Wars, he dreamed of being a movie actor and would show up to his Judo class at the drama hall early to watch...

24. Matt Mullins

Stunts | Divergent

From his humble beginnings of watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Matt Mullins has risen to become world renown in martial arts, and as a star in the CW4Kids show "Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight".

With 5 martial art world titles in hand, Matt moved from Naperville, IL to Hollywood and quickly began ...

25. Chia-Hui Liu

Actor | Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Chia-Hui Liu was born on August 22, 1951 in Guangdong, China. He is an actor and director, known for Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978). He was previously married to Ma Fei-feng.

26. Marko Zaror

Actor | John Wick: Chapter 4

Marko Zaror is a Chilean martial arts action star and fight choreographer, currently residing in Los Angeles, California. His career began as a young boy with a passion for martial arts and fighting, his mother, a Black belt in Karate took him to the gym when he was just a baby. Inspired by Bruce ...

27. Ray Park

Actor | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Ray Park was born in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He moved with his parents, younger brother and sister to London, UK, at the age of seven. Ray always wanted to be in the movies, and be like their heroes. He also began to nurture a love for martial arts from the age of seven, when his father's fondness ...

28. Cyril Raffaelli

Stunts | Banlieue 13

Cyril Raffaelli was born on April 1, 1974. He is an actor, known for District B13 (2004), District 13: Ultimatum (2009) and Live Free or Die Hard (2007).

29. Iko Uwais

Actor | Serbuan maut 2: Berandal

Iko Uwais was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Maisyaroh and Mustapha Kamaluddin. His grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, was a master of silat, an Indonesian traditional martial art, and founded a silat school. Iko himself has been learning silat since he was 10 years old. He became National Champion in...

30. Collin Chou

Actor | The Matrix Revolutions

Collin Chou was born on August 11, 1967 in Taiwan. He is an actor, known for The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). He has been married to Wanda Yung since December 10, 1997. They have two children.

31. Dwayne Johnson

Actor | Black Adam

Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known as The Rock, was born on May 2, 1972 in Hayward, California. He is the son of Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles). His father, from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada, is black (of Black Nova ...

32. Johnny Tri Nguyen

Actor | Da 5 Bloods

Johnny Tri Nguyen was born in Vietnam into a family with a rich martial arts tradition. At the age of 9, he immigrated to America. Throughout the 90s, Nguyen's talent in martial arts led him to compete and won many award in various championships as well as representing the US in the national Wushu ...

33. Jon Foo

Actor | Tekken

Jon Foo was born October 30th, 1982 in London England. He is known for his roles in The Protector (2005) Tekken (2010) WEAPONiZED (2016) and Rush Hour (2016) . Inspired by His fathers karate and mothers Judo He began training Kung Fu and now trains mixed styles. He went from performing at festivals...

34. Lateef Crowder

Actor | Tekken

Lateef Crowder was born on November 23, 1977 in San Jose, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Tekken (2010), Wonder Woman (2017) and The Mandalorian (2019). He was previously married to Andressa Vallotti.

35. Robin Shou

Actor | Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

Robin Shou is the fourth child of a Shanghai tailor and homemaker. His family moved to the US in 1971. Their first home in Los Angeles was a 2 bedroom apartment near Olympic and Vermont, today known as Koreatown.

Shou didn't start attending martial arts classes until he was 19. He took Kenpo (Karate...

36. Andy On

Actor | Blackhat

Andy On was born on May 11, 1977, in Los Angeles, California. A non-martial artist, Andy had always loved Jackie Chan movies and emulated his moves from flips and kicks at his home. In early 2000, while working as a bartender in Rhode Island, someone suggested he should become an actor. Andy, who ...

37. Bill Goldberg

Actor | The Longest Yard

William Scott Goldberg , better commonly known as Goldberg, is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is best-known for his time in WCW and WWE.

Goldberg is one of the most popular figures of the late 1990s/early 2000s professional wrestling boom. He is ...

38. Steve Austin

Actor | The Condemned

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was born in Victoria, Texas, as Steven James Anderson, on December 18, 1964, the youngest of five children. His mother, Beverly Jane (Harrison), remarried to Kenneth Williams, and he took his stepfather's surname. He played football at the North Texas State University. He ...

39. Nathan Jones

Actor | Mad Max: Fury Road

Nathan Jones's saga is a tapestry of raw power and entertainment, woven from the rugged landscapes of Australia to the glitz of global arenas. A towering figure at 6' 11", he carved his niche as a colossus in strength athletics, power-lifting his way to stardom in the mid-90s. His moniker "Megaman"...

40. Silvio Simac

Actor | Transporter 3

Silvio Simac, was born in Croatia. A dedicated martial artist, Silvio trained in Taekwondo and became a world champion during his competitive years. His film career began in 2001 on an episode of Lexx (1996). Silvio's martial arts background served him well for a part in the action film Undisputed ...

41. Kane Kosugi

Actor | Tekken: A Man Called X

Born in California, he is half Japanese and half Chinese. He began his training in martial arts at the age of one and a half. Since moving to Japan at the age of 18, he has done numerous movies and TV shows becoming one of the nation's most popular and recognizable talents. He has worked with some ...

42. Dan Chupong

Stunts | Monster Hunter

Dan Chupong was born on March 23, 1981 in Kalasin Province, Thailand. He is an actor, known for Monster Hunter (2020), Ong Bak 2 (2008) and Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003).

43. Tim Man

Stunts | Legacy of Lies

Tim Man was born on November 22, 1979 in Sweden. He is an actor, known for Legacy of Lies (2020), Ganapath (2023) and Ong Bak 2 (2008).

44. Cung Le

Actor | Pandorum

Cung Le made his first appearance on the professional M.M.A. stage in 2006, and shortly after won the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship in 2008, setting high standards through his powerful kicks, skillful strikes, and well-timed take-downs. This U.S.-Viet Namese champion, actor, producer and ...

45. Akshay Kumar

Actor | Hera Pheri

Rajiv Hari "Akshay Kumar" Om Bhatia was born on September 09, 1967, in Amritsar, Punjab to Aruna Bhatia and Hari Om Bhatia. He is an Indian actor, film producer, former model, and television personality. He went to Bangkok to learn how to use a sword and also worked as a waiter in a restaurant. He ...

46. Joey Ansah

Actor | The Bourne Ultimatum

Joey Ansah was born in 1982 in Hammersmith, London, England, 2nd in line to an older brother, Ryan, 3 years his senior. He is of mixed ethnicity, with his mother Nicola, originating from Plymouth, Devon, England and his father Kofi, originally from Ghana, west Africa. Joey grew up and spent the ...

47. Mike Möller

Stunts | John Wick: Chapter 4

Mike Möller grew up in a small village in East Germany. Since his childhood days he was very interested in various kind of sports and was always a huge movie fan. Especially martial arts and action films influenced and motivated him the most.

At the beginning he started to train martial arts on his ...

48. Vidyut Jammwal

Actor | Force

Given his elaborate expertise in the martial arts especially the ancient form called Kalaripayattu (which he's trained in since he was all of 4 years old), Vidyut has committed himself to creating a platform for action and stunts in world cinema. His first Bollywood outing Force (a remake of the ...

49. Daniel O'Neill

Stunts | Ultraviolet

Daniel O'Neill is a British born Martial Arts Action Actor, known mainly for his role as 'Dan' in Bangkok Adrenaline and for his role as the Fixer in the movie 'Fixer'. After watching many Hong Kong action movies as a child, Daniel became very fond of Jackie Chan and saw him as a role model. Daniel...

50. Dave Bautista