THERE IS NO SPOON
Tom Cruise Born: July 3, 1962, Syracuse, New York Big break: Risky Business (1983) Most iconic action role: Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible (1996)
FUN FACT
During the famed “ceiling drop” scene, when Ethan Hunt hovers inches from the room as he infiltrates a CIA vault, Cruise put coins in his shoes for balance.
Harrison Ford Born: July 13, 1942, Chicago,
Illinois
Big break: American Graffiti (1973)
Most iconic action role: Indiana
Jones in Indiana Jones and the
Last Crusade (1989)
Wesley Snipes Born: July 31, 1962, Orlando,
Florida
Big break: Blade (1998)
Most iconic action role: Eric
Brooks in Blade (1998)
Born: June 5, 1971, Boston,
Massachusetts
Big break: The Basketball Diaries
(1995)
Most iconic action role: Sergeant
Dignam in The Departed (2006)
Vin Diesel Born: July 18, 1967, in Alameda
County, California
Big break: Saving Private Ryan
(1998)
Most iconic action role: Dominic
Toretto in The Fast and the Furious
(2001)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Born: May 2, 1972, Hayward,
California
Big break: The Mummy Returns
(2001) as the Scorpion King
Most iconic action role: Luke
Hobbs in The Fast & Furious
Franchise (2011-2019)
Clint Eastwood Born: May 31, 1930, San Francisco,
California
Big break: Rawhide (1959-1965)
Most iconic action role: Harry
Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971)
Jet Li Born: April 26, 1963, Beijing, China
Big break: Shaolin Temple (1982)
Most iconic action role: Huo Yuanjia in
Fearless (2006)
Antonio Banderas Born: August 10, 1960, Málaga, Spain
Big break: Philadelphia (1993)
Most iconic action role: Alejandro
Murrieta in The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Chuck Norris Born: March 10, 1940, Ryan, Oklahoma
Big break: Good Guys Wear Black (1978)
Most iconic action role: Colonel
James Braddock in Missing in Action
(1984)
Matt Damon Born: October 8, 1970, Boston,
Massachusetts
Big break: Good Will Hunting (1997)
Most iconic action role: Jason Bourne
in The Bourne Identity (2002)
Robert Downey Jr. Born: April 4, 1965, New York, New York
Big break: Less Than Zero (1987)
Most iconic action role: Tony Stark in
Iron Man (2008)
Charles Bronson Born: November 3, 1921, Ehrenfeld,
Pennsylvania
Big break: Western The Magnificent
Seven (1960)
Most iconic action role: Chaney in
Hard Times (1975)
Jeremy Renner Born: January 7, 1971, Modesto,
California
Big break: Dahmer (2002)
Most iconic action role: Clint Barton in
Hawkeye (2021)
Chris Evans Born: June 13, 1981, Boston,
Massachusetts
Big break: Opposite Sex (2000)
Most iconic action role: Steve Rogers
in Captain America: The First Avenger
(2011)
Steven Seagal Born: April 10, 1952, Lansing, Michigan
Big break: Above the Law (1988)
Most iconic action role: Casey
Ryback in Under Siege (1992)
Keanu Reeves Born: September 2, 1964, Beirut, Lebanon
Big break: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Most iconic action role: Neo in The Matrix (1999)
FUN FACT
Reeves reportedly donated 70% of his $35 million salary from The Matrix to leukemia research. He also gave each member of the special effects and costume teams $1 million each.
GET TO THE CHOPPA
ART DIRECTOR’S PICK ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Born: July 30, 1947, Thal, Styria, Austria Big break: Conan the Barbarian (1982) Most iconic action role: Terminator in Terminator 2 (2001) Favorite action role: Dutch Schaefer in Predator (1987)
FUN FACT
During the filming of Predator, Schwarzenegger had his personal workout equipment shipped to the Mexican jungle and worked out every day on set.
Danny Glover Born: July 22, 1946, San Francisco, California Big break: Places in the Heart (1984) Most iconic action role: Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon (1987)
Denzel Washington Born: December 28, 1954, Mount Vernon, New York Big break: St. Elsewhere (1982–1988) Most iconic action role: Alonzo Harris in Training Day (2001)
Samuel L Jackson Born: December 21, 1948, in Washington, D.C. Big break: Jungle Fever (1991) Most iconic action role: Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction (1994)
FUN FACT
Jackson, originally promised the role of Jules, re-auditioned after Paul Calderón’s strong performance. Frustrated, he ate a burger and fries menacingly, impressing Tarantino and securing the role.
BOND, JAMES BOND
James Bond
ETERNALLY COOL, CONFIDENT, AND CUNNING, THE CHARISMATIC STALWARTS WHO SLAYED SUPERVILLAINS WHILE SIPPING SHAKEN MARTINIS AS THE WORLD’S MOST STYLISH SPY.
Daniel Craig Born: March 2, 1968, Cheshire, England Reign as 007: 2006 to 2021, Casino Royale (2006) Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), No Time to Die (2021)
George Lazenby Born: September 5, 1939, Goulburn, Australia Reign as 007: 1969, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Roger Moore Born: October 14, 1927, Stockwell, London Reign as 007: 1973-1985, Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985)
Sean Connery Born: August 25, 1930, Edinburgh, Scotland Reign as 007: 1962-1983, Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Never Say Never Again (1983)
Timothy Dalton Born: March 21, 1946, Colwyn Bay, Wales Reign as 007: 1987-1989, The Living Daylights (1987), Licence to Kill (1989)
Pierce Brosnan Born: May 16, 1953, Drogheda, Ireland Reign as 007: 1995-2002, GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002)
Born: July 6, 1946, Hell’s Kitchen, New York Big break: Rocky (1976) Most iconic action role: Rocky Balboa in Rocky (1976) Favorite action role: Marion Cobretti in Cobra (1986)
FUN FACT
Stallone actually owned the custom 1950 Mercury driven by Cobretti.
Liam Neeson Born: June 7, 1952, Ballymena, Northern Ireland Big break: Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List (1993) Most iconic action role: Bryan Mills in Taken (2009)
FUN FACT
Neeson initially believed Taken would be a bomb. He revealed he accepted the role to spend four months in Paris and learn karate.
Bruce Lee Born: November 27, 1940, San Francisco, California Big break: The Big Boss (1971) Most iconic action role: Lee in Enter the Dragon (1973)
Kurt Russell Born: March 17, 1951, Springfield, Massachusetts Big break: The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969) Most iconic action role: Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Eddie Murphy Born: April 3, 1961, New York, New York Big break: Saturday Night Live (1980-1984) Most iconic action role: Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Kiefer Sutherland Born: December 21, 1966, London, England Big break: Stand by Me (1986) Most iconic action role: Jack Bauer in 24 (2004-2010)
Russell Crowe Born: April 7, 1964, Wellington, New Zealand Big break: Romper Stomper (1992) Most iconic action role: Maximus in Gladiator (2000)
Gerard Butler Born: November 13, 1969, Glasgow, Scotland Big break: Dracula 2000 (2000) Most iconic action role: King Leonidas in 300 (2007)
Christian Bale Born: January 30, 1974, Pembrokeshire, Wales Big break: Empire of the Sun (1987) Most iconic action role: Batman/Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight (2008)
Hugh Jackman Born: October 12, 1968, Sydney, Australia Big break: X-Men (2000) Most iconic action role: Wolverine in Logan (2017)
Will Smith Born: September 25, 1968, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Big break: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996) Most iconic action role: Agent J in Men in Black (1997)
Born: 26 July 1967, Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England Big break: Snatch (2000) Most iconic action role: Frank Martin in The Transporter (2002)
FUN FACT
Statham’s famous oil-slick getaway scene in The Transporter was actually filmed with syrup.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Born: 18 October 1960, Brussels, Belgium Big break: Bloodsport (1988) Most iconic action role: Frank Dux in Bloodsport
FUN FACT
Van Damme landed his role in Bloodsport after showing off his martial arts skills to a Cannon Pictures producer while waiting tables.
Tommy Lee Jones Born: September 15, 1946, San Saba, Texas Big break: Ballad of Cable Hogue (1973) Most iconic action role: U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in U.S. Marshals (1998)
Chris Pine Born: August 26, 1980, Los Angeles, California Big break: Nicholas Devereaux in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) Most iconic action role: James T. Kirk in Star Trek (2009)
Chris Hemsworth Born: August 11, 1983, Melbourne, Australia Big break: Home and Away (2004–2007) Most iconic action role: Thor Odinson in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
FUN FACT
As Thor was the Australian actor’s first big role, he only took home $150,000 for the film. For reference, in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, his salary was $20 million.
Mel Gibson Born: January 3, 1956, Peekskill, NY Big break: Max Rockatansky in Mad Max (1979) Most iconic action role: Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon (1987)
John Wayne Born: May 26, 1907, Winterset, Iowa Big break: Stagecoach (1939) Most iconic action role: Ethan Edwards in The Searchers (1956)
Morgan Freeman Born: June 1, 1937, Memphis, Tennessee Big break: Street Smart (1987) Most iconic action role: Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris in Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Ed Harris Born: November 28, 1950, Englewood, New Jersey Big break: The Right Stuff (1983) Most iconic action role: Bud Brigman in The Abyss (1989)
Jason Momoa Born: August 1, 1979, Honolulu, Hawaii Big break: Baywatch Hawaii (1999-2001) Most iconic action role: Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones (2011-2012)
Tom Selleck Born: January 29, 1945, Detroit, Michigan Big break: Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988) Most iconic action role: Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I.