Action movies were a huge part of Hollywood in the ’80s and ’90s when many stars rose to fame in the genre, but modern action films are often mixed with other genres like sci-fi, or crime, and actors have to adapt to the changes. The landscape of the film industry is constantly shifting with new trends, popular genres, highly celebrated moviemakers and actors, and much more. The one constant thing is change. Action actors have the challenging job of adapting to the constant movements in film, and ensuring that they can deliver whatever is needed at the moment.
For some, it’s difficult to adjust and maintain their celebrity status in a new genre, but there are several who did remarkably well, changing with the times. They may have risen to stardom in straightforward action films, but their popularity now stems from more recent hit films. Actors like Keanu Reeves, Ke Huy Quan, and Branden Fraser all reinvented themselves to enjoy success many years after they started acting.
9 Keanu Reeves
John Wick (2014)
Keanu Reeves became incredibly successful with performances in action films like Speed and The Matrix franchise, which elevated him from an actor to a star. Following this success, Reeves continued to have a healthy acting career and try his hand at various roles, but the next film to take him up a level was John Wick. The franchise continues to expand to this day and has allowed Reeves to be the face of yet another major action sci-fi franchise.
8 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Fast Five (2011)
Dwayne Johnson originally gained popularity as a wrestler in the WWF as The Rock before making the leap into acting with his role in The Mummy Returns in 2001. However, it wasn’t until years later that he was able to move past cameo roles and start to gain recognition for his ability as an actor. One of the first films to feature Johnson in a prominent, meaningful role was Fast Five, and following that success, he was given the lead in a spin-off movie, as well as landing major roles in films like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Black Adam.
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7 Ke Huy Quan
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Ke Huy Quan was a major child celebrity in action adventure movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies before his career moved behind the camera as a stunt coordinator. However, when he made his return to Hollywood with Everything Everywhere All at Once as Waymond Wang, it was clear that he was a star. Since Everything Everywhere, Quan has taken on several other roles with many more projects currently in the works.
6 Joaquin Phoenix
Joker (2019)
Joaquin Phoenix started his career when he was just a child and progressed to appear in major roles in films like Gladiator, proving his abilities as an action star. However, many of his films following Gladiator did not reach the same levels of success. Then, in 2019, Phoenix starred as the titular character in Todd Phillips’ Joker and proved his ability to deliver complex and nuanced performances. Since that success, Phoenix has also starred in major productions like Beau Is Afraid and Napoleon, where he continues to bring layered characters to life.
5 Chris Pratt
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
Chris Pratt began his career with parts in TV shows that gained him a level of notoriety. When trying to break into major film productions, he had some early success with action movies like Wanted and Zero Dark Thirty, but the shift to him becoming a leading man didn’t come until Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014. Following that, Pratt became the lead in Jurassic World and has continued to go from strength to strength in Hollywood.
4 Robert Pattinson
Tenet (2020)
Robert Pattinson was largely unknown until he appeared in Twilight. However, he had already appeared in some TV movies and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in the years before Twilight. While Twilight made him famous, Pattinson then had the difficult task of moving away from the sparkly vampire role and did so by appearing in several indie-produced movies before having another significant breakout with Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, which led him to land roles such as Batman in Matt Reeves’ The Batman in 2022.
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3 Kurt Russell
Furious 7 (2015)
Kurt Russell worked as an actor for almost 20 years before landing his breakout role in Escape From New York in 1981. He went on to star in many more films, but his career appeared to slow down around the 2000s with few major roles on his radar. Then in 2015, Russell had a second wind, appearing in films like Furious 7, Bone Tomahawk, and The Hateful Eight all in the same year. Russell has continued to enjoy success since then with more projects on the way.
2 Mickey Rourke
The Wrestler (2008)
Mickey Rourke was a big name in cinema during the 80s and 90s, but some of his biggest roles came in the late 2000s and beyond. With his leading role in The Wrestler, Rourke cemented his place as a major action performer despite his age, and that led to him appearing in films like Iron Man 2, and The Expendables, having proven he deserved to be ranked with other major action celebrities like Stallone, and Schwarzenegger. Since then, Rourke has enjoyed healthy and consistent work in film, with almost half of his total credits coming after 2008, despite starting his career more than 30 years prior.
1 Brendan Fraser
The Whale (2022)
Brendan Fraser became one of the most popular action stars in the late 90s and 2000s thanks to his performances in films like George of the Jungle and The Mummy trilogy. However, he pushed his body to the limits and ended up needing to take time away from Hollywood in order to recover and focus on his health. In the decades that passed since, he was sorely missed after such a promising start to his career, but he recently had one of the most well-received returns to cinema in the industry after major performances in movies like The Whale. Fraser’s return has been widely celebrated, and he has several projects in the pipeline to continue making his comeback.
