The
eighties brought us some of the most incredible elements of the media world,
from big hair to synth pop, from game consoles to questionable cinema. One of
the most well remembered aspects of the eighties is the films, especially in
the action bracket. Some of the biggest male leads of our time have come from
the action genre, and we take a look at the biggest and best stars from the
world of eighties action.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
There’s no
way we could start this list off without “The Governator” himself. Starring in
no less than 11 films between 1980 and 1990, Arnold Schwarzenegger became a
staple of action films and heavily influenced the action genre as a whole. According
to box office tracking site The Numbers, his collective filmography has grossed
an incredible $4.5 billion across the world.
Jean Claude Van Damme
Although
Van Damme’s spike in popularity happened in the early '90s, he still starred in
no less than 6 films during the eighties, including the now infamous Kickboxer.
Picking up on Arnie’s success of a muscular European action hero with a
penchant for one liners, the role of Johnny Cage in the ever popular fighting
franchise Mortal Kombat was modeled after Van Damme, as well as his character
Frank Dux in the 1988 film Bloodsport.
Chuck Norris
Few action
heroes, or actors in general, have been successful enough to garner their own
global meme, but Chuck Norris can do many things the average man cannot. Just a
handful of his achievements include a black belt in 6 martial art
practices, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 13 films in the 1980s, and an estimated $70,000,000
Dolph Lundgren
First
gracing the screen in the Bond film A View to a Kill as
the silent bodyguard Venz, Lundgren became an overnight sensation after his
second film when he appeared as the infamous Ivan Drago in Rocky IV opposite
Sylvester Stallone. He has stated in the past that he after the release of
Rocky IV, he “walked in to a Westwood movie theater as Grace Jones' boyfriend
and walked out ninety minutes later as the movie star Dolph Lundgren”. Other
notable roles are as Frank Castle in The Punisher, He-Man in Masters of the Universe, and more recently, as Gunner Jensen in The Expendables.
Mel Gibson
Starring in
not one, but two massive action franchises throughout the '80s, Mel Gibson became one of the biggest stars on cinema with the starring role in the Mad Max films and the critically acclaimed Lethal Weapon alongside Danny Glover. Throughout
the '90s and beyond, Gibson turned his hand to more dramatic roles, alongside
more directorial and production work. His collected works have grossed over
$2.5 billion dollars worldwide.
Sylvester Stallone
Book ending
our list with the only entry qualified to be Arnie’s equal, Sylvester Stallone is an absolute
king of the '80s action genre, starring in the Rocky series, Rambo series, Cobra, and Tango & Cash. Sly has starred in as many as
60 films during his career, amassing an estimated worth of $400 million!
Article
courtesy of games.paddypower.com
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