50 ACTION STARS ⭐ Then and Now | Real Name and Age

As years are passing by, it's worth taking a break to give a look at how our favorite action stars from childhood are doing. This is the transformation of some of the most iconic movie heroes of the last decades.

Action Stars

Actors like these are not just Hollywood famous for their acting and martial arts skills. For many people they also represented, and to many they still do, an icon and a leading example of core values.

In fact, even though you might remember them for their muscular physique, these actors dedicated their whole talent to pass on some important messages about our core values and qualities.

The following is a list of what we thought were the most significant action stars related to martial arts to mention. For each person, basic and less known facts are shared.

Sylvester Stallone

Born on July 6, 1646, in New York as Micheal Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, also known as Sly, he is an American actor, screenwriter, and filmmaker. Struggling a lot in his first years of career, he managed to obtain incredible success with his two most iconic roles: Rocky and Rambo.

Fun Fact: Despite being associated with what might be the definition of a masculine and strength-oriented physique icon, Sly has a great passion for painting and art.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger cannot miss any dignified action stars list. Born on July 30, 1947, Arnold is an Austrian-American former pro bodybuilder, film producer, actor, and businessman.

Arnold started lifting weights at the early age of 15 and won his first Mr. Olympia at the eager of 20. He then proceeded to win the title seven other times.

Fun Fact: A lesser-known fact about Arnold is that he recently turned vegan and has presented a movie about a plant-based eating lifestyle for top-tier athletes - the Game Changers.

Chuck Norris

Perhaps one of the most iconic western action figures of the late nineties, Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and movie action star. Born on March 10, 1940, one of his most popular interpretations is that of Walker: Texas Ranger.

Chuck is a skilled martial artist and he is a black belt in Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Tang Soo Do. Chuck started by appearing in minor movies but he soon turned it into a profitable career.

Fun Fact: Chuck was a close friend of Bruce Lee with whom he trained and also starred in the movie Way of the Dragon. Bruce and Chuck's friendship has some rumors around it, however, Chuck remembers Bruce with a smile on his face.

Dolph Lundgren

Hans Lundgren, born on November 3, 1957, is a Swedish martial artist, actor, and filmmaker. Dolph had his great breakthrough in the movie industry starring as one of his most famous characters - Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.

In the movie, he starred alongside Sylvester Stallone as the main villain, a soviet boxer hard to take down.

Fun Fact: Dolph is a Chemical Engineer who graduated from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and later on got his master's degree from the University of Sidney.

Jean Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Camille Francois Van Varenberg was born on October 18, 1960, in Belgium. Raised in Bruxelles, his father enrolled him in martial arts classes where Jean soon found his talent.

Passionate about martial arts, Jean started competing and left for the United States hoping to make success in the movie industry

After many odd jobs and minor roles in movies, Jean finally had his breakthrough in the movie Bloodsport in 1988 in which he starred alongside the already famous Bolo Yeung.

Fun Fact: before entering the movie world, Jean was not only a Martial Arts champion but also a top-tier Ballet Dancer.

Bruce Willis

Bruce is a retired American actor born on March 19, 1955. He had a very successful career in the movie industry, including a Golden Globe Award, People's Choice Award, and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bruce is probably one of the most loved and popular American actors among the genre's action stars. His acting portfolio includes a variety of roles well interpreted by the actor

Fun Fact: According to John Goodman, who knew Willis before either of them became famous, Willis used to work as a bartender while starring in one of his first roles. He used to be one of the best bartenders in NYC.

Jackie Chan

Also known as Fang Shilong, Jackie was born on April 7, 1954, and is a Hong Kong martial artist, stuntman, filmmaker, and actor famous for his incredible daredevil performances.

Fun Fact: Jackie Chan's family was unfortunately so poor that when he was born his parents almost sold him to a wealthy British couple.

Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian Actor who began his incredible success story by acting in theatre productions and television films.

Keanu's big breakthrough was surely in Youngblood in 1986, but later on, his most iconic role must be that of Neo in the Matrix Series and the latest John Wick series.

Fun Fact: Apart from being a badass in some of the most critically acclaimed movies ever, Keanu has a soft kind-hearted person. He published his own poetry book called Ode to Happiness.

Steven Seagal

Steven Frederic Seagal is an American martial artist, screenwriter, and actor born on April 10, 1952. His passion for martial arts brought him to Japan where he learned Aikido and obtained the 7th-dan black belt.

He started out as a martial arts instructor in Japan. Later on, when e moved to Los Angeles, he continued to teach martial arts but soon starred in his first movie Above the Law.

Fun Fact: Did you know that Steven Seagal is a Sheriff's Deputy in New Mexico? He was made a deputy in so he could train other deputies in different disciplines.

Bolo Yeung

Also known as Yang Sze, born on July 3, 1946, Bolo is a Hong Kong former competitive bodybuilder, martial artist, and also actor. Bolo is mostly known for his iconic villain characters.

He starred as Bolo in Enter the Dragon and as Chong Li in Bloodsport. His career didn't stop there though. In fact, he has starred in many other Hong Kong production movies.

Fun Fact: Even though Bolo is well known for his villain characters and his incredibly bulky physique. Did you know that Bolo's favorite Kung Fu Style is Tai Chi and he loves its practice?

Jet Li

Li Lianjie was born on Aprile 26, 1963 in Singapore. he is an incredible martial artist, film producer, actor, and retired Wushu Champion. Before starring in any movie, jet Li was already a Wushu Champion.

He retired from the practice at the age of 18 and made his first debut in the Chinese production movie Shaolin Temple.

Fun Fact: Unfortunately, Jet Li suffers from hyperthyroidism. In the last few years, he has been under medication in order to control this autoimmune disease.

Donnie Yen

Donnie Yen Chi-tan is a well-known Hong Kong talented martial artist, actor, movie producer, and action director. Born on July 27, 1963, Donnie is one of Hong Kong's top action movie stars acclaimed worldwide.

He is accredited for bringing MMA to the Asian mainstream cinema and has had his great breakthrough in the movie series Ip Man. Being skillful in many martial arts, Donnie is perfect for the role of Grandmaster Yip Man.

Fun Fact: Donnie Yen and Jet Li were classmates at the Beijing Shichahai Sports School in 1978 where there trained together in the Beijing Wushu Team.

Jason Statham

Born July 26, 1967, Jason is an English actor and martial artist. He is well known for his rather serious and masculine movie characters.

Fun Fact: Aside from being an extremely skilled martial artist, Jason used to be a passionate diver too! In fact, he was part of Britain's National Diving Team.

Sammo Hung

Sammo Hung Kam-bo was born on January 7, 1952, to a family of artists. Raised as such, the Hong Kong martial artist, actor, and director became one of Hong Kong's most beloved persons.

Fun Fact: Sammo is also a fight scene choreographer and he worked with many successful martial arts actors, such as Jackie Chan with whom he has a great history of friendship.

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