Action hero
This is a list of action heroes who appear in a number of genres including action films, adventure films, swashbuckler films, Westerns on television, old-time radio, adventure novels, dime novels, pulp magazines, and folklore. These heroes often appear capable of extreme physical acts of daring. Those actors most strongly identified with the genre are either extremely athletic or find appeal as an everyman, if somewhat enhanced.
Male action heroes
Actors
Classic Action Heroes
- Humphrey Bogart
- Bernard Bonnin
- Charles Bronson
- Sean Connery
- Douglas Fairbanks
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
- Errol Flynn
- Clark Gable
- Eddie Garcia
- Charlton Heston
- Lee Marvin
- Ramon Zamora
- Zaldy Zshornack
- Steve McQueen
- Toshirō Mifune
- Paul Newman
- Tyrone Power
- Andy Poe
- Fernando Poe Jr.
- César Ramírez
- Basil Rathbone
- Ramon Revilla Sr.
- Robert Taylor
- John Wayne
- Johnny Weissmuller
- Vic Vargas
- Bruce Lee
Old School Action Heroes
- Jestoni Alarcon
- Richard Dean Anderson
- Jim Brown
- Reb Brown
- Jackie Chan
- Sonny Chiba
- Timothy Dalton
- Gary Estrada
- Ricky Davao
- Monsour del Rosario
- Michael Dudikoff
- Clint Eastwood
- Jinggoy Estrada
- Rudy Fernandez
- Harrison Ford
- Mel Gibson
- David Hasselhoff
- Hulk Hogan
- Brent Huff
- Don Johnson
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Val Kilmer
- Sho Kosugi
- Lito Lapid
- Tom Laughlin
- Brandon Lee
- Bruce Lee
- Ian Veneracion
- Raymart Santiago
- Zoren Legaspi
- Jet Li
- Dolph Lundgren
- Roger Moore
- Liam Neeson
- Chuck Norris
- George Peppard
- Burt Reynolds
- Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.
- Bembol Roco
- Kurt Russell
- Phillip Salvador
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Steven Seagal
- Tom Selleck
- Wesley Snipes
- Sylvester Stallone
- Kiefer Sutherland
- Patrick Swayze
- Mr. T
- Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Ace Vergel
- Bruce Willis
- Chow Yun-fat
New Action Heroes
- Ben Affleck
- Ryan Agoncillo
- Gerald Anderson
- Christian Bale
- Antonio Banderas
- David Boreanaz
- Pierce Brosnan
- Gerard Butler
- Nicolas Cage
- Jake Cuenca
- John Cena
- Jay Chou
- Hayden Christensen
- George Clooney
- Kevin Costner
- Daniel Craig
- Tom Cruise
- Matt Damon
- Mark Dacascos
- Vin Diesel
- Josh Duhamel
- Chris Evans
- Ejay Falcon
- Sean Faris
- Oded Fehr
- Mark Anthony Fernandez
- Nathan Fillion
- John Foo
- JB Magsaysay
- Brendan Fraser
- Akshay Kumar
- Tyrese Gibson
- Richard Gutierrez
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Chris Hemsworth
- Tony Jaa
- Hugh Jackman
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Thomas Jane
- Vinnie Jones
- Jude Law
- Tobey Maguire
- Jay Manalo
- Coco Martin
- Cesar Montano
- Wentworth Miller
- Ralf Moeller
- Clive Owen
- Robin Padilla
- Brad Pitt
- Keanu Reeves
- Jericho Rosales
- Austin St. John
- The Rock
- Will Smith
- Kevin Sorbo
- Jason Statham
- Ray Stevenson
- Dennis Trillo
- Karl Urban
- Mark Wahlberg
- Paul Walker
- Denzel Washington
- Sam Worthington
- Ryan Reynolds
- Donnie Yen
- Danny Trejo
Film
- Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Frodo Baggins from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Rocky Balboa from the Rocky series
- James Bond from the James Bond series
- Jason Bourne from the Bourne series
- Sean Boswell from The Fast and the Furious series
- Colonel James Braddock from the Missing in Action series
- Xander Cage from xXx
- Harry Callahan from the Dirty Harry series
- James Carter from the Rush Hour series
- Chan Ka-Kui from the Police Story series
- Chen Zhen from Fist of Fury
- Cheng Chao-an from The Big Boss
- Chev Chelios from the Crank series
- John Connor from The Terminator series
- James Dalton from Road House
- Dastan from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
- Samwise Gamgee from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Samuel Gerard from The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals
- Ethan Hunt from the Mission: Impossible series
- Billy Jack from the Billy Jack series
- Indiana Jones from the Indiana Jones series
- Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars series
- Paul Kersey from the Death Wish series
- Lee from Enter the Dragon
- Inspector Lee from the Rush Hour series
- Legolas from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Mani from Brotherhood of the Wolf
- Raizo from Ninja Assassin
- Raj Malhotra from the Khiladi series
- James Marshall from Air Force One
- Frank Martin from The Transporter series
- John Matrix from Commando
- John McClane from the Die Hard series
- Darren McCord from Sudden Death
- Neo from The Matrix series
- Alex O'Connell from The Mummy series
- Rick O'Connell from The Mummy series
- Brian O'Conner from The Fast and the Furious series
- Snake Plissken from Escape from New York and Escape from L.A.
- John Rambo from the Rambo series
- Michael Ransom from Strike Commando and Strike Commando 2
- Kyle Reese from The Terminator series
- Richard B. Riddick from The Chronicles of Riddick series
- Martin Riggs from the Lethal Weapon series
- Max Rockatansky from the Mad Max series
- Jack Ryan from The Sum of All Fears, Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games and The Hunt for Red October
- Casey Ryback form the Under Siege series
- John Shaft from the Shaft series
- Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars series
- Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars series
- Jack Slater from The Last Action Hero
- Mr. Smith from Shoot 'Em Up
- Han Solo from the Star Wars series
- Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean series
- Jake Sully from Avatar
- Harry Tasker from True Lies
- Terminator from The Terminator series
- Dominic Toretto from The Fast and the Furious series
- Takuma Tsurugi from The Street Fighter series
- Will Turner from Pirates of the Caribbean series
- Ash Williams from the Evil Dead series
- Napoleon Wilson from Assault on Precinct 13
- Tequila Yuen from Hard Boiled
- Don Diego "Zorro" de la Vega from the Zorro series
Television
- Samuel Anders from Battlestar Galactica
- Captain Apollo from Battlestar Galactica
- B. A. Baracus from The A-Team
- Jack Bauer from 24
- Mark Benford from FlashForward
- Nash Bridges from Nash Bridges
- Mitch Buchannon from Baywatch and Baywatch Nights
- John Crichton from Farscape
- Marcus Cole from Babylon 5
- James "Sonny" Crockett from Miami Vice
- Richard Cypher from Legend of the Seeker
- Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation
- The Doctor from Doctor Who
- Mike Donovan from V
- James "Sawyer" Ford from Lost
- Benton Fraser from Due South
- Heny Garvie from Ultimate Force
- Jack Harkness from Doctor Who and Torchwood
- Hercules from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
- Horatio Hornblower from Hornblower
- Kenneth Hutchinson from Starsky and Hutch
- Sayid Jarrah from Lost
- Clark Kent from Smallville
- James T Kirk from Star Trek
- Michael Knight from Knight Rider
- Sammo Law from Martial Law
- Angus MacGyver from MacGyver
- Cameron Mitchell from Stargate SG-1
- Hiro Nakamura from Heroes
- Jack O'Neill from Stargate SG-1
- Matt Parkman from Heroes
- Peter Petrelli from Heroes
- Tom Price from Survivors
- Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly and Serenity
- William Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Buck Rogers from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
- Michael Scofield from Prison Break
- Richard Sharpe from Sharpe
- Jack Shephard from Lost
- Lieutenant Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica
- David Starsky from Starsky and Hutch
- Ham Tyler from V
- Cordell Walker from Walker, Texas Ranger
- Michael Westen from Burn Notice
- Dean Winchester from Supernatural
- Sam Winchester from Supernatural
Video games
- Balthier from Final Fantasy XII
- Niko Bellic from the Grand Theft Auto series
- Christopher Blair from the Wing Commander series
- Toni Cipriani from the Grand Theft Auto series
- Dante from the Devil May Cry series
- Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series
- Captain Falcon from the F-Zero series
- Sam Fisher from the Splinter Cell series
- Gordon Freeman from the Half-Life series
- Chris Jacobs from the Mercenaries series
- Avery Johnson from the Halo series
- Issac Clarke from Dead Space
- Carl "CJ" Johnson from the Grand Theft Auto series
- Jin Kazama from the Tekken series
- Leon S. Kennedy from the Resident Evil series
- Kilik from the Soul series
- Johnny Klebitz from the Grand Theft Auto series
- Kratos from the God of War series
- Huang Lee from the Grand Theft Auto series
- Fayt Leingard from Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
- Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII
- Link from The Legend of Zelda series
- Luis Lopez from the Grand Theft Auto series
- Master Chief from the Halo series
- Guile from the Street Fighter series
- Edge Maverick from Star Ocean: The Last Hope
- Mattias Nilsson from the Mercenaries series
- Point Man from the F.E.A.R. series
- Duke Nukem from the Duke Nukem series
- The Postal Dude from the Postal series
- The Prince from the Prince of Persia series
- The Nameless Protagonist from the Saints Row series
- Chris Redfield from the Resident Evil series
- Regret from Zenonia
- Tyson Rios from the Army of Two series
- Ryu from the Street Fighter series
- Elliot Salem from the Army of Two series
- Siegfried Schtauffen from the Soul series
- Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect series
- Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series
- Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series
- Claude Speed from the Grand Theft Auto series
- Jack Slate from the Dead to Rights series
- "Serious" Sam Stone from the Serious Sam series
- Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII
- Tidus from Final Fantasy X
- Zidane Tribal from Final Fantasy IX
- Victor Vance from the Grand Theft Auto series
- Tommy Vercetti from the Grand Theft Auto series
- Snow Villiers from Final Fantasy XIII
Animation
- Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Astro Boy from Astro Boy
- Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo from Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
- James Bond, Jr. from James Bond Jr.
- Marshall BraveStarr from BraveStarr
- Bumblebee from The Transformers
- Duke from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
- Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist
- Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist
- Flint from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
- Gon Freecs from Hunter × Hunter
- Goku from Dragon Ball
- He-Man from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
- InuYasha from InuYasha
- Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach
- Jason in Battle of the Planets (equivalent to Joe in Gatchaman)
- Lino-O from ThunderCats
- Mark in Battle of the Planets (equivalent to Ken in Gatchaman)
- Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece
- Captain Planet from Captain Planet and the Planeteers
- Optimus Prime from The Transformers
- Ranma Saotome from Ranma ½
- Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
- Space Ghost from Space Ghost
- Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop
- Yusuke Urameshi from YuYu Hakusho
- Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto
- Ziv "ZZ" Zulander from The Bots Master
Literature
- d'Artagnan from The Three Musketeers
- King Arthur from the Arthurian legend
- Judah Ben-Hur from Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
- Beowulf from Beowulf
- Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel
- Modesty Blaise from Modesty Blaise
- Conan the Barbarian from the Conan series
- James Bond from the James Bond series
- Edmond Dantès from The Count of Monte Cristo
- Harry Dresden from The Dresden Files
- Willie Garvin from Modesty Blaise
- Gawain from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- Frank Hardy from The Hardy Boys
- Joe Hardy from The Hardy Boys
- Robin Hood, a prominent hero in English folklore
- Horatio Hornblower from the Hornblower series
- Odysseus from the Iliad and Odyssey
- Dirk Pitt from the Dirk Pitt series
- Doc Savage from the Doc Savage series
- The Shadow from The Shadow series
- Richard Sharpe from the Sharpe series
- The Spider from The Spider
- Tom Swift
- Tom Swift, Jr.
- Tarzan from the Tarzan series
- Wilfred of Ivanhoe from Ivanhoe
- Don Diego "Zorro" de la Vega from the Zorro series
Female action heroes
Actresses
- Catherine Mary Stewart
- Jessica Alba
- Gillian Anderson
- Devon Aoki
- Kate Beckinsale
- Claudia Black
- Honor Blackman
- Tia Carrere
- Lynda Carter
- Connie Chan Po-chu
- Priyanka Chopra
- Jamie Chung
- Geena Davis
- Angie Dickinson
- Scarlett Johansson
- Sienna Miller
- Rachel Nichols
- Tamara Dobson
- Cameron Diaz
- Eliza Dushku
- Anne Francis
- Jennifer Garner
- Sarah Michelle Gellar
- Summer Glau
- Teresa Graves
- Pam Grier
- Kristin Kreuk
- Linda Hamilton
- Lena Headey
- Gloria Hendry
- Daryl Hannah
- Kelly Hu
- Sibelle Hu
- Angelina Jolie
- Famke Janssen
- Milla Jovovich
- Keira Knightley
- Jessica Biel
- Cynthia Khan
- Lucy Lawless
- Moon Lee
- Lucy Liu
- Rachel Lobangco
- Cynthia Luster
- Angela Mao
- Nora Miao
- Carrie-Anne Moss
- Nichelle Nichols
- Rhona Mitra
- Renee O'Connor
- Bobbie Phillips
- Maggie Q
- Diana Rigg
- Lucia Rijker
- Charlize Theron
- Michelle Rodriguez
- Cynthia Rothrock
- Katee Sackhoff
- Zoe Saldana
- Aurora Sevilla
- J.A. Steel
- Amanda Tapping
- Uma Thurman
- Gina Torres
- Anna Torv
- Lindsay Wagner
- Sigourney Weaver
- Peta Wilson
- Michelle Yeoh
- Zhang Ziyi
Film
- Alice from Alice in Wonderland
- Alice from the Resident Evil series
- Padmé Amidala from the Star Wars series
- Arwen from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Foxy Brown from Foxy Brown
- Natalie Cook from the Charlie's Angels series
- Sarah Connor from the Terminator series
- Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series
- Éowyn from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Beatrix "The Bride" Kiddo from Kill Bill
- Alex Munday from the Charlie's Angels series
- Princess Leia Organa from the Star Wars series
- Natasha Romanoff from Iron Man 2
- Ellen Ripley from the Alien series
- Æon Flux from Æon Flux (film)
- Abigail Whistler from Blade: Trinity
- Dylan Sanders from the Charlie's Angels series
- Selene from the Underworld series
- Dana Scully from The X-Files (film) and The X-Files: I Want to Believe
- Sonja from the Underworld series
- Elizabeth Swann from the Pirates of the Caribbean series
- River Tam from Serenity
- Trinity from The Matrix series
- Violet from Ultraviolet (film)
Television
- Lois Lane from Smallville
- Niki Sanders from Heroes
- Sydney Bristow from Alias
- Samantha Carter from Stargate SG-1
- Helen Cutter in Primeval (villain)
- Sabrina Duncan from Charlie's Angels
- Ziva David from NCIS
- Echo from Dollhouse
- Vala Mal Doran from Stargate SG-1
- Lana Lang from Smallville
- Olivia Dunham from Fringe
- Sydney Fox from Relic Hunter
- Gabrielle from Xena: Warrior Princess
- Kelly Garrett from Charlie's Angels
- Cara from Legend of the Seeker
- Faith Lehane from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Helen Magnus from Sanctuary
- Phoebe Halliwell from Charmed
- Kahlan Amnell from Legend of the Seeker
- Jill Munroe from Charlie's Angels
- Kris Munroe from Charlie's Angels
- Nikita from La Femme Nikita
- Julie Rogers from Charlie's Angels
- Dana Scully from The X-Files
- Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Aeryn Sun from Farscape
- Kara Thrace from Battlestar Galactica
- Uhura from Star Trek
- Sharon Valerii from Battlestar Galactica
- Tiffany Welles from Charlie's Angels
- Wonder Woman from Wonder Woman
- Xena from Xena: Warrior Princess
Video games
- Cassandra Alexandra from the Soul series
- Sophitia Alexandra from the Soul series
- Samus Aran from the Metroid series
- Bayonetta from Bayonetta
- Cammy from the Street Fighter series
- Chun-Li from the Street Fighter series
- Chel from Portal
- Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series
- Cortana from the Halo series
- Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca from Final Fantasy XII
- Dare from the Halo series
- Joanna Dark from the Perfect Dark (series)
- Oerba Yun Fang from Final Fantasy XIII
- Chloe Frazer from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII
- Miranda Keyes from the Halo series
- Kitana from the Mortal Kombat series
- Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII
- Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII
- Lulu from Final Fantasy X
- Rubi Malone from WET
- Jennifer Mui from the Mercenaries series
- Nariko from Heavenly Sword
- Paine from Final Fantasy X-2
- Rayne from the BloodRayne series
- Claire Redfield from the Resident Evil series
- Rikku from Final Fantasy X
- Anna Williams from the Tekken series
- Nina Williams from the Tekken series
- Isabella "Ivy" Valetine from the Soul series
- Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil series
- Alyx Vance from the Half-Life series
- Oerba Dia Vanille from Final Fantasy XIII
- Ashley Williams from the Mass Effect series
- Chai Xianghua from the Soul series
- Yuna from Final Fantasy X
Animation
- Lady Jaye from G.I. Joe
- Scarlett from G.I. Joe
- She-Ra from She-Ra: Princess of Power
- Cybersix from Cybersix
- Princess Allura from Voltron
- Cheetara in Thundercats
- The Powerpuff Girls
- Princess Zelda in The Legend of Zelda
- Princess in Battle of the Planets (equivalent to Jun in Gatchaman)
- Revy from Black Lagoon
- Sailor Moon from Sailor Moon
- Princess Knight from Choppy and the Princess
Literature
- Aerin Dragon-Slayer in The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
- Alanna of Trebond in The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce
- Captain Alicia DeVries in In Fury Born by David Weber
- Alouzon Dragonmaster in the Dragonsword trilogy by Gael Baudino
- Sergeant Delphine Angua von Überwald in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
- Anita Blake in the Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton
- Anna Marshall the Soprano Sorceress in the Spellsong Cycle series by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
- Princess Annwyl in the Dragon Kin series by G. A. Aiken
- Major Ariane Kedros in Peacekeeper by Laura E. Reeve
- Beka Cooper in the Provost's Dog series by Tamora Pierce
- Commander Cordelia Naismith in the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois Bujold
- Commander Elli Quinn in the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois Bujold
- Herald-Princess Elspeth in the Mage Winds trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
- Lieutenant Esmay Suiza in the Familias Regnant series by Elizabeth Moon
- Firekeeper the wolf child in the Firekeeper saga by Jane Lindskold
- Admiral Honor Harrington in the Honorverse series by David Weber
- Captain Heris Serrano in the Familias Regnant series by Elizabeth Moon
- Jamethiel Dreamweaver in the God Stalker chronicles by P. C. Hodgell
- Jani Killian in the Kilian series by Kristine Smith
- Karigan G'ladheon in the Green Rider series by Kristen Britain
- Keladry of Mindelan in the Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce
- Captain Kerowyn in By the Sword, part of the Mercedes Lackey
- Lieutenant Kris Longknife in the Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepherd
- Kylara Vatta in the Vatta's War series by Elizabeth Moon
- Miriam/Mirya in Strands of Starlight by Gael Baudino
- Matti the advance prototype supersoldier in Army of One by Mark E. Hendricks
- Nancy Drew by 'Carolyn Keene'
- Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter by Elizabeth Moon
- Raine Benares by Lisa Shearin
- Commander Sassinak in the Planet Pirates Series by Anne McCaffrey
- Secca the Shadow Sorceress in the Spellsong Cycle series by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
- Senneth in The Twelve Houses series by Sharon Shinn
- Sirantha Jax by Ann Aguirre
- Sonea the slum girl in The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan
- Herald Talia in the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
- Tarma & Kethry in the Vows and Honor series by Mercedes Lackey
- Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr in the Valor Confederation series by Tanya Huff
- the women of the Aes Sedai, Faile, Aviendha, others in The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
Further reading
- Ho, Sam. "Licensed to Kick Men: The Jane Bond Films." The Restless Breed: Cantonese Stars of the Sixties. Hong Kong: Urban Council of Hong Kong, 1996. ISBN 962-7040-50-9
- Inness, Sherrie A. (ed.) Action Chicks: New Images of Tough Women in Popular Culture, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
- Kim, L. S. "Making women warriors: a transnational reading of Asian female action heroes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media. No. 48, Winter, 2006.
- Magoulick, Mary. "Frustrating Female Heroism: Mixed Messages in Xena, Nikita, and Buffy." The Journal of Popular Culture, Volume 39 Issue 5 (October 2006).
- Osgerby, Bill, Anna Gough-Yates, and Marianne Wells. Action TV : Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks. London: Routledge, 2001.
- Tasker, Yvonne. Action and Adventure Cinema. New York: Routledge, 2004.
- ———.Spectacular Bodies : Gender, Genre, and the Action Cinema. London and New York: Routledge, 1993.