Sammo Hung
A unique fighter and fight choreographer who worked on a huge number of films with Jackie Chan (and started out with Bruce Lee), who, despite being noticeably overweight, worked wonders on screen and is still active today. He is not only an actor but also a director, and his work, like Jackie Chan’s films, masterfully balances on the edge between martial arts action and comedy.
Yuen Biao (Yuen Biao)
Another regular partner of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung in the 80s and 90s (Snack Bar on Wheels, Project A, My Lucky Stars) was active until about 2015, remaining in enviable shape for his age. He has been in films since the 70s and has played about 100 roles.
Lorenzo Lamas
Despite his image as a sweet-faced heartthrob, Lorenzo Lamas has serious martial arts training and, most importantly, has kept himself in shape for the last 40 years. Yes, the peak of his fame is long gone; and no one goes to the cinema to see him — but despite his age and the paradigm shift, the actor continues to appear in films (albeit in the category proudly known as ‘B movies’ that go straight to video, bypassing the cinema). He is still active today — and shows no signs of stopping.
Michael Dudikoff
Thanks to the film American Ninja, he will forever remain in our memory. Among his most recent notable works is the mid-90s series Cobra, after which he left the cinema and, needing money, returned to it again. Despite all the difficulties and his very respectable age, he is still active today, although you are unlikely to see any of his new films (and if you do, you are unlikely to be seriously impressed).
Cynthia Rothrock
The leading woman in action films of the 80s and 90s. A true martial arts master, she made it clear that women could be the stars of the screen even in what seemed to be a purely male genre — even before Charlize Theron. She is well over 60, but that doesn’t hinder her career, even if she may not have the same success she had in the 90s (although, who knows).
Mark Dacascos
A unique case where an actor whose peak of fame is long behind him (Only the Strong, American Samurai, ‘The Crying Assassin’) has managed not only to continue doing what he loves as an actor and director, but also to return to the big screen (in addition to appearing in the series ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and Lucifer, not to mention his triumphant performance in the third John Wick film). And since no one really dies in John Wick, it looks like we’ll be seeing him in the fourth instalment as well.
Michael Paré
In the 90s, Michael Paré was an icon of erotic action films (for which we are especially grateful). Now he has gradually moved into more serious cinema and periodically appears in truly worthy films, albeit not in leading roles (The Bone Tomahawk, The Undercover Affair, City of Lies).
Jet Li
Jet Li has been much luckier: for every five B-grade projects, he has had one big-budget film (Lethal Weapon 4, The Expendables, and now the new Mulan). He is still active today, despite his advanced age.
Antonio Banderas
Banderas is more than just an action star. Still, in the 90s, he spent a lot of time in this territory (Desperado, The Assassins, Once Upon a Time in Mexico). He has now moved away from this genre (although he made a brilliant appearance in the third Expendables film) and periodically proves his worth as a great dramatic actor in projects such as the series Genius (playing Pablo Picasso) and Pain and Glory.
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson is not only a star actor, but also an incredible director. However, his sharp tongue has caused him many problems, making it difficult for him to return to his former glory. As a result, he now has to appear in action films even more than before. If we were all grateful to him for Mad Max and Lethal Weapon (as well as Ransom, Payback, Maverick and many others), now we also enjoy works such as Drive Angry.
Danny Trejo
A legend. When you appear in so many films, it’s impossible to ensure their quality in every single case. And yet, Machete, Sons of Anarchy, Spy Kids and a brief appearance in Breaking Bad justify the tons of trash that Trejo tirelessly participates in.
Tom Berenger
Tom Berenger constantly balances on the edge of big cinema (Platoon, Training Day, The Guardian, Sniper) and B movies (The Replacement Killers, all the Sniper sequels, Splinter, and many others). The Oscar nominee and Golden Globe and Emmy winner continues to act to this day.
Chow Yun-Fat
In the 80s and 90s, he burst onto the action film scene with groundbreaking director John Woo. This was followed by a notable performance in another breakthrough film by Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. One of Hong Kong’s most respected actors, he continues to act to this day, landing roles in both Hollywood (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Asian blockbusters.