The 1980-1999s were pretty crazy decades for Hollywood. Everyone wanted to out-do everyone else, be it in the fashion aspect, catchy one-liners, or the general machismo of the main protagonist. During these 20 years we’ve had so many iconic action movies, that they hold-up even by today’s standards where everything feels fake and CGI.
Thanks to that Big Boom of action flicks we got to witness the birth of such incredible actors as Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Jackie Chan, and countless more. Today we’d like to revisit some of those old-school action stars and see what they’re up to these days.
1. Harrison Ford
After hitting it off as Han Solo, Ford blew up even more in the “Indiana Jones” films and “Blade Runner.” Today, funnily enough, he’s still playing in “Star Wars”, new “Blade Runner”, and the future “Indiana Jones” sequel. Nothing’s changed.
2. Dolph Lundgren
A big dude like Dolph was destined to make an impact on the movie scene. His Ivan Drago is to this day one of the best characters ever seen on the movie screen. And in case you forgot, he played He-man and Frank Castle (aka the Punisher). Today he’s still busy acting, with his latest appearance being in 2018’s “Aquaman”.
3. Steven Seagal
To be frank, I’ve watched every single Seagal movie but can’t tell you a single title. They’re all the same! One thing is certain, his Aikido moves are legendary. Believe it or not, he’s now a reserve deputy chief in the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Sheriff’s office!
4. Anne Parillaud
Meet the only lady on this list! French actress Anne Parillaud became famous and internationally known for her role as Nikita in Luc Besson’s movie Nikita. This film made Anne an S-grade action star. But what about today? Well, she’s still acting but her great success has never returned to her again.
5. Bruce Willis
“Die Hard.” That’s it. Just “Die Hard” and nothing else. The bulk of his greatest movies were in the early 2000’s. What about today? There were the “Expendables” and Shyamalan’s still got Bruce for the Unbreakable trilogy.
6. Arnold Schwarzenegger
The list for this titan goes on and on: he’s the Conan, the Terminator, the Commando, the commando hunting the Predator, and so on, and so forth, with a bunch of action comedies splattered in there. Now Schwarzenegger is the governor of California, but he still does cameos.
7. Sylvester Stallone
After his iconic role in “Rocky” and its sequels, Stallone played John Rambo, a crazy policeman in Cobra, and equally as crazy cop in “Demolition Man.” Now Stallone is doing his best to stay relevant and judging from Creed 1 and 2, he’s doing a fine job!
8. Jean-Claude Van Damme
Did you know he’s actually Belgian and not French? Either way after “Bloodsport”, and “Kickboxer” he’s joined the Hollywood’s S-class. Now he’s got a beautiful daughter and doesn’t seem to be super involved with the whole movie shindig.
9. Chuck Norris
In short, Chuck Norris was, is, and will always be the meanest Texas ranger in the whole world. Sadly, Norris hasn’t been in anything too amazing since “Expendables 2”, but maybe one day…
10. Jackie Chan
Saved the best for last. It’s no secret that Jackie Chan is a certified badass. I mean, he does all his stunts and rarely uses any tethers or safety nets. He’s done well over 20 movies in 80-90’s and unlike Steven Seagal all of them were super fun. Today he’s still doing stunts, and fighting bad guys on the big screen, but he’s transitioned more into suspenseful action dramas rather than all-out Kung Fu goodness. God bless this man!
