Top 20 Action Movie Stars Who ACTUALLY Do Their Own Stunts
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Welcome to WatchMojo and today, we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 20 Action Movie Stars Who Do Their Own Stunts. For this list, we’ll be looking at movie stars who appear in action films who don’t always leave all their stunts to their doubles, and who have performed dangerous stunts themselves. If there’s a devil-may-care star you’re upset we dared to leave off our list, leap on down to our comments!
Since coming to prominence as an action star in the early 2000s, Matt Damon has done a lot of his own stunts. He’s perhaps most famous for his work on the “Bourne” franchise, as the titular character. As Bourne, Damon has jumped off a bridge and done underwater filming with no oxygen gear. Still, despite his willingness to do the former before, Damon has since developed a fear of heights. He’s still doing some of his own stuntwork, though, such as performing most of his own fight scenes in “The Last Duel.” Was he “Bourne” for this kind of work?
Not only is Angelina Jolie a supporter of good causes, but she also does her own stunts! Beginning with action roles like the titular “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” Jolie has tried to be as authentic as possible with many of her more risky maneuvers on screen. Although she has admitted that this is partly to impress her children, it certainly lends legitimacy to high-stakes moments, like when she’s leaping around or hanging out of moving vehicles, in films like “Wanted” or “Salt.” Here’s hoping her kids don’t try to imitate any of her high flying stunts at home!
Given that he has played the X-Man Wolverine for nigh on two decades, Hugh Jackman can sometimes feel like a superhero himself. He’s certainly reinforced that image by performing many of his own stunts. From leaping around on wires, to hanging off a train, Jackman has put a lot of himself in his most famous action role, and it certainly carries through on screen. Even so, for as much as he feels as invincible as Wolverine, Jackman has gotten injured sometimes on-set, such as in that aforementioned train scene. Hopefully, Jackman’s luck will carry through when he returns to the role again alongside Deadpool.
This Russian-American/Ukrainian-born actress and model is as tough as nails!A frequent fixture of sci-fi and horror action franchises, like “Resident Evil,” Jovovich performs nearly all her own stunts! She has trained in gymnastics and martial arts to prepare for roles like “Ultraviolet,” and the few times she hasn’t done a stunt was because it was deemed too dangerous, like a few jumps, such as in the original “Resident Evil” film. “Leeloo” has developed over the years from “multi-pass” to “multiple disciplines,” and is a badass in her own right.
Christian Bale is famous for his intense focus in his film roles, often going to extremes to get his body into shape. Naturally, the actor brings that same forcefulness and devotion to authenticity to his actions on screen, including his stunts. Bale did many of his own stunts in “The Dark Knight” films, although he was reportedly not allowed near the Batmobile for its stunts. Even he has his limits though, such as in “Rescue Dawn,” when a helicopter stunt proved too much for him. The guy may be Batman, but flying can be dangerous enough that we don’t blame him for being cautious.
Charlize Theron may be delving further into action more recently in her career, but she’s jumping in with both feet and both hands! Theron did all or most of her stunts for films like “Atomic Blonde” and “The Old Guard.” Her long-take fight scene in the former is the stuff of legend, and she injured her thumb so badly on the latter, that she tore the ligament! Theron was inspired to go the extra mile recently after training with a certain other action star we’ll be discussing later. Hint - his first name rhymes with “Bleanu!”
When it comes to action movie stars, Schwarzenegger is one of the biggest and longest-running names. Arnold Schwarzenegger used to be a bodybuilder, so naturally, he was in great physical condition to perform many of the stunts during his early career. However, he has stayed in fantastic shape throughout his time in movies. Even later films of his, such as “Sabotage,” have seen Schwarzenegger performing his own stunts. And while he hasn’t done all of them in every movie, Schwarzenegger has still done plenty himself. Just look at how jacked he was in some of his films! We’d be surprised if they were able to find anyone that could double for him with that kind of physique!
A famed martial artist/action star, Donnie Yen is one of the most famous Asian stars worldwide. The Hong Kong actor not only does most of his own stunts, but he is also responsible for choreographing others’, as he’s frequently in charge of it for most of his own films. Although Yen has been known to use doubles occasionally for some demanding things he can’t do himself, when it comes to combat and leaping around, Yen does nearly all of it himself. And when you can fight the way Yen can in real life, we’d be reluctant to tell him what he can’t do!
Harrison Ford has had an extensive career in action and adventure films, most notably the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” movies. However, while many actors would probably “have a bad feeling” about putting themselves at risk for some shots, Ford is famous for doing a lot of his own stunt work. That famous boulder scene from “Raiders,” for example, is all Ford - they even filmed 10 takes, and he outran it every time! And age hasn’t slowed Ford down much either! He still did many of his own stunts for “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” as well as the recent “The Call of the Wild.” Never tell him the odds!
Early cinema also saw its fair share of incredible actors who did their own stunts. Buster Keaton is one of the all-time greats, doing not only most of his own stunts in his movies, but also some for other characters! Some of his stunts are still absolutely incredible today. The man fell down buildings! He held on to moving vehicles, both while running and in the air! In “Steamboat Bill, Jr.,” a 2-ton prop house fell down around him! All these incredible stunts were achieved by Keaton himself, and many without a word spoken on screen. Even the name he was known by “Buster,” is reportedly in reference to his incredible durability.
Given his relatively young age, Tom Holland may not have been in the game as long as many others on our list, but he’s already making a name for himself in Hollywood for being willing to do many of his own stunts. A trained gymnast, Holland has lent his skill in acrobatics to his time as Spider-Man; performing many of the flips and leaps the web-slinging superhero does himself. Even his early film career in “The Impossible” or “In the Heart of the Sea” feature Holland throwing himself around to sell the danger and realism. But arguably the biggest stunt of his career, so far, is the plane sequence from “Uncharted,” which Holland says took a huge toll on him.
007 is the world’s most daring fictional spy, so it’s only natural that one of the actors who’ve portrayed him would also be quite the risk taker. Daniel Craig prefers to do his own stunts whenever he can, which helps make his version of James Bond one of the most down-to-earth and gives his movies a visceral feel. Whether he’s hanging off a helicopter or on top of a moving train, Craig has been devoted to doing as much on camera as possible. However, all these stunts have led to many injuries on his part, including having several teeth knocked out, an ankle injury, and even losing the tip of a finger! Thankfully, for Craig’s health, he has now retired from the role.
When it comes to female action stars who do their own stunts, Michelle Yeoh is arguably the best. The Malaysian-born actress has been doing her own stunts for decades. While Yeoh’s notable for doing her own fight scenes, and kicking ass whether she’s unarmed or wielding a sword, shield, or other… items… she has also done her fair share of risky stunts involving vehicles, such as her early work in films like “Supercop.” Even if she hadn’t made a movie called “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” we know Michelle Yeoh can do it all!
The Italian Stallion hasn’t always done his own stunts throughout his long career, but when he can, he does. Sylvester Stallone has frequently done his own fight scenes, particularly in the “Rocky” films, where, as the titular boxer, he’s on full display in the ring. Even in a recent film like “Samaritan,” Stallone is still right there doing a lot of his own fighting himself. But, like any fighter, Stallone has had plenty of injuries, like getting a broken neck while on “The Expendables” or ending up in intensive care after a real punch from Dolph Lundgren. No wonder he’s advised others not to do their own stunts - he’s got the bruises to prove it’s a bad idea.
Tony Jaa is a Thai action star who got his start as a stuntman, so it’s no surprise that he does nearly all his own stunts. The man can flip, free run, and fight like the best of them - he even developed his own style of Muay Thai! Jaa has had many incredible stunts and action scenes throughout his career, from that famous one-take fight scenes from “The Protector,” to his many fantastic stunts in the “Ong-Bak” films. He will go to extreme lengths, even setting himself on fire and actually suffering burns, to get a stunt right! Now that’s dedication!
One major reason so many of Keanu Reeves’ characters look so cool on screen is that the vast majority of the stunts they do are done by Reeves himself. While the actor had to be talked into doing them early in his career, such as in “Speed,” doing incredible stunt work has become something Reeves is well known for. Reeves has trained extensively for his parts in “The Matrix” and “John Wick” franchises, doing most of his own fights and gunplay himself. He even jumped off a building multiple times - for real! Whenever we see him do something incredible, we inevitably have the same reaction - “whoa!”
Jason Statham is arguably the greatest British action star. Although he doesn’t do all of his own stunts, Statham is on record as claiming that he’s not scared to do any stunt, and he’ll do as much as productions will let him. Trained in multiple martial arts, Statham’s fight scenes frequently burst with creativity and feel authentic thanks to his presence. He’s also done plenty of crazy vehicular stunts, thanks to most of his biggest franchises being car or vehicle-related. In fact, Statham’s respect for stunt work is such that he believes stunt doubles and teams should be eligible for Academy Awards. And we can’t disagree.
When it comes to martial arts actors, Jet Li is one of the biggest names out there. Although Li uses a stunt double for most of his non-fighting stunts, his skill in combat, whether on screen or not, more than makes up for it! The guy has been told by multiple directors to slow down his movements because he was going too fast for the cameras! And even when he’s holding back, Li’s incredible skills have us in awe every time we see him in action. It may be stunt fighting, but it’s still mighty impressive.
We could do a whole list on the incredible number of insane, death-defying stunts Tom Cruise has done - and in fact, we have! Arguably Hollywood’s biggest daredevil, Cruise has continually pushed the limits of what he can do on film, to the point where he fired his safety personnel when they wouldn’t let him do a dangerous stunt! Cruise has scaled tall buildings, hung off of planes, jumped between buildings and off of cliffs - and done a TON of running in between! Cruise even flies a plane in “Top Gun: Maverick” - though only in the final scene. The fact that he’s over 60 and still pulling some of these things off is mind-boggling! A “maverick” indeed!
Jackie Chan is the king of stunts. While even he doesn’t do all of his own, he still does most of them, and the ones he does are so wild they make even most of the other entries on our list look tame! Given his martial arts prowess, Chan does a ton of stunt fighting. However, he has never shied away from dangerous falls, jumps, and other stunts either. Along with plenty of broken bones, burns, and other injuries, Chan has acquired an impressive number of jaw-dropping stunts to his name. Whether he’s paying tribute to other stunt performers or forging his own path, Jackie Chan’s stunts are always spectacular!
#20: Matt Damon
Since coming to prominence as an action star in the early 2000s, Matt Damon has done a lot of his own stunts. He’s perhaps most famous for his work on the “Bourne” franchise, as the titular character. As Bourne, Damon has jumped off a bridge and done underwater filming with no oxygen gear. Still, despite his willingness to do the former before, Damon has since developed a fear of heights. He’s still doing some of his own stuntwork, though, such as performing most of his own fight scenes in “The Last Duel.” Was he “Bourne” for this kind of work?
#19: Angelina Jolie
Not only is Angelina Jolie a supporter of good causes, but she also does her own stunts! Beginning with action roles like the titular “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” Jolie has tried to be as authentic as possible with many of her more risky maneuvers on screen. Although she has admitted that this is partly to impress her children, it certainly lends legitimacy to high-stakes moments, like when she’s leaping around or hanging out of moving vehicles, in films like “Wanted” or “Salt.” Here’s hoping her kids don’t try to imitate any of her high flying stunts at home!
#18: Hugh Jackman
Given that he has played the X-Man Wolverine for nigh on two decades, Hugh Jackman can sometimes feel like a superhero himself. He’s certainly reinforced that image by performing many of his own stunts. From leaping around on wires, to hanging off a train, Jackman has put a lot of himself in his most famous action role, and it certainly carries through on screen. Even so, for as much as he feels as invincible as Wolverine, Jackman has gotten injured sometimes on-set, such as in that aforementioned train scene. Hopefully, Jackman’s luck will carry through when he returns to the role again alongside Deadpool.
#17: Milla Jovovich
This Russian-American/Ukrainian-born actress and model is as tough as nails!A frequent fixture of sci-fi and horror action franchises, like “Resident Evil,” Jovovich performs nearly all her own stunts! She has trained in gymnastics and martial arts to prepare for roles like “Ultraviolet,” and the few times she hasn’t done a stunt was because it was deemed too dangerous, like a few jumps, such as in the original “Resident Evil” film. “Leeloo” has developed over the years from “multi-pass” to “multiple disciplines,” and is a badass in her own right.
#16: Christian Bale
Christian Bale is famous for his intense focus in his film roles, often going to extremes to get his body into shape. Naturally, the actor brings that same forcefulness and devotion to authenticity to his actions on screen, including his stunts. Bale did many of his own stunts in “The Dark Knight” films, although he was reportedly not allowed near the Batmobile for its stunts. Even he has his limits though, such as in “Rescue Dawn,” when a helicopter stunt proved too much for him. The guy may be Batman, but flying can be dangerous enough that we don’t blame him for being cautious.
#15: Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron may be delving further into action more recently in her career, but she’s jumping in with both feet and both hands! Theron did all or most of her stunts for films like “Atomic Blonde” and “The Old Guard.” Her long-take fight scene in the former is the stuff of legend, and she injured her thumb so badly on the latter, that she tore the ligament! Theron was inspired to go the extra mile recently after training with a certain other action star we’ll be discussing later. Hint - his first name rhymes with “Bleanu!”
#14: Arnold Schwarzenegger
When it comes to action movie stars, Schwarzenegger is one of the biggest and longest-running names. Arnold Schwarzenegger used to be a bodybuilder, so naturally, he was in great physical condition to perform many of the stunts during his early career. However, he has stayed in fantastic shape throughout his time in movies. Even later films of his, such as “Sabotage,” have seen Schwarzenegger performing his own stunts. And while he hasn’t done all of them in every movie, Schwarzenegger has still done plenty himself. Just look at how jacked he was in some of his films! We’d be surprised if they were able to find anyone that could double for him with that kind of physique!
#13: Donnie Yen
A famed martial artist/action star, Donnie Yen is one of the most famous Asian stars worldwide. The Hong Kong actor not only does most of his own stunts, but he is also responsible for choreographing others’, as he’s frequently in charge of it for most of his own films. Although Yen has been known to use doubles occasionally for some demanding things he can’t do himself, when it comes to combat and leaping around, Yen does nearly all of it himself. And when you can fight the way Yen can in real life, we’d be reluctant to tell him what he can’t do!
#12: Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford has had an extensive career in action and adventure films, most notably the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” movies. However, while many actors would probably “have a bad feeling” about putting themselves at risk for some shots, Ford is famous for doing a lot of his own stunt work. That famous boulder scene from “Raiders,” for example, is all Ford - they even filmed 10 takes, and he outran it every time! And age hasn’t slowed Ford down much either! He still did many of his own stunts for “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” as well as the recent “The Call of the Wild.” Never tell him the odds!
#11: Buster Keaton
Early cinema also saw its fair share of incredible actors who did their own stunts. Buster Keaton is one of the all-time greats, doing not only most of his own stunts in his movies, but also some for other characters! Some of his stunts are still absolutely incredible today. The man fell down buildings! He held on to moving vehicles, both while running and in the air! In “Steamboat Bill, Jr.,” a 2-ton prop house fell down around him! All these incredible stunts were achieved by Keaton himself, and many without a word spoken on screen. Even the name he was known by “Buster,” is reportedly in reference to his incredible durability.
#10: Tom Holland
Given his relatively young age, Tom Holland may not have been in the game as long as many others on our list, but he’s already making a name for himself in Hollywood for being willing to do many of his own stunts. A trained gymnast, Holland has lent his skill in acrobatics to his time as Spider-Man; performing many of the flips and leaps the web-slinging superhero does himself. Even his early film career in “The Impossible” or “In the Heart of the Sea” feature Holland throwing himself around to sell the danger and realism. But arguably the biggest stunt of his career, so far, is the plane sequence from “Uncharted,” which Holland says took a huge toll on him.
#9: Daniel Craig
007 is the world’s most daring fictional spy, so it’s only natural that one of the actors who’ve portrayed him would also be quite the risk taker. Daniel Craig prefers to do his own stunts whenever he can, which helps make his version of James Bond one of the most down-to-earth and gives his movies a visceral feel. Whether he’s hanging off a helicopter or on top of a moving train, Craig has been devoted to doing as much on camera as possible. However, all these stunts have led to many injuries on his part, including having several teeth knocked out, an ankle injury, and even losing the tip of a finger! Thankfully, for Craig’s health, he has now retired from the role.
#8: Michelle Yeoh
When it comes to female action stars who do their own stunts, Michelle Yeoh is arguably the best. The Malaysian-born actress has been doing her own stunts for decades. While Yeoh’s notable for doing her own fight scenes, and kicking ass whether she’s unarmed or wielding a sword, shield, or other… items… she has also done her fair share of risky stunts involving vehicles, such as her early work in films like “Supercop.” Even if she hadn’t made a movie called “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” we know Michelle Yeoh can do it all!
#7: Sylvester Stallone
The Italian Stallion hasn’t always done his own stunts throughout his long career, but when he can, he does. Sylvester Stallone has frequently done his own fight scenes, particularly in the “Rocky” films, where, as the titular boxer, he’s on full display in the ring. Even in a recent film like “Samaritan,” Stallone is still right there doing a lot of his own fighting himself. But, like any fighter, Stallone has had plenty of injuries, like getting a broken neck while on “The Expendables” or ending up in intensive care after a real punch from Dolph Lundgren. No wonder he’s advised others not to do their own stunts - he’s got the bruises to prove it’s a bad idea.
#6: Tony Jaa
Tony Jaa is a Thai action star who got his start as a stuntman, so it’s no surprise that he does nearly all his own stunts. The man can flip, free run, and fight like the best of them - he even developed his own style of Muay Thai! Jaa has had many incredible stunts and action scenes throughout his career, from that famous one-take fight scenes from “The Protector,” to his many fantastic stunts in the “Ong-Bak” films. He will go to extreme lengths, even setting himself on fire and actually suffering burns, to get a stunt right! Now that’s dedication!
#5: Keanu Reeves
One major reason so many of Keanu Reeves’ characters look so cool on screen is that the vast majority of the stunts they do are done by Reeves himself. While the actor had to be talked into doing them early in his career, such as in “Speed,” doing incredible stunt work has become something Reeves is well known for. Reeves has trained extensively for his parts in “The Matrix” and “John Wick” franchises, doing most of his own fights and gunplay himself. He even jumped off a building multiple times - for real! Whenever we see him do something incredible, we inevitably have the same reaction - “whoa!”
#4: Jason Statham
Jason Statham is arguably the greatest British action star. Although he doesn’t do all of his own stunts, Statham is on record as claiming that he’s not scared to do any stunt, and he’ll do as much as productions will let him. Trained in multiple martial arts, Statham’s fight scenes frequently burst with creativity and feel authentic thanks to his presence. He’s also done plenty of crazy vehicular stunts, thanks to most of his biggest franchises being car or vehicle-related. In fact, Statham’s respect for stunt work is such that he believes stunt doubles and teams should be eligible for Academy Awards. And we can’t disagree.
#3: Jet Li
When it comes to martial arts actors, Jet Li is one of the biggest names out there. Although Li uses a stunt double for most of his non-fighting stunts, his skill in combat, whether on screen or not, more than makes up for it! The guy has been told by multiple directors to slow down his movements because he was going too fast for the cameras! And even when he’s holding back, Li’s incredible skills have us in awe every time we see him in action. It may be stunt fighting, but it’s still mighty impressive.
#2: Tom Cruise
We could do a whole list on the incredible number of insane, death-defying stunts Tom Cruise has done - and in fact, we have! Arguably Hollywood’s biggest daredevil, Cruise has continually pushed the limits of what he can do on film, to the point where he fired his safety personnel when they wouldn’t let him do a dangerous stunt! Cruise has scaled tall buildings, hung off of planes, jumped between buildings and off of cliffs - and done a TON of running in between! Cruise even flies a plane in “Top Gun: Maverick” - though only in the final scene. The fact that he’s over 60 and still pulling some of these things off is mind-boggling! A “maverick” indeed!
#1: Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan is the king of stunts. While even he doesn’t do all of his own, he still does most of them, and the ones he does are so wild they make even most of the other entries on our list look tame! Given his martial arts prowess, Chan does a ton of stunt fighting. However, he has never shied away from dangerous falls, jumps, and other stunts either. Along with plenty of broken bones, burns, and other injuries, Chan has acquired an impressive number of jaw-dropping stunts to his name. Whether he’s paying tribute to other stunt performers or forging his own path, Jackie Chan’s stunts are always spectacular!
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