Action stars of the ’80s: Where are they now?

This list is based on several sliding scales of badassery.

Debate all you like, the ’80s were the best decade for action movie making. From Hollywood to Hong Kong, stunt work, editing, and storytelling all caught up to real life at the right time and made legends out of guys named Schwarzenegger and Stallone. The ’80s introduced the world to directors like James Cameron (The Terminator), John Woo (A Better Tomorrow), and John McTiernan (Predator). And these guys needed big stars to complete their bigger visions.

Sylvester Stallone

Stallone, who had already made a mark with the first two “Rocky” films in the 1970s, starred in over 10 action films in the decade. The most notable were “Rocky III” (1982, pictured), “First Blood” (1982), “Rambo: First Blood Part II” (1985), “Rocky IV” (1985), “Rambo III” (1988) and “Tango & Cash” (1989). He was imposing in all his films and created a new action icon in Rambo.He has since appeared in films such as “Cliffhanger” (1993), “Judge Dredd” (1995), “Rocky Balboa” (2006), “Rambo” (2008), “The Expendables” series, “Creed” (2015), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017). He has also written and directed many films, including “Rocky Balboa” and “The Expendables” (2010). Stallone will be next seen in “Creed II,” “Rambo 5” and “Scarpa.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The former Mr. Universe was easily the top action hero of the decade, leaving his indelible mark with every film. Some of his most famous movies include “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Conan the Destroyer” (1984), “The Terminator” (1984, pictured), “Commando” (1985), “Raw Deal” (1986), “Predator” (1987), “The Running Man” (1987) and “Red Heat” (1988).Schwarzenegger went on to serve as the Governor of California from 2003 to 2011. He has a thriving business career aside from films. The actor also has several books to his credit, including his autobiography “Total Recall,” which released in 2012. His relationship with wife Maria Shriver ended in 2011 after it came to light that he had fathered a son out of wedlock. Recently seen in “Aftermath” (2017) and “Killing Gunther” (2017), his upcoming projects include “Triplets,” “The Legend of Conan” and “Viy 2: Journey to China.”

Bruce Willis

Willis, who played the lead role in the TV series “Moonlighting” (1985-89), emerged as one of the biggest action stars of the decade with his film “Die Hard” (1988, pictured). His portrayal of police detective John McClane earned him rave reviews and he continued to reprise the role in the coming years.Through the years, the actor has impressed audiences and critics alike with his films, including “Color of Night” (1994), “Pulp Fiction” (1994), “12 Monkeys” (1995), “The Fifth Element” (1997), “Armageddon” (1998), “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “Unbreakable” (2000), “The Expendables 2” (2012) and “First Kill” (2017). His guest appearance in the hit sitcom “Friends” in 2000 earned him an Emmy nomination. Willis’ upcoming projects include “Motherless Brooklyn,” “Die Hard: Year One” and “Glass.”

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Mel Gibson

Gibson is best remembered for his roles in the “Mad Max” (pictured) and “Lethal Weapon” series in the ’80s. While he continued to feature in action films, Gibson also dabbled in other genres. Some of his memorable films include “Braveheart” (1995), “The Patriot” (2000), “What Women Want” (2000), “Signs” (2002), “The Beaver” (2011) and “Blood Father” (2016). He made his directorial debut with “The Man Without a Face” in 1993 and won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his film “Braveheart” (1995). His stars dimmed considerably due to alcohol abuse and legal issues in 2006. He was last seen in “Daddy’s Home 2” in 2017 and will next feature in “The Professor and the Madman,” “Boss Level” and “Dragged Across Concrete.”

Harrison Ford

Ford gained prominence for playing two iconic action heroes: Han Solo and Indiana Jones. His roster of action films during the ’80s include “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980), “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981, pictured), “Blade Runner” (1982), “Return of the Jedi” (1983), “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984) and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989). With a career spanning six decades, the actor has proven to be one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, with major hits such as “The Fugitive” (1993), “Air Force One” (1997) and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015) to his credit. Ford last featured in the “Blade Runner” sequel “Blade Runner 2049” in 2017. His upcoming film is the yet-to-be-titled “Indiana Jones” sequel.

Jackie Chan

The Hong Kong-born actor revolutionized action films in the ’80s. Known to perform all his stunts, some of Chan’s unforgettable movies include “The Young Master” (1980), “The Big Brawl” (1980, pictured), “Dragon Lord” (1982), “The Protector” (1985), “My Lucky Stars” (1985), “Armour of God” (1986), “Dragons Forever” (1988) and “Police Story 2” (1988).

Chan has acted in over 150 films, including the “Rush Hour” series, “Shanghai Knights” (2003) and “The Karate Kid” (2010). A trained singer, he has released 20 albums so far. Apart from his film and music career, Chan serves as the Dean of the Jackie Chan Film and Television Academy under the Wuhan Institute of Design and Sciences and has his own line of clothing. He is also known for his philanthropic work. In November 2016, the actor was awarded an honorary Oscar by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his extraordinary achievements in film. Some of his upcoming films are “The Karate Kid 2,” “Rush Hour 4,” and “Shanghai Dawn.

Chuck Norris

The martial artist-turned-actor featured in ’80s action flicks such as “Missing in Action” (1984), “Missing in Action 2: The Beginning” (1985), “Code of Silence” (1985), “The Delta Force” (1986, pictured), “Firewalker” (1986) and “Braddock: Missing in Action III” (1988). Norris continued to act in action films throughout his career, including “The Hitman” (1991) and “The Expendables 2” (2012). He also starred in the TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1993-2001). Apart from his acting career, he founded his own school of martial art called Chun Kuk Do.

Dolph Lundgren

Recognized mainly for his action-oriented performances, Lundgren’s breakthrough role was in “Rocky IV” (1985, pictured), in which he played Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Some of his other notable films of the decade include “Masters of the Universe” (1987), “Red Scorpion” (1988) and “The Punisher” (1989). After the ’80s, the Swedish actor was seen in a number of films such as “Universal Soldier” (1992), “Johnny Mnemonic” (1995) and “The Expendables” series. He has also directed a few films, including “The Defender” (2004), “The Mechanik” (2005) and “Icarus” (2010). Lundgren will next be seen in movies “Without You I’m Nothing,” “Creed II” and “Aquaman.”

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Known as “The Muscles from Brussels,” Van Damme got his breakthrough role in “Bloodsport” (1988, pictured) that saw him portraying U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux. Following this, he continued to appear in other action flicks such as “Black Eagle” (1988), “Cyborg” (1989) and “Kickboxer” (1989). The actor has since appeared in films such as “Double Impact” (1991), “Universal Soldier” (1992), “Timecop” (1994) and “The Expendables 2” (2012). Van Damme has also directed three films so far: “The Quest” (1996), “Soldiers” (2010) and “Full Love” (2014). He was recently seen in “Kickboxer: Retaliation” (2018) and “Black Water” (2018), and his upcoming ventures include “We Die Young” and “The Bouncer.”

Carl Weathers

Underrated as hell, Weathers is best known as Rocky’s rival-turned-best friend Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies. But he also grabbed second billing under Schwarzenegger in Predator and starred in his own camp action classic, Action Jackson, in 1988. Weathers was a charmer. He’s basically playing Muhammed Ali in the Rocky movies. He’s the one fully-formed character in Predator (the traitor). And he plays a Harvard law graduate/ex-sports star/Detroit cop in Action Jackson, one of the best blaxploitation homages of the decade. He lived it off the field too as a star linebacker (Weathers played for the Raiders for two seasons). He looked like a bodybuilder, but could play smart, and he was hugely likable. Plus, dude was in a movie called Death Hunt starring two of the ’70s biggest action stars: Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson. He was larger than life, especially for Rocky fans.

’80’s resume: Death Hunt, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Predator, Action Jackson

There you have it, some of our heroes from the 80s…