90s Action Movie Stars: Where Are They Now?

90s Action Movie Stars - Where Are They Now?

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the 90s Action Movie Stars - Where Are They Now?

For this list, we’ll be catching up with actors who made a big splash in the genre right before the millennium.

Who’s your favorite action star? Let us know in the comments.

Keanu Reeves

It didn’t take long for Keanu Reeves to establish himself as an action lead in the 90s. Both “Point Break” and “Speed” showed that he could handle high octane thrills. And as the decade came to a close, he cemented himself as an action star with his role in “The Matrix”. Although the 2000s were a bit uneven for him, Reeves roared back into the genre in a big way in 2014. His role as the brutal assassin John Wick showed he hadn’t lost a step since 1990. When he’s not starring in sequels to that film, you can count on him making hilarious cameos. Reeves also produces films, writes books, and rides motorcycles. And he’s apparently one of the nicest guys working in Hollywood today.

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Van Damme took the 1990s by storm with countless memorable action flicks. “Lionheart”, “Timecop”, “Universal Soldier”, and more showed the world what this Belgian born martial artist was really capable of. Given his reputation, it was a little surprising to see him turn to mostly direct-to-video fare after 1999. But Van Damme showed a ton of self awareness about where he was at with his 2008 film “JCVD”. In that movie, he played a partially fictional version of himself poking fun at being a down and out action star. Since then, he’s continued to appear in limited release films and voice roles. But one major exception came with “The Expendables 2”.

Chuck Norris

Before Norris was the subject of the internet’s earliest memes, he had established himself as a top martial artist and actor. A number of big roles in the 1980s paved the way for him to be pretty busy in the 90s. Outside of his films, Norris also appeared in nearly 200 episodes of “Walker, Texas Ranger” over the course of 8 years. Although he’s had a handful of film and TV credits since, it’s his offscreen work that’s kept him busy. Norris is an active philanthropist who’s donated time and money to several charities around the world. Additionally, he has become a successful author too. Every now and then, Norris will return to film or tv to remind people of his action packed roots.

Jet Li

What do you think famous action stars do in their spare time? Work out? Learn new martial arts? For Jet Li, he’s content to play a round of badminton, and work on his rare Tibetan bead collection. This famous martial artist broke into the film genre in the 1990s in his native China. After his appearance in “Lethal Weapon 4” introduced him to American audiences, his rise to prominence continued from there. Li worked pretty steadily internationally throughout the 21st century in everything from “The One” to the “Expendables” franchise. At the same time, he started pivoting towards doing more charity work. And after surviving the 2004 Indian Ocean

Linda Hamilton

Take one look at Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and you’d think she was going to be the next John McClane. Despite how much fans loved her thrilling scenes in that film, Hamilton didn’t really focus on trying to become a huge action star. Instead, she took on smaller roles on both television and film. Eventually, Hamilton became a bit jaded with the superficial nature of Hollywood. She largely stepped back from major movie roles in favor of tv work in a variety of genres. But Hamilton finally did make her way back to her biggest sci-fi franchise role with “Terminator: Dark Fate” in 2019.

Harrison Ford

Between the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises, Harrison Ford was already a household name when the 1990s came calling. Between multiple films as Jack Ryan and the world’s most kickass president in “Air Force One”, Ford never pressed pause on his career. Although Ford has definitely diversified his roles since the 90s, he doesn’t mind returning to franchises either. He reprised his roles as Han Solo and Deckard in long awaited sci–fi sequels. Ford also showed he was willing to join new big ticket franchises like Marvel when he signed up to play General Ross. With all this film work, it’s surprising he ever finds time to fly his airplanes or contribute to the plethora of charities he’s associated with.

Bruce Willis

When “Die Hard” dropped in 1988, few people may have expected that then comedian Bruce Willis would be a breakout action star. But after crawling through vents and jumping off a building, the trajectory of his career completely changed. Willis redefined what an action hero could be and unleashed a mass of action films in the 1990s and continued on into the 21st century. In the 2010s, he started to slowly transition away from doing a number of big releases in favor of more direct-to-video and streaming fare. His family eventually announced that he was struggling with health issues that made it increasingly difficult for him to act. Willis officially retired in 2022 with the support of his family and fans.

Jackie Chan

Famous before, during, and after the 1990s, Jackie Chan became legendary for the sheer amount of stunts that he was willing to do. But even the most talented action stars can recognize their limits. After working consistently through 2012, Chan formally announced that he’d be taking it easy on diving into risky stunts. But that declaration certainly hasn’t stopped him from working. Chan has done voice work in feature films like “Kung Fu Panda 3”. He’s also made a 2018 album, became the owner of several production companies, and even has a clothing line. Additionally, he has given a lot of time and money to a number of organizations and continues to provide assistance to others through the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation.

Sylvester Stallone

All it took was one boxing movie to launch Sylvester Stallone into super stardom. By the time the 1990s came around, Stallone had already given us three “Rambo” movies and three sequels to “Rocky”. Everything from “Demolition Man” to “Cliffhanger” supported his action streak while he experimented in other genres. Although his career hit some rocky patches (pun intended) in the aughts, Stallone eventually got back into what he was known for. Through the “Expendables” franchise, he paid homage to the action films that helped define his career. He also pulled in a number of fellow 90s stars. Since then, he’s continued shaking up expectations by starring in everything from “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” to “Suicide Squad” as King Shark.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

In the wake of becoming one of the biggest 90s action movie stars, Arnold Schwarzenegger went on to pursue a number of ambitions. The Terminator has had huge success in business and in politics. He’s amassed quite the amount of real estate over the course of his career, and has invested earnings in stocks, bonds, and many other companies. Schwarzenegger was most notably elected as the Governor of California in 2003. After he served as long as he could’ve, he said “I’ll be back” to the industry that made him famous. He’s appeared in both “The Expendables” and Terminator franchises. And while Schwarzengger can’t legally run for President of the United States, he signed on to play one in live-action for “Kung Fury 2”.