Fame is fickle and in Hollywood stars fade on a regular basis. There’s always someone hotter, younger and possibly more talented to replace you.
Despite the uncertain waters they tread throughout their careers, many have been tenacious in staying at the top. An almost surefire way to solidify your spot in Tinseltown is throwing yourself headlong into an action franchise.
It’s still a gamble, but if you get it right you can look forward to fame and fortune for years to come, as several Hollywood heavyweights have done.
This month M-Net Movies Showcase 108 is celebrating the action heroes who have made it to 40 and beyond, clinging successfully to their prime positions in Hollywood.
There are many to choose from, but we whittled the list down to ten, focusing on actors who are over 40, feature in a franchise, are still making movies, and stacks of cash to boot.
1. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Age: 67
Heavyweight Franchise: Terminator – five movies, five appearances
Net worth: $300 million
Staying Power: The upcoming Terminator Genisys
Watch him on M-Net Movies this May in Escape Plan.
2. Bruce Willis
Age: 60
Heavyweight Franchise: Die Hard – five movies, five appearances
Net worth: $150 million
Staying Power: The upcoming Rock the Kasbah
Watch him on M-Net Movies this May in our festival, Hollywood Heavyweights.
3. Chuck Norris
Age: 75
Heavyweight Franchise: Missing in Action – three movies, three appearances
Net worth: $70 million
Staying Power: The Expendables 2 in 2012
Watch him on M-Net Movies this May in The Expendables 2.
4. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Age: 43
Heavyweight Franchise: Fast and Furious – seven movies, three appearances
Net worth: $125 million
Staying Power: The upcoming San Andreas
Watch him on M-Net Movies this May in our festival, Hollywood Heavyweights.
5. Jackie Chan
Age: 61
Heavyweight Franchise: Rush Hour – three movies, three appearances
Net worth: $140 million
Staying Power: The upcoming Skiptrace
6. Jason Statham
Age: 47
Heavyweight Franchise: The Transporter – three movies, three appearances
Net worth: $40 million
Staying Power: Mechanic: Resurrection in 2016
Watch him on M-Net Movies this May in our festival, Hollywood Heavyweights.
7. Sylvester Stallone
Age: 68
Heavyweight Franchise: Rocky – seven movies, seven appearances
Net worth: $400 million
Staying Power: The upcoming Creed, the seventh movie in the Rocky franchise.
Watch him on M-Net Movies this May in our festival, Hollywood Heavyweights.
8. Tom Cruise
Age: 52
Heavyweight Franchise: Mission Impossible – five movies, five appearances
Net worth: $480 million
Staying Power: The upcoming Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
9. Vin Diesel
Age: 47
Heavyweight Franchise: Fast and Furious – seven movies, five appearances
Net worth: $75 million
Staying Power: The upcoming The Last Witch Hunter
Watch him on M-Net Movies this May in Fast and Furious 6.
10. Wesley Snipes
Age: 52
Franchise: Blade
Net worth: $1 million
Staying Power: Last year’s The Expendables 3
Honourable Mentions
We thought it would be wrong to leave women off the list, but the actresses we had in mind didn’t make it on since they’re only turning 40 this year.
However, because they pack as much power as the men listed above, we thought they deserved a mention.
Angelina Jolie
Age: 39
Heavyweight Franchise: Tomb Raider – two movies, two appearances
Net worth: $145 million
Staying Power: The upcoming By the Sea
Milla Jovovich
Age: 39
Heavyweight Franchise: Resident Evil – five movies, five appearances
Net worth: $36 million
Staying Power: The upcoming Survivor, with a sixth Resident Evil in the works and set to film in South Africa.
Do you agree with our list? Let us know using the hashtag #MNetHeavyweight on Facebook and Twitter.