Top 10 Best Action Movie Actresses

Explosions. Chase scenes. Mid-air flips off speeding motorcycles. And somewhere in the chaos, there's a woman reloading her weapon without blinking.

You know exactly who she is. She's the reason the villain's plan falls apart. She's the one walking away from the wreckage in slow motion like it's just another Tuesday.

These aren't your standard damsels or background extras. These are the actresses who don't just survive the action genre. They own it.

Some of them mastered martial arts. Others pulled off stunts that insurance companies probably still have nightmares about. A few made you believe they could rip a man's spine out with one hand and still look cool doing it. But they all did one thing better than anyone else. They made you believe no one else could've played that role.

Now it's your turn to decide who belongs on top. Vote for the actresses who owned the screen, stole the show, and made you wish you had nunchucks in your glove compartment.

The Top Ten

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards and was frequently cited as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood through much of the 2000s and 2010s. Jolie's career includes... read more

I love this woman. Maybe she had a bad-girl image before, but she's quite different now. I like how she proved that anybody can be bad and can do good things. Plus, she is truly badass in movies.
Perfect. A stunning woman, gorgeous face, luscious appeal, she can do everything in movies. Ahh! I'm so jealous!

I don't think there is a cooler female action character than Lara Croft. I don't think anyone can ever find an actress to play Lara Croft better than Angelina Jolie did.

I looked no further than this actress. She definitely deserves this spot. She does or did most of her own stunts. And I have to admit she is pretty sexy to boot.
Milla Jovovich

Milica Bogdanovna Jovovich, known professionally as Milla Jovovich, is an American actress, model, and musician. She became internationally known for her role in The Fifth Element and later starred in the Resident Evil film series. Jovovich has also pursued a music career and worked as a fashion model... read more

Milla Jovovich has a record for being the best. She's far greater than all the rest. No one else compares to her fighting skills. My girl is super bad. Don't deny her strong will.
Who else can kick ass in a humongous dress? While being a double agent, I must digress! She kicks zombie ass. Therefore, she can't be wrong because the RE films ROCK. So just go right along and vote her number one on this top 10 list! Otherwise, I'm afraid she might show you her fist.
Because she's a kickass woman who deserves her props, now vote her number one so she will be on top.

Alice is kickass in the Resident Evil series! No one can beat her, and Ellen Ripley needs some lessons from Milla because that woman is ugly and doesn't kick that much ass AT ALL! She is a poor representation of what a female action heroine should be.
Sigourney Weaver

Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver is an American actress and film producer. Following her film debut as a minor character in Annie Hall, she quickly rose to prominence in 1979 with her first lead role as Ellen Ripley in Alien.... read more

She does deserve the first slot. She shaped the way all other action heroines should be and was really the first badass female role.

Any chick that can take on Aliens pretty much on her own gets my vote. They move a lot faster than zombies.

No female actress is more badass than Ripley!
Kate Beckinsale

Kathrin Romary "Kate" Beckinsale (born July 26, 1973) is a British actress. After some minor television roles, she made her film debut in Much Ado About Nothing (1993) while still a student at the University of Oxford. She then appeared in British costume dramas such as Prince of Jutland (1994), Cold... read more

She is the most gorgeous, a talented actress, very convincing and utterly hot in her action performances. Definitely No. 1.

Damn! Kate looks way sexier than Angelina Jolie! That latex catsuit she's wearing in the Underworld series makes my mouth water!

She is fantastic! Action roles suit her more than anyone. She ROCKS in action movies.
Sandra Bullock

Sandra Annette Bullock is an American actress and producer. She is one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses and has received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Her notable films include Speed, Miss Congeniality, The Blind Side, and Gravity.
Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Anne Garner is an American actress and film producer. She made her film debut in the comedy Dude, Where's My Car? (2000). Following her debut, she appeared in several notable films, including Juno, Daredevil, Dallas Buyers Club, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day... read more

Alias, Daredevil, or Elektra? Vote for her!
Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Lynn Connelly is an American actress who began her career as a child model. She made her movie acting debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America. Connelly continued modeling and acting, starring in films such as the 1985 horror film Phenomena (her first leading role), the 1986... read more
Linda Hamilton

Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress. Known for portraying tough, resilient characters, she made her film debut in 1979.
She achieved fame with her starring role as Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984) and two of its sequels, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991... read more

Without her, Terminator would not be the same. She was the main character, even though people think it was Arnold.
Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress and producer. She gained major popularity during the 1980s and 1990s. Pfeiffer has earned international acclaim and numerous awards for her performances in both comedic and dramatic roles.
Mila Kunis

Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis is an American actress who was born on August 14, 1983, in the Ukrainian SSR. At seven, she moved with her family to Los Angeles in 1991.
She gained early fame as Jackie on That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006 and later starred in major films including Forgetting Sarah... read more

The Newcomers

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Rosario Dawson

Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress who made her film debut in the 1995 independent drama Kids. Her diverse career includes appearances in films such as He Got Game (1998), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Men in Black II (2002), Rent (2005), Sin City (2005), Clerks II (2006... read more
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Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is an actress, film producer, and film director with dual American and Israeli citizenship. She is best known for her roles as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Nina Sayers in Black Swan. Her performance in Black Swan earned her numerous accolades, including an Academy... read more

The Contenders

Uma Thurman

Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has starred in a wide range of films, including romantic comedies, dramas, science fiction, and action movies.
Some of her most notable roles include Pulp Fiction, Les Misérables (1998), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, The Producers, and Nymphomaniac... read more
Carrie-Anne Moss

Haven't any of you people seen The Matrix? Should be number 1, definitely.
Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones is a Welsh actress. Born and raised in Swansea, Zeta-Jones aspired to be an actress from a young age. She gained fame for her roles in films such as The Mask of Zorro, Chicago, and Traffic, and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Chicago.
Jodie Foster

Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, director, and producer who has worked in both film and television. She has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. Foster began her career as a child and is often regarded as one of the finest actresses... read more
Geena Davis

Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, voice actress, former model, and former archer. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Accidental Tourist (1988). She is also known for her roles in Thelma & Louise and A League of Their... read more
Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress, model, and singer. She made her film debut in North (1994).
Johansson is considered one of Hollywood's modern sex symbols and has frequently appeared on published lists of the sexiest women in the world.... read more

Scarlett Johansson should deserve the No. 2 position after Milla Jovovich. Look at her movies (Avengers 1, Avengers 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Lucy, Ghost in the Shell). They are all just action. Be honest and please vote for Hollywood's number one successful actress, Scarlett Johansson.

I can never take her seriously in her action movies. She's like Sigourney Weaver's character in "Galaxy Quest," doing exaggerated action poses.

She's badass and sexy, but I prefer Sigourney.
Famke Janssen

Famke Beumer Janssen (born November 5, 1964) is a Dutch actress, director, screenwriter, and former fashion model. She is widely recognized for her roles as Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye, Jean Grey and Phoenix in the X-Men film series, and Lenore Mills in the Taken film trilogy. Janssen also portrayed Ava... read more
Gal Gadot

Gal Gadot Varsano (born April 30, 1985) is an Israeli actress and model. At the age of 18, she was crowned Miss Israel 2004.
Gadot's first international film role came as Gisele Yashar in Fast & Furious (2009), a role she reprised in subsequent installments of the franchise. She's also widely... read more
Diane Lane

Diane Lane is an Oscar-nominated American actress. Born and raised in New York City, she made her screen debut in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Lane's later credits include Unfaithful, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Man of Steel.
Margot Robbie

Margot Elise Robbie is an Australian actress. She began her career appearing in Australian independent films and the soap opera Neighbours in the late 2000s. Robbie gained international recognition for her role in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), which earned her widespread acclaim.... read more
Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence is an American actress. She began her career in television with a starring role on the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show.
She's known for her performances in the X-Men film series, The Hunger Games franchise, Silver Linings Playbook (for which she won the Academy Award... read more

So well-known and so relatable but badass.
Peta Wilson
Olga Kurylenko

Ólga Konstantínovna Kurýlenko, born Ólha Kostyantýnivna Kurýlenko on November 14, 1979, in Berdyansk, Ukrainian SSR, is a Ukrainian-French actress and former model. She gained international recognition after starring as Camille Montes, a Bond girl, in the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace. Kurýlenko... read more
Ashley Judd

Ashley Judd is an American actress and political activist. She grew up in a family of successful performing artists. She is the daughter of country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of Wynonna Judd.
Elizabeth Olsen

Elizabeth Chase "Lizzie" Olsen is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films Silent House, Liberal Arts, Godzilla, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil War. She was also critically acclaimed for her performance in Martha Marcy May Marlene and has gained widespread recognition... read more