Career: After deciding to become an actor, Stallone struggled to find decent roles. After running out of money and being made homeless he appeared in soft-porn flick The Party at Kitty and Stud's and had bit parts in several mainstream movies before writing Rocky. He persuaded producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler to not only buy it, but also let him star in it. The film was a massive success, won three Oscars and was followed by five sequels. He's directed several other movies and had hits with the Rambo series, Cliffhanger and Cop Land. Other films include a remake of Get Carter, Paradise Alley and Judge Dredd. More recently he's starred alongside other macho stars in The Expendables and its sequel. He was also behind TV series The Contender.

Career: On his arrival in the US, Van Damme didn't speak English, but claims he learnt the language by watching The Flintstones. He struggled to land parts at first, taking numerous odd jobs to make ends meet. Chuck Norris gave him a role in Missing in Action (1984) but several forgettable movies followed until he got his big break playing a villain in 1988's No Retreat, No Surrender. His good looks and amazing martial arts skills then led to leading roles in such films as Kickboxer (1989), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994) and Street Fighter (1995). He then went on to star in a number of poorly received movies. More recently, he voiced a character in Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) and played the aptly titled Jean Vilain in The Expendables 2 (2012).

Career: While modelling, he met then-unknown film-maker Guy Ritchie, who cast him in his first film, 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which put them both on the showbiz map. Statham went on to star in Ritchie's follow-up movie Snatch, and then started forging a career in Hollywood. Although John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars was a flop, he soon proved to be one of Britain's most reliable action stars, thanks to hits such as The One, The Transporter and its sequel; The Italian Job; Cellular; Chaos; Crank; War, and The Bank Job. He was among the action star dream line-up in The Expendables and its sequels, and has several more films in production.

Career: In his teens, he was already a national coach, and before he was 20, he had starred in his first movie, which started the 1980s Kung Fu boom in mainland China. He relocated to Hong Kong, where he was the biggest star of the early 1990s Kung Fu revival as well. After a string of successful films in which he performed all of his own stunts and dazzled audiences with his hand speed, he caught the eye of Hollywood and was cast in Lethal Weapon IV. He has followed it up with mainstream movies both in China and America and despite announcing he would make no more martial arts films, he is still an action star. His recent work includes The Expendables films.

Career: Lundgren made the move into acting and had a bit part in the 007 adventure A View to a Kill in 1985, but it was Rocky IV the same year that made him a household name. Lundgren also played He-Man in the movie Masters of the Universe (1987) and was the first actor to play Marvel comics hero The Punisher on the big screen in 1989. Other notable projects include 1992 blockbuster Universal Soldier and Keanu Reeves' sci-fi flop Johnny Mnemonic (1995). He's spent the past few years making a string of low-budget action adventures, including The Peacekeeper (1997), Hidden Agenda (2001) and The Defender (2004), appeared in Sylvester Stallone's action flick The Expendables (2010) and its two sequels and returned to the Universal Soldier franchise for two sequels. In 2013, he began starring in American TV action drama SAF3.

Career: Willis started out on stage and had small parts in movies and on TV before landing a lead role in hit series Moonlighting in 1985. The show's success led to major film roles and a brief stint in music. In 1988 he scored a massive hit on the big screen with Die Hard. Other successes include Pulp Fiction, Twelve Monkeys, Armageddon, The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. In 2001 he announced he was steering clear of violent roles, but relented and went on to star in Hostage, Sin City and 16 Blocks. He scored another major success with A Good Day to Die Hard, and always has several movies in the pipeline (a fifth Die Hard film is being developed). Other recent films include Moonrise Kingdom, Red 2 and Sin City: A Dame to Die For.

Career: Made his movie debut in 1970's Hercules in New York, and gained a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer in 1976's Stay Hungry, but didn't become a star until Conan the Barbarian in 1982.The 1980s proved a successful decade thanks to hits Raw Deal, Predator, The Running Man, The Terminator and Twins, a rare foray into comedy. Terminator 2, True Lies and Junior followed these in the 1990s. In the latter years of his career he suffered a number of flops, and Terminator 3 was his last moderate hit. Today he is best known as the former Governor of California, although he has resurrected his big-screen career with roles in The Expendables 2, The Last Stand and The Tomb.