7. Jason Statham
Known around the world as someone you don’t mess with, Jason Statham has played some incredibly tough characters in multiple blockbusters. Few knew him as a professional diver, which was his career of choice before he got into acting. The Derbyshire native was action on the British National diving team for more than ten years, even going on to take part in the Commonwealth Games of 1990.
Jason Statham
Stratham would later model for some of the biggest fashion brands in the industry, and it would be during this time that he was introduced to a few important movie directors. An encounter with then up-and-coming director Guy Ritchie would lead to an invitation to audition for 1998’s ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and following his acclaim in the role, he would subsequently become a top earner at the box office, with his films making a combined total of more than $1 billion throughout his career.
8. Chuck Norris
A legendary figure in Tinseltown, Chuck Norris inspired hordes of jokes-facts around the world, including the infamous “Chuck Norris can make an onion cry” and its surrounding memes. Few people know about his past as a martial artist, with accomplishments including black belts in three different styles, as well as founding his own fighting school titled Chun Kuk Do.
Chuck Norris
With a breakout role in Bruce Lee’s 1972 film ‘The Way of the Dragon’, Chuck branched out from martial arts and focused his attention on acting, gaining prominence with audience favorite roles in ‘Good Guys Wear Black’, ‘Forced Vengeance’, ‘The Delta Force’ and more. 1993 would be a career-changing year for Chuck once again, landing a role as everyone’s beloved ranger from Texas, with multiple generations getting hooked to the show.
