Anyone can play a tough guy on screen. With all of the personal trainers and martial arts choreographers making the fights look extra juicy, it’s hard to tell which actors could actually hold their own on the street. The answers may surprise you. * This list does not include guys who were trained fighters who got into acting, i.e. Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Stegan Segal (Although the guys on the list would probably take Segal) or Joe Rogan, who doesn’t act anymore.
5. Michael Clarke DuncanThe most obvious choice on the list, but MCD is not here just because of his 300 pound frame. Duncan is a Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and stays in great shape. And yes, being an absolute monster doesn’t hurt his resume.
http://www.cineclub.de/images/2000/the_green_mile_2.jpg
4. Mickey RourkeNo, he’s not a real wrestler. The Oscar Nominee and Golden Globe winner left acting in the early 1990s and became a professional boxer. His pro record was posted as 6-0 and was reportedly being considering for a cruiserweight world title fight. Boxing, however, cost Mickey his classic good looks.
3. Ed O’NeilDon’t laugh, or Al Bundy just may break your arm off and smack you with it. On top of being a high school football star and a great shoe salesman, Ed is a certified Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, trained by a member of the royal Gracie family. He has been training for nearly two decades, and knows a thousand ways to make you tap out. Here is O’Neil reaching the top of the game.
2. Kevin JamesYou betcha. The King of Queens, and one of the most likeable guys on the planet, is a funny man to be reckoned with. He is an avid MMA fan and now MMA practitioner. Kevin knows how to throw his weight around. Check out this video. The guy he is working with is one of the baddest guys on the planet and a bona fide legend.
1.Sean Patrick FlanneryThe toughest guy in Hollywood played Powder. Just a lightweight at 165lbs, Flannery possesses the weapons to render size a non-issue. The Boondock Saints' star is not only a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Rickson Gracie, but he is a full time martial arts instructor who has been trained in a variety of disciplines and can be considered a Mixed Martial Artist. He has won several Jiu-Jitsu championships. He is so dedicated to his training, that the first thing he asks when he accepts a movie role, is if and where he can train while filming. He even flew one of his instructors to India to train with him while he was on set. This guy is addicted and is very dangerous.
There is no real footage of Sean in action, but here is a nice clip from one of his films.
So the lesson here is that Vin Diesel is a poser. The second lesson, is that Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu is a very useful thing to train in. Here is a list of actors who do just that.
http://wikibin.org/articles/list-of-celebrity-brazilian-jiu-jitsu-practitioners.html
