Move over, boys, because the girls have come to kick some ass. Although mostly dominated by male superstars, the action genre isn’t without its many incredible female action stars. From the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Milla Jovovich, Charlize Theron, and Linda Hamilton, audiences have been treated to many truly awesome female action stars. So without further ado, here are the best female action stars of all time.

10 Karen Gillan

Although predominantly starting her career in Doctor Who as his companion Amy Pond, Karen Gillan has more recently taken a shine to the action genre. Over the past decade, Gillan has been a key member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and starred alongside Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Nick Jonas in the two Jumanji movies as the butt-kicking action heroine, Ruby Roundhouse.
2021 allowed Gillan to become the action superstar she was born to be, with Gunpowder Milkshake. Although the movie wasn’t particularly memorable, what stood out was Gillan’s prowess as an action star, performing all her own choreography and the majority of her stunts.
Related: Doctor Who: The Best Companions of the Reboot Series, Ranked

9 Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Netflix

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has starred in a wide variety of genres. From her very first role in the soap opera Passions, to two fantastic horror movies, Final Destination 3 and 10 Cloverfield Lane, among many others. However, Winstead has predominantly taken the action genre by storm. Starring in Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Birds of Prey, and headlining in the sadly disappointing Netflix original action movie, Kate.
In all her action roles, Winstead delivers powerhouse performances and jaw-dropping choreography that cement her as a female action star to watch out for. We love everything that she does, and we can’t wait for her appearance in the upcoming Ahsoka series.

8 Zoe Saldaña

Paramount Plus

Zoe Saldaña has been crushing the box office for as long as we can remember. The action star has headlined two of the best and most successful action franchises of all time, with Avatar and the MCU. If it wasn’t for her spectacular performances as Neytiri or Gamora, the films she starred in wouldn’t be half as good. Outside these gigantic franchises, Saldaña similarly proved her action star prowess, kicking a lot of ass in movies like Colombiana, The Losers, and more recently The Adam Project. She always handles the fight scenes herself and doesn’t require any help from a stunt person. An aspect in action that enhances the action fluidity and authenticity. Something we love to see.

7 Halle Berry

Lionsgate

Halle Berry has delivered spectacular female action roles for decades. From starring in the 2000s’ X-Men franchise, the James Bond flick Die Another Day, and more recently, in perhaps her best action role yet, John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum. Berry is a star who has always shown off her action-hero prowess, however, she went above and beyond in John Wick: Chapter 3.
Before John Wick: Chapter 3 even went into production, Halle Berry expressed her interest in appearing in the franchise. Well, her voice was heard, as the character of Sofia was written solely with Halle Berry in mind. Berry went through extensive gun combat training and trained tirelessly to learn the flawless choreography that inhabits the world of John Wick, and the end result not short of sensational.

6 Zhang Ziyi

Columbia Pictures

From starring in martial arts classics like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of the Flying Dragons and the underrated The Grandmaster, Zhang Ziyi is without a doubt one of the most impressive and profound female martial artists in the business. Her stunning, fast-paced, and brutal martial arts skill set is deeply impressive, and her power to carry a scene is second to none.

5 Milla Jovovich

Constantin Film VerleihPathé Distribution

Whether she’s kicking a ton of zombie butt in the Resident Evil franchise, or an alien girl on the run from the authorities in The Fifth Element, Milla Jovovich never disappoints. Sadly, the majority of her movies aren’t great, especially the 2006 movie, Ultraviolet, that heavily relied on its unpolished visual effects. However, Milla Jovovich is always a joy to watch on screen. Thanks to Jovovich, her characters ooze with confidence, charisma, and forces to be reckoned with. She even went toe-to-toe with some gigantic monsters in 2020’s video game adaptation, Monster Hunter.

4 Linda Hamilton

Carolco Pictures

The great Linda Hamilton cemented her status as one of the best female action stars with just one role. Reprising her role as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, her character went from being a damsel in distress in the first Terminator movie into one of the most badass action heroines of all time. Armed with an impressive arsenal of weapons, Sarah Connor will do anything to stop Skynet’s uprising. Though, Sarah Connor wouldn’t be as awesome, resourceful or as inspiring without the legendary Linda Hamilton at the helm.

3 Michelle Rodriguez

Paramount Pictures

Headlining the Fast and Furious franchise as the most badass female character in the franchise, Michelle Rodriguez has been dominating action cinema for quite a while now. Starring in action blockbusters like Avatar, The Machete franchise, SWAT, and of course, the recent Dungeons and Dragons movie, where Rodriguez delivered perhaps her best performance to date, Rodriguez never disappoints.
Rodriguez always goes through rigorous training for her roles. The action superstar has attended numerous gun training courses for her roles, and most notably gained nearly 20 pounds of muscle for her role as Helga in Dungeons and Dragons. Similarly, Rodriguez does a lot of stunt driving, as evident in her role in the Fast and Furious franchise.
Related: Fast and Furious: The Best Characters From the Franchise, Ranked

2 Charlize Theron

Focus Features

Much like Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron pours her heart and soul into her action roles. For each of her roles, she goes through hours and hours of training in order to master the choreography for all of her scenes. Her roles in Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, and The Old Guard are without a doubt her best, and most impressive displays of her action-hero prowess. We really hope she one day joins the John Wick cast.

1 Michelle Yeoh

A24

There is simply no actor in Hollywood quite like Michelle Yeoh. She always delivers the best action possible, with her gorgeous flurry of martial arts strikes. She has starred in some of the best martial arts movies of all time, with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon at the top of that list.
Although having been one of the best martial artists in history for quite some time, Yeoh more recently took over Hollywood. Thanks to her Oscar-winning performance in the A24 multiversal masterpiece, Everything Everywhere All At Once, as well as starring in the MCU martial arts epic, Shang-Chi, Yeoh has just recently received the respect and praise she deserves.