Best musclebound actor

[dps]

Bruce Lee was hardly musclebound.  Yes, he was extremely fit, but he was wiry, pretty much the opposite of musclebound.

[Sophie Scholl]

Bruce Lee was hardly musclebound.  Yes, he was extremely fit, but he was wiry, pretty much the opposite of musclebound.

I suppose.  I was thinking more along the lines of getting the parts due to his martial arts background initially.  Van Damme is listed and he was closer to a Lee build than an Ahnold one when he broke onto the scene.  It was only later he added a lot of muscle mass.

[DontSayBanana]

I almost left out Ferrigno because his career was really short and he didn't even speak in his most famous role. But he's probably one of the buffest actors ever so I kinda felt I had to put him in.

Clarke Duncan almost always played bouncers/hitmen/etc... despite not really being a leading action man. His physique really drove his career.

He was great in one of his last roles, on a short-lived spinoff of Bones called The Finder.  Everybody assumed he was the bodyguard because of his size, but he was actually the lead's attorney.  It was a neat gimmick for a show- a PTSD'ed vet who didn't believe in anything supernatural and yet had an unexplained clairvoyant ability to "find" just about anything he was hired to dig up.  Unfortunately for all involved, the lead actor and the episodic writing in general phoned it in to the point that it wasn't renewed for a second season.

Other than that, I'd have to go with Sly Stallone.  His partial paralysis affecting his ability to visibly emote, one wonders what he'd be able to pull off without it.

[lustindarkness]

Based on your definition, I could have voted for any of the first 4, but I went with the current one (The Rock), not the dinosaurs.

[Caliga]

I'm not quite sure how to answer, as Arnold was in his prime the epitome of the Hollywood action hero and defined the archetype that all of the others tried to emulate.

However, he's not that great of an *actor* aside from his comedic talent... like, he was laughably bad in End of Days when he tried to act in dramatic parts.

Stallone is actually a surprisingly good actor and IMO should have won Best Actor for Rocky in 1976 (though the guy who won, Peter Finch, also had an amazing performance for Network that year so I don't exactly think Stallone was robbed).

I think I will have to vote for Arnold because he created the genre single-handedly, but Stallone is far and away a more talented actor.

[Eddie Teach]

I don't think Stallone is that good; all his characters remind me of Rocky.

[Caliga]

I don't think Stallone is that good; all his characters remind me of Rocky.

All of Joe Pesci's characters are pretty much the same too yet everyone seems to think he's a great actor.

[Maladict]

Van Damme, based only on JCVD. I recall reading that he thinks the language barrier kept him from acting well, and after seeing the movie I'm inclined to believe him.

[The Brain]

Van Damme, based only on JCVD. I recall reading that he thinks the language barrier kept him from acting well, and after seeing the movie I'm inclined to believe him.

That's why Max von Sydow could never put in a great performance in international movies.

[Maladict]

Sure. Just let me rephrase.

I recall reading that he thinks Max von Sydow's language barrier kept him from acting well, and after seeing the movie I'm inclined to believe him.

[Tonitrus]

Van Damme, based only on JCVD. I recall reading that he thinks the language barrier kept him from acting well, and after seeing the movie I'm inclined to believe him.

That's why Max von Sydow could never put in a great performance in international movies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVTOag1lQHc

[celedhring]

Didn't think JCVD was that great. It was just weird.

[grumbler]

I don't think Stallone is that good; all his characters remind me of Rocky.

I'm with you.  Stallone was not a very good actor.  I can't think of a role that wouldn't have worked better with a better actor.

Now, Arnold was the same way, maybe even a bit worse, but he knew his limits (pretty much; End of Days, any one?).

Interestingly, both have won one Golden Globe and have been nominated for another.

[celedhring]

Interestingly, both have won one Golden Globe and have been nominated for another.

Which in the case of Arnold is extremely weird. His "acting" in Stay Hungry is probably one of the worst. He's actually better in any of his 80s actioners than in that. I mean, he was pretty much a non-actor by then, and it completely shows; he's just a dude with a thick accent repeating memorized lines. Now, it was a "best male debut" GG, so there wasn't much competition.

Anyway, Stallone has two acting Oscar noms on top of his GG, so I think he has Arnie beat on that department at the very least.

I will give you this though; Arnie is a much better comedian. We aren't talking Woody Allen here, but he knows how to use his screen persona to get laughs. Stallone's comedic chops are the stuff nightmares are made of.

[Brazen]

Voted Arnie but Jason Momoa might be a new addition to the list.