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- Blaine Turner
- Features Writer
- Cheng Pei-pei. Cheng Pei-pei is a legendary Chinese actress, acclaimed for being one of the earliest female action heroes ever to grace the screen. She earned that title while working for the celebrated Shaw Brothers Studio during the 1960s.
- Michelle Yeoh. What can be said about Michelle Yeoh that hasn’t already been said? She’s a living legend – the former Miss Malaysia is back in the public eye for her role in the critically-acclaimed 2022 blockbuster Everything Everywhere All at Once, but she’s been an international superstar since the 1980s.
- Moon Lee. Moon Lee may just be the queen of the Hong Kong Girls with Guns sub-genre. The former actress and stuntwoman took the lead role in many of the most well-known films of that type, including the genre-defining 1987 hit Iron Angels.
- Etsuko Shihomi. Etsuko Shihomi is a Japanese actress and martial artist trained in karate, Kenjitsu, and Shorinji Kempo. Throughout the 1970s, she starred in a slew of action films in which she demonstrated her expertise in these martial arts.
1. Cynthia Rothrock. Cynthia Rothrock is a martial arts expert and athlete, who went on to become a film actress, starring in a number of highly successful martial arts action movies. She first made a name as an action actress in Hong Kong before going on to wow audiences in her home turf.
- 12 'Charlie's Angels'
- 11 'The Assassin'
- 10 'So Close'
- 9 'Chocolate'
- 8 'Come Drink with Me'
- 7 'House of Flying Daggers'
- 6 'Green Snake'
- 5 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'
- 4 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'
- 3 'A Touch of Zen'
Director: McG
Brought to life by Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore, the female action heroes that endure three of the most referenced today rightfully deserve their own spot on this list. In the first entry of Charlie's Angels,the unstoppable protagonists are called into action, resorting to their plethora of high-tech gadgetry and putting their impeccable martial arts moves to use. There is hardly any doubt that the 2000 film is one of the most unforgettable in action, and its iconic leads also p...
Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou — who won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival when the film premiered —the historical action drama The Assassin is set in 18th-century China and introduces viewers to Shu Qi's Nie Yinniang, a female assassin who embarks on a dangerous mission to kill a political leader. Featuring eye-candy visuals that lure audiences in and keep their interest throughout,The Assassin successfully provides viewers with a compelling narrative in addition to an intriguing female...
Director: Corey Yuen
Bringing action and thriller genres together, this glossy 2002 Hong Kong action movie directed by Corey Yuen follows two tough badass sisters and computer hackers (Shu Qui and Zhao Wei) as they're pursued by criminals who hired them and a female cop (Karen Mok). Part of what makes So Close stand out is how it delivers an action-packed storyline, perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the 2000s, and shines a light on girl power without making it feel disingenuous. The female leads are three-dimen...
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
In this unconventional but charming martial arts Prachya Pinkaew film, a sweet but deadly girl with autism, played to perfection by JeeJa Yanin, who happens to be an extremely skilled martial arts fighter, collects on debts owed to her sick mother by making all the people who owe her pay. A bizarre and overlooked but quite entertaining movie of the genre,Chocolate counts on beautifully choreographed fight sequences led by an unforgettable protagonist (mimicking martial arts just by watching h...
Director: King Hu
Come Drink With Me is another woman-led martial arts film that's a certified classic. Starring the incredible Cheng Pei-pei as the main protagonist, the 1966 King Ku film follows Golden Swallow, a fighter-for-hire tasked with a mission to retrieve the governor's kidnapped son (who is also her brother). Come Drink With Meis surely an essential among female martial arts movies, especially considering how treasured and ahead-of-its-time the wuxia film is, and how it paved the way for the well-kn...
Director: Zhang Yimou
With Ziyi Zhang in the lead role, House of Flying Daggers byZhang Yimou is a movie that combines action and romancewith amazing results. The film is set during the reign of the Tang dynasty in China and centers around an army of rebels called "The House of the Flying Daggers," who fight against a weak and corrupt government. When Mei is arrested, a police captain breaks her free and helps her rejoin her fellows. Although some viewers agree that the House of Flying Daggers' storyline falls rel...
Director: Tsui Hark
Based on the novel of the same title by Lilian Lee, Green Snake sees two snake spirits (Joey Wang and Maggie Cheung) who assume human forms and navigate through life as they learn about love and suffering. In the meantime, one of the sisters interferes with the romance between her sibling and an unfortunate man (Wu Hsing-kuo). Violent and enthralling are two words to describe Tsui Hark's 1993 film, which certainly deserves a nod for the best female martial arts films. Like many other Asian mo...
Directors: The Daniels
At this point, one has to be living under a rock not to have at least heard of Everything Everywhere All at Once by The Daniels, who also won Best Director on top of winning Best Picture at the Academy Awardsjust last year. Equal parts weird and brilliant, this genre-bending 2022 hit feature combines comedy, drama, sci-fi, and martial arts action to extraordinary results as it follows a Chinese immigrant's (Yeoh) quest to save the multiverse from irreversible damage. There are several great t...
Director: Ang Lee
Arguably the best movie starring Yeoh (aside from EEAaO), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a highly popular Ang Lee martial arts drama film that centers around the chase to find a stolen sword. A memorable feature of the genre that endures a highly praised one, Ang Lee's incredible Chinese adventure action tale — considered his masterpiece by many — is a stunning celebration of the genrethat counts on an enthralling storyline that still holds up today. On top of this, its visuals are top-not...
Director: King Hu
With a nearly flawless score on the Tomatometer, this 1971 epic stars Feng Hsu and focuses on a princess on the run from Gen. Ou-Yang Nin (Tien Peng), who murdered her entire family. In the meantime, she sweeps an unmotivated, unambitious artist in his early 30s off his feet, which leads him to join her quest alongside skilled Buddhist monks. Adapted from the classic Chinese story "Xianü" in the book Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling, A Touch of Zen is a top-tier addition t...
- Daniela Gama
- Senior Author
- Michelle Yeoh. Born in Malaysia, Michelle Yeoh is widely regarded as one of the best martial arts actresses of all time. With a background in dance, Yeoh transitioned into martial arts, where she immediately showcased an elegant and acrobatic style.
- Cynthia Rothrock. Cynthia Rothrock, a Pennsylvania native, is a five-time World Karate Champion in forms and weapons. Rothrock started training in karate at the age of 13 and transitioned to acting in the mid-1980s and quickly rose to fame with her incredible martial arts skills and charismatic on-screen presence.
- Zhang Ziyi. One of China’s most famous actresses, Zhang Ziyi, has both acting prowess and an impressive martial arts repertoire. Despite not having formal martial arts training, Zhang’s background in dance allowed her to pick up complex martial arts choreographies swiftly.
- Gina Carano. A former MMA fighter who competed for EliteXC and Strikeforce, Gina Carano transitioned to acting after retiring from MMA in 2009. She quickly became one of the most recognized female martial arts actresses in Hollywood, known for her brute strength and technical prowess.
Inside Kung Fu's" "Star" ratings for women began in 1980, Karen garnering that #1 title as well. Karen Sheperd was one of the first women to appear on the covers of major Martial Arts magazines such as "Black Belt", "Inside Karate", "KICK", and many more.
Sep 24, 2023 · 30 Best Martial Arts Movie Stars: 1. Bruce Lee · 2. Jackie Chan · 3. Donnie Yen · 4. Jet Li · 5. Tony Jaa · 6. Jean-Claude Van Damme · 7. Michael Jai White · 8. Sammo Hung
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Cynthia Rothrock is an American martial artist and actress best known for her martial arts films. She holds black belt rankings in seven styles of martial arts and was a high-level competitor in martial arts before becoming an actress.
