The Hereford Times

Willis and Ford best action heroes

8:34am Sunday 4th May 2008

Old favourites Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford have tied for the top spot in a poll of the greatest ever action heroes.

The Pearl and Dean poll of 3,000 people found many feel that Willis set the standard for the 1980s action hero with his role as John McClane in Die Hard, a role he reprised for the fourth time last year.

Ford is fondly remembered as Han Solo in Star Wars and swashbuckling archaeologist Indiana Jones, a role he takes up later on this year - again, for the fourth time.

Third place was taken by Last Action Hero star Arnold Schwarzenegger, with 15% of the vote.

Kathryn Jacob, chief executive of Pearl & Dean said: "It seems I'm not alone in preferring the older breed of action hero - film fans across the UK agree the newer leading men just can't hold a candle to the old school versions.

"The fact that Bruce and Harrison can still attract cinemagoers in their millions is testament to their pulling power - and I will be first in the queue for the next Indiana Jones film on May 22."

Newer breeds of action hero Matt Damon (as Jason Bourne) and Daniel Craig (James Bond) achieved fourth and fifth-equal places in the poll.

Craig tied with other action hero stalwarts Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal and Mel Gibson in joint fifth place with 5% each.

Hugh Jackman was ranked in joint last place with Jean-Claude Van Damme with 4% of the vote.