Not only did Bronson’s
characters kill count-
less bad guys in
cold-blooded fashion,
he also flashed an
impressive physique
in movies like Hard
Times (1975) and
House of Wax (1953).
32
JIM BROWN JAMES CAAN VIN DIESEL
First of all, Brown
dominated the NFL
long before the
sport was wussified
with “targeting” and
“helmet to helmet”
personal-foul penal-
ties. Then he had
ass-kicking roles in
action films through-
out the 1960s and
’70s, including The
Dirty Dozen (1967)
and Slaughter (1972). He nabbed a starring
role in The Godfather
(1972), one of the
toughest films of all
time. Then, living
through Kathy Bates
shattering his ankles
with a sledgehammer
in Misery (1990) took
him to another level
of toughness. Extra
credit: Caan trained
regularly at Gold’s Gym
Venice for years. The shaved head,
the deep voice, the
guns busting out of
his T-shirts. Every
character Diesel plays
is an intimidator,
particularly those in
the Fast & Furious
and Riddick fran-
chises. Even as a
stockbroker in Boiler
Room (2000), he was
an imposing force.
MUSCLE & FITNESS
FEBRUARY 2016
CLINT
EASTWOOD
The older he gets,
the grittier he gets.
He was a bad man in
Dirty Harry (1971),
but more recently
he unflinchingly took
on gang violence in
Gran Torino (2008)
and played a tough-
as-nails boxing trainer
in Million Dollar
Baby (2004).
CHARLES
BRONSON