# Greatest female action star? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2010, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692 "2010-08-09T11:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692/61 "2010-08-11T19:56:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It just occurred to me that nobody’s mentioned Carrie Fisher yet. And yes, I would consider Princess Leia an action character: For starters, she’s the only character in all eight movies who ever demonstrated an ability to shoot what she was aiming at. > > By the same token, Natalie Portman also qualifies, but I like Leia better than Amidala. Can’t say as I agree. An action hero has mano-a-mano fights with her opponents. Using guns instead of fists is perfectly acceptable, but not hiding behind a crate and popping up to shoot at someone. You have to be out in the open doing backflips and jumping over furniture. Hitting your target isn’t what makes you an action hero. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692/62 "2010-08-11T20:39:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It just occurred to me that nobody’s mentioned Carrie Fisher yet. And yes, I would consider Princess Leia an action character: For starters, she’s the only character in all eight movies who ever demonstrated an ability to shoot what she was aiming at. _Eight_ movies? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692/63 "2010-08-11T20:42:36Z")
Yeah, did I miss one? I mean, she’s not in all eight, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692/64 "2010-08-11T21:09:26Z")
I think maybe he means it only went to episode 6? Unless you are referring to the Christmas special or something. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692/65 "2010-08-11T21:54:58Z")
is there a more iconic female star than [![](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00018D3ZA.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) ](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00018D3ZA.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) ? ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692/66 "2010-08-11T21:58:04Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > > [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > > > Plus, Ron Perlman never looked better. > > Compared to whom, Piltdown Man? > 🙂 I’m going to use this phrase several times. What’s your PayPal account to deposit the royalties? > [@Superhal](#): > > (Minimum 3 films, if there’s enough nominees, I’ll make a poll.) > > Recently, there’s been a bunch of action films starring women (Kick Ass, Wanted, Kill Bill, etc.) but I prefer the Asian actresses like Michelle Yeoh. > > Also: does anybody like Cynthia Rothrock? She’s the one. Sigourney and trhe others were acting, Cynthia could literally kick your ass. Plus, she’s smoking hot. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692/67 "2010-08-11T22:33:43Z")
Possible nominees: Halle Berry (3 X-men films, 1 Bond movie, Catwoman) Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, True Lies, many others) Neve Campbell (Scream films…maybe “Scream Queens” as one giant category?) Pamela Anderson Lee (Barb Wire, Superhero Movie, and a bunch of action TV shows) Not Eligible?: Cameron Diaz (Some great action films under her belt, but too bad she’s much more famous for her comedies.) Lucy Liu (Nobody takes her seriously at anything.) Carrie-Anne Moss (Matrix X3, but other than Memento, she’s done nothing action-oriented, and even Memento would be on the borderline.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692/68 "2010-08-11T23:21:42Z")
> [@](#): > > I think maybe he means it only went to episode 6? Unless you are referring to the Christmas special or something. Episodes 4-6, two Ewok movies, and episodes 1-3. If I were going to include the Holiday Christmas Special, I’d also have included the Ewok and Droid cartoons, and the Clone Wars. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-female-action-star/549692.md?page=3)