# Macho Actors of the Male Persuasion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503 "2014-07-06T23:08:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/1 "2014-07-06T23:08:28Z")
On the general topic, no holds barred. A few starter ideas: 1. Has the _macho_ factor changed over time? If so, in what direction? 2. Who is/was the epitome of _macho_? 3. Who is the most _macho_ actor working today? 4. Which movie had (or has) the most _macho_ cast? 5. Which TV series had (or has) the most _macho_ cast? =============================== Add more questions and/or subtopics as you see fit. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/2 "2014-07-06T23:42:54Z")
Most of the macho actors in Hollywood these days seem to be British or Australian; no more all-American two-fisted fightin’ he-men. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/3 "2014-07-06T23:45:23Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Most of the macho actors in Hollywood these days seem to be British or Australian; no more all-American two-fisted fightin’ he-men. As a wimpy white chic, my instinct is to counter with “Vin Diesel” and “The Rock”. They’re both American, aren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/4 "2014-07-06T23:57:30Z")
Danny Trejo is the most macho actor today. Him and Charles Bronson in an arm wrestling match for the title. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/5 "2014-07-06T23:59:29Z")
Sam Elliot. ---
**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:** [July 7, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/6 "2014-07-07T00:03:41Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > 1. Who is/was the epitome of _macho_? John Wayne? ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/7 "2014-07-07T00:03:49Z")
Brian Blessed. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/8 "2014-07-07T00:06:27Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > John Wayne? Hard to make a solid argument against The Duke, but I offer Robert Mitchum and Burt Lancaster as possibilities. And then there’s Steve McQueen in the next generation. ---
**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:** [July 7, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/9 "2014-07-07T00:12:27Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > Brian Blessed. He’s not macho, he’s [a wild yeti](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa5L8YjsiSk). (He’s also a vegetarian, which I think disqualifies him, despite all his other feats of manliness.) ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/10 "2014-07-07T00:26:38Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > (He’s also a vegetarian, which I think disqualifies him, despite all his other feats of manliness.) He’s punched the Dalai Lama and a polar bear in the fucking face. I think we can forgive him one flaw. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/11 "2014-07-07T01:15:43Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > He’s punched the Dalai Lama and a polar bear in the fucking face. I think we can forgive him one flaw. [Today, prudence shall be our watchword; TOMORROW I SHALL SOAK THE LAND IN BLOOD!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1k-pvCZ2Kw) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/12 "2014-07-07T04:06:23Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > “Vin Diesel” Macho in as much as a guy who can answer the question “is someone with 18 strength and 1d10 hit points per level a macho or a weak person?” truthfully and without hesitating. But that’s cooler now than it was 20 years ago. The factual answer to #4 is the _Expendables_ series. I mean that’s kind of the point of it! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/13 "2014-07-07T04:07:19Z")
I think the phrase the OP is looking for is “[¿Quien es mas macho?](http://norewardisworththis.tumblr.com/post/64845798933/snl-quien-es-mas-macho-sketch-from-2-17-19)” (video) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/14 "2014-07-07T04:08:37Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > The factual answer to #4 is the _Expendables_ series. I mean that’s kind of the point of it! Have you looked at Stallone’s eyebrows lately? Man looks like an 80 year old drag queen. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/15 "2014-07-08T11:16:54Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Most of the macho actors in Hollywood these days seem to be British or Australian; no more all-American two-fisted fightin’ he-men. Mark Wahlberg, who has so much swagger he played a guy named “Swagger,” recently took a break from playing soldiers and cops to shirtlessly uppercut folks as _The Fighter_, after which he took roles from ‘Navy SEAL’ to ‘private eye of the fistfight-and-car-chase type’ to ‘steroid-fueled bodybuilder who turns to a life of crime’. Oh, and he’s apparently the go-to guy for a _Six Million Dollar Man_ movie. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/16 "2014-07-08T11:26:58Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > As a wimpy white chic, my instinct is to counter with “Vin Diesel” and “The Rock”. They’re both American, aren’t they? They both are, and they’re both good examples of the evolution of the movie “tough guy.” Both tend to come across, both on and to a lesser extent off screen, as smarter and more nuanced than 80s-style action heroes. Arnold and Sly are both demonstrably smart dudes in real life, but their film roles tended to be pretty consistently meathead. And guys like Van Damme and Seagal seem positively cartoonish in hindsight. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/17 "2014-07-08T11:45:39Z")
Anthony Quinn. This thread is now done. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/18 "2014-07-08T12:20:23Z")
I see a whole lot of Anglos listed - surely the answer of “Most macho” would be more along the lines of Antonio Banderas or Danny Trejo 😉 Hence _Spy Kids_ is the most macho movie 🙂 (OK, _Desperado_, then) ETA: Quinn gets a pass. Points off for the namechange. Danny Trejo gets my vote for “most macho”, regardless, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/19 "2014-07-08T13:22:22Z")
Nah, Banderas is actually quite the puss… add my vote to Trejo. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503/20 "2014-07-08T13:24:28Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Hard to make a solid argument against The Duke, but I offer Robert Mitchum and Burt Lancaster as possibilities. And then there’s Steve McQueen in the next generation. Lee Marvin’s gotta make the list somewhere. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macho-actors-of-the-male-persuasion/692503.md?page=2)