80's & 90's Action Stars That Are Classically Trained Actors

I've been away forever! But I wrote this little article that I hope y'all like-just in time for awards season.

Action!: Making It Look Easy
These days, it seems as if anyone who possesses a decent Instagram following is trying to become an actor. But it isn't as easy as it seems to have those lines come trippingly off the tongue. And once upon a time, it wasn't so easy to "fix it in post" or throw in some CGI to cover up a bad performance. In fact, just a few decades ago, even most of the actors who starred in relatively mindless action-adventure films were classically trained thespians. Here are some actors that once toiled in class to be certain that they had the right intentions, motivations and actions.

Val Kilmer
Before he was serving up a powerhouse performance as Iceman in the classic action film Top Gun, Val Kilmer was treading the boards at Juilliard. In fact, he was the youngest person admitted to the ultra-exclusive conservatory school for quite some time. In the eighties, not very many people were turning down roles in Francis Ford Coppola films, but Val Kilmer was. He was too focused on his theatre commitments and Shakespeare work to take a role in a Coppola film. Eventually, of course, Kilmer made his way to Hollywood—and the rest is history.

Mel Gibson
Perhaps Gibson never would have found his way to the blue paint—and his iconic role as William Wallace in Braveheart—if he hadn't applied himself as a drama student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in his home country of Australia. With a program that was geared more towards the British stage traditions, it nevertheless prepared Gibson very well for a life in cinema. After his successful run as an action-adventure star, he was able to parlay his success into a directing career.

Jennifer Connelly
Before Connelly took to the screen in films such as The Rocketeer, she was hard at work studying at Saint Ann's. At this private school in New York City, theatre students are required to learn all facets of the craft. Whether they're concentrating on acting on costume design, chances are that they will pick up a multitude of other theatre skills while studying at the highly acclaimed institution.

Nicolas Cage
Although the star of Con Air was born into the entertainment business—he's the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola—Cage dropped the surname of Coppola and chose to make it on his own merit in the entertainment business. Attending the well-regarded acting school at UCLA, Cage developed the tools he needed to create characters that have delighted audiences for decades now.

Linda Hamilton
It's difficult to imagine an actress more beloved than Linda Hamilton, who made her bones in the massive hit The Terminator. But before she nabbed the plum role of Sarah Connor, Hamilton was attending acting workshops given by the acclaimed acting coach Lee Strasberg.

Pierce Brosnan
Before he was taking on the massive responsibility of playing the world's most famous super spy James Bond, Pierce Brosnan was studying acting at the Drama Centre in London for three years. Not content to coast on his charming accents and good looks, Brosnan applied himself very seriously to his studies. After his education, he made sure to clock in some ample time on the stage, cementing his status as a very serious actor.

Danny Glover
Although many movie fans probably know Danny Glover from his iconic role in Lethal Weapon, he had undergone a great deal of training and starred in many serious character roles before he became Richard Murtaugh. At the Black Actors' Workshop, which was part of the American Conservatory Theater, Glover truly learned how to supercharge his tremendous stage presence. This dedication paid off. Throughout the years, he has seamlessly picked up all kinds of roles and made them his own. From comedy to drama, there's nothing this seasoned actor can't do.

Eric Roberts
As the son of actors and playwrights, Eric Roberts inherently understood just how important it was to apply himself to the serious study of his craft. This was how he eventually found himself at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. However, Roberts didn't stop studying there. Once he returned stateside, he joined the American Academy in New York. With all of this intensive training under his belt, perhaps it is no surprise that Roberts scored a plum stage role by the time he was 20. Although Roberts' movie star sister Julia may be more well-known to the public than he is, he definitely boasts the more impressive acting training resume.

John Cusack
Before John Cusack was tearing up the silver screen in the eighties and nineties, he was studying acting. It didn't hurt that his dad was in the industry; by the time he was in elementary school, Cusack was learning the ropes at the acclaimed Piven Theatre Workshop in Chicago. It wasn't long before the Grosse Pointe Blank star parlayed his acting education in class into a stage career, even starting a theatre group himself. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the charismatic actor was spotted by casting directors and Hollywood came calling.

Ving Rhames
Prior to accepting the iconic nineties role of Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction, Ving Rhames studied at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. Following up his high school experience, he enrolled at drama school at SUNY Purchase and then eventually made his way to Juilliard. After his graduation in the early eighties, he was ready for the big screen—and it was ready for him. Through it all, Rhames has been incredibly gracious. When he won a Golden Globe that he felt should have been awarded to Jack Lemmon instead, he gave it to the veteran actor, who had also spent a lot of time training for the theatre during his youth.

Putting Classical Chops to Work
Indeed, it is easy to see how the time spent exploring a character in acting school can translate to the big screen. While action-adventure stars may not have a lot of time to study their roles ahead of the shoot, those who are classically trained can fall back upon their education to carry them through. With such an accomplished list of eighties and nineties action-adventure stars with classical backgrounds still making it in the big-time, it's easy to see why a solid stage education is necessary.