The Top 10 Exploding Helicopter Actors

Here, in the Exploding Helicopter hall of fame, we aim to reveal which Hollywood actor provides the best guarantee of witnessing chopper fireball action in a film.

This list is a work in progress, so we'll be adding names and updating scores as we work our way through the canon of exploding helicopter films.

To qualify for entry, actors must have appeared in at least four films which feature an exploding helicopter.

RANK: 1 - Mike Monty


Exploding helicopter films: 15

    • Raiders Of Atlantis (1983)
    • Tornado: The Last Blood (1983)
    • Slash (1984)
    • The Firebird Conspiracy (1984)
    • Commando Leopard (1985)
    • Double Target (1987)
    • Tough Cop (1987)
    • Phantom Soldiers (1987)
    • Eye Of The Eagle (1987)
    • The Last American Soldier (1988)
    • Dog Tags (1988)
    • The Commander (1988) uncredited
    • Eye Of The Eagle II (1989)
    • Last Platoon (1988)
    • Last Flight To Hell (1990)
    If you are asking yourself ‘Mike who?’, don’t be embarrassed. Unless you are well-versed in exploitation and low budget genre cinema, you are unlikely to have come across Mr Monty’s work. During the Sixties and Seventies, he was a prolific face – often uncredited - in Italian-made schlock, appearing in everything from Westerns and war movies to soft-core porn. However, it was after relocating to the Philippines that Michael O’Donnell – as he was really called – became a key figure in the world of exploding helicopter cinema. The country had become a mecca for the booming ‘Namsploitation’ genre and filmmakers who wanted to make cheap Rambo knock-offs for the home video market. A perennial presence in these films, Mike Monty has racked up a truly formidable number of exploding helicopter films. Sir, we salute you!
        

    RANK: 2 - Dolph Lundgren

    Exploding helicopter films: 12


    RANK: 3 - Samuel L Jackson

    Exploding helicopter films: 11



    RANK: = 4 - Eric Roberts

    Exploding helicopter films: 10

    • Heaven's Fire (1999)
    • The Alternate (2000)
    • The Dark Knight (2008)
    • The Expendables (2012)
    • Skin Traffik (2015)
    • Monster Island (2019)
    • Top Gunner (2020)
    • Ape vs Monster (2021)
    • Megalodon The Frenzy (2023)
    • DC Down (2023)

    RANK: = 4 - Jim Gaines


    Exploding helicopter films: 10

    • DNA (1996)
    • Escape To Nowhere (1990)
    • Dog Tags (1988)
    • Robowar (1988)
    • The Secret Of King Mahi’s Island (1988)
    • Phantom Soldiers (1987)
    • Opposing Force (1986)
    • POW The Escape (1986)
    • American Ninja (1985)
    • Apocalypse Now (1979)

    RANK: = 4 - Donald Pleasance

    Exploding helicopter films 10


    RANK: = 5 - Gary Daniels

    Exploding helicopter films: 9

    • The Secret Of King Mahis Island (1988)
    • Firepower (1993)
    • Deadly Target (1994)
    • Riot (1996)
    • Epicenter (2000)
    • Retrograde (2004)
    • The Expendables (2010)
    • A Hitman In London (2015)
    • Dancin' It's On! (2015)

    RANK: = 5 - Arnold Schwarzenegger

    Exploding helicopter films: 9

    RANK: = 5 - Glenn Morshower


    Exploding helicopter films: 9

    • The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
    • Defense Play (1988)
    • Under Siege (1992)
    • Godzilla (1998)
    • Black Hawk Down (2001)
    • The Island (2005)
    • Transformers (2007)
    • Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
    • Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

    RANK: = 6 - Sylvester Stallone

    Exploding helicopter films: 8


    RANK: = 6 - Charles Napier


    Exploding helicopter films: 8

    • Rambo: First Blood Pt II (1985)
    • Raw Justice (1994)
    • Future Zone (1990)
    • Riot (1996)
    • The Last Match (1990)
    • Cop Target (1990)
    • Armstrong (1998)
    • Indio 2 (1991)

    RANK: = 6 - Pierce Brosnan

    Exploding helicopter films: 8


    RANK: = 6 - Bruce Willis

    Exploding helicopter films: 8


    RANK: = 6 - Michael Dudikoff


    Exploding helicopter films: 8

        • Navy Seals vs Zombies (2015)
        • Soldier Boyz (1995)
        • Cyberjack (1995)
        • American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1990)
        • Air America (1990)
        • American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987)
        • American Ninja (1985)
        • Uncommon Valor (1983)

        RANK: = 6 - Desmond Llewelyn


        Exploding helicopter films: 8

          • From Russia With Love (1963)
          • You Only Live Twice (1967)
          • Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
          • The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
          • A View To A Kill (1985)
          • Goldeneye (1995)
          • Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
          • The World Is Not Enough (1999)

          RANK: = 7 - Michael Madsen

          Exploding helicopter films: 7


          RANK: = 7 - William Smith

            Exploding helicopter films: 7

              • Commando Squad (1987)
              • Red Dawn (1984)
              • Bulletproof (1987)
              • Jungle Assault (1989)
              • Taken Alive (1995)
              • Doublecross On Costa's Island (1997)
              • Hell On The Battleground (1988)

              RANK: = 7 - Michelle Rodriguez

              Exploding helicopter films: 7


              RANK: = 7 - Art Camacho



              Exploding helicopter films: 7

              • Half Past Dead (2002)
              • Half Past Dead 2 (2007)
              • Ring Of Fire: Lion Strike (1995)
              • Cyber Tracker (1994)
              • CIA II: Target Alexa (1993)
              • Firepower (1993)
              • To Be The Best (1993)

              RANK: = 7 - Sven Ole Thorsen


              Exploding helicopter films: 7

              • Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
              • The Sum Of All Fears (2002)
              • The Alternate (2000)
              • Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998)
              • On Deadly Ground (1994)
              • Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
              • Predator (1987)

              RANK: = 7 - Martin Kove


              Exploding helicopter films: 7

              • Crocodile 2: Death Swamp (2002)
              • Rambo: First Blood Pt II (1985)
              • The Chemist (2015)
              • To Be The Best (1993)
              • Firehawk (1993)
              • Soft Target (2006)
              • Shadow Warriors: Assault on Devil's Island (1997)

              RANK: = 7 - Chuck Norris

              Exploding helicopter films: 7



              RANK: = 7 - Don 'The Dragon' Wilson

              Exploding helicopter films: 7


              RANK: = 7 - Steven Seagal

              Exploding helicopter films: 7


              RANK: = 7 - David Carradine


              Exploding helicopter films: 7

                • POW The Escape (1986)
                • Future Force (1989)
                • Bird On A Wire (1990)
                • Future Zone (1990)
                • Field Of Fire (1991)
                • Double Trouble (1992)
                • Kill Zone (1993)

                RANK = 8 

                Exploding helicopter films: 6

                Fred Williamson

                Warriors Of The Lost World (1983), Delta Force Commando (1988), Deadly Impact (1984), The Kill Reflex (1989), Active Stealth (1999), Crooked (2006) 

                Liam Neeson

                The Delta Force (1986), Darkman (1990), The A Team (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Battleship (2012), The Lego Movie (2014)

                Dale Dye

                Spy Game (2001), Operation Delta Force 2: Mayday (1998), Mission Impossible (1996), Under Siege (1992), Firebirds (1990), Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)

                Danny Trejo

                Storks (2016), Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses (2014), Machete Kills (2013), Wedlock (1991), WB Blue And The Bean (1989), Bulletproof (1987)

                Sam L Jones

                Axcellerator (2019), Evastive Action (1998), Hard Vice (1994), Maximum Force (1992), In Gold We Trust (1990), Silent Assassins (1988)











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