7. Mickey Rourke
You'd think that the range of Hollywood roles available to a steely-faced giant like Mickey Rourke would be severely restricted. But Rourke has overcome limits and controversy, and managed to acquire many different parts over his career. Rourke's versatility as an actor was somewhat forced upon him as opposed to it emerging naturally. After a promising early career where he earned acclaim for his energetic performance in Francis Ford Coppola's "Rumble Fish" and achieved sex-symbol status starring across from Kim Basinger in "Nine and a Half Weeks", Rourke's career took a downward turn. Seemingly unable to co-operate with fellow stars or directors, Rourke almost faded into obscurity, before reinventing himself as an actor and bringing fresh approaches to seemingly mundane roles. The difference was incredible, and as a result, Rourke can often be tricky to spot. His role as Randy Robinson in "The Wrestler" is not simply Rourke with long blonde hair, but a performance that transcends his colossal exterior to reveal astonishing emotional depth. Rourke manages to convey more emotion with his sad eyes and twitching mouth than many actors do in a lifetime. Some people tend to miss Mickey in Frank Miller's & Robert Rodriguez's "Sin City", but he's there alright. And in extreme force. The two directors gleefully utilise Rourke's huge frame, painting him in delicious black and white as he stars as Marv - a square-headed bruiser driven by vengeance. Narrating and musing through a husk and a growl, the role of Marv is a curious one as it resembles Rourke in some ways, but is way, way off in others. Ultimately, Rourke brings new faces to the most masculine of characters. You know you've made an impact on testosterone-fuelled cinema when you land a role in "The Expendables" franchise, and Mickey did just that. He's gone from scraping the Hollywood barrel to being recruited for the action-star roll call. Fair play Mickey. Fair play.