9. James McAvoy
Standing at 5'7 and not appearing particularly intimidating, James McAvoy might be the most unlikely modern action star. He made numerous small appearances in large productions early in his career, including the Band of Brothers miniseries, Sci-fi series Children of Dune, and Wimbledon, and his first prominent role came in 2005 when he portrayed Mr. Tumnus in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. His career erupted in 2006 when he received critical acclaim for The Last King of Scotland as well as the following year when he gained even more for Joe Wright's Atonement. In 2008 he somehow became a believable action star in Wanted where he played a loser who discovers that he is the son of a master assassin. His hot streak continued with 2009's The Last Station and his career went up a notch when he landed his biggest role to date in X-Men: First Class, a role that he will play again in next year's sequel. A very versatile actor, McAvoy almost always delivers a good performance, even in movies like Wanted where the script is lacking. He's naturally charismatic, is brilliant with accents, and can play in everything ranging from costume dramas to superhero films. It's a long shot, but it wouldn't be terribly surprising if he ends up becoming one of the best actors of this generation.