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
- A View To A Kill (1985)
- Red Scorpion (1988)
- Silent Trigger (1996)
- Sweepers (1998)
- Bridge Of Dragons (1999)
- Retrograde (2004)
- The Expendables (2010)
- Detention (2011)
- The Expendables 2 (2012)
- The Expendables 3 (2014)
- Skin Trade (2014)
- Expendables 4 (2023)
RANK: 3 - Samuel L Jackson
Exploding helicopter films: 11
- Deep Blue Sea
- Die Hard With A Vengeance
- SWAT
- The Other Guys
- Avengers Assemble
- The Incredibles (2004)
- XX2: The Next Level
- King Kong: Skull Island (2017)
- The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Incredibles 2 (2018)
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
- Last Platoon (1988)
- The Commander (1988)
- Double Target (1987)
- Ground Zero (1987)
- Cobra Mission (1986)
- Warrior Of The Lost World (1983)
- Treasure Of The Yankee Zephyr (1981)
- The Pumaman (1980)
- Telefon (1977)
- You Only Live Twice (1967)
RANK: = 5 - Morgan Freeman
Exploding helicopter films 9
- The Sum Of All Fears (2002)
- Dreamcatcher (2003)
- The Dark Knight (2008)
- The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
- Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
- The Lego Movie (2014)
- London Has Fallen (2016)
- Angel Has Fallen (2019)
- Gunner (2024)
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
- Rambo II (1985)
- Rambo III (1988)
- Cliffhanger (1993)
- The Expendables (2010)
- The Expendables 2 (2012)
- The Expendables 3 (2014)
- Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
- Expendables 4
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
- The World Is Not Enough (1999)
- Die Another Day (2002)
- Dante's Peak (1997)
- GoldenEye (1995)
- No Escape (2015)
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
- Death Train (1993)
- Black Adam (2022)
RANK: = 6 - Martin Kove
Exploding helicopter films: 8
- 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)
- Without Mercy (1995)
RANK: = 6 - Bruce Willis
Exploding helicopter films: 8
- Die Hard (1988)
- Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995)
- Die Hard 4.0 (2007)
- Surrogates (2009)
- The Expendables (2010)
- The Expendables 2 (2012)
- A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)
- A Day To Die (2022)
RANK: = 6 - Michael Dudikoff
Exploding helicopter films: 7
- Navy Seals vs Zombies (2015)
- Soldier Boyz (1995)
- Cyberjack (1995)
- American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (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
- Executive Target (1997)
- The Sender (1998)
- Supreme Sanction (1999)
- The Alternate (2000)
- Die Another Day (2002)
- Piranhaconda (2012)
- A Hitman In London (2015)
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
- SWAT (2003)
- Avatar (2009)
- Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
- Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
- Furious 7 (2015)
- The Fate Of The Furious (2017)
- Fast X (2023)
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 - Chuck Norris
Exploding helicopter films: 7
- Breaker Breaker (1977)
- Invasion USA (1985)
- Missing In Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
- The Delta Force (1986)
- Braddock: Missing In Action 3 (1988)
- Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990)
- The Expendables 2 (2010)
RANK: = 7 - Don 'The Dragon' Wilson
Exploding helicopter films: 7
- Crooked (2006)
- Terminal Rush (1996)
- Virtual Combat (1995)
- Batman Forever (1995)
- Cyber Tracker 2 (1995)
- Cyber Tracker (1994)
- Ring Of Fire 3: Lion Strike (1994)
RANK: = 7 - Steven Seagal
Exploding helicopter films: 7
- Under Siege (1992)
- On Deadly Ground (1994)
- Exit Wounds (2001)
- Half Past Dead (2002)
- Today You Die (2005)
- Shadow Man (2006)
- General Commander (2019)
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)
Linda Hamilton
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Bermuda Tentacles (2014), Dante's Peak (1997), Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), King Kong Lives (1986), Shadow Conspiracy (1997)
