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The 2000s were a golden era for women in action movies. From leather-clad vampire hunters to gun-toting tomb raiders, a new breed of female warrior redefined what it meant to be a Hollywood star. These women didn’t just hold their own alongside their male counterparts; they dominated the screen, anchored billion-dollar franchises, and inspired a generation of fans who grew up believing that women could be just as fierce, fearless, and formidable as any action hero. Their performances weren’t just physically demanding; they required charisma, intensity, and an undeniable screen presence that made audiences return again and again. Below, we rank the 10 greatest action queens of the 2000s, from impressive to iconic, based on their volume of action films, cultural impact, and box office power.
10. Megan Fox — Transformers (2007)
Megan Fox burst onto the Hollywood scene with volcanic force in Michael Bay’s Transformers(2007), becoming one of the most instantly recognizable faces in blockbuster cinema practically overnight. While her role as Mikaela Banes leaned heavily on her physical presence and beauty, Fox demonstrated surprising resilience and grit as a character who could hot-wire cars, handle herself in alien robot warfare, and match wits with leads twice her experience. She reprised the role in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen(2009), which grossed over $836 million worldwide and cemented her status as a global superstar. Fox’s cultural footprint in the late 2000s was enormous; she became a generational symbol of the action-blockbuster era at a time when the Transformers franchise was rewriting what summer movies could earn. Though her action filmography in the decade was limited to two entries, those two films alone placed her among the most commercially visible women in Hollywood action.
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9. Charlize Theron — Æon Flux (2005)
Charlize Theron proved she was far more than an Oscar-winning dramatic actress when she suited up for the futuristic action thriller Æon Flux (2005), a film adapted from the beloved animated series. Theron threw herself into an intense physical training regimen for months to portray the sleek, acrobatic super-assassin Æon Flux, and her commitment to the role was unmistakable in every gravity-defying sequence. The film showcased a side of Theron that Hollywood had not yet fully explored — raw athleticism combined with her natural charisma and intelligence. While Æon Flux was a mixed commercial performer, it laid essential groundwork for what would eventually become one of cinema’s great action legacies for Theron in the following decade with Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde. Her willingness to take on a demanding, unconventional action role at the height of her dramatic prestige remains one of the most bold choices of any actress in the 2000s.
8. Carrie-Anne Moss — The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Carrie-Anne Moss had already made history with her portrayal of Trinity in the original The Matrix (1999), and she carried that momentum into the 2000s with two explosive sequels: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003. Trinity was not a sidekick or a love interest; she was an elite operative whose combat skills, intelligence, and emotional depth were central to the entire trilogy’s stakes. Moss trained relentlessly for each film, mastering wire work, martial arts, and motorcycle stunts that contributed to some of the most iconic action sequences of the decade, including the legendary highway chase in Reloaded. Between the two sequels, Moss appeared in a combined box office gross exceeding $1.2 billion, making her part of one of the highest-earning action franchises in history. Trinity’s legacy endured long after the credits rolled, influencing countless female action roles that followed.
7. Jennifer Garner — Alias (2001–2006) & Elektra (2005)
Jennifer Garner redefined the television action hero with her career-making role as CIA super-spy Sydney Bristow on the hit ABC series Alias, which premiered in 2001 and ran for five seasons. Week after week, Garner performed her own stunts, transformed into dozens of elaborate disguises, and showcased a depth of physical and emotional performance that earned her a Golden Globe Award and critical raves. She transitioned that television success to the big screen with Elektra (2005), becoming one of the few women of the era to headline her own Marvel Comics-based superhero film. Garner’s Sydney Bristow was a cultural phenomenon; she appeared on magazine covers, sparked a wave of strong female spy characters in television, and inspired audiences who had rarely seen a woman at the center of a weekly espionage thriller before. Her consistency across half a decade of demanding physical work on Alias alone cements her place among the most hardworking action performers of the 2000s.
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6. Lucy Liu — Charlie’s Angels (2000) & Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
Lucy Liu had been building industry credibility for years when Charlie’s Angels(2000) transformed her into a global action superstar alongside Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore. Liu’s portrayal of the fierce, razor-sharp Alex Munday was a masterclass in combining physical combat with comedic timing and genuine screen magnetism, and her martial arts sequences in the film were widely praised for their creativity and execution. The film grossed over $264 million worldwide, and its 2003 sequel Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle added another $200 million to that haul. Liu further expanded her action credentials with roles in Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003), where her showdown with Uma Thurman’s The Bride became one of the most memorable action sequences of the entire decade. Her dual presence in both Charlie’s Angels and Kill Bill in overlapping years made Liu one of the most visible action actresses working in Hollywood during the 2000s.
5. Halle Berry — X-Men Franchise (2000–2006) & Die Another Day (2002)
Halle Berry became one of the most powerful women in action cinema during the 2000s, anchoring two major franchises simultaneously with the force of genuine star power. As Ororo Munroe / Storm in the X-Men trilogy; beginning with X-Men (2000), followed by X2 (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006); Berry helped define the template for what a superhero ensemble blockbuster could look like with women at the forefront. She also took on the role of Bond girl Jinx in Die Another Day (2002), delivering one of the franchise’s most memorable female performances and earning her own spinoff development discussions. The combined box office of Berry’s major action films in the decade topped $1.5 billion globally, making her one of the highest-grossing action actresses of the era. Her Oscar win for Monster’s Ballin 2002; arriving in the middle of her action career peak; underscored that she was not merely a genre star but one of Hollywood’s most complete and celebrated performers.
4. Uma Thurman — Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) & Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Uma Thurman’s performance as “The Bride” in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004) stands as one of the defining achievements in action cinema, male or female, of the entire decade. Thurman underwent months of grueling martial arts and sword training to bring The Bride’s relentless revenge odyssey to life, and every ounce of that preparation showed in breathtaking sequences like the legendary Crazy 88 fight and the brutal Pai Mei training montage. Tarantino famously crafted the role specifically for Thurman, and their collaboration produced a character so singular and so fully realized that The Bride remains one of cinema’s most iconic warrior figures twenty years later. Kill Bill: Volume 1alone grossed over $180 million worldwide on a modest budget, and the two-part saga earned enormous critical acclaim and multiple award nominations. Thurman’s physicality, emotional vulnerability, and sheer screen dominance in the Kill Bill films elevated the standard of what an action performance by a woman could achieve.
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3. Kate Beckinsale — Underworld Franchise (2003–2009)
Kate Beckinsale became the defining face of gothic action cinema in the 2000s with her portrayal of Selene, the leather-clad vampire death dealer at the center of the Underworld franchise. Beginning with the original Underworld in 2003, Beckinsale delivered a performance of steely intensity and physical ferocity that transformed her from a respected dramatic actress into one of the decade’s most bankable action stars. She returned for Underworld: Evolution (2006), which surpassed its predecessor’s box office, and the franchise continued expanding in subsequent years into a multi-film mythology. Beckinsale committed fully to the physical demands of the role; performing in an iconic black catsuit through elaborate wire and stunt work, and made Selene one of the most beloved original female action characters of the 2000s. The Underworld series, built almost entirely on the strength of Beckinsale’s performance, grossed hundreds of millions of dollars globally and spawned sequels, prequels, and a devoted fanbase that persists to this day.
2. Angelina Jolie — Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) & Mr & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Angelina Jolie’s transformation into Lara Croft for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) was a seismic cultural moment; the first time a woman had single-handedly headlined a major video game adaptation, and the result was a global phenomenon that grossed over $274 million worldwide. Jolie brought an almost supernatural physicality to the role, combining her natural athleticism with rigorous training in combat, weapons handling, and acrobatics to create a Lara Croft who felt genuinely dangerous rather than decorative. She reprised the role in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) and followed those films with more action work in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), which grossed over $478 million and became one of the most commercially successful action films of the decade. Jolie also starred in Wanted (2008), further cementing her status as a legitimate action superstar rather than simply a dramatic actress dabbling in genre work. Her cultural relevance during the 2000s was unmatched; she was a tabloid icon, a humanitarian, and an action star simultaneously, making her one of the most famous people on the planet.
1. Milla Jovovich — Resident Evil Franchise (2002–2009)
Milla Jovovich is the undisputed action queen of the 2000s, and it isn’t particularly close. Her portrayal of Alice in the Resident Evil franchise; beginning with Resident Evil (2002), continuing through Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007); made her the only actress of the era to carry a major action franchise as its sole lead across multiple successful theatrical installments in the same decade. Each entry in the series performed stronger than its predecessor, with Extinction earning over $147 million globally and proving that Jovovich’s Alice was a franchise anchor of remarkable durability. Beyond sheer box office numbers, Jovovich performed the overwhelming majority of her own stunts, trained intensively in martial arts and firearms for each production, and brought a haunting, almost otherworldly quality to Alice that made the character genuinely compelling across radically different storylines. No other actress in the 2000s matched Jovovich’s combination of action film volume, consistent franchise success, and box office growth; she didn’t just appear in action films, she built and sustained one of the most successful action franchises in Hollywood history on her own shoulders.
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