Steven Seagal

In his 1990s heyday as an action film hero, Steven Seagal's martial arts prowess and earnest social agenda briefly gave competitors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone a run for their money. However by the end of the decade, Seagal had lost his studio deal with Warner Bros. and was relegated to the world of low budget, direct-to-video films, where he remained in obscurity until he resurfaced in "Steven Seagal: Lawman" (A&E, 2009-14), a reality show that followed the 59-year-old's adventures as a volunteer law enforcement agent. It was hardly a surprising development for an actor who had spent his career enthusiastically aligning himself with his screen characters, adopting their noble adventures as his own and creating a mythical personal background that included wild claims about involvement with covert U.S. government operations and a familiarity with Brooklyn street life. While his arrogance and bravado well-served the Saturday night movie crowd who cheered the justice-seeker to victory in hits like "Hard to Kill" (1990) and "Under Siege" (1992), the hulking, ponytailed actor burned more than a few bridges in show business. Unrelenting bad reviews for his acting, his storyline contributions, and his directorial debut "On Deadly Ground" (1994) - as well as changing tide in audience taste - all contributed to a career stall by the late 1990s. Instead of wasting time lamenting his lost glory days, the 6'4" actor donned an actual badge and took to the streets where he could continue fulfilling his self-image as a mythical man of honor.