Ford and Willis voted best action heroes

They may be getting a little long in the tooth these days, but the appeal of Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford as the epitome of cinematic action heroes continues.

Willis, 53, who returned to the screen with the fourth instalment of his Die Hard franchise last year, and 65-year-old Ford, who hits UK cinema screens as Indiana Jones later this month, tied for the top spot in a poll of the greatest ever action heroes, each receiving 25 per cent of the vote.

And Terminator star turned governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, 60, came third in the poll by cinema advertising company Pearl & Dean with 15 per cent, pushing more recent action heroes down the list.

The survey of 3,000 people found many feel that Willis set the standard for the 1980s action hero playing wise-cracking cop John McClane in Die Hard, a role he reprised for the fourth time last year.