Summary
TheMad Maxfranchise has primarily focused on the titular character of Max Rockatansky, but he hasn’t always been played by the same actor.Mad Maxhas been a hugely important and influential franchise in the dystopian genre. It’s gone on to influence several major stories that came after it, from films likeTerminatorto video games and shows likeFallout. Much of the reason it has been so inspirational is because ofMad Max’s unique wasteland, and also because of its central character, Max Rockatansky.
Despite being such a central figure to the franchise, Max hasn’t been entirely consistent throughoutMad Max’s timeline. After 44 years and five movies, it makes sense that the character would evolve, and that he would have to be replaced at some point. While there was one very notable change in the main actor behind Max, there have actually been seven different actors who have played him in the history of the franchise. All of them brought very valuable things to both Max and the franchise, and they all have had a big influence on making it such an iconic series.
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6Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson was the first actor to portray Max Rockatansky, and he also did so in the most movies.Gibson has been a hallmark of the franchise since the beginning, as he starred in 1979’sMad Max, 1981’sMad Max 2: The Road Warrior, and 1985’sMad Max Beyond Thunderdome. TheMad Maxfranchise owes quite a bit to Gibson, as he was the sole face of both the character and the series itself, but Gibson also owes just as much back.Mad Maxwas Gibson’s breakout role as an actor, and it kickstarted his career in several ways.
Since his earlyMad Maxdays, Gibson has gone on to have a prolific acting career. He’s appeared in several major action films such as theLethal Weaponfranchise andBraveheart, among many others. More recently, Gibson has begun working more frequently behind the camera, as a director. He’s directed such films asHacksaw RidgeandThe Passion of the Christ. It’s hard to overstate just how much of an effectMad Maxhad on his entire career, and it’s difficult to say whether he would have had such an impressive filmography without it.
5Grant Page
While Gibson may have been the face ofMad Max, he wasn’t alone in bringing Max Rockatansky to life. For most ofMad Max, Gibson wasn’t actually driving Max’s Interceptor, it was his stunt double, Grant Page.Page didn’t work exclusively as a stunt double for Max, but he was involved in several of the stunts forMad Max, and he worked as a stunt coordinator forMad Max Beyond Thunderdome. According tothe National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Page actually broke his leg on the way to the set ofMad Max, yet still performed his stunts.
Perhaps the best illustration of his dedication to the art of stunt performing comes from Mad Dog Morgan, as that movie saw Page jump from a 25-meter tall cliff, backwards, while on fire.
Page was one of the most prolific stunt performers in all of Australia, andMad Maxwas just one of the films he worked on. Throughout his career, until his death in 2024, Page worked on the stunt teams of 111 different films.Perhaps the best illustration of his dedication to the art of stunt performing comes fromMad Dog Morgan, as that movie saw Page jump from a 25-meter tall cliff, backwards, while on fire. Interestingly, his last credit was actually also for theMad Maxfranchise, as he worked as a stunt coordinator forFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga.
4Guy Norris
TheMad Maxfranchise has a long history of being dedicated to its impressive practical stunts, and that continued inMad Max 2: The Road Warrior.Guy Norris acted asMad Max 2’s stunt coordinator and as a stunt double due to the film’s small budget. Norris took on several of the movie’s stunt roles, including Max’s driving double and “essentially every character that jumped onto the tanker,” as he would change wardrobes and perform the stunt again. His stunts also included one that broke his leg and prevented him from finishing the movie, when he had to crash a motorcycle into a parked car.
SinceMad Max 2, Norris has continued to have a very successful career performing and directing stunts. He performed stunts for movies likeSuperman Returns, and he acted as the stunt coordinator for several films, includingThe Suicide SquadandMoulin Rouge!. Like Grant Page, Norris has also maintained an effect on theMad Maxfranchise long after actually playing Max, as he worked as a supervising stunt coordinator forMad Max: Fury Roadand as the action designer forFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga.
3Tom Hardy
While Page and Norris had a huge effect on Max Rockatansky, the actual face of the character wouldn’t change until Tom Hardy took the role inMad Max: Fury Roadin 2015. Acting as a soft reboot of the franchise,Fury Roaddid not explain why Max looked different than Gibson did, however the film did prove thatHardy and Gibson played the same Max. That said, there were some key differences in Hardy’s portrayal of Max Rockatansky. Max was always mad, but Hardy’s version had been wandering the wasteland for a long time, and it showed more in his mannerisms and facial expressions.
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Another difference between Hardy and Gibson is what theMad Maxfranchise did for their careers. While it was certainly an impressive movie,Fury Roadwas not Hardy’s first big role. Hardy has been in major shows likePeaky Blindersand movies likeThe Dark Knight Risessince 2010’sInception. Still,Fury Roadlikely had some positive effects for his career, as Hardy has gone on to star in several blockbusters since, such asDunkirkand theVenomfranchise. Hardy is also set to reprise his role as Max inMad Max: The Wasteland.
2Jacob Tomuri
Mad Max: Fury Roadmay have changed Max, but it kept the franchise’s tradition of using practical effects and stunt doubles.That included Tom Hardy’s stunt double, Jacob Tomuri, who did extensive work inFury Road. As Hardy’s stunt double, Tomuri played Max for several of the film’s more dangerous stunts, like the polecat scene and several driving shots. Tomuri’s work onFury Roadwas so impressive that he was nominated for the World Stunt Award’s Best Fight, and he won the Screen Actors Guild’s Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture award.
Tomuri and Hardy have worked together extensively both before and afterMad Max: Fury Road. They both appeared inLegend,The Revenant, andVenom. Tomuri has also made a name for himself without Hardy, as he performed stunts for theLord of the Ringstrilogy, bothAvatarmovies, andThe Meg, among others. He’s also worked as the stunt coordinator for shows like the live-actionCowboy BebopandOur Flag Means Death. Tomuri also had a chance to show his face on-screen in theMad Maxfranchise, asTomuri played Max in a cameo forFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga, which he also coordinated stunts for.
1Bren Foster & Kym Bradley
The final actors to take on the mantle of Max Rockatansky didn’t appear in any of the franchise’s films or in live-action at all.Bren Foster voiced Max in the 2015 video gameMad Max, alongside motion capture performer Kym Bradley. The game doesn’t tie directly into the largerMad Maxcanon, so Foster and Bradley’s portrayal of the character is self-contained within the game. That said, the game does bear several stylistic similarities toMad Max: Fury Road, such as the inclusion of Warboys and the general look of vehicles and the wasteland itself.
Despite only making their way into theMad Maxfranchise via video games, both Foster and Bradley have had several live-action roles throughout their careers. Foster appeared in television shows likeThe Last Ship, where he played SCPO Wolf Taylor, as well as movies likeInfini. Bradley has performed motion capture for other games likeBattlefield: Bad Company 2, but he’s also appeared had several small roles, such as one inThe Lone Road. They may not be the most prominent actors to portray Max in theMad Maxfranchise, but they both added to its enduring legacy.
Source:The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Mad Max
Mad Max is an Australian post-apocalyptic franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. The first three films star Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a former police officer who seeks revenge after his family is murdered. Tom Hardy took over the role for 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which was followed by Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa.
