Jean-Claude Van Damme, also known as JCVD, is a Belgian actor and former martial artist with a net worth of $40 million. There was a period in the late 80s and early 90s when Jean-Claude Van Damme was THE MAN. He was everywhere – in popular action films, at award ceremonies, on talk shows and featured on entertainment news programs around the world. The “Muscles from Brussels” were a true superstar. Jean-Claude Van Damme began training in martial arts when he was ten years old and won numerous awards throughout his teens and twenties, culminating in the title of Mr. Belgium bodybuilding.
By the age of 21, Jean-Claude already owned a highly profitable gym in Brussels.
He earned $15,000 a month. And despite his success, he decided to sell the gym and move to the United States to pursue an acting career. When he arrived in the US in 1982, he spoke very little English and had only $3,000 in his account. For the first few years, he worked as a bouncer and limousine driver. He eventually achieved some acting success in bit and supporting roles in films.
In 1988, his film Bloodsport became a box office hit. Over the next few years, he produced a number of popular action films, including Cyborg, Kickboxer, Double Tap, Universal Soldier, Nowhere to Run, Hard Target and the hugely successful film. , “Timecop”.
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Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Top 6 Movie Roles
How Much Earned Jean-Claude Van Damme In His Movies?
The Hard Corps (2006) – $3 Million
Sudden Death (1995) – $5 Million
Street Fighter (1994) – $8 Million
Timecop (1994) – $5 Million
Hard Target (1993) – $3.5 Million
Universal Soldier (1992) – $1.5 Million
Double Impact (1991) – $600 Thousand
Death Warrant (1990) – $75 Thousand
Kickboxer (1989) – $70 Thousand
Cyborg (1989) – $50 Thousand
Black Eagle (1988) – $70 Thousand
Bloodsport (1988) – $25 Thousand
No Retreat, No Surrender (1985) – $250 Thousand
Van Damme earned a paltry $25,000 in 1988 for the movie that made him a star, “Bloodsport.” He then earned around $75,000 for each of the movies “Black Eagle,” “Kickboxer,” and “Death Warrant.” His salary started to jump in the early 1990s when he made $600,000 for 1991’s “Double Impact.” The following year he made $1.5 million for “Universal Soldier.” The following year he made $3.5 million for “Hard Target.” The following year he made $5 million for “Timecop.” That same year, 1994, Van Damme earned a career-high $8 million for “Street Fighter.” In 1995 he earned $5 million for “Sudden Death.”
During that run of 1991 to roughly 1995, Van Damme earned around $40 million in base salaries, before taxes. That’s the same as around $70 million in today’s dollars.
