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Early Life And Education:
Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, on 18 October 1960, in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, the son of Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, who was an accountant and florist. His father is from Brussels and bilingual, and his mother is Flemish (Dutch-speaking). Van Damme was brought up Roman Catholic. His paternal grandmother was Jewish. He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a Shōtōkan karate school. His styles consist of Shōtōkan Karate and Kickboxing. He eventually earned his black belt in karate at 18. He started lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to a Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title. At the age of 16, he took up ballet, which he studied for five years. According to Van Damme, ballet “is an art, but it’s also one of the most difficult sports. If you can survive a ballet workout, you can survive a workout in any other sport.” Later he took up both Taekwondo and Muay Thai.Early 1970s to 1980: Martial arts and first film appearance
At the age of 12, Van Damme joined the Centre National de Karaté (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Claude Goetz in Belgium. Van Damme trained for four years and he earned a spot on the Belgian Karate Team; he later trained in full-contact karate and kickboxing with Dominique Valera. At the age of 15, Van Damme started his competitive karate career in Belgium. From 1976 to 1980, Van Damme compiled a record of 44 victories and 4 defeats in tournament and non-tournament semi-contact matches.Van Damme was a member of the Belgium Karate Team when it won the European Karate Championship on 26 December 1979 at La Coupe François Persoons Karate Tournament in Brussels. Van Damme placed second at the Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials). At the 3-day tournament, Van Damme defeated 25 opponents before losing in the finals to teammate Angelo Spataro.RELATED:
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Personal life:
By the mid-1990s, the stress of the constant filming and promotion of his films, as Van Damme explains, led him to develop a cocaine habit, on which he spent up to $10,000 a week, and consuming up to 10 grams per day by 1996. He was arrested for driving under the influence in 1999. Attempts at drug rehabilitation were unsuccessful, and he resorted to resolve his addiction via quitting cold turkey and exercise. In 1998, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 2011, he discussed the condition on the British reality show Behind Closed Doors, saying, “Sometimes you’re gonna like me, and sometimes you’re gonna hate me. But what can I do? I’m not perfect … I’m an extreme bipolar, and I’m taking medication for this … When I was young, I was suffering those swing moods. In the morning, the sky was blue [when I was] going to school, and to me, the sky was black. I was so sad.” Van Damme has been married five times to four different women.Championships And Accomplishments:
Mr. Belgium bodybuilding Championships (1976 Gold) Belgium Karate Lightweight Championships (1977 Gold) Belgium Karate team European Championships (1979 Gold) Belgium Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament Championships (1980 Silver)RELATED:
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Filmography:
(1979) – (Woman Between Wolf and Dog)
(1985) – (No Retreat, No Surrender)
(1988) – (Bloodsport) (Black Eagle)
(1989) – (Cyborg) (Kickboxer)
(1990) – (Lionheart) (Death Warrant)
(1991) – (Double Impact)
(1992) – (Universal Soldier)
(1993) – (Nowhere to Run) (Hard Target)
(1994) – (Timecop) (Street Fighter)
(1995) – (Sudden Death)
(1996) – (The Quest) (Maximum Risk)
(1997) – (Double Team)
(1998) – (Knock Off) (Legionnaire)
(1999) – (Universal Soldier) (Inferno)
(2001) – (Replicant) (The Order)
(2002) – (Derailed)
(2003) – (In hell)
(2004) – (Wake of Death)
(2006) – (Second in Command) (The Hard Corps) (Sinav)
(2007) – (Until Death)
(2008) – (The Shepherd: Border Patrol) (JCVD)
(2009) – (Universal Soldier: Regeneration)
(2011) – (Kung Fu Panda 2) (Assassination Games) (Beur sur la ville)
(2012) – (Rzhevsky versus Napoleon) (Dragon Eyes) (The Expendables 2)
(2012) – (Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) (Six Bullets) (U.F.O)
(2013) – (Welcome to the Jungle) (Enemies Closer)
(2014) – (Swelter)
(2015) – (Pound of Flesh) (Jian Bing Man)
(2016) – (Kung Fu Panda 3) (Kickboxer: Vengeance)
(2017) – (Kill ‘Em All) (Kickboxer: Retaliation)
(2018) – (Black Water) (The Bouncer)
(2021) – (The Last Mercenary) (Haters)
(2022) – (Minions: The Rise of Gru)
(2023) – (Darkness of Man)