Jean-Claude Van Damme (born 18 October 1960), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Credited with helping popularize martial arts in film, Van Damme is widely regarded as one of the most iconic martial arts action stars of all time.
Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the age of ten his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate school. From there, he went on to develop his fighting skills, both in Shotokan karate and kickboxing. He was a member of the Belgium Karate Team when it won the European Karate Championship on 26 December 1979. With the desire of becoming an actor, he moved to the United States in 1982, where he did odd jobs and worked on several films, until he got his break as the lead in the martial arts film Bloodsport (1988).
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Van Damme became a popular action film star and followed up with Cyborg (1989), Kickboxer (1989), Lionheart (1990), Death Warrant (1990), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run (1993), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994), Street Fighter (1994), Sudden Death (1995), The Quest (1996), Maximum Risk (1996), etc. After a decline, Van Damme returned to prominence with the critically acclaimed crime drama JCVD (2008). Thereafter, Van Damme continued starring in more action films and playing supporting roles in The Expendables 2 (2012), the Kung Fu Panda franchise (2011–2016), the Kickboxer reboot film series (2016–2018), Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022), etc.
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.
On 8 March 1980, in Brussels, Belgium, Van Damme competed against his former teammate Patrick Teugels at the Forest National Arena on the undercard of the Dan Macaruso-Dominique Valera Professional Karate Association Light-Heavyweight World Championship bout. Prior to this match, Teugels had defeated Van Damme twice by decision, including a match for the Belgium Lightweight Championship. Van Damme had a 1977 victory over Teugels. Teugels was coming off an impressive showing at the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations World Championships four months earlier, and was favored by some to win this match. According to reports, and Patrick Teugels’ own interview (with photos), Teugels lost to Van Damme by TKO in the 1st round. Teugels was kicked in the nose and was unable to continue as a result. In a 2013 interview, Van Damme called this fight his most memorable match.
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Van Damme began his full-contact career in 1977, when Claude Goetz promoted the first ever full-contact karate tournament in Belgium.
From 1977 to 1982, Van Damme compiled a record of 18 victories (18 knockouts) and 1 defeat.
In 1979, he had an uncredited role in André Delvaux’s Woman Between Wolf and Dog, a Belgian-French drama film starring Marie-Christine Barrault, and Rutger Hauer.
In 1980, Van Damme caught the attention of Professional Karate Magazine publisher and editor Mike Anderson and multiple European champion Geert Lemmens. Both men tabbed Van Damme as an upcoming prospect. Van Damme retired from competition in 1982.
During his early life, Van Damme sold flowers in restaurants, and got a loan to open a gym to save some money before his move to the United States.
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.
Until 1992 he was married to his third wife, bodybuilder Gladys Portugues, with whom he has two children, Kristopher (born 1987) and Bianca Brigitte (born 1990). He had begun an affair with actress Darcy LaPier, whom he married in February 1994. From this marriage, the couple has a son named Nicholas (born 10 October 1995). That same year he had an affair with his Street Fighter co-star Kylie Minogue during filming in Thailand. LaPier, who was pregnant with their son at the time, did not become aware of the affair until Van Damme publicly admitted it in 2012.
Van Damme had been in a decade long relationship with Model Alena Kaverina, though still married to Gladys Portugues. Kaverina was born in Ukraine; Van Damme visited the country during the Russian invasion of Ukraine to show his support.
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)