Jean-Claude Van Damme
Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène van Varenberg, an accountant. “The Muscles from Brussels” started martial arts at the age of eleven. His father introduced him to martial arts when he saw his son was physically weak. At the age of 12, van Damme began his martial arts training at Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Master Claude Goetz in Ixelles, Belgium. Van Damme trained for 4 years and earned a spot on the Belgium Karate Team. He won the European professional karate association's middleweight championship as a teenager, and also beat the 2nd best karate fighter in the world. His goal was to be number one but got sidetracked when he left his hometown of Brussels. In 1976 at the age of sixteen, Jean-Claude started his Martial Arts fight career. Jean-Claude retired from martial arts in 1982, following a knockout over Nedjad Gharbi in Brussels, Belgium. Jean-Claude posted a 18-1 (18 knockouts) kickboxing record, and a semi-contact record of 41-4. He came to Hong Kong at the age of 19 for the first time and felt insured to do action movies in Hong Kong. In 1981, van Damme moved to Los Angeles. He took English classes while working as carpet layer, pizza delivery man, limo driver, and thanks to Chuck Norris he got a job as a bouncer at a club. Norris gave van Damme a small role in the movie Missing in Action (1984), but it wasn't good enough to get anybody's attention. In 1984, he got his first significant role as a villain named Ivan in the low-budget movie, No Retreat, No Surrender (1986). Then one day, while walking on the streets, Jean-Claude spotted a producer for Cannon Pictures and showed some of his martial arts abilities which led to a role in Bloodsport (1988). The movie, filmed in Hong Kong, was so bad when it was completed, it was shelved for almost two years. It might have never been released if van Damme did not help them to re-cut the film and begged producers to release it. They finally released the film, first in Malaysia and France and then into the US shot on a meager 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a US box-office hit in the spring of 1988. It made about 30 million worldwide and audiences supported this film for its new sensational action star, Jean-Claude van Damme. His good looks led to starring roles in higher budgeted movies like Cyborg (1989), AWOL: Absent Without Leave (1990), Double Impact (1991) and Universal Soldier (1992). In 1994, he scored with his big breakthrough $100 million worldwide hit Timecop (1994). But in the meantime, his personal life was coming apart. A divorce, followed by a new marriage, followed by another divorce. It began to show up in his career when his projects began to tank at the box office: The Quest (1996), which he directed; Maximum Risk (1996) and Double Team (1997). The three films made less than $50 million combined. In 1999, he remarried his ex-wife, Gladys Portugues, and restarted his lost career to attain new goals. With help from his family, he faced his problems and made movies like Replicant (2001), Derailed (2002), and In Hell (2003).
Cyborg
(Gibson Rickenbacker)
Kickboxer
(Kurt Sloane)
Replicant
(Replicant / Garrotte)
Legionnaire
(Alain Lefevre)
Universal Soldier: The Return
(Luc Devereux)
Hard Target
(Chance Boudreaux)
Nowhere to Run
(Sam Gillen)
Inferno
(Eddie Lomax)
Maximum Risk
(Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov)
Until Death
(Anthony Stowe)
Bloodsport
(Frank Dux)
Street Fighter
(Colonel William Guile)
The Shepherd: Border Patrol
(Jack Robideaux)
Timecop
(Max Walker)
Sudden Death
(Darren Francis Thomas McCord)
The Quest
(Christopher Dubois)
Double Impact
(Alex / Chad Wagner)
Universal Soldier
(Luc Deveraux / GR44)
Lionheart
(Leon Gaultier)
Double Team
(Jack Quinn)
No Retreat, No Surrender
(Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian")
The Hard Corps
(Phillippe Sauvage)
JCVD
(J.C.V.D.)
Jean-Claude van Damme: Karate King
(Self - Portait Subject & Interviewee (archive))
Universal Soldier: Regeneration
(Luc Deveraux)
Wake of Death
(Ben Archer)
Haters
(Jean-Claude Van Damme)
The Order
(Rudy Cafmeyer)
Knock Off
(Marcus Ray)
Dolph: Fights Worth Fighting
(Self)
Death Warrant
(Louis Burke)
Derailed
(Jacques Kristoff)
Black Eagle
(Andrei)
Kung Fu Panda 2
(Master Croc (voice))
Second in Command
(Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan)
In Hell
(Kyle LeBlanc)
Assassination Games
(Vincent Brazil)
Full Love
(Frenchy)
Corporal vs. Napoleon
(Himself)
The Expendables 2
(Jean Vilain)
Monaco Forever
(Gay Karate Man)
What's My Name?
Dragon Eyes
(Tiano)
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning
(Luc Deveraux)
6 Bullets
(Samson Gaul)
U.F.O.
(George)
Welcome to the Jungle
(Storm)
Enemies Closer
(Xander)
Swelter
(Stillman)
Kill 'em All 2
(Philip)
Top Fighter
((archive footage))
Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme
Kickboxer: Vengeance
(Master Durand)
Pound of Flesh
(Deacon)
Silent Kill
Darkness of Man
(Russell Hatch)
Le Jardinier
(Léo)
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
(Self (archive footage))
Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4
(Self)
Kung Fu Panda 3
(Master Croc (voice))
Breakin'
(Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited))
Narco
(Jean-Claude Van Damme fantasmé par Lenny)
Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies
(Self)
Beur sur la ville
(Colonel Merot)
Heist School
(Charles)
Halloween Ends
((archive footage) (uncredited))
Kickboxer: Retaliation
(Master Durand)
Woman Between Wolf and Dog
(Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited))
Street of the Damned
(Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited))
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
(Gibson Rickenbacker (archive footage) (uncredited))
Kill 'em All
(Philip)
Black Water
(Wheeler)
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films
(Self)
Jian Bing Man
(Jean-Claude Van Damme)
The Bouncer
(Lukas)
We Die Young
(Daniel)
Last Action Hero
(Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited))
The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2
Minions: The Rise of Gru
(Jean Clawed (voice))
Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans
(Himself)
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier'
(Himself)
JCVD's Day Out
(JCVD)
In Search of the Last Action Heroes
The Last Mercenary
(Richard Brumére)
Monsieur Jean-Claude
((uncredited))
Missing in Action
(Soldier (uncredited))
All the Love You Cannes!
(Self)
Spaten
(Van Damme)
Las Vegas
(Self)
E! True Hollywood Story
Celebrities Uncensored
(Self)
Viva el lunes
(Self)
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors
Beckmann
(Self)
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
(Johnson)
Friends
(Jean-Claude Van Damme)
Ramez Movie Star
The Late Late Show
(Self)
WCW Monday Nitro
Conan
(Self)
The UnXplained
(Self)
Vivement dimanche
(Self)
Universal Soldier: The Return
(Producer)
Cyborg
(Editor)
Inferno
(Producer)
Kickboxer
(Story)
Legionnaire
(Producer)
Kickboxer
(Martial Arts Choreographer)
Kickboxer
(Action Director)
Kickboxer
(Stunt Coordinator)
The Quest
(Director)
The Quest
(Screenplay)
Lionheart
(Screenplay)
Double Impact
(Producer)
Double Impact
(Screenplay)
JCVD
(Executive Producer)
Double Impact
(Screenstory)
Full Love
(Writer)
Full Love
(Director)
Predator
(Stunts)
Bloodsport
(Editor)
The Order
(Writer)
Silent Kill
(Producer)
Full Love
(Producer)
Full Love
(Editor)
Double Impact
(Story)
Double Impact
(Fight Choreographer)
Darkness of Man
(Executive Producer)
Darkness of Man
(Story)
6 Bullets
(Executive Producer)
Assassination Games
(Executive Producer)
Kickboxer: Vengeance
(Characters)
Missing in Action
(Stunts)
We Die Young
(Executive Producer)
Black Water
(Executive Producer)
Pound of Flesh
(Executive Producer)