Jean-Claude Van Damme


    Starbirth:
    October 18, 1960
Birthplace:
Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
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Overview

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).


MOVIECHARACTERYEAR
Darkness of Man Russell Hatch 2024
Jean-Claude van Damme: Karate King Self - Portait Subject & Interviewee (archive) 2023
Minions: The Rise of Gru Jean Clawed (voice) 2022
Haters Jean-Claude Van Damme 2021
The Last Mercenary Richard Brumére 2021
Monsieur Jean-Claude (uncredited) 2021
JCVD's Day Out JCVD 2020
In Search of the Last Action Heroes 2019
The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2 2019
We Die Young Daniel 2019
The Bouncer Lukas 2018
Black Water Wheeler 2018
Kickboxer: Retaliation Master Durand 2018
Kill 'em All Philip 2017
Kickboxer: Vengeance Master Durand 2016
Kung Fu Panda 3 Master Croc (voice) 2016
Jian Bing Man Jean-Claude Van Damme 2015
Pound of Flesh Deacon 2015
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films Self 2014
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films Gibson Rickenbacker (archive footage) (uncredited) 2014
Swelter Stillman 2014
Enemies Closer Xander 2013
Welcome to the Jungle Storm 2013
U.F.O. George 2012
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning Luc Deveraux 2012
6 Bullets Samson Gaul 2012
The Expendables 2 Jean Vilain 2012
Dragon Eyes Tiano 2012
Corporal vs. Napoleon Himself 2012
Beur sur la ville Colonel Merot 2011
Assassination Games Vincent Brazil 2011
Kung Fu Panda 2 Master Croc (voice) 2011
Full Love Frenchy 2010
Universal Soldier: Regeneration Luc Deveraux 2009
JCVD J.C.V.D. 2008
The Shepherd: Border Patrol Jack Robideaux 2008
Until Death Anthony Stowe 2007
Heist School Charles 2006
The Hard Corps Phillippe Sauvage 2006
Second in Command Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan 2006
Wake of Death Ben Archer 2004
Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans Himself 2004
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier' Himself 2004
In Hell Kyle LeBlanc 2003
Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme 2003
Derailed Jacques Kristoff 2002
Replicant Replicant / Garrotte 2001
The Order Rudy Cafmeyer 2001
Inferno Eddie Lomax 1999
Universal Soldier: The Return Luc Devereux 1999
Legionnaire Alain Lefevre 1998
Knock Off Marcus Ray 1998
Double Team Jack Quinn 1997
Maximum Risk Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov 1996
The Quest Christopher Dubois 1996
Sudden Death Darren Francis Thomas McCord 1995
Top Fighter Himself (Archive Footage) 1995
Street Fighter Colonel William Guile 1994
Timecop Max Walker 1994
Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor Kurt Sloane (archive footage) (uncredited) 1994
Last Action Hero Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited) 1993
Hard Target Chance Boudreaux 1993
Nowhere to Run Sam Gillen 1993
Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux / GR44 1992
Double Impact Alex / Chad Wagner 1991
Death Warrant Louis Burke 1990
Lionheart Leon Gaultier 1990
The Best of the Martial Arts Films Himself 1990
Kickboxer Kurt Sloane 1989
Cyborg Gibson Rickenbacker 1989
Black Eagle Andrei 1988
Bloodsport Frank Dux 1988
No Retreat, No Surrender Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian" 1986
Breakin' Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited) 1984
Barbarous Street Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited) 1984
Monaco Forever Gay Karate Man 1984
Woman Between Wolf and Dog Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited) 1979
What's My Name?
Silent Kill
Dolph Self
Kill 'em All 2 Philip
Le Jardinier Léo
An escaped prisoner hiding from authorities, Sam always manages to be in the wrong place at the right time. Risking his hard-fought freedom, he aids a beautiful young widow against a ruthless developer who wants her land. Sam
SHOWCHARACTERYEAR
Las Vegas Self <mt>
E! True Hollywood Story <blank> <mt>
Celebrities Uncensored Self <mt>
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors <blank> <mt>
Beckmann Self <mt>
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno <blank> <mt>
Jean-Claude Van Johnson Johnson <mt>
WCW Monday Nitro <blank> <mt>
Conan Self <mt>
Vivement dimanche Self <mt>
Viva el lunes Self <mt>
Ramez Movie Star <blank> <mt>
The UnXplained Self <mt>
Friends Jean-Claude Van Damme <mt>
The Late Late Show Self <mt>
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