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).
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · The Gardener as Léo
- 2024 · Kill 'em All 2 as Philip
- 2024 · Darkness of Man as Russell Hatch
- 2022 · Minions: The Rise of Gru as Jean Clawed (voice)
- 2019 · The UnXplained as Self
- 2018 · The Bouncer as Lukas
- 2018 · Black Water as Wheeler
- 2018 · Kickboxer: Retaliation as Master Durand
- 2016 · Quotidien as Self - Guest
- 2016 · Kickboxer: Vengeance as Master Durand
- 2016 · Kung Fu Panda 3 as Master Croc (voice)
- 2013 · Enemies Closer as Xander
- 2013 · Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4 as Self
- 2012 · Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning as Luc Deveraux
- 2012 · 6 Bullets as Samson Gaul
- 2012 · The Expendables 2 as Jean Vilain
- 2012 · Dragon Eyes as Tiano
- 2012 · Corporal vs. Napoleon as Himself
- 2011 · Assassination Games as Vincent Brazil
- 2011 · Kung Fu Panda 2 as Master Croc (voice)
- 2011 · Slinger as Gibson Rickenbacker
- 2010 · Conan as Self
- 2009 · Universal Soldier: Regeneration as Luc Deveraux
- 2008 · The Shepherd: Border Patrol as Jack Robideaux
- 2003 · In Hell as Kyle LeBlanc
- 2003 · Las Vegas as Self
- 2001 · Replicant as Replicant / Garrotte
- 2001 · The Order as Rudy Cafmeyer
- 1999 · Inferno as Eddie Lomax
- 1999 · Universal Soldier: The Return as Luc Deveraux
- 1999 · Beckmann as Self
- 1998 · Legionnaire as Alain Lefevre
- 1998 · Vivement dimanche as Self
- 1996 · Maximum Risk as Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov
- 1996 · The Quest as Christopher Dubois
- 1995 · Sudden Death as Darren Francis Thomas McCord
- 1994 · Street Fighter as Colonel Guile
- 1994 · Friends as Jean-Claude Van Damme
- 1994 · Timecop as Max Walker
- 1993 · Last Action Hero as Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited)
- 1993 · Hard Target as Chance Boudreaux
- 1993 · Nowhere to Run as Sam Gillen
- 1992 · Universal Soldier as Luc Deveraux / GR44
- 1992 · The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as
- 1991 · Double Impact as Alex / Chad Wagner
- 1990 · Death Warrant as Louis Burke
- 1990 · Lionheart as Leon Gaultier
- 1989 · Kickboxer as Kurt Sloane
- 1988 · Bloodsport as Frank Dux
- 1987 · Sacrée Soirée as Self
- 1986 · No Retreat, No Surrender as Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian"
- Future · Dolph: Unbreakable as Self
- 2025 · Sensation: Cruise as Kyle LeBlanc (archival footage from 'In Hell')
- 2024 · Spaten as Van Damme
- 2023 · Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies as Self
- 2022 · Ramez Movie Star as
- 2021 · Haters as Jean-Claude Van Damme
- 2021 · The Last Mercenary as Richard Brumére
- 2021 · Monsieur Jean-Claude as (uncredited)
- 2020 · Ultrarêve as Self
- 2019 · In Search of the Last Action Heroes as
- 2019 · The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2 as
- 2019 · We Die Young as Daniel
- 2017 · Kill 'em All as Philip
- 2016 · Jean-Claude Van Johnson as Johnson
- 2015 · Jian Bing Man as Jean-Claude Van Damme
- 2015 · Pound of Flesh as Deacon
- 2014 · The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films as Self
- 2014 · Swelter as Stillman
- 2013 · Welcome to the Jungle as Storm
- 2012 · U.F.O. as George
- 2011 · Beur sur la ville as Colonel Merot
- 2011 · Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors as
- 2010 · Full Love as Frenchy
- 2008 · JCVD as J.C.V.D.
- 2007 · Until Death as Anthony Stowe
- 2006 · Heist School as Charles
- 2006 · Second in Command as Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan
- 2005 · The Hard Corps as Phillippe Sauvage
- 2004 · Wake of Death as Ben Archer
- 2004 · Narco as Jean-Claude Van Damme fantasmé par Lenny
- 2004 · Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans as Himself
- 2004 · Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier' as Himself
- 2003 · Celebrities Uncensored as Self
- 2003 · Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme as
- 2002 · Derailed as Jacques Kristoff
- 2002 · All the Love You Cannes! as Self
- 2001 · The Apartment as Self - Guest
- 1998 · Knock Off as Marcus Ray
- 1997 · Double Team as Jack Quinn
- 1996 · E! True Hollywood Story as
- 1995 · Viva el lunes as Self
- 1995 · WCW Monday Nitro as
- 1989 · Cyborg as Gibson Rickenbacker
- 1988 · Black Eagle as Andrei
- 1984 · Missing in Action as Soldier (uncredited)
- 1984 · Breakin' as Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited)
- 1984 · Street of the Damned as Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited)
- 1984 · Monaco Forever as Gay Karate Man
- 1979 · Woman Between Wolf and Dog as Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited)
- 1962 · The Late Late Show as Self
- Future · Silent Kill as
- Future · Bloodsport as
- Future · What's My Name? as