Jean-Claude Van Damme (born
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Vaerenbergh, ) is a
BelgianThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
martial artistMartial arts or fighting arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat...
and actor who is best known for martial arts and action movies. His most successful films include
BloodsportBloodsport is a 1988 martial arts film "Based on true events in the life of Frank Dux" as portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme. Although it enjoyed little box office success, it is considered a genre classic by martial arts film enthusiasts for showcasing a large variety of international fighting...
(1988),
Universal SoldierUniversal Soldier is a 1992 science fiction film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers.- Production :The film...
(1992),
Hard TargetHard Target is a 1993 American action film directed by Chinese director John Woo. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chance Boudreaux, an out of work Cajun merchant seaman who saves the young woman Natasha Binder from a gang of thugs in New Orleans...
(1993), and
Timecop (1994). Due to his physique and his Belgian background, he is sometimes known as "The Muscles from Brussels."
After studying martial arts intensively from the age of ten, Van Damme achieved national success in Belgium as a martial artist and bodybuilder, earning the "Mr. Belgium" bodybuilding title. He emigrated to the United States in 1982 to pursue a career in film, and achieved breakout success with
BloodsportBloodsport is a 1988 martial arts film "Based on true events in the life of Frank Dux" as portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme. Although it enjoyed little box office success, it is considered a genre classic by martial arts film enthusiasts for showcasing a large variety of international fighting...
(1988), based on the alleged true story of
Frank DuxFrank W. Dux is an American martial artist and fight choreographer. Dux established his own school of Ninjutsu in 1975, called "Dux Ryu Ninjutsu"....
. He attained subsequent box office success
with
TimecopTimecop is a 1994 science fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams. Dark Horse published a comic book series of the same name.The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill and Mia Sara. It is set in the future where time travel is possible. Van Damme plays a Time...
(1994), which grossed over $100 million worldwide and became his most financially successful film.
Personal life
Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Vaerenbergh (also spelled
Varenburg) in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe (
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
), Belgium, the son of Eliana and Eugène Van Vaerenbergh, who was an accountant and owned a flower shop. He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a Shotokan karate school. His styles consist of
kickboxingrefers to the sport of combining the grace and style of boxing with kicking. Kickboxing is a standing sport and does not allow continuation of the fight once a combatant has reached the ground....
, Shotokan karate,
Muay ThaiMuay Thai is a form of hard martial art practiced in large parts of the world, including Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The art is similar to others in Southeast Asia such as: pradal serey in Cambodia, lethwei in Myanmar, tomoi in Malaysia and Lao boxing in Laos...
, and
taekwondoTaekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way," "method," or "art." Thus, "taekwondo" may be loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist" or "the...
. He eventually earned his
black beltThe term black belt has become widely known as a way to describe an expert in martial artswhere a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a high degree of competence, and often associated with a teaching grade...
in
karateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands...
, later winning the European Karate Association's middleweight championship in a stunning upset versus the former champion
Michael J. Heming-Early life:Michael J. Heming was a British Karate champion. He was born Michael John Heming in Filton, Gloucestershire, England, the son of Nancy Heming and Stephen Heming, a supermarket owner from Bradford on Avon...
(although he has claimed that he was "twice world champion"). 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
balletBallet is a formalized type of performance dance, which originated in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century French courts, and which was further developed in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form...
, 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." In the French-speaking world, Van Damme is well known for the
picaresque aphorisms that he delivers on a wide range of topics (personal well-being, the environment, etc.) in a sort of
ZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, translated from the Chinese word Chán. This word is in turn derived from the Sanskrit dhyāna, which means "meditation" ....
franglaisFranglais , a portmanteau combining the French words "français" and "anglais" , is a slang term for an interlanguage, although the word has different overtones in French and English....
. Most iconic and often quoted was his repeated use of the English word
aware during an interview for a French channel, to convey the notion of
self-awarenessSelf-awareness is literally consciousness of one's self. It is related to but not identical with self-consciousness-A philosophical view:I think, therefore I am...
as a key to success.
After the filming of the 1998 movie
Knock Off, Van Damme was diagnosed with rapid cycling bi-polar disorder after becoming suicidal and started treatment on the bi-polar medication
sodium valproateSodium valproate or valproate sodium is the sodium salt of valproic acid and is an anticonvulsant used in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder, as well as other psychiatric conditions requiring the administration of a mood stabilizer...
to stabilize his mood.
In a 2009 interview in the British newspaper
The Sun, promoting his film
JCVDJCVD is a crime-based comedy drama directed by French-Algerian director Mabrouk El Mechri, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as himself, a down-and-out action star whose family and career are crumbling around him as he is caught in the middle of a post office heist in his hometown of Brussels,...
(of which
Time magazine said "He deserves not a black belt, but an Oscar®"), Van Damme indicated he experienced a period of homelessness "sleeping on the street and starving in L.A."
Van Damme has been married five times, including two marriages with bodybuilder and fitness competitor
Gladys PortuguesGladys Portugues is an actress and former professional female bodybuilder. She attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City and is the wife of Jean-Claude Van Damme....
. Van Damme has three children:
KristopherKristopher Van Varenberg is an American actor who has appeared alongside his father, Belgian-born martial artist/actor, Jean-Claude Van Damme in such films as The Quest andDerailed. His mother isGladys Portugues, Van Damme's first wife....
(born 1987), Bianca (born 1990), and Nicholas (born 1995).
Fight career
At the age of 12, Van Damme joined the Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Master Claude Goetz in Ixelles, Belgium. Van Damme trained for four years and he earned a spot on the Belgium Karate Team.
Jean-Claude made his debut in 1976, at the age of 16. Competing under his birth name of Jean Claude Van Varenberg, Jean-Claude was staggered by a
round-house kickA roundhouse kick is a kick in which the attacker swings his leg around in a semicircular motion, striking with the front of the leg or foot. This type of kick is utilized in many different martial arts and is popular in both non-contact and full-contact martial arts competitions...
thrown by Toon Van Oostrum in Brussels, Belgium. Van Damme was badly stunned, but came back to knockout Van Oostrum moments later.
In 1977, at the
WAKOThe World Association of Kickboxing Organisations started its activities in Europe in 1976 and created the rules and regulations for the new fighting sport and acted, as the Kickboxing Federation of world. Today, W.A.K.O is the largest unified kickboxing organization in the world...
Open International in Belgium, Jean-Claude lost a decision to fellow team mate Patrick Teugels. The experience left an impact on Claude Goetz and he felt that Jean-Claude needed more training before competing again.
After six months of intense training and sparring, Master Goetz decided to unleash his prized pupil on the European Full-Contact scene. Jean-Claude won his first tournament by scoring three knockout victories in one evening. However, in a 1978 match for the Belgium lightweight title, he again lost a decision to Patrick Teugels. Once again, the loss left an impact on Claude Goetz and a few months later at Iseghem, Belgium, Van Damme came back and knocked out Emile Leibman in the first round. In 1979, Jean-Claude and the Belgium Team became European Team Champions.
Next, Jean-Claude faced Sherman Bergman, a kick-boxer from Florida (USA) with a long string of knockout victories. For the first and only time in his career, Jean-Claude was knocked to the canvas after absorbing a powerful left hook. However, Jean-Claude climbed off the canvas and with a perfectly timed ax-kick, knocked Bergman out cold in 59 seconds of the first round. Van Damme ended 1979 with a stoppage of
Gilberto (Gil) DiazGilberto Diaz was a kickboxer from Portugal noted for being Jean-Claude Van Damme's second opponent at the 2nd WAKO World Championships in Tampa, Florida at Hillsborough Community College on November 3 and 4, 1979....
in one round.
In 1980, Jean-Claude Van Damme defeated former Great Britain karate champion
Michael J. Heming-Early life:Michael J. Heming was a British Karate champion. He was born Michael John Heming in Filton, Gloucestershire, England, the son of Nancy Heming and Stephen Heming, a supermarket owner from Bradford on Avon...
. Next, Van Damme scored a knockout over France's Georges Verlugels in two rounds. After these victories, Jean-Claude caught the attention of the European martial arts community.
Professional Karate Magazine publisher and editor Mike Anders, and multiple European champion Geet Lemmens tabbed Jean-Claude Van Damme as an upcoming prospect. However, Jean-Claude's ambitions now focused in the direction of movie acting.
Van Damme ended his fight career at the Forest Nationals in Brussels. He knocked Patrick Teugels down and scored a first round technical knockout victory. Teugels suffered a nose injury and was unable to continue.
Following the victory, Van Damme retired from martial arts competition. His final fight record was 18–1, with all wins being knockouts and the loss being a decisions after two rounds.
Fight Record
| Date | Event | Opponent | Result |
|---|
| 1976 |
European Karate Union |
| Win, 1 round KOA knockout is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
|
| 1977 |
Netherlands Kick Boxing |
| Win, 1 round TKO |
| 1978 |
European Karate Union |
| Win, 1 round KO |
| 1978 |
European Karate Union |
| Win, 1 round KO |
| 1978 |
European Karate Union |
| Win, 1 round TKO |
| 1978 |
World All Style |
| Win, 1 round KO |
| 1978 |
World All Style |
| Win, 1 round TKO |
| 1979 |
World All Style |
| Win, 1 round KO |
| 1979 |
World All Style |
| Win, 1 round KO |
| 1979 |
World All Style |
| Win, 1 round KO |
| 1979 November |
World Full Contact |
| Win, 1 round KO |
| 1979 November |
World Full Contact |
| Win, 1 round TKO |
| 1979 November |
World Full Contact |
| Loss, 2 round decision |
| 1980 March |
European Professional |
| Win, 1 round KO |
| 1980 March |
European Professional |
| Win, 1 round TKO |
| 1980 March |
European Professional |
| Win, 2 round TKO |
| 1980 March |
Professional Karate Assoc. |
| Win, 2 round KO |
| 1980 |
European Professional |
| Win, 2 round KO |
| 1980 |
Forest Nationals (Brussels) |
| Win, 1 round TKO |
Film career
In 1982, Van Damme and childhood friend, Michel Qissi, relocated to America in the hope of becoming action stars. They both were cast in extras in the film,
Breakin'Breakin' is a 1984 movie directed by Joel Silberg. It was also released under the title Breakdance: The Movie in some international locations....
. After a small part in
Missing In ActionMissing in Action is a 1984 action film directed by Joseph Zito and starring Chuck Norris. It is set in the context of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue. Colonel Braddock, who escaped a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp 10 years earlier, returns to Vietnam to find American soldiers listed as missing in...
, Van Damme was next cast in the movie
No Retreat, No SurrenderNo Retreat, No Surrender is a 1986 film directed by Corey Yuen and starring Kurt McKinney as Jason Stillwell and features Jean-Claude Van Damme as Ivan Krushensky....
, as the role of the villain, Ivan the Russian. His breakout film was
BloodsportBloodsport is a 1988 martial arts film "Based on true events in the life of Frank Dux" as portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme. Although it enjoyed little box office success, it is considered a genre classic by martial arts film enthusiasts for showcasing a large variety of international fighting...
, based on the alleged true story of
Frank DuxFrank W. Dux is an American martial artist and fight choreographer. Dux established his own school of Ninjutsu in 1975, called "Dux Ryu Ninjutsu"....
. Shot on a 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a U.S. box-office hit in the spring of 1988. He then starred in the higher budgeted movie
CyborgCyborg is a 1989 martial arts action sci-fi film directed by Albert Pyun. Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Gibson Rickenbacker, an underdog street fighter who battles a group of sadistic outlaws led by Fender Tremolo along the east coast of the United States in a post-apocalyptic near future...
. His last role for 1989 was Kurt Sloane in the successful
Kickboxer{Infobox Film| name = Kickboxer| image = Kickboxer_poster.jpg| image_size = 200px| caption = Theatrical Release Poster| director = Mark DiSalle
David Worth| producer = Mark DiSalle...
. In this movie, his character fought to avenge his brother who had been paralyzed by a Thai kickboxing champion (Qissi).
Double ImpactDouble Impact is a 1991 action film directed by Sheldon Lettich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in a dual role.-Synopsis:Van Damme plays Alex and Chad Wagner, twins who are separated as babies when their parents are killed by a crime boss, in a shooting...
featured Van Damme in the
dual roleDual role refers to one actor playing two or more roles, which may be deliberately scripted in a play or film, or merely be a by-product of a low budget in one particular production...
of Alex and Chad Wagner, two brothers fighting to avenge the deaths of their parents. This movie reunited him with his former
BloodsportBloodsport is a 1988 martial arts film "Based on true events in the life of Frank Dux" as portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme. Although it enjoyed little box office success, it is considered a genre classic by martial arts film enthusiasts for showcasing a large variety of international fighting...
star,
Bolo YeungYang Sze , better known as Bolo Yeung, is a former competitive bodybuilder and a martial arts film actor...
. He then starred opposite
Dolph LundgrenDolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, model, and karateka.Well known for his tall stature and level of fitness, at peak, Lundgren stands at 6 ft 5 in and weighs over 240 lb...
in the action movie
Universal SoldierUniversal Soldier is a 1992 science fiction film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers.- Production :The film...
. While it grossed $36,299,898 in the U.S., it was an even bigger success overseas, making over $65 million, well over its modest $20 million budget, making it Van Damme's highest grossing film at the time.
Van Damme followed
Nowhere To Run and
Hard TargetHard Target is a 1993 American action film directed by Chinese director John Woo. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chance Boudreaux, an out of work Cajun merchant seaman who saves the young woman Natasha Binder from a gang of thugs in New Orleans...
with
TimecopTimecop is a 1994 science fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams. Dark Horse published a comic book series of the same name.The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill and Mia Sara. It is set in the future where time travel is possible. Van Damme plays a Time...
in 1994. The film was a huge success, grossing over $100 million worldwide. In the film, Van Damme played a time traveling cop, who tries to prevent the death of his wife. It remains his highest grossing movie to date.
After his role in the poorly received
Street Fighter, his projects started to fail at the box office.
The QuestThe Quest is a 1996 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Roger Moore, Janet Gunn, and James Remar. The film is Van Damme's directorial debut. The plot revolves around an international martial arts tournament, with a storyline similar to that of Bloodsport. It was originally penned by Frank Dux...
(1996), which he directed;
Maximum RiskMaximum Risk is a 1996 film, directed by Ringo Lam and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Natasha Henstridge.-Plot:Alain Moreau is a cop in Nice, France. Alain is at a funeral that is being held for a fellow cop, when Alain’s partner Sebastien shows up...
(1996) and
Double Team (1997) were
box-office flopThe phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue retained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
s.
His last theatrical released movie was
Universal Soldier: The ReturnUniversal Soldier: The Return, released in 1999, was the second theatrical film in the Universal Soldier series, following two made-for-TV movies, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business...
. All his movies after this, up until 2008's
JCVDJCVD is a crime-based comedy drama directed by French-Algerian director Mabrouk El Mechri, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as himself, a down-and-out action star whose family and career are crumbling around him as he is caught in the middle of a post office heist in his hometown of Brussels,...
, had been direct to video releases.
Van Damme had worked for director
John McTiernanJohn Campbell McTiernan, Jr. is an American filmmaker, best known for his action films and most identifiable with the three films he directed back-to-back: Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October alongside cult favorite Die Hard With A Vengeance, and Last Action Hero...
for the 1987 movie
PredatorPredator is a 1987 science fiction, action and horror film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. The story follows an elite team on a mission to rescue hostages from a guerrilla group in Central America. Unknowingly, the...
as the titular alien, before being removed and replaced by
Kevin Peter HallKevin Peter Hall was an American actor famous for his roles in Misfits of Science, Prophecy, Without Warning, and Harry and the Hendersons. He was best known as the Predator in Predator and Predator 2.-Early life:Hall, an African-American, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
.
In 2003, Van Damme employed his dancing training in the music video for
Bob Sinclar'sBob Sinclar, mistaken many times as "Sinclair" is a Grammy Award-nominated French record producer, House music DJ, remixer and owner of the label Yellow Productions.-Career history:...
Kiss My Eyes.
Van Damme will reprise his role as Luc Devereaux in the upcoming movie
Universal Soldier: A New Beginning.
Van Damme was offered a lead role in
Sylvester StalloneSylvester Gardenzio Stallone , nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. One of the biggest box office draws in the world from the 1970s to the 1990s, Stallone is an icon of machismo and Hollywood action heroism...
's upcoming film
The ExpendablesThe Expendables is an upcoming ensemble action film written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. Filming began on March 28, 2009 in Brazil, New Orleans, and Los Angeles and is expected to be released on August 20, 2010...
. Stallone called Van Damme personally to offer him the role, but Van Damme turned it down, citing that he "doesn't want his career going down that route."
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|
| 1984 -Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.*Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
|
Breakin' Breakin' is a 1984 movie directed by Joel Silberg. It was also released under the title Breakdance: The Movie in some international locations....
|
Guy dancing in the background |
|
| Monaco Forever Monaco Forever is a 1984 movie directed by William A. Levey and starring Charles Pitt as an American jewel thief in Monaco. Michael is trying to set up a robbery of a jewel store, and runs into various characters along the way....
|
Gay Karate Man |
|
| 1985 -Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.-Top grossing films :source:...
|
No Retreat, No SurrenderNo Retreat, No Surrender is a 1986 film directed by Corey Yuen and starring Kurt McKinney as Jason Stillwell and features Jean-Claude Van Damme as Ivan Krushensky....
|
Ivan Krushensky |
|
| 1988 -Top grossing films :source: http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1988&p=.htm- Awards :Academy Awards:* Alice * Alien Nation, starring James Caan and Mandy Patinkin* Amsterdamned...
|
BloodsportBloodsport is a 1988 martial arts film "Based on true events in the life of Frank Dux" as portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme. Although it enjoyed little box office success, it is considered a genre classic by martial arts film enthusiasts for showcasing a large variety of international fighting...
|
Frank Dux Frank W. Dux is an American martial artist and fight choreographer. Dux established his own school of Ninjutsu in 1975, called "Dux Ryu Ninjutsu"....
|
|
| Black Eagle Black Eagle is a 1988 martial artist movie set on the Mediterranean island of Malta.-Plot summary:The motion picture takes place with the summoning of a Japanese martial artist Ken Tami , assigned on a US Governmental mission to retrieve a top secret laser tracking device that was on board a shot...
|
Andrei |
|
| 1989 -Events:* "Batman" is released on June 23, and went on to become the biggest blockbuster of the year; Grossing over $250 million at the box office.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
|
Cyborg Cyborg is a 1989 martial arts action sci-fi film directed by Albert Pyun. Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Gibson Rickenbacker, an underdog street fighter who battles a group of sadistic outlaws led by Fender Tremolo along the east coast of the United States in a post-apocalyptic near future...
|
Gibson Rickenbacker |
|
| Kickboxer {Infobox Film| name = Kickboxer| image = Kickboxer_poster.jpg| image_size = 200px| caption = Theatrical Release Poster| director = Mark DiSalle
David Worth| producer = Mark DiSalle...
|
Kurt Sloane |
|
| 1990 The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
|
Death Warrant Death Warrant is a 1990 action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film was written by David S. Goyer while a student at USC, and was Goyer's first screenplay to be sold and produced commercially.-Plot summary:...
|
Louis Burke |
|
| Lionheart |
Lyon Gaultier |
|
| 1991 The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York*Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for sci-fi action films.-Top grossing films :...
|
Double Impact Double Impact is a 1991 action film directed by Sheldon Lettich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in a dual role.-Synopsis:Van Damme plays Alex and Chad Wagner, twins who are separated as babies when their parents are killed by a crime boss, in a shooting...
|
Alex Wagner/Chad Wagner |
|
| 1992 The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films :source: - Awards :Academy Awards:*Article 99B...
|
Universal SoldierUniversal Soldier is a 1992 science fiction film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers.- Production :The film...
|
Luc Deveraux/GR44 |
|
| 1993 The year 1993 in film involved many significant films. -Events:...
|
Hard Target Hard Target is a 1993 American action film directed by Chinese director John Woo. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chance Boudreaux, an out of work Cajun merchant seaman who saves the young woman Natasha Binder from a gang of thugs in New Orleans...
|
Chance Boudreaux |
|
| Nowhere to Run |
Sam Gillen |
|
| 1994 The year 1994 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :*This was the Highest Grossing film of 1994 Worldwidesource: - Awards :Academy Awards:* Andre...
|
Street Fighter Street Fighter is a 1994 American martial arts action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza. It is based on the same-titled video games produced by Capcom. The film features an international and multicultural cast that included Jean-Claude Van Damme , Raúl Juliá Street Fighter is a 1994...
|
Colonel William F. Guileis a video game character in Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. In the live action Street Fighter movie, Guile is given the full name of William F. Guile with the military rank of colonel, which was also used in the US Street Fighter cartoon, but was never adapted into the video game...
|
|
| Timecop Timecop is a 1994 science fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams. Dark Horse published a comic book series of the same name.The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill and Mia Sara. It is set in the future where time travel is possible. Van Damme plays a Time...
|
Max Walker |
|
| 1995 The year 1995 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg....
|
Sudden Death Sudden Death is a 1995 action movie, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film's story was written by Karen Elise Baldwin, the wife of then-Penguins owner Howard Baldwin. It also features Dorian Harewood and Raymond J. Barry, and is directed by Peter Hyams. It has been rated R by the Motion Picture...
|
Darren McCord |
|
FriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolved around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses. The series was produced by...
|
Himself |
|
| 1996 The year 1996 in film involved some significant events. Major releases this year included Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Independence Day, Twister, Scream, Jerry Maguire and Madonna's Evita.-Events:...
|
Maximum Risk Maximum Risk is a 1996 film, directed by Ringo Lam and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Natasha Henstridge.-Plot:Alain Moreau is a cop in Nice, France. Alain is at a funeral that is being held for a fellow cop, when Alain’s partner Sebastien shows up...
|
Alain Moreau/Mikhail Suverov |
|
| The Quest The Quest is a 1996 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Roger Moore, Janet Gunn, and James Remar. The film is Van Damme's directorial debut. The plot revolves around an international martial arts tournament, with a storyline similar to that of Bloodsport. It was originally penned by Frank Dux...
|
Christopher Dubois |
|
| 1997 The year 1997 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Star Wars original trilogy's 20th Anniversary Special Editions are released.*Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace....
|
Double Team |
Jack Quinn |
|
| 1998 The year 1998 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
|
LegionnaireLegionnaire is a 1998 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as a 1920s boxer who wins a fight after having been hired by gangsters to lose it, then flees to join the French Foreign Legion. The cast includes Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Steven Berkoff, Nicholas Farrell and Jim Carter...
|
Alain Lefevre |
|
| Knock Off Knock Off is a 1998 American action film directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lela Rochon and Rob Schneider.-Plot:...
|
Marcus Ray |
|
| 1999 The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s. Several new feature films, including Star Wars Episode I, The Sixth Sense, The Green Mile, new sequel Toy Story 2, first of The Matrix, Disney's animated Tarzan,...
|
Universal Soldier: The ReturnUniversal Soldier: The Return, released in 1999, was the second theatrical film in the Universal Soldier series, following two made-for-TV movies, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business...
|
Luc Devereaux |
|
| Inferno Inferno is a 1999 film directed by John G. Avildsen, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Eddie Lomax is a vetern soldier sick of life, wandering the desert looking for a reason to die...
|
Eddie Lomax |
|
| 2001 The year 2001 in film involved some significant events. -Top-grossing films:...
|
The Order The Order is a 2001 20M action thriller film about a religious order, written by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Les Weldon and directed by Sheldon Lettich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The cast also includes Sofia Milos, Brian Thompson, Ben Cross, Vernon Dobtcheff and Charlton Heston...
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Rudy Cafmeyer/Charles Le Vaillant |
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ReplicantReplicant is a 2001 film starring Michael Rooker and Jean-Claude Van Damme and directed by Ringo Lam. It is set in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Seattle, Washington, United States...
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Edward "The Torch" Garrotte/Replicant |
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| 2002 The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost...
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Derailed Derailed is a 2002 action movie directed by Bob Misiorowski and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Tomas Arana.- Plot:NATO operative Jacques Kristoff is summoned into action—on his birthday, no less—to track down Galina Konstantin , who has stolen an extremely valuable and dangerous top-secret...
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Jacques Kristoff |
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| 2003 The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
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In HellIn Hell is a 2003 action thriller film directed by Ringo Lam and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.- Plot :Kyle LeBlanc is an American working overseas in Russia. When he hears his wife being attacked over the phone, Kyle rushes home to find that he's too late. The man who killed his wife is found not...
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Kyle LeBlanc |
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| 2004 The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
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Wake of Death Wake of Death is an American action movie, directed by French director, Philippe Martinez. Ringo Lam was the original director, but he left the project after a few weeks of filming in Canada...
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Ben Archer |
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| Narco |
Jean's Ghost by Lenny |
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| 2006 The year 2006 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
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The Hard Corps The Hard Corps is a 2006 movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Vivica A. Fox.-Synopsis:Phillip Sauvage is an American soldier suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by his time in Iraq and Afghanistan....
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Phillip Sauvage |
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| Second in Command Second in Command is a 2006 action film directed by Simon Fellows, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was released direct-to-video in the United States, Belgium, and Germany on May 2, 2006. It has been rated R by the MPAA for violence and some language. The film was made in Bucharest, Romania.-...
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Sam Keenan |
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| Sınav Sınav is a 2006 Turkish comedy-drama directed by Ömer Faruk Sorak, the director of G.O.R.A.- Plot :Five friends are set to sit for the daunting nationwide university entry exam...
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Charles |
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| 2007 The year 2007 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
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Until Death |
Anthony Stowe |
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| 2008 The year 2008 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
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The Shepherd: Border PatrolThe Shepherd: Border Patrol is a 2007 action film starring Jean Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins and directed by Isaac Florentine, the director of Undisputed 2...
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Jack Robideaux |
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| JCVD JCVD is a crime-based comedy drama directed by French-Algerian director Mabrouk El Mechri, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as himself, a down-and-out action star whose family and career are crumbling around him as he is caught in the middle of a post office heist in his hometown of Brussels,...
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Jean-Claude Van Damme (a fictional character based on himself) |
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| 2009 The year 2009 has many new films to be released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top-grossing films:...
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The Eagle Path |
Frenchy |
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| Universal Soldier: A New Beginning |
Luc Deveraux |
John Hyams |
| 2010 The year 2010 has many new films to be released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-2010:...
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Karate |
The Piston |
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TV
| Year | Title | Episode | Role |
|---|
| 1996 |
FriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolved around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses. The series was produced by...
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"The One After the Superbowl" |
Himself |
| 2006 |
Las Vegas Las Vegas is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working in the fictional Montecito Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet...
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"Die Fast, Die Furious" |
Himself |
| 2009 |
Robot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-Head Writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root...
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"Maurice Was Caught" |
Rhett ButlerRhett Butler is a fictional character, and one of the main protagonists of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.-Role:In the beginning of the novel, we first meet Rhett at the Twelve Oaks Plantation barbecue, the home of John Wilkes and his son Ashley and daughter India Wilkes...
/Count DraculaCount Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. Some aspects of his character may have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian voivode, Vlad III the Impaler...
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Dual roles
Van Damme has been cast in "dual roles" in a single film many times during his career. Most cases involve two distinct characters, but others (TimeCop) involve the same character from different periods of time-travel. These scenes often necessitate special editing or blue-screen cinematography to have two versions of the actor interacting in the same scene.
Those "dual-role" movies to date are
- Double Impact
Double Impact is a 1991 action film directed by Sheldon Lettich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in a dual role.-Synopsis:Van Damme plays Alex and Chad Wagner, twins who are separated as babies when their parents are killed by a crime boss, in a shooting...
: Van Damme plays twin brothers separated at birth and raised in different countries.
- Timecop
Timecop is a 1994 science fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams. Dark Horse published a comic book series of the same name.The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill and Mia Sara. It is set in the future where time travel is possible. Van Damme plays a Time...
: Van Damme plays two versions of the same character overlapping in space-time continuum.
- Maximum Risk
Maximum Risk is a 1996 film, directed by Ringo Lam and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Natasha Henstridge.-Plot:Alain Moreau is a cop in Nice, France. Alain is at a funeral that is being held for a fellow cop, when Alain’s partner Sebastien shows up...
: Van Damme plays twin brothers separated at birth, one of which was murdered.
- The Order
The Order is a 2001 20M action thriller film about a religious order, written by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Les Weldon and directed by Sheldon Lettich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The cast also includes Sofia Milos, Brian Thompson, Ben Cross, Vernon Dobtcheff and Charlton Heston...
: Van Damme plays two different characters in different eras.
- Replicant
Replicant is a 2001 film starring Michael Rooker and Jean-Claude Van Damme and directed by Ringo Lam. It is set in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Seattle, Washington, United States...
: Van Damme plays a serial killer and his futuristic clone and mafioso rockstar Repli Gotti.
Awards and nominations
- Bloodsport
Bloodsport is a 1988 martial arts film "Based on true events in the life of Frank Dux" as portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme. Although it enjoyed little box office success, it is considered a genre classic by martial arts film enthusiasts for showcasing a large variety of international fighting...
(1988)
- 1989: Razzie Awards Award for Worst New Star
The Razzie Award for Worst New Star is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst new actor or actress of the previous year from 1982 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1999. The category has since been rarely awarded.-1982-1989:...
- Double Impact
Double Impact is a 1991 action film directed by Sheldon Lettich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in a dual role.-Synopsis:Van Damme plays Alex and Chad Wagner, twins who are separated as babies when their parents are killed by a crime boss, in a shooting...
(1991)
- 1992: MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by a special panel at Tenth Planet Productions, the production company headed by...
nomination for Most Desirable MaleThis is a follow list of the MTV Movie Award winners for Most Desirable Male. This award was last given out in 1996,along with its counterpart, Most Desirable Female....
- Nowhere to Run (1993)
- 1993: MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by a special panel at Tenth Planet Productions, the production company headed by...
nomination for Most Desirable Male
- Hard Target
Hard Target is a 1993 American action film directed by Chinese director John Woo. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chance Boudreaux, an out of work Cajun merchant seaman who saves the young woman Natasha Binder from a gang of thugs in New Orleans...
(1993)
- 1994: MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by a special panel at Tenth Planet Productions, the production company headed by...
nomination for Most Desirable Male
- Double Team (1997)
- 1998: Razzie Awards nomination for Worst Screen Couple
The Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst movie pairing of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated...
- JCVD
JCVD is a crime-based comedy drama directed by French-Algerian director Mabrouk El Mechri, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as himself, a down-and-out action star whose family and career are crumbling around him as he is caught in the middle of a post office heist in his hometown of Brussels,...
(2008)
- 2008: Toronto Film Critics Association Awards nomination for Best Actor
The Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is one of the annual awards given by the Toronto Film Critics Association.-1990s:-2000s:...
- 2009: Chlotrudis Awards nomination for Best Actor
The Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actor or actors whose winning performance is voted by participating members...
Further reading
- YouTube Video: JC Van Damme vs Patrick Teugels (1980)-The True Story
- WAKO: MARTIAL ARTS (Traditions, History, People, by John Corcoran & Emil Farkas. Gallery Books, W.H. Smith Publishers, Inc. 112 Madison, New York City 10016. 1988. Pages: 60, 265.
- PKA World Heavyweight Title: MARTIAL ARTS, by John Corcoran & Emil Farkas. 1988. Pages: 285–286.
- EKU: MARTIAL ARTS, by John Corcoran & Emil Farkas. 1988. Pages: 210, 393.
- Inside Kung-Fu Presents: Martial Artists One on One, March 1990: Jean-Claude Van Damme, pages 16–25, by John Steven Soet.
- Karate Kung-Fu Illustrated: April, 1991, Gunning for Van Damme, by Tim Vandehey.
- Xuat Tinh Som (Tre Today News), 31 December 2007: Jean-Claude Van Damme.
External links