Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 18, 1960 (age 66)
- Birthplace
- Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
Biography
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
Photos
Filmography
What's My Name?
Movie
Silent Kill
Movie
Chinese Hercules: The Bolo Yeung Story
Movie · as Self
Raid Pacific
Movie · as Captain William Pierce
Prison Fight
Movie
Katana
Movie
Dolph: Unbreakable
Movie · as Self
Darkness of Man
Movie · as Russell Hatch
The Gardener
Movie · as Léo
Sensation: Cruise
Movie · as Kyle LeBlanc (archival footage from 'In Hell')
Kill 'em All 2
Movie · as Philip
Spaten
Movie · as Van Damme
Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies
Movie · as Self
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Movie · as Jean Clawed (voice)
Ramez Movie Star
TV · 30 eps
Haters
Movie · as Jean-Claude Van Damme
The Last Mercenary
Movie · as Richard Brumére
Monsieur Jean-Claude
Movie · as (uncredited)
We Die Young
Movie · as Daniel
The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2
Movie
In Search of the Last Action Heroes
Movie · as Self
The UnXplained
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Kickboxer: Retaliation
Movie · as Master Durand
Black Water
Movie · as Wheeler
The Bouncer
Movie · as Lukas
Kill 'em All
Movie · as Philip
Bon Voyage
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Kickboxer: Vengeance
Movie · as Master Durand
Kung Fu Panda 3
Movie · as Master Croc (voice)
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
TV · as Johnson · 6 eps
Quotidien
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Pound of Flesh
Movie · as Deacon
Jian Bing Man
Movie · as Jean-Claude Van Damme
Swelter
Movie · as Stillman
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films
Movie · as Self
Jean-Claude Van Damage
Movie
Welcome to the Jungle
Movie · as Storm
Enemies Closer
Movie · as Xander
Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4
Movie · as Self
Corporal vs. Napoleon
Movie · as Himself
The Expendables 2
Movie · as Jean Vilain
Dragon Eyes
Movie · as Tiano
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning
Movie · as Luc Deveraux
6 Bullets
Movie · as Samson Gaul
U.F.O.
Movie · as George
Kung Fu Panda 2
Movie · as Master Croc (voice)
Assassination Games
Movie · as Vincent Brazil
Beur sur la ville
Movie · as Colonel Merot, Le colonel
Slinger
Movie · as Gibson Rickenbacker
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors
TV · 8 eps
Universal Soldier: Regeneration
Movie · as Luc Deveraux
Full Love
Movie · as Frenchy
Conan
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Shepherd: Border Patrol
Movie · as Jack Robideaux
JCVD
Movie · as J.C.V.D.
Until Death
Movie · as Anthony Stowe
Second in Command
Movie · as Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan
Heist School
Movie · as Charles
The Hard Corps
Movie · as Phillippe Sauvage
Wake of Death
Movie · as Ben Archer
Narco
Movie · as Jean-Claude Van Damme fantasmé par Lenny
Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans
Movie · as Himself
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier'
Movie · as Himself
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of "Universal Soldier"
Movie · as Self
In Hell
Movie · as Kyle LeBlanc
Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme
Movie
Las Vegas
TV · as Jean-Claude Van Damme · 1 ep
Celebrities Uncensored
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Derailed
Movie · as Jacques Kristoff
All the Love You Cannes!
Movie · as Self
Replicant
Movie · as Replicant / Garrotte
The Order
Movie · as Rudy Cafmeyer
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
Movie
The Apartment
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Universal Soldier: The Return
Movie · as Luc Deveraux
Inferno
Movie · as Eddie Lomax
Beckmann
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Legionnaire
Movie · as Alain Lefevre
Knock Off
Movie · as Marcus Ray
Vivement dimanche
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Double Team
Movie · as Jack Quinn
Maximum Risk
Movie · as Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov
The Quest
Movie · as Christopher Dubois
E! True Hollywood Story
TV · 1 ep
Sudden Death
Movie · as Darren
Viva el lunes
TV · as Self · 1 ep
WCW Monday Nitro
TV · 1 ep
Street Fighter
Movie · as Colonel Guile
Timecop
Movie · as Max Walker
Friends
TV · as Jean-Claude Van Damme · 1 ep
Hard Target
Movie · as Chance Boudreaux
Nowhere to Run
Movie · as Sam Gillen
Last Action Hero
Movie · as Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited)
Universal Soldier
Movie · as Luc Deveraux / GR44
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Double Impact
Movie · as Alex / Chad Wagner
Lionheart
Movie · as Lyon Gaultier
Death Warrant
Movie · as Louis Burke
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Movie · as Self
The Word
TV · 2 eps
Cyborg
Movie · as Gibson Rickenbacker
Kickboxer
Movie · as Kurt Sloane
Bloodsport
Movie · as Frank Dux
Black Eagle
Movie · as Andrei
Sacrée soirée
TV · as Self · 1 ep
No Retreat, No Surrender
Movie · as Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian"
Monaco Forever
Movie · as Gay Karate Man
Breakin'
Movie · as Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited)
Street of the Damned
Movie · as Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited)
Missing in Action
Movie · as Soldier (uncredited)
Woman Between Wolf and Dog
Movie · as Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited)
The Late Late Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep