Jean-Claude Van Damme

"Van Damme" and "JCVD" redirect here. For other uses, see Van Damme (disambiguation) and JCVD (disambiguation).

Jean-Claude Van Damme
Van Damme in 2012
Born	Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (1960-10-18) 18 October 1960 Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Brussels-Capital, Belgium
Other names	"JCVD" "The Muscles from Brussels"
Division	Middleweight
Style	Karate, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Taekwondo
Fighting out of	Brussels, Belgium
Team	Team Goetz
Trainer	Claude Goetz Dominique Valera
Rank	2nd Dan Black Belt in Shōtōkan Karate
Years active	1976–1982 (martial arts) 1979–present (acting)
Kickboxing record
Total	19
Wins	18
By knockout	18
Losses	1
Amateur record
Total	48
Wins	44
Losses	4
Other information
Occupation	Actor, former martial artist
Spouse	María Rodríguez ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1984)​ Cynthia Derderian ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 1986)​ Gladys Portugues ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 1992)​ ​ ​ (m. 1999)​ Darcy LaPier ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 1997)​
Children	3
Website	jcvdworld.com

Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (French: [ʒɑ̃ klod kamij fʁɑ̃swa vɑ̃ vaʁɑ̃bɛʁɡ]; Dutch: [vɑn ˈvarə(n)ˈbɛrx]; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (French: [vɑ̃ dam]; Dutch: [vɑn ˈdɑmə]), is a Belgian martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and fight choreographer.

Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the age of ten his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate school. From there, he went on to develop his fighting skills, both in Shotokan karate and kickboxing. He also studied ballet for five years. He was a member of the Belgium Karate Team when it won the European Karate Championship on 26 December 1979. With the desire of becoming an actor, he moved to the United States in 1982, where he did odd jobs and worked on several films, until he got his break as the lead in the martial arts film Bloodsport (1988).

Van Damme became a popular action film star and followed up with Cyborg (1989), Kickboxer (1989), Lionheart (1990), Death Warrant (1990), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run (1993), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994), Street Fighter (1994), Sudden Death (1995), The Quest (1996), Maximum Risk (1996), etc. After a decline, Van Damme returned to prominence with the critically acclaimed crime drama JCVD (2008). From thereon Van Damme continued starring in action films, and playing supporting roles in The Expendables 2 (2012), the Kung Fu Panda franchise (2011-2016), the Kickboxer reboot (2016), etc.

Early life and education

Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, on 18 October 1960, in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, the son of Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, who was an accountant and florist. His father is from Brussels and bilingual, and his mother is Flemish (Dutch-speaking). Van Damme was brought up Roman Catholic. His paternal grandmother was Jewish.

He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a Shōtōkan karate school. His styles consist of Shōtōkan Karate and Kickboxing. He eventually earned his black belt in karate at 18. 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 ballet, 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." Later he took up both Taekwondo and Muay Thai.

Career

Early 1970s to 1980: Martial arts and first film appearance

At the age of 12, Van Damme joined the Centre National de Karaté (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Claude Goetz in Belgium. Van Damme trained for four years and he earned a spot on the Belgian Karate Team; he later trained in full-contact karate and kickboxing with Dominique Valera. According to Van Damme, "it was tough growing up. I was kind of geeky, and physically I was not gifted".

At the age of 15, Van Damme started his competitive karate career in Belgium. From 1976 to 1980, Van Damme compiled a record of 44 victories and 4 defeats in tournament and non-tournament semi-contact matches.

Van Damme was a member of the Belgium Karate Team when it won the European Karate Championship on 26 December 1979 at La Coupe François Persoons Karate Tournament in Brussels.

Van Damme placed second at the Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials). At the 3-day tournament, Van Damme defeated 25 opponents before losing in the finals to teammate Angelo Spataro.

On 8 March 1980, in Brussels, Belgium, Van Damme competed against his former teammate Patrick Teugels at the Forest National Arena on the undercard of the Dan Macaruso-Dominique Valera Professional Karate Association Light-Heavyweight World Championship bout. Prior to this match, Teugels had defeated Van Damme twice by decision, including a match for the Belgium Lightweight Championship. Van Damme had a 1977 victory over Teugels. Teugels was coming off an impressive showing at the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations World Championships four months earlier, and was favored by some to win this match. According to reports, and Patrick Teugels' own interview (with photos), Teugels lost to Van Damme by TKO in the 1st round. Teugels was kicked in the nose and was unable to continue as a result. In a 2013 interview, Van Damme called this fight his most memorable match.

Van Damme began his full-contact career in 1977, when Claude Goetz promoted the first ever full-contact karate tournament in Belgium.

From 1977 to 1982, Van Damme compiled a record of 18 victories (18 knockouts) and 1 defeat .

In 1979, he had an uncredited role in André Delvaux's Woman Between Wolf and Dog, a Belgian-French drama film starring Marie-Christine Barrault, and Rutger Hauer.

In 1980, Van Damme caught the attention of Professional Karate Magazine publisher and editor Mike Anderson and multiple European champion Geert Lemmens. Both men tabbed Van Damme as an upcoming prospect. Van Damme retired from competition in 1982.

During his early life, Van Damme sold flowers in restaurants, and got a loan to open a gym to save some money before his move to the United States. Aptly titled California Gym, it was opened in 1979 and catered to "karate, dancing, aerobics, bodybuilding - everything". Van Damme adds that "I wrote special training programs for people, and it was a very upbeat atmosphere with music". At its peak, California Gym was making $15,000 per month; "when I decided to sell my gym my father thought I was crazy. He said, 'What the hell are you doing? You have the best gym in Brussels. You have a sports car, a beautiful apartment, you’re making so much money that you can have anything you want — and now you’re going to sell your business and go to America'. He was very upset".

1982 to 1988: Early works and breakthrough

In 1982, Van Damme and childhood friend Michel Qissi moved to the United States in the hope of working as actors. They did a variety of jobs to support themselves. Their first job working on a film as extras in the hip hop dance film Breakin' (1984), made by Cannon Films; they are seen dancing in the background at a dance demonstration.

Around that time he developed a friendship with action martial art film star Chuck Norris. They started sparring together, and Van Damme started to work as a bouncer at a bar named Woody's Wharf, owned by Norris. Van Damme also supplemented his income as a limousine driver and private karate instructor.

Van Damme described his early days in the United States as being particularly difficult - excluding $2,000, Van Damme had placed all of his money from the sale of his gym into a European bank; thus, he struggled financially. To ensure his own emotional wellbeing, Van Damme would go for runs every night in Santa Monica. After that, he would train at the world-renowned Gold's Gym. This routine reportedly helped him survive for many years. He actively participated in casting calls and had a specific routine. On Wednesdays, he would purchase the Drama-Logue magazine; then Thursday mornings, he would send out his picture and resume in response to advertisements. Van Damme was willing to try anything to achieve success, even going so far as to fabricate a story. He would call movie studios and claim to be an actor from Brussels with an investor from Hong Kong. He also instructed a friend to play along and act as if they wanted him to star in a movie and were willing to invest money, but required additional funding. Armed with this, he approached producers and suddenly found that all his phone calls were being answered. Of course, his intention was simply to meet the person and put his name out there, as opposed to securing illegitimate deals.

In the 1984 action film Missing in Action starring Norris, which was also released by Cannon Films, Van Damme is credited in the stunt team crew. That same year he also had a role in the comedy short film Monaco Forever.

On 2 May 1986, Corey Yuen's martial arts film No Retreat, No Surrender premiered in Los Angeles. It was Van Damme's first sizeable role when he was cast as the Russian villain. It starred Kurt McKinney, and was released through New World Pictures. McKinney performs as Jason Stillwell, a U.S. teenager who learns karate from the spirit of Bruce Lee. Stillwell uses these lessons to defend his martial arts dojo against a Soviet martial artist played by Van Damme. He was set to star in No Retreat, No Surrender 2, but backed out.

Van Damme worked for director John McTiernan for the film Predator (1987) as an early (eventually abandoned) version of the titular alien, before being removed and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall. As the first choice to play the titular Predator character, with the intent that he would use his martial arts skills to make the alien an agile, ninja-like hunter, but after few days shot, he left the film. It was reported that Van Damme constantly complained about the monster suit being too hot and causing him to pass out; he allegedly also voiced reservations about only appearing on camera in the suit. Additionally, it became apparent that a more physically imposing actor was needed to make the creature appear threatening against the team of soldiers. The role eventually went to Kevin Peter Hall. After Predator was a success, Van Damme said that he appreciated the movie and that he had no regrets about missing that role.

Van Damme's breakout film was Bloodsport, which opened on 26 February 1988, based on the alleged true story of Frank Dux. It was shot on a $1.5-million budget for Cannon. The film is about U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux (played by Van Damme), trained from his youth in the ways of ninjutsu by Senzo Tanaka, who honors his mentor by taking the place of Tanaka's deceased son Shingo in the illegal martial-arts tournament Kumite in Hong Kong. It became a U.S. box-office hit in the spring of 1988. Producer Mark Di Salle said he was looking for "a new martial arts star who was a ladies' man, [but Van Damme] appeals to both men and women. He's an American hero who fights for justice the American way and kicks the stuffing out of the bad guys." In reality, Van Damme had begged for a starring role; at the point of casting, he was homeless, sleeping in cars and garages, and sometimes had to resort to stealing food to survive. Also in 1988, Van Damme played another Russian villain, in Black Eagle, opposite Sho Kosugi. In the film, Sho Kosugi is a martial artist and special operative for the U.S. government codenamed "Black Eagle", and summoned by his superiors after an F-111 carrying an experimental black ops laser tracking device was shot down over Malta by Russian forces.

1989 to 1999: International stardom

After the success of Bloodsport, Cannon Films offered Van Damme the lead in Delta Force 2, American Ninja 3 or Cyborg, a cyperpunk martial arts film directed by Albert Pyun. Van Damme chose Cyborg which premiered in 1989. The film was a low budget box office success and led to two sequels, neither of which Van Damme appeared in.

Cannon used Van Damme again in Kickboxer released that same year. It was highly successful, returning over $50 million on a $3-million budget. The film started the Kickboxer franchise. Van Damme did not appear in any of the film's four sequels, though he did return as a different character in the reboot series.

In 1990 Van Damme starred in Death Warrant, the first script credit for David S. Goyer. Also that year he starred in Lionheart. Lionheart was directed by Sheldon Lettich who had co-written Bloodsport, and said the film was "the first movie to demonstrate that Van Damme was more than just a flash-in-the-pan "Karate Guy" who would never rise above simplistic low-budget karate movies." It also featured rear nudity from Van Damme which Lettich says "became a very memorable moment for the ladies in the audience, and for the gay guys as well. Showing off his butt (clothed or unclothed) almost became a signature trademark of his after that."

In 1991, Double Impact was released. Directed by Lettich, it features Van Damme in the dual role of Alex and Chad Wagner, estranged twin brothers fighting to avenge the deaths of their parents. Upon its opening it received mixed reviews. The Los Angeles Times said the film "delivers the goods", while Variety didn't like the plotline and predicted a flop. The film grossed $23,683,813 in its first 28 days. It made a total of $30,102,717 in the US. Retrospective critics perceive it to be a fun action film, with good comical moments, and a good performance by Van Damme who plays two distinct characters.

In 1992, Van Damme starred in one of the biggest blockbusters of the year in the sci-fi action picture Universal Soldier directed by Roland Emmerich for Carolco. Van Damme (as Luc Deveraux) and Dolph Lundgren (as Sergeant Andrew Scott) play U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War who are sent to secure a village against North Vietnamese forces. However they end up shooting each other dead after Devereaux discovers that Scott has gone insane and has resorted to mutilating the villagers and barbarically cutting off their ears, taking an innocent girl and boy hostage. They are later reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers and sent on a mission as GR operatives. At the 1992 Cannes Film Festival, Van Damme and Lundgren were involved in a verbal altercation that almost turned physical when both men pushed each other only to be separated, but it was believed to have only been a publicity stunt. Universal Soldier opened in theatres on 10 July 1992, a moderate success domestically with $36,299,898 in US ticket sales, but a major blockbuster worldwide, making over $65 million overseas, which earned the film a total of $102 million worldwide, on a $23 million budget.

Van Damme was considered to play Simon Phoenix in Demolition Man and was briefly considered for the role of Michael Cheritto in Heat.

Van Damme at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993

In 1993 Van Damme made a cameo in Last Action Hero, and starred in Nowhere To Run. The film was the first in a three-picture deal between Van Damme and Columbia Pictures and his fee was $3.5 million. Columbia said the film is "true to his audience and goes beyond his audience."

In 1994, he starred in Hard Target for Universal, the first American film from director John Woo. Also released that year he starred in Timecop, playing a time-traveling cop. Directed by Peter Hyams, the film was a huge success, grossing over $100 million worldwide, and remains his highest-grossing film in a lead role to date. Also that year, Van Damme starred in Street Fighter, written and directed by Steven E. de Souza for Universal and based on the video game. It was poorly received critically. Though a commercial success, making approximately three times its production cost.

Van Damme and Hyams re-teamed for Universal' on Sudden Death released in 1995. Van Damme plays a French Canadian-born firefighter with the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau who suffered a personal crisis after he was unable to save a young girl from a house fire. Now removed from active duty, Darren has become demoted to being fire marshal for the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, where a gang of terrorists are holding U.S. Vice President and several other VIPs hostage in a luxury suite during a game.

In 1996, Van Damme starred and turned director for The Quest. That year, he appeared in the TV show Friends in the two-part episode "The One After the Superbowl". He also starred in Maximum Risk, the first American film directed by Ringo Lam, and their first collaboration.

Van Damme's first box office bomb since he became a star was Double Team (1997), a buddy film with basketball superstar Dennis Rodman. It was Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's American debut.

In 1998, he and Hark reunited on Knock Off. Also that year, Van Damme acted in the costume action film, Legionnaire. Despite a $35 million budget, it was not released theatrically in the US, only overseas.

In 1999, Van Damme starred in Universal Soldier: The Return, (1999), where he returns as Luc Deveraux. That year he also starred in Inferno.

2000s: Subsequent films

Van Damme in 2007

Released in 2001, Replicant is the second collaboration between Van Damme and director Ringo Lam, and the fifth time that Van Damme has starred in a dual role. It co-stars Michael Rooker. Also that year he starred in The Order, directed by Sheldon Lettich, and written by Van Damme.

In 2002 he starred in Derailed.

In Hell is a 2003 American prison action film directed by Ringo Lam. It is the third collaboration between Van Damme and Lam. Van Damme plays an American working overseas in Magnitogorsk, Russia. That same year, Van Damme employed his dancing training in the music video for Bob Sinclar's "Kiss My Eyes".

His 2004 film was Wake of Death, an action film directed by Philippe Martinez. Ringo Lam was the original director, but he left the project after a few weeks of filming in Canada. It co-stars Simon Yam, Valerie Tian, Tony Schiena, etc.

In 2005, he played himself in the French film Narco.

In 2006, he starred in Second in Command directed by Simon Fellows, and The Hard Corps directed by Sheldon Lettich.

In 2007, played a small role in The Exam, a Turkish comedy-drama film directed by Ömer Faruk Sorak. Also that year he starred in Until Death.

Van Damme on the set of JCVD in October 2007

Van Damme returned to the mainstream with the limited theatrical release of the 2008 film JCVD, which received positive reviews. Time Magazine named Van Damme's performance in the film the second best of the year (after Heath Ledger's The Joker in The Dark Knight), having previously stated that Van Damme "deserves not a black belt, but an Oscar." Also in 2008, he starred in Isaac Florentine's The Shepherd: Border Patrol.

He then reprised his role as Luc Deveraux alongside Dolph Lundgren in the 2009 film Universal Soldier: Regeneration, directed by John Hyams. The film was released theatrically in the Middle East and Southeast Asia and directly to video in the United States and other parts of the world. Since its release, the film has received better than average reviews for a straight-to-DVD franchise sequel.

2010–present: Current work

In 2010, Van Damme directed himself in the barely released Full Love. That same year, he turned down the role of Gunner Jensen in the first instalment of The Expendables and the role went to Dolph Lundgren.

In 2011, Van Damme voiced Master Croc in the computer animation film Kung Fu Panda 2. In the film, Van Damme voices a character who helps the heroes of the previous film. That same year, he co-starred with Scott Adkins in Assassination Games. Also in 2011, he played a role in the French comedy Beur sur la ville. Also that year, Van Damme starred in his own reality TV show Behind Closed Doors. The show showcases his family life, his personal troubles, and an upcoming fight. Since 2009, Van Damme has been planning to make a comeback to fight former boxing Olympic gold-medalist Somluck Kamsing. The fight was a focal point in his ITV reality show Behind Closed Doors. The fight has been repeatedly postponed, with many critics doubting it will occur, especially due to the difficulty of booking the venue.

In 2012, he acted in the Russian comedy film named Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon, and U.F.O. He starred in Dragon Eyes, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, and Six Bullets. Also that year, he starred as the main villain in The Expendables 2. The film series follows a mercenary group as they undertake a mission which evolves into a quest for revenge against a rival mercenary (Van Damme). The film was a success. it grossed over $310 million worldwide. Also that year, Van Damme was seen as part of Kam Sing's ring crew when Kam Sing fought against Jomhod Kiatadisak. He also appeared in commercials for Coors Light beer, showing him on a snow-covered mountain wearing a sleeveless denim jacket, and for the washing powder Dash. On 21 October 2012, Van Damme was honored with a life-size statue of himself in his hometown of Brussels. He told reporters during the unveiling, "Belgium is paying me back something, but really it's to pay back to the dream. So when people come by here, it is not Jean-Claude van Damme but it's a guy from the street who believed in something. I want the statue to represent that".

In 2013 Van Damme acted in the comedy Welcome to the Jungle. Also that year, he played the main villain in Enemies Closer, an American action thriller film directed by Peter Hyams. On 13 November 2013, Volvo Trucks released an advertisement on YouTube that shows Van Damme doing the splits while perched with each of his feet on the outer rearview mirrors of one semi-trailer truck and one box truck moving backwards, which Van Damme describes in the commercial as "the most epic of splits". The video quickly went viral around the web, receiving more than 11 million views in three days, 35 million in the first week. It was dubbed as The Epic Split.

Swelter is a 2014 American action film where he plays one of the leads. It stars Lennie James, and co-stars Grant Bowler, Josh Henderson, and Alfred Molina. James plays a sheriff in a small town who has a dark past that he can not remember, only to have to confront it when his ex-partners show up looking for stolen money they believe he has.

2015, he starred in the action thriller film Pound of Flesh, directed by Ernie Barbarash. Also that year, he had a supporting role in a Chinese superhero parody film.

In 2016, he returned to his voice role of Master Croc in the Kung Fu Panda franchise for the third installment. Also that year, he acted in Kickboxer: Vengeance directed by John Stockwell. It is a reboot of the original where Van Damme was the lead. That year he also played the lead in the tv serie Jean-Claude Van Johnson.

In 2017, he starred in Kill 'Em All, an action film directed by Peter Malota.

In 2018, he returned to his role in Kickboxer: Retaliation, a sequel to the reboot. That same year, he acted in Black Water. It co-stars Dolph Lundgren in the fifth collaboration between both actors as well as the first time they appear together as on-screen allies. In 22 August of that same year, he starred in Julien Leclercq's The Bouncer.

In 2019, Van Damme starred in We Die Young.

In 2021, Van Damme starred in The Last Mercenary.

In 2022, Van Damme voiced the character Jean-Clawed in the computer animation film Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Monument

Van Damme Monument in Qabala, Azerbaijan

In 2012, a statue of the actor was unveiled in Anderlecht, Belgium. The artwork, which depicts a younger incarnation of the Muscles from Brussels in one of his fighting poses from the movie Kickboxer, was commissioned to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Westland Shopping complex. The unveiling took place on Boulevard Sylvain Dupuis and was attended by Van Damme, his parents, Wallonia-Brussels culture minister Fadila Laanan and nearly 2,000 fans. Van Damme said the statue "represented the dream of a Brussels kid" and was "for all the children who want something bad", adding that "if you believe in something strongly enough, it can come true".

In 2019, a Van Damme monument was mounted in the Vandam village of Qabala, Azerbaijan, due to the similarity of the village name and Van Damme's name. The actor subsequently published a post on his Facebook account, thanking those responsible.

Controversies

Lawsuit and fight record controversy

In 1997, Frank Dux, the martial artist whom Van Damme portrayed in Bloodsport, filed a lawsuit against Van Damme for $50,000 for co-writing and consultation work Dux did on the 1996 film The Quest. According to the lawsuit, Dux also accused Van Damme of lying to the public about his martial arts fight record, stating that when Dux tutored Van Damme while Van Damme was laying carpet for a living, Van Damme exhibited a lack of martial arts skills. Van Damme's lawyer, Martin Singer, responded, "There are records to document his martial arts acclaim. Why, just look at his movies; he didn't get those roles on his acting ability! He's the one who does those splits on chairs. He doesn't have a stuntman to do that."

Steven Seagal incident

In 2008, actor Sylvester Stallone declared to the British magazine FHM that "At a party in my home in Miami in 1997, Van Damme was tired of Steven Seagal claiming he could kick his ass so he offered Seagal outside into my back yard." According to Stallone, Seagal made his excuses and left while Van Damme tracked him down at a nightclub and challenged him again. Stallone finished by stating "Van Damme was too strong. Seagal wanted none of it."

Chuck Zito incident

Tensions arose between Van Damme and bodyguard/stuntman Chuck Zito when Zito began dating Van Damme's estranged wife Darcy LaPier. Zito was reportedly unhappy about LaPier's claim in a divorce action that Van Damme had abused her. On 6 February 1998, the New York Daily News reported that Van Damme had been punched by Zito the previous night at the Scores strip club in Manhattan, New York. Zito, who had previously bodyguarded Van Damme and did stunts on the film Nowhere to Run, recalled the incident in his 2002 autobiography Street Justice, claiming that he suffered a broken hand as a result of striking Van Damme several times after Van Damme made disparaging remarks about him to a club bouncer, who then relayed the comments to Zito. Van Damme denied in an appearance on Inside Edition days after the incident that he had been struck by Zito and challenged Zito to a fight.

Kadyrov event

In October 2011, Van Damme, along with other celebrities including Hilary Swank, Vanessa-Mae and Seal attracted criticism from human rights groups for attending an event in Russian federal subject Chechnya's capital Grozny on the 35th birthday of Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov on 5 October. Human rights groups, who had urged the celebrities to cancel their appearances because of abuses carried out under Kadyrov, criticised the celebrities for attending the event. Human Rights Watch released a statement which said, "Ramzan Kadyrov is linked to a litany of horrific human rights abuses. It's inappropriate for stars to get paid to party with him [...] And getting paid to be part of such a lavish show in Chechnya trivializes the suffering of countless victims of human rights abuses there."

Public image and influence

In the French-speaking world, Van Damme is well known – and often mocked – for the picturesque aphorisms that he delivers on a wide range of topics (personal well-being, spirituality, the environment, women, dogs, his ability to crack walnuts with his buttocks, his realization that Christianity is flawed based on the fact that "snakes are nice" and "apples contain pectin which is anti-cholesterol", etc.) in a sort of Zen franglais. He was deeply affected by his depiction in the media and the frequent derisive use of his interviews in comedy shows in the early 2000s, becoming increasingly reluctant to grant new interviews in French. He later explained that he was trying to communicate bits of his hard-earned wisdom to young uneducated people dreaming of success, like he used to be himself, and had to struggle with the time constraints of TV, with his difficulties reacquainting with the French language, and with the effects of jet lag, often resulting in a clumsy, haphazard delivery. His public image in the French-speaking world became a major theme of the 2008 movie J.C.V.D. (directed by Mabrouk El Mechri, a fan of Van Damme's from his childhood, who sought to rehabilitate him by exploring those issues head-on).

The original video game Mortal Kombat was conceived as a fighting game based on Van Damme. Creators Ed Boon and John Tobias had originally wanted to star Van Damme himself in the game. That fell through as he had a prior deal for another game under the auspices of the Sega Genesis platform. Ed Boon and John Tobias eventually decided to create a different character for the game named Johnny Cage, who is modelled after Van Damme, primarily from Van Damme's appearance and outfit in the martial arts film Bloodsport. In the German version of the Donkey Kong 64 website, DK's greatest hero is Jean-Claude van Kong.

Renowned UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre was inspired by Van Damme, and described fighting him in the film Kickboxer: Vengeance as "a dream come true".

In January 2017, Van Damme featured in an Ultra Tune television advert which was part of a controversial series of ads. Two women were confronted in a car park by a gang of youths in a threatening manner, Van Damme appears to defend them and then the mood lightens and they take pictures with the star.

In October 2020, Van Damme rescued a three-month-old chihuahua, saving her from euthanasia after a legal tussle between Norway and Bulgaria.

Personal life

By the mid-1990s, the stress of the constant filming and promotion of his films, as Van Damme explains, led him to develop a cocaine habit, on which he spent up to $10,000 a week, and consuming up to 10 grams per day by 1996. He was arrested for driving under the influence in 1999. Attempts at drug rehabilitation were unsuccessful, and he resorted to resolve his addiction via quitting cold turkey and exercise. In 1998, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 2011, he discussed the condition on the British reality show Behind Closed Doors, saying, "Sometimes you're gonna like me, and sometimes you're gonna hate me. But what can I do? I'm not perfect ... I'm an extreme bipolar, and I'm taking medication for this ... When I was young, I was suffering those swing moods. In the morning, the sky was blue [when I was] going to school, and to me, the sky was black. I was so sad."

Van Damme has been married five times to four different women. Until 1992 he was married to his third wife, bodybuilder Gladys Portugues, with whom he has two children, Kristopher (born 1987) and Bianca Brigitte (born 1990).) He had begun an affair with actress Darcy LaPier, whom he married in February 1994. From this marriage, the couple has a son named Nicholas (born 10 October 1995). That same year he had an affair with his Street Fighter co-star Kylie Minogue during filming in Thailand. LaPier, who was pregnant with their son at the time, did not become aware of the affair until Van Damme publicly admitted it in 2012.

Van Damme had been in a decade long relationship with Model Alena Kaverina, though still married to Gladys Portugues. Kaverina was born in Ukraine; Van Damme visited the country during the Russian invasion of Ukraine to show his support.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	Woman Between Wolf and Dog	Movie goer / Man in garden	Uncredited extra
1984	Monaco Forever	Gay karate man	Minor role
	Breakin'	Spectator in first dance scene	Uncredited extra
1985	No Retreat, No Surrender	Ivan Kraschinsky	Main antagonist role
1988	Bloodsport	Frank Dux	First starring role; also editor (uncredited)
	Black Eagle	Andrei	Antagonist role
1989	Cyborg	Gibson Rickenbacker	Also editor (uncredited)
	Kickboxer	Kurt Sloane	Also writer, fight director and choreographer
1990	Lionheart	Léon Gaultier	Also writer and fight choreographer
	Death Warrant	Louis Burke
1991	Double Impact	Alex Wagner / Chad Wagner	Dual role; also writer, producer and fight choreographer
1992	Universal Soldier	Luc Deveraux
1993	Nowhere to Run	Sam Gillen
	Last Action Hero	Himself	Cameo
	Hard Target	Chance Boudreaux
1994	Timecop	Max Walker
	Street Fighter	Colonel William F. Guile
1995	Sudden Death	Darren McCord
1996	The Quest	Christopher Dubois	Also director and writer
	Maximum Risk	Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov	Dual role
1997	Double Team	Jack Quinn
1998	Knock Off	Marcus Ray
	Legionnaire	Alain Lefèvre	Also writer and producer
1999	Universal Soldier: The Return	Luc Deveraux	Also producer
	Inferno	Eddie Lomax	Limited release; also producer
2001	Replicant	Edward "The Torch" Garrotte (Luc Savard) / The Replicant	Dual role; direct-to-video
	The Order	Rudy Cafmeyer / Charles Le Vaillant	Direct-to-video; also writer
2002	Derailed	Jacques Kristoff	Direct-to-video
2003	In Hell	Kyle LeBlanc	Direct-to-video
2004	Narco	Jean's ghost by Lenny
	Wake of Death	Ben Archer	Direct-to-video
2006	Second in Command	Commander Samuel Keenan	Direct-to-video
	The Hard Corps	Philippe Sauvage	Direct-to-video
	Sinav	Charles
2007	Until Death	Anthony Stowe	Direct-to-video
2008	The Shepherd: Border Patrol	Jack Robideaux	Direct-to-video
	JCVD	Himself (fictionalized autobiography)	Limited release; also executive producer
2009	Universal Soldier: Regeneration	Luc Deveraux	Direct-to-video
2011	Kung Fu Panda 2	Master Croc	Voice role
	Assassination Games	Vincent Brazil	Limited release; also executive producer
	Beur sur la ville	Colonel Merot	Cameo
	Rzhevsky versus Napoleon	Himself	Cameo
	Dragon Eyes	Jean-Louis Tiano	Limited release
2012	The Expendables 2	Jean Vilain	Van Damme's first widely released film since 1999
	Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning	Luc Deveraux	Limited release
	Six Bullets	Samson Gaul	Direct-to-video; also executive producer
	U.F.O.	George	Limited release
2013	Welcome to the Jungle	Storm Rothschild	Limited release
	Enemies Closer	Xander	Limited release
	Swelter	Stillman	Direct-to-video
2015	Pound of Flesh	Deacon Lyle	Limited release; also executive producer
	Jian Bing Man	Himself	Cameo
2016	Kung Fu Panda 3	Master Croc	Voice role
	Kickboxer: Vengeance	Master Durand	Reboot; limited release
2017	Kill 'Em All	Philip	Direct-to-video
2018	Kickboxer: Retaliation	Master Durand	Limited release
	Black Water	Wheeler	Limited release; also executive producer
	The Bouncer	Lukas	Limited release
2019	We Die Young	Daniel	Limited release
2021	The Last Mercenary	Richard Brumère / The Mist
	Haters	Le fan de Thomas
2022	Minions: The Rise of Gru	Jean Clawed	Voice role
2023	Darkness of Man	Russell Hatch	complete
TBA	The Eagle Path	Frenchy	Also writer, director, producer and editor; complete

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Friends	Himself	Episode: "The One After the Superbowl"
2004	Las Vegas	Himself	Episode: "Die Fast, Die Furious"
2009	Robot Chicken	Himself / Count Dracula / Rhett Butler (voices)	Episode: "Maurice Was Caught"
2011	Jean Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors	Himself	8 episodes; also producer
2011	Les Anges Gardiens	Himself	20 episodes
2016	Sense8	Himself	Episode: "Happy F*cking New Year"
2016–2017	Jean-Claude Van Johnson	Johnson / Filip	6 episodes; also executive producer for "Pilot"
2020	Les Anges Asian Dream	Himself
2022	Ramez Movie Star	Himself	Arabian pranks show, represented by him and Ramez Galal
2023	Jean-Claude Van Damme, Coup sur Soup	Himself	TV Special

Music videos

Year	Song title	Artist(s)
1992	"Body Count's in the House"	Body Count
1994	"Time Won't Let Me"	The Smithereens
	"Straight to My Feet"	MC Hammer featuring Deion Sanders
1995	"Something There"	Chage and Aska
1999	"Crush 'Em"	Megadeth
2003	"Kiss My Eyes"	Bob Sinclar
2008	"Ya Lyublyu Ego"	Iryna Bilyk and Olga Gorbacheva
2015	"The Hum"	Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike vs. Ummet Ozcan
2020	"Ultrarêve"	AaRON

Video games

Year	Title	Role
1995	Street Fighter: The Movie	Colonel Guile
2021	Warpath	Himself (fictional general)
2023	Mortal Kombat 1	Johnny Cage (voice and likeness)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
1988	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst New Star	Bloodsport	Nominated
1992	MTV Movie Award	Most Desirable Male	Double Impact	Nominated
1993			Nowhere to Run	Nominated
1994			Hard Target	Nominated
1998	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Screen Couple (with Dennis Rodman)	Double Team	Won
2001	Video Premiere Award	Best Actor	Replicant	Nominated
2004	Bollywood Movie Award	International Action Super Star	Himself	Won
2008	Silver Leopard	Best Actor	JCVD	Nominated
2009	TFCA Award	Best Performance, Male		Nominated
2014	Golden Lotus Award	Outstanding Achievement of Action Movies Show	Himself	Won

Championships and accomplishments

Mr. Belgium bodybuilding Championships (1976 Gold)

Belgium Karate Lightweight Championships (1977 Gold)

Belgium Karate team European Championships (1979 Gold)

Belgium Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament Championships (1980 Silver)

Semi-contact / light-contact record

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Date	Round	Event	Location	Notes
Win	44-4-0	Jonny Wellum	Decision	7 May 1980	3	WAKO	Brussels, Belgium	Light-Contact (Van Damme avenges early career defeat)
Win	43-4-0	Jordy Claes		1980		Gala International WAKO		Light-Contact
Win	42-4-0	Patrick Teugels	l'abandon (TKO)	8 March 1980	1	Forest Nationals		Light-Contact (Teugels suffers a broken nose and is unable to continue)
Win	41-4-0	Andras Kovacs	Decision	1980	3	WAKO		Semi-Contact
Win	40-4-0	Bekim-Moussa Muhammad
Win	39-4-0	Mustapha-Ahmad Benamou
Win	38-4-0	Reinhard Krass	Disq.	26 December 1979	2	Karate Tournament: Belgium Team vs. German Team	Woluwe, Brussels, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	37-4-0	Gilberto Dias	l'abandon	November 1979	1	World All-styles Karate Organization	Brussels, Belgium	Light-Contact (Dias suffers ankle injury and is unable to continue)
Win	36-4-0	Hans Kohler	Decision	1979	3		Ingelmunster, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Loss	35-4-0	Patrick Teugels				WAKO	Tampa, Florida, USA	Light-Contact (Both men fight in karate-gi uniforms, no pads or gloves)
Win	35-3-0	Matthias Evrard				Cup of Antwerp World All-styles Karate Organization	Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	34-3-0	Paul Sperati				World All-styles Karate Organization	Opprebais, Belgium
Win	33-3-0	Lucus Reinfeld				World All-styles Karate Organization, Europe Interland Cup	Mulhouse, Belgium
Win	32-3-0	Robbe Bogaerts		1978		Hope Cup World All-styles Karate Organization	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	31-3-0	Leonard Baptiste				World All-styles Karate Organization	Izegem, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	30-3-0	Fernando Cabanela				World All-styles Karate Organization
Loss	29-3-0	Angelo Spataro				Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	29-2-0	Gabriel van der Driessche
Win	28-2-0	Farid Muhammad Mousseau
Win	27-2-0	Jacques van Laere
Win	26-2-0	Christian Hedin
Win	25-2-0	Gerard Charon
Win	24-2-0	David Arranz
Win	23-2-0	Bernard Redden
Win	22-2-0	Antoine Redi
Win	21-2-0	Ben Salah Ellah
Win	20-2-0	Gaston Airey	Foul		1
Win	19-2-0	Abdembi Hassan Ali	Decision		3
Win	18-2-0	Jonas "Marcel" Cohen	Decision
Win	17-2-0	Christian van Tieghem
Win	16-2-0	Max Roelandt
Win	15-2-0	Andre Verbon
Win	14-2-0	Michel Juvillier
Win	13-2-0	Joel Maoreau
Win	12-2-0	Ronald Duivenbode						Semi-Contact
Loss	11-2-0	Patrick Teugels				Belgium Lightweight Championship	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	11-1-0	Gris Lubbers		1976		European Karate Union	Ingelmunster, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	10-1-0	Andre Lemaire		1977		World Association of Kickboxing Organizations Open International	Izegem, Belgium
Win	9-1-0	Patrick Teugels				Antwerp Open International Competition WAKO	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	8-1-0	Maurice Devos				World Allstyles Kickboxing Organization		Semi-Contact
Win	7-1-0	Jacques Berri		1976		Antwerp Open WAKO
Win	6-1-0	Johannes Binding					Antwerp, Belgium
Win	5-1-0	Jean-Morin Devigne
Win	4-1-0	Roland Vedani		1976	3	European Karate Union	Ingelmunster, Belgium
Win	3-1-0	Jean-Paul Gaston					Brussels, Belgium
Loss	2-1-0	Jonny Wellum		22 January 1976		La Federation Europeene de Karate (European Karate Federation)	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact (J. Vandenberg credit with defaite)
Win	2-0-0	Bernard Briers						Semi-Contact (J. Vandenberg credit with victoire)
Win	1-0-0	Robin Lomard						Semi-Contact (J. Vandenberg credit with victoire - Karate magazine Boxe francaise)

Kickboxing record

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Date	Round	Time	Event	Location	Notes
Win	18-1-0	Nedjad Gharbi	KKO	1982	1			Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	17-1-0	Daniel Le Jaouen				1:05
Win	16-1-0	Lenny Leikman			3		1st Journée des Arts Martiaux
Win	15-1-0	Ajom Mahmud Uddin	KO	1981	1	0:19
Win	14-1-0	Mustapha-Ahmad Benamou	KKO
Win	13-1-0	Henk Besselman	KO
Win	12-1-0	Michael J. Heming	KKO	1980		0:46	European Karate Federation Middleweight Championship		Kickboxing
Win	11-1-0	Georges Verlugels	KO		2		PKA Middleweight Championship		Kickboxing
Win	10-1-0	Sherman Bergman	KKO	1979 Nov 4	1	0:56		Tampa, Florida, USA	Full-Contact
Win	9-1-0	Rolf Risberg	KKO	1979				Ingelmunster, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	8-1-0	Emile Leibman						Izegem, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	7-1-0	Cyrille Nollet		1978					Kickboxing
Win	6-1-0	Orlando Lang	KO			0:26		Antwerp, Belgium
Win	5-1-0	Jacques Piniarski	KKO					Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	4-1-0	Eric "Basel" Strauss				0:18		Antwerp, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	3-1-0	Andre "Robar" Robaeys						Mulhouse, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	2-1-0	Michel Juvillier	KO			0:39		Antwerp, Belgium	Full-Contact
Loss	1-1-0	Etienne "Tuf" Aubry	DQ	7 March 1977		1:02		Marseilles, France	Full-Contact (Karate magazine Boxe francaise)
Win	1-0-0	Toon van Oostrum	KKO	1977		0:46		Brussels, Belgium	Full-Contact

Books cited

• Corcoran, John; Farkas, Emil (1988). Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. New York City: Gallery Books. pp. 60, 265. ISBN 978-0-8317-5805-9. (Wako)
• Corcoran, John; Farkas, Emil (1988). Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. New York City: Gallery Books. pp. 285–286. ISBN 978-0-8317-5805-9. (PKA World Heavyweight Title)
• Corcoran, John; Farkas, Emil (1988). Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. New York City: Gallery Books. pp. 210, 393. ISBN 978-0-8317-5805-9. (Eku)
• Soet, John Steven (March 1990). "Jean-Claude van Damme". Inside Kung-Fu Presents: Martial Artists One on One. pp. 16–25.
• Zito, Chuck (2002), Street Justice, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 9780312320218

Further reading

• Vandehey, Tim (April 1991). "Gunning for Van Damme". Karate Kung-Fu Illustrated.
• Xuat Tinh Som (31 December 2007). "Jean-Claude van Damme". Tre Today News.

External links

• Official website
• Jean-Claude Van Damme at IMDb