Biography
Van Damme began martial arts at the age of 11, enrolled by his father in a shotokan karate school. He eventually earned his black belt in karate, later winning the European Professional Karate Association's middleweight championship[3] (although he has claimed that he was 'twice world champion'[. He also started lifting weight to improve his physique, which eventually led to a Mr Belgium bodybuilding title . At the age of 16 took up ballet, which he was to study for five years. He says of ballet that it "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."
At the age of 18, Van Damme opened up the California Gym in Brussels, which one article claimed brought in $15,000 a month. Van Damme was first seen on screen in the French made Rue Barbare, released in 1984, followed in the same year with Monaco Forever, where he was credited as 'Gay Karate Man'. This gave Van Damme the impetus to give up his profitable fitness business in favour of acting. He left for America in the early 1980s (having first tried Hong Kong), initially sleeping in a rented car doing odd jobs until he broke into film. His first major role came in 1985, when he played Ivan Krushensky in No Retreat, No Surrender, which also starred Kurt McKinney. He was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged extraterrestrial monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Predator, but wearing the heavy alien costume in the jungle was too difficult, and Van Damme, unhappy with his role, left the production. How he left the picture is disputed: some say he quit, others say he was replaced when the character was revised. Van Damme claims he intentionally got fired so he could move on to other movies. Van Damme's breakthrough role came in Bloodsport, a film that earned him a nomination as "Worst New Star" in the 1988 Golden Raspberry Awards. The critics were unimpressed, but Bloodsport proved to be Van Damme's stepping stone to more lucrative roles.
Van Damme worked his way up to Hollywood mainstream in the 1990s, often working with acclaimed foreign directors. Notable movies include Double Impact (1991), Universal soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run (1993), Hard Target (1993), and his most critically praised work, Timecop (1994). Many of these roles included doppelgänger or Lazarus themes involving Van Damme's characters, an aspect unusual for the action movie genre.
By the end of the 1990s, Van Damme's high-profile career had faded but he continues to star in smaller, often direct-to-video movies. His movies have earned over $650 million worldwide, earning him a place in the action movie world along with others like Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris.
He has had troubles with cocaine and is also reported to have experienced bipolar disorder. He has been married five times, including two marriages with his current wife Gladys Portugues.
In 1998, Van Damme and his former bodyguard Chuck Zito were involved in a fist-fight at a New York strip-tease bar called Scores. Allegedly, Van Damme had said something negative about Zito while drunk, and when Zito confronted Van Damme about this Van Damme prepared himself for a fight and Zito began punching Van Damme. This event became notorious in the news and somewhat of a scandal for Van Damme.
On Screen Nudity
Jean Claude Van Damme has gained a reputation for numerous nude appearances in his films and has become a definite favourite for fans for his onscreen nudity. He first appeared nude in Bloodsport, with numerous such appearances in his subsequent films, including a lengthy one in Universal Soldier. Though only showing rear nudity, the athletic quality of Van Damme's posterior has heightened his appeal. Van Damme is on record as saying "If you have a decent body why not show it? I'm very proud of my butt." This was the subject of parody in the television show Friends, where Van Damme, playing "himself", flirts with a main character by announcing that he can "crack a walnut with my butt."
An "abstract thinker"
In the French-speaking world, Jean-Claude Van Damme is well-known for the picturesque aphorisms that he delivers on a wide range of topics (personal well-being, ecology etc.) in a strange mixture of French and English. He is especially well-known for his usage of the word aware (in English). Lists of Van Damme quotes are compiled and available on the web and on Wikiquote.
Marriage history
Gladys Portugues (25 June 1999 - present)
Darcy LaPier (3 February 1994 - November 1997) (divorced) 1 child
Gladys Portugues (1986 - 1992) (divorced) 2 children
Cynthia Derderian (1985 - 1985) (divorced)
Salary
Sudden Death (1995) $5,000,000
Street Fighter (1994) $6,200,000
Timecop (1994) $3,000,000
Hard Target (1993) $3,000,000
Universal Soldier (1992) $1,000,000
Death Warrant (1990) $70,000
Lionheart (1990) $70,000
Kickboxer (1989/I) $70,000
Cyborg (1989) $70,000
Bloodsport (1988) $70,000
Black Eagle (1988) $70,000
The Average Joe Fishing (1987) - non-profit
No Retreat, No Surrender (1985) - salary unknown
Filmography
Breakin' (1984) (as an extra)
Monaco Forever (1984)
No Retreat, No Surrender (1985)
Black Eagle (1988)
Bloodsport (1988)
Cyborg (1989)
Kickboxer (1989)
Lionheart (1990)
Death Warrant (1990)
Double Impact (1991)
Universal Soldier (1992)
Nowhere to Run (1993)
Last Action Hero (1993) (Cameo appearance)
Hard Target (1993)
Timecop (1994)
Street Fighter (1994)
Sudden Death (1995)
The Quest (1996)
Maximum Risk (1996)
Double Team (1997)
Knock Off (1998)
Legionnaire (1998)
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
Desert Heat (1999)
Replicant (2001)
The Order (2001)
Derailed (2002)
In Hell (2003)
Narco (2004)
Wake of Death (2004)
Second in Command (post-production) (2006)
The Hard Corps (filming) (2006)
Astérix aux jeux olympiques (pre-production) (2007)
Kumite (announced) (2007)
Footnotes
1. ^ 'Belgian Bruiser Muscles Into B-Movie Scene ', John Stanley, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 April 1989
2. ^ Belgian Bruiser Muscles Into B-Movie Scene ', John Stanley, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 April 1989
3. ^ ‘Van Damme speaks language of karate’, Louis B Parks, Houston Chronicle, 29 April 1988
4. ^ ‘Playboy interview’, Lawrence Grobel, Playboy, 1 January 1995
5. ^ ‘Van Damme gets his kicks from acting now, not karate’, Jae-Ha Kim, Chicago Sun-Times, 14 April 1989
6. ^ ‘Van Damme gets his kicks from acting now, not karate’, Jae-Ha Kim, Chicago Sun-Times, 14 April 1989
7. ^ ‘Van Damme gets his kicks from acting now, not karate’, Jae-Ha Kim, Chicago Sun-Times, 14 April 1989
