Jean-Claude Van Damme
Acting
Born: October 18, 1960 (age 65) · Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
Highest Rated
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
Friends
1994
Kung Fu Panda 2
2011
The Expendables 2
2012
Kung Fu Panda 3
2016
Minions: The Rise of Gru
2022
Last Action Hero
1993
Bloodsport
1988
Universal Soldier
1992
Street Fighter
1994
Kickboxer
1989
Hard Target
1993
Universal Soldier: The Return
1999
Photos (10)
Movies (74)
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Jean Clawed (voice)
Kung Fu Panda 2
Master Croc (voice)
Kung Fu Panda 3
Master Croc (voice)
The Expendables 2
Jean Vilain
Bloodsport
Frank
Last Action Hero
Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited)
Hard Target
Chance Boudreaux
Universal Soldier
Luc Deveraux / GR44
Street Fighter
Colonel Guile
Double Impact
Alex / Chad Wagner
Lionheart
Lyon Gaultier
Kickboxer
Kurt Sloane
Sudden Death
Darren Francis Thomas McCord
Universal Soldier: The Return
Luc Deveraux
Nowhere to Run
Sam Gillen
No Retreat, No Surrender
Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian"
In Hell
Kyle LeBlanc
Timecop
Max Walker
Death Warrant
Louis Burke
Cyborg
Gibson Rickenbacker
Welcome to the Jungle
Storm
Maximum Risk
Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov
The Shepherd: Border Patrol
Jack Robideaux
Legionnaire
Alain Lefevre
Missing in Action
Soldier (uncredited)
Kill 'em All
Philip
Double Team
Jack Quinn
Assassination Games
Vincent Brazil
The Quest
Christopher Dubois
Black Water
Wheeler
The Bouncer
Lukas
The Gardener
Léo
6 Bullets
Samson Gaul
Inferno
Eddie Lomax
The Order
Rudy Cafmeyer
Kickboxer: Retaliation
Master Durand
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning
Luc Deveraux
Kill 'em All 2
Philip
Knock Off
Marcus Ray
Black Eagle
Andrei
The Last Mercenary
Richard Brumére
Breakin'
Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited)
We Die Young
Daniel
Universal Soldier: Regeneration
Luc Deveraux
Wake of Death
Ben Archer
The Hard Corps
Phillippe Sauvage
Kickboxer: Vengeance
Master Durand
Replicant
Replicant / Garrotte
Pound of Flesh
Deacon
Dragon Eyes
Tiano
Derailed
Jacques Kristoff
Until Death
Anthony Stowe
JCVD
J.C.V.D.
Darkness of Man
Russell Hatch
Enemies Closer
Xander
Narco
Jean-Claude Van Damme fantasmé par Lenny
Swelter
Stillman
Second in Command
Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan
Jian Bing Man
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Street of the Damned
Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited)
U.F.O.
George
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
2001
Beur sur la ville
Colonel Merot
Beur sur la ville
Le colonel
Woman Between Wolf and Dog
Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited)
Haters
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Full Love
Frenchy
Monaco Forever
Gay Karate Man
Heist School
Charles
Spaten
Van Damme
Slinger
Gibson Rickenbacker
Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme
2003
Sensation: Cruise
Kyle LeBlanc (archival footage from 'In Hell')
Monsieur Jean-Claude
(uncredited)
TV Shows (9)
Friends
Jean-Claude Van Damme · 1 eps
Las Vegas
Jean-Claude Van Damme · 1 eps
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1 eps
The Word
2 eps
WCW Monday Nitro
1 eps
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
Johnson · 6 eps
E! True Hollywood Story
1 eps
Ramez Movie Star
30 eps
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors
8 eps
Self / Appearances (20)
Conan
Self · 1 eps
Quotidien
Self - Guest · 1 eps
Sacrée soirée
Self · 1 eps
Vivement dimanche
Self · 1 eps
Beckmann
Self · 1 eps
The UnXplained
Self · 1 eps
The Apartment
Self - Guest · 1 eps
The Late Late Show
Self · 1 eps
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films
Self
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Self
Dolph: Unbreakable
Self
In Search of the Last Action Heroes
Self
All the Love You Cannes!
Self
Corporal vs. Napoleon
Himself
Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans
Himself
Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4
Self
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier'
Himself
Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies
Self
Bon Voyage
Self (archive footage)
Celebrities Uncensored
Self · 1 eps
Upcoming (2)
Directing (3)
Writing (13)
Double Impact
Screenplay
Double Impact
Story
Lionheart
Screenplay
Lionheart
Story
Kickboxer
Story
Legionnaire
Story
Kickboxer 2: The Road Back
Characters
The Quest
Story
The Order
Writer
Kickboxer: Retaliation
Characters
Kickboxer: Vengeance
Characters
Darkness of Man
Story
Full Love
Writer
Producing (12)
Double Impact
Producer
Universal Soldier: The Return
Producer
Legionnaire
Producer
Assassination Games
Executive Producer
Black Water
Executive Producer
6 Bullets
Executive Producer
Inferno
Producer
We Die Young
Executive Producer
Pound of Flesh
Executive Producer
JCVD
Executive Producer
Darkness of Man
Executive Producer
Full Love
Producer
Other Crew (8)
Bloodsport
Editor
Double Impact
Fight Choreographer
Lionheart
Fight Choreographer
Kickboxer
Martial Arts Choreographer
Kickboxer
Stunt Coordinator
Cyborg
Editor
Missing in Action
Stunts
Full Love
Editor