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Jean-Claude Van Damme
Born · October 18, 1960 (64 years old)
Known For: Acting
Place of Birth: Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
Bio
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).
Kill 'em All 2
Philip
6.7
2024
Jean-Claude van Damme: Karate King
Self - Portait Subject & Interviewee (archive)
7.0
2023
Haters
Jean-Claude Van Damme
3.7
2021
Swelter
Stillman
5.0
2014
Enemies Closer
Xander
5.3
2013
Welcome to the Jungle
Storm
5.0
2013
U.F.O.
George
4.3
2012
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning
Luc Deveraux
5.5
2012
6 Bullets
Samson Gaul
6.2
2012
The Expendables 2
Jean Vilain
6.3
2012
Dragon Eyes
Tiano
5.2
2012
Corporal vs. Napoleon
Himself
3.4
2012
Assassination Games
Vincent Brazil
6.3
2011
Kung Fu Panda 2
Master Croc (voice)
7.0
2011
Full Love
Frenchy
7.0
2010
Universal Soldier: Regeneration
Luc Deveraux
5.6
2009
JCVD
J.C.V.D.
6.6
2008
The Shepherd: Border Patrol
Jack Robideaux
5.9
2008
Until Death
Anthony Stowe
5.9
2007
Second in Command
Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan
5.5
2006
The Hard Corps
Phillippe Sauvage
6.1
2005
Wake of Death
Ben Archer
6.1
2004
In Hell
Kyle LeBlanc
6.5
2003
Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme
7.8
2003
Derailed
Jacques Kristoff
5.1
2002
Replicant
Replicant / Garrotte
5.8
2001
The Order
Rudy Cafmeyer
5.1
2001
Inferno
Eddie Lomax
6.1
1999
Universal Soldier: The Return
Luc Devereux
5.9
1999
Legionnaire
Alain Lefevre
5.7
1998
Knock Off
Marcus Ray
5.3
1998
Double Team
Jack Quinn
5.1
1997
Maximum Risk
Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov
5.7
1996
The Quest
Christopher Dubois
6.2
1996
Sudden Death
Darren Francis Thomas McCord
6.0
1995
Top Fighter
(archive footage)
6.4
1995
Street Fighter
Colonel William Guile
4.6
1994
Timecop
Max Walker
6.0
1994
Hard Target
Chance Boudreaux
6.4
1993
Nowhere to Run
Sam Gillen
6.4
1993
Universal Soldier
Luc Deveraux / GR44
6.3
1992
Double Impact
Alex / Chad Wagner
6.1
1991
Death Warrant
Louis Burke
6.2
1990
Lionheart
Leon Gaultier
6.5
1990
Kickboxer
Kurt Sloane
6.8
1989
Cyborg
Gibson Rickenbacker
5.7
1989
Black Eagle
Andrei
4.9
1988
Bloodsport
Frank Dux
7.0
1988
No Retreat, No Surrender
Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian"
6.2
1986
Dolph: Fights Worth Fighting
Self
0.0
Monaco Forever
Gay Karate Man
3.6
1984
What's My Name?
0.0
Kickboxer: Vengeance
Master Durand
5.0
2016
Pound of Flesh
Deacon
5.6
2015
Silent Kill
0.0
The Gardener
Léo
0.0
2025
Spaten
Van Damme
0.0
2024
Darkness of Man
Russell Hatch
6.6
2024
Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies
Self
0.0
2023
Halloween Ends
(archive footage) (uncredited)
6.1
2022
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Jean Clawed (voice)
7.3
2022
Ramez Movie Star
(30 episodes)
5.8
2022
The Last Mercenary
Richard Brumére
6.4
2021
Monsieur Jean-Claude
(uncredited)
0.0
2021
JCVD's Day Out
JCVD
8.8
2020
In Search of the Last Action Heroes
6.7
2019
The UnXplained
Self · (1 episode)
6.5
2019
The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2
6.0
2019
We Die Young
Daniel
6.8
2019
The Bouncer
Lukas
6.3
2018
Black Water
Wheeler
5.6
2018
Kickboxer: Retaliation
Master Durand
5.4
2018
Kill 'em All
Philip
5.7
2017
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
Johnson · (6 episodes)
6.6
2016
Kung Fu Panda 3
Master Croc (voice)
6.9
2016
Jian Bing Man
Jean-Claude Van Damme
5.1
2015
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films
Self
6.4
2014
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Gibson Rickenbacker (archive footage) (uncredited)
7.2
2014
Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4
Self
0.0
2013
Beur sur la ville
Colonel Merot
4.3
2011
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors
(8 episodes)
6.4
2011
Conan
Self · (1 episode)
7.0
2010
Heist School
Charles
5.9
2006
Narco
Jean-Claude Van Damme fantasmé par Lenny
5.7
2004
Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans
Himself
4.5
2004
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier'
Himself
10.0
2004
Las Vegas
Self · (1 episode)
7.0
2003
Celebrities Uncensored
Self · (1 episode)
2.5
2003
All the Love You Cannes!
Self
6.4
2002
Beckmann
Self · (1 episode)
3.0
1999
Vivement dimanche
Self · (1 episode)
3.2
1998
E! True Hollywood Story
(1 episode)
8.0
1996
Viva el lunes
Self · (1 episode)
2.0
1995
WCW Monday Nitro
(1 episode)
8.4
1995
Friends
Jean-Claude Van Damme · (1 episode)
8.4
1994
Last Action Hero
Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited)
6.5
1993
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(1 episode)
5.4
1992
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Self (archive footage)
8.8
1990
Missing in Action
Soldier (uncredited)
5.9
1984
Breakin'
Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited)
6.7
1984
Street of the Damned
Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited)
5.0
1984
Woman Between Wolf and Dog
Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited)
5.6
1979
The Late Late Show
Self · (1 episode)
5.0
1962