Jean-Claude Van Damme

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
"Van Damme" redirects here. For other uses, see Van Damme (disambiguation).
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2007)
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Image:Jean actor.jpg
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Birth name Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg
Born October 18 1960 (1960-10-18) (age 48)
Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Brussels, Belgium
Other name(s) JCVD
"The Muscles from Brussels"
"Wham Bam Van Damme"
Official site http://www.jeanclaude-vandamme.com

Jean-Claude Van Damme (born October 18, 1960) is a Belgian martial artist and actor who is best known for his large catalogue of action movies. His Belgian background combined with his physique gave rise to his nickname "The Muscles from Brussels". Van Damme has also been called the "King of the Belgians" due to his international superstardom.

He currently lives in Alhaurín el Grande (Spain).

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe (Brussels), Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, an accountant and owner of a flower shop. Van Damme's father was of Jewish decent. [1][2] He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a shotokan karate school.[3] He eventually earned his black belt in karate,[4] later winning the European Professional Karate Association's middleweight championship[3] (although he has claimed that he was "twice world champion"[5]). He also started lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to a Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title.[6] At the age of 16 he took up ballet, which he studied 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."[7]

At the age of 18, Van Damme opened up the California Gym in Brussels, which one article claimed brought in $15,000 a month.[7] Van Damme was first seen on screen in the French-made Rue Barbare, released in 1984, followed in the same year with Monaco Forever. This gave Van Damme the impetus to give up his profitable fitness business in favor of acting. He sold his gym business and left for America in the early 1980s (having first tried Hong Kong), initially sleeping in a rented car and doing odd jobs until he broke into film.[7]

[edit] Fight career

Jean-Claude Van Damme's karate teacher and coach was Master Claude Goetz. Jean-Claude studied in Goetz's dojo in Brussels, Belgium. Under Goetz's guidance, Van Damme developed an impressive array of kicks and strikes. Van Damme has also studied Taekwondo and Muay Thai, along with Shotokan Karate.

In 1976, at the age of 16, Jean-Claude made his full-contact karate debut under his birth name, Jean Claude Van Varenberg. Fighting at the Belgium Open Championships in Brussels, Jean-Claude overcame a shakey start to stop Toon van Oostrum in 46 seconds. Master Goetz realized his young pupil needed more schooling before he was ready to compete again.

In 1978, after two serious years of training, 18 year old Jean-Claude entered his first tournament in Antwerp, Belgium in the Beginner's Division at the All-Belgium Open-Class Championship. Now equiped with more confidence and skill, Jean-Claude had little trouble in winning the tournament. He scored three victories; an 18 second knockout over German-born prospect Eric "Basel" Strauss, a 39 second stoppage over Michel Juvillier (Juvillier quit), and a 12 second stoppage of Orlando Lang.

Two months later at a tournament in Iseghem, Belgium, Van Damme won his second Beginner's championship with first round stoppages over fellow-countrymen Emile Leibman and Cyrille Nollet.

Van Damme's big break came at the Professional European International Kickboxing Championships in Brussels, Belgium. Fighting on the undercard of the main event between France's Dominique Valera and the U.S.A.'s Dan Macaruso, Van Damme knocked out France's Georges Verlugels in 2 rounds to win the Professional European Middleweight Full-Contact Championship. According to an article written by Mike Anders, founder of Professional Karate Magazine, " Van Damme was definitely an upcoming prospect." Multiple European Full-Contact Champion Geet Lemmens supported Anders opinion.

Van Damme did not rest on his laurels. He set his sights on winning the World Professional Full-Contact Championship. In a series of single-match competitions over a three week period, Jean-Claude stopped Andre Robaeys, Jacques Piniarski, and Rolf Risberg, in one round each, as he prepared for the up-coming world championships in the United States.

Van Damme traveled to Orlando, Florida in the United States, and entered the middleweight division at the World Championships. In his first tournament match, Jean-Claude climbed off the canvas to knockout hard-punching Sherman Bergman (Miami Beach, Florida, United States of America) with a round-house kick in the opening round. In his second match, Jean-Claude stopped Gilberto (Gil) Diaz (Madrid, Spain) in 33 seconds. However, in the quarter-finals, Jean-Claude was defeated by a Belgian fighter named Patrick Teugels. Teugels went on to become Vice-Champion of the World. In a rematch in Brussels a few months later, Van Damme avenged his only defeat by stopping Teugels in less than two minutes. Following the victory, Jean-Claude retired from active competition with a 15-1 (15 knockouts) record.

Controversy arose after Van Damme's film career took off because no record of his fights was available. This was due to his entire full-contact career being listed under his birth name of Van Varenberg, and some hype based to his 1980 defeat of Teugels.

[edit] Early films

Van Damme appeared as an extra in Breakin' during one of the breakdance scenes. In 1985, he played Ivan Krushensky in No Retreat, No Surrender, which starred Kurt McKinney in the starring role. The director of the film, Patrick Passis, was a close friend.

Van Damme 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 sources 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 by intentionally injuring a stuntman according to Jesse Ventura's autobiography.

Van Damme's breakthrough role came in Bloodsport, a film that earned him a nomination as "Worst New Star" in a tabloid's media 1988 Golden Raspberry Awards. The critics were unimpressed, but Bloodsport proved to be Van Damme's stepping stone to more lucrative roles. The movie became a cult classic and is seen as one of the major contributors to the rise in popularity of Mixed Martial Arts.

Van Damme became well known for his ability to do full splits while performing stunts, and his better than average flexibility, even for a martial arts practitioner. Many of his movies feature scenes showcasing him performing such splits.

[edit] Mainstream films

Van Damme worked his way up to Hollywood mainstream in the 1990s, often working with acclaimed foreign directors. Notable films include Blood sport (1988) Kickboxer (1989), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run (1992), (1992), Hard Target (1993), Sudden Death (1995) and his most critically acclaimed 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. These films have earned over $1 billion worldwide, earning him a place in the action film world along with others like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee.

He also wrote, directed and starred in The Quest (1996).

[edit] Other roles and work

In Late 2007 van Damme was featured as part of the "What's Your Game?" national television commercial series for World of Warcraft along with Mr T., Verne Troyer, Willy Toledo, and William Shatner. He represented the Mage class.

[edit] Health

Van Damme had troubles with cocaine, during 1995, entering a month-long rehab program in 1996 but leaving it only after a week.[8] He is also reported to have experienced bipolar disorder.[8] A turning point in his health issues came in late 1997, after having signed divorce papers charging him with spousal abuse, drug addiction and bizarre sexual practices.

“ The former action hero says he had bipolar disorder but didn't know it until he became suicidal. He was diagnosed with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder and was placed on sodium valproate, which he calls "that simple salt". ”

[edit] On-screen nudity

Van Damme has had nude appearances in many of his films, though his nudity has only been shown from the rear. He first appeared nude in Bloodsport, with numerous such appearances in his subsequent films, including a lengthy one in Universal Soldier.

Van Damme has expressed pride in his body and especially his posterior, often citing the appeal of his body. Van Damme is on record as saying, "If you have a decent body why not show it? I'm very proud of my butt. My close friend Stashe greatly approves of it. He's a big fan." This was the subject of parody in the television show Friends, where Van Damme, guest-starring as himself, tells Rachel and Monica that "I can crush a walnut with my butt."

[edit] An "abstract thinker"

In the French-speaking world, 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. [9] He is especially well known for his use of the English word aware when speaking French. While delivering an interview for a French channel, he used the English word "aware" in order to introduce the notion of self-awareness as a key of success.

[edit] Personal Life

Van Damme has been married five times, including two marriages with his current wife, bodybuilder and fitness competitor Gladys Portugues.

[edit] Trivia

Studied classical ballet for five years

Speaks fluent Flemish, English, French, Spanish, and German

Likes classical music and his favorite composer is Beethoven.

[edit] Kickboxing Record

Year Opponent Result Method Location
1976 Toon Van Oostrum won knockout 1 round Brussels, Belguim
1978 Eric Bruno Strauss won knockout 1 round Antwerp, Belgium
1978 Michel Juvillier won knockout 1 round Antwerp, Belgium
1978 Orlando Lang won knockout 1 round Antwerp, Belgium
1978 Bekim Moussa-Muhammad won knockout 1 round Brussels, Belgium
1978 Emile Leibman won knockout 1 round Iseghem, Belgium
1978 Cyrille Nollet won knockout 1 round Iseghem, Belgium
1978 Mustapha Ahmad-Benamou won knockout 1 round Brussels, Belgium
1979 Georges Verlugels won knockout 2 rounds Brussels, Belgium
1979 Andre Robaeys won knockout 1 round Brussels, Belgium
1979 Jacques Piniarski won knockout 1 round Brussels, Belgium
1979 Rolf Risberg won knockout 1 round Brussels, Belgium
1979 Sherman Bergman won knockout 1 round Orlando, Florida
1979 Gilberto Diaz-Miranda won knockout 1 round Orlando, Florida
1979 Patrick Teugels lost decision 3 rounds Orlando, Florida
1979 Patrick Teugels won knockout 1 round Brussels, Belgium

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Director
1983 Rue Barbare Background performer (police arrival sequence) Behat, GillesGilles Behat
1984 Breakin' Guy dancing in the background Silberg, JoelJoel Silberg
1984 Monaco Forever Gay Karate Man Levy, William A.William A. Levy
1985 No Retreat, No Surrender Ivan Krushensky Yuen, CoreyCorey Yuen
1988 Black Eagle Andrei Carson, EricEric Carson
1988 Bloodsport Frank Dux Arnold, NewtNewt Arnold
1989 Kickboxer Kurt Sloane DiSalle, MarkMark DiSalle, David Worth
1989 Cyborg Gibson Rickenbacker Pyun, AlbertAlbert Pyun
1990 Death Warrant Louis Burke Serafian, DeranDeran Serafian
1990 Lionheart Lyon Gaultier Lettich, SheldonSheldon Lettich
1991 Double Impact Alex Wagner/Chad Wagner Lettich, SheldonSheldon Lettich
1992 Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux/GR44 Emmerich, RolandRoland Emmerich
1993 Hard Target Chance Boudreaux Woo, JohnJohn Woo
1993 Last Action Hero Cameo Appearance McTiernan, JohnJohn McTiernan
1993 Nowhere to Run Sam Gillen Harmon, RobertRobert Harmon
1994 Street Fighter Colonel William F. Guile de Souza, Steven E.Steven E. de Souza
1994 Timecop Max Walker Hyams, PeterPeter Hyams
1995 Sudden Death Darren McCord Hyams, PeterPeter Hyams
1996 Maximum Risk Alain Moreau/Mikhail Suverov Lam, RingoRingo Lam
1996 The Quest Christopher Dubois Jean-Claude Van Damme
1997 Double Team Jack Quinn Hark, TsuiTsui Hark
1998 Legionnaire Alain Lefevre MacDonald, PeterPeter MacDonald
1998 Knock Off Marcus Ray Hark, TsuiTsui Hark
1999 Desert Heat Eddie Lomax Avildsen, John G.John G. Avildsen
1999 Universal Soldier: The Return Luc Devereaux Rodgers, MicMic Rodgers
2001 The Order Rudy Cafmeyer/Charles Le Vaillant Lettich, SheldonSheldon Lettich
2001 Replicant Edward "The Torch" Garrotte/Replicant Lam, RingoRingo Lam
2002 Derailed Jacques Kristoff Misiorowski, BobBob Misiorowski
2003 In Hell Kyle LeBlanc Lam, RingoRingo Lam
2004 Wake of Death Ben Archer Martinez, PhillipePhillipe Martinez
2004 Narco Jean's Ghost by Lenny Aurouet, TristanTristan Aurouet, Gilles Lellouche
2006 Sınav Charles Sorak, Omer FarukOmer Faruk Sorak
2006 The Hard Corps Phillip Sauvage Lettich, SheldonSheldon Lettich
2006 Second in Command Sam Keenan Fellows, SimonSimon Fellows
2007 Until Death Anthony Stowe Fellows, SimonSimon Fellows
2008 The Shepherd Jack Robideaux Florentine, IsaacIsaac Florentine
2008 J.C.V.D. Himself El Mechri, MabroukMabrouk El Mechri

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/93/Jean-Claude-Van-Damme.html
  2. ^ http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019806/bio
  3. ^ a b Belgian Bruiser Muscles Into B-Movie Scene ', John Stanley, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 April 1989
  4. ^ Karate black belt)
  5. ^ 'Van Damme speaks language of karate', Louis B Parks, Houston Chronicle, 29 April 1988
  6. ^ 'Playboy interview', Lawrence Grobel, Playboy, 1 January 1995
  7. ^ a b c 'Van Damme gets his kicks from acting now, not karate', Jae-Ha Kim, Chicago Sun-Times, 14 April 1989
  8. ^ a b http://bipolar.about.com/cs/celebs/a/jeanclaude.htm
  9. ^ Abstract Thinker

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Image:Commons-logo.svg
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Jean-Claude Van Damme

az:Jan-Klod Van Damm ca:Jean-Claude Van Damme da:Jean-Claude Van Damme de:Jean-Claude Van Damme et:Jean-Claude Van Damme es:Jean-Claude Van Damme eo:Jean-Claude Van Damme fa:ژان کلود ون دم fr:Jean-Claude Van Damme gl:Jean Claude Van Damme id:Jean Claude Van Damme it:Jean-Claude Van Damme he:ז'אן-קלוד ואן דאם hu:Jean-Claude Van Damme nl:Jean-Claude Van Damme ja:ジャン＝クロード・ヴァン・ダム no:Jean-Claude van Damme pl:Jean-Claude Van Damme pt:Jean-Claude Van Damme ru:Жан-Клод Ван Дамм sr:Жан Клод Ван Дам fi:Jean-Claude Van Damme sv:Jean-Claude Van Damme ta:ஜான் கிலௌட் வான் டாம் tr:Jean-Claude Van Damme zh:尚·克劳德·范·戴姆

Retrieved from "http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/Jean-Claude_Van_Damme"
Views
Personal tools

Toolbox