Acting
Jean-Claude Van Damme
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).
Filmography
Dolph: Unbreakable
Film · 2025
Darkness of Man
Film · 2025
The Gardener
Film · 2025
Sensation: Cruise
Film · 2025
Kill 'em All 2
Film · 2024
Spaten
Film · 2024
Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies
Film · 2023
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Film · 2022
Ramez Movie Star
Series · 2022
Haters
Film · 2021
The Last Mercenary
Film · 2021
Monsieur Jean-Claude
Film · 2021
We Die Young
Film · 2019
The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2
Film · 2019
In Search of the Last Action Heroes
Film · 2019
The UnXplained
Series · 2019
Kickboxer: Retaliation
Film · 2018
Black Water
Film · 2018
The Bouncer
Film · 2018
Kill 'em All
Film · 2017
Bon Voyage
Film · 2017
Kickboxer: Vengeance
Film · 2016
Kung Fu Panda 3
Film · 2016
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
Series · 2016
Quotidien
Series · 2016
Pound of Flesh
Film · 2015
Jian Bing Man
Film · 2015
Swelter
Film · 2014
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films
Film · 2014
Jean-Claude Van Damage
Film · 2014
Welcome to the Jungle
Film · 2013
Enemies Closer
Film · 2013
Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4
Film · 2013
Corporal vs. Napoleon
Film · 2012
The Expendables 2
Film · 2012
Dragon Eyes
Film · 2012
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning
Film · 2012
6 Bullets
Film · 2012
U.F.O.
Film · 2012
Kung Fu Panda 2
Film · 2011
Assassination Games
Film · 2011
Beur sur la ville
Film · 2011
Slinger
Film · 2011
Beur sur la ville
Film · 2011
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors
Series · 2011
Universal Soldier: Regeneration
Film · 2010
Full Love
Film · 2010
Conan
Series · 2010
The Shepherd: Border Patrol
Film · 2008
JCVD
Film · 2008
Until Death
Film · 2007
Second in Command
Film · 2006
Heist School
Film · 2006
The Hard Corps
Film · 2005
Wake of Death
Film · 2004
Narco
Film · 2004
Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans
Film · 2004
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier'
Film · 2004
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of "Universal Soldier"
Film · 2004
In Hell
Film · 2003
Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme
Film · 2003
Las Vegas
Series · 2003
Celebrities Uncensored
Series · 2003
Derailed
Film · 2002
All the Love You Cannes!
Film · 2002
Replicant
Film · 2001
The Order
Film · 2001
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
Film · 2001
The Apartment
Series · 2001
Universal Soldier: The Return
Film · 1999
Inferno
Film · 1999
Beckmann
Series · 1999
Legionnaire
Film · 1998
Knock Off
Film · 1998
Vivement dimanche
Series · 1998
Double Team
Film · 1997
Maximum Risk
Film · 1996
The Quest
Film · 1996
E! True Hollywood Story
Series · 1996
Sudden Death
Film · 1995
Viva el lunes
Series · 1995
WCW Monday Nitro
Series · 1995
Street Fighter
Film · 1994
Timecop
Film · 1994
Friends
Series · 1994
Hard Target
Film · 1993
Nowhere to Run
Film · 1993
Last Action Hero
Film · 1993
Universal Soldier
Film · 1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Series · 1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Series · 1992
Double Impact
Film · 1991
Lionheart
Film · 1990
Death Warrant
Film · 1990
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
Film · 1990
The Word
Series · 1990
Cyborg
Film · 1989
Kickboxer
Film · 1989
Bloodsport
Film · 1988
Black Eagle
Film · 1988
Sacrée soirée
Series · 1987
No Retreat, No Surrender
Film · 1986
Monaco Forever
Film · 1984
Breakin'
Film · 1984
Street of the Damned
Film · 1984
Missing in Action
Film · 1984
Woman Between Wolf and Dog
Film · 1979
The Late Late Show
Series · 1962
What's My Name?
Film
Silent Kill
Film
Chinese Hercules: The Bolo Yeung Story
Film
Raid Pacific
Film
Prison Fight
Film