Jean-Claude Van Damme Movies and TV Shows

About Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Van Damme, also known as "The Muscles from Brussels," was born in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène van Varenberg. His father introduced him to martial arts at the age of eleven due to his physical weakness. Van Damme trained at the Centre National De Karate in Ixelles, Belgium, for four years and became a member of the Belgium Karate Team. He achieved great success in martial arts, becoming the European professional karate association's middleweight champion as a teenager and defeating the second-best karate fighter in the world.

At the age of sixteen, Van Damme began his martial arts fight career, retiring in 1982 with a record of 18-1 (18 knockouts) in kickboxing and a semi-contact record of 41-4. He moved to Hong Kong at the age of nineteen and then to Los Angeles in 1981, where he took English classes while working various jobs, including as a carpet layer, pizza delivery man, limo driver, and bouncer at a club, thanks to Chuck Norris.

Van Damme's big break came when he was discovered by a producer for Cannon Pictures while showcasing his martial arts abilities on the streets. This led to his role in Bloodsport (1988), which was initially shelved for almost two years due to its poor quality. However, Van Damme helped re-cut the film and begged producers to release it, which they finally did, leading to its success as a US box-office hit in the spring of 1988.

Van Damme's 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). He achieved his biggest breakthrough with the $100 million worldwide hit Timecop (1994). However, his personal life began to suffer, with two divorces and remarriage to his ex-wife, Gladys Portugues, in 1999. Despite his personal struggles, Van Damme continued to make movies like Replicant (2001), Derailed (2002), and In Hell (2003), with the help of his family.