Jean-Claude Van Damme
| Jean-Claude Van Damme | |
|---|---|
 Van Damme in Paris at the French premiere of The Expendables 2 in 2012 | |
| Born | Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (1960-10-18) 18 October 1960 Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Brussels, Belgium |
| Other names | "The Muscles from Brussels" |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Division | Middleweight |
| Style | Karate, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Taekwondo |
| Fighting out of | Brussels, Belgium |
| Team | Team Goetz |
| Trainer | Claude Goetz Dominique Valera |
| Rank | 2nd Dan Black Belt in Shotokan |
| Years active | 1976–1982 (martial arts) 1979–present (acting) |
Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 19 |
| Wins | 18 |
| By knockout | 18 |
| Losses | 1 |
Amateur record | |
| Total | 48 |
| Wins | 44 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Other information | |
| Occupation | Actor, martial artist, screenwriter, film producer, director |
| Spouse | Maria Rodriguez (m. 1980–1984) Cynthia Derderian (m. 1985–1986) Darcy LaPier (m. 1994–1997) Gladys Portugues (m. 1987–1992) (m. 1999–Present) |
| Children | 3 |
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (born 18 October 1960), professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ klod vɑ̃ dam]) and abbreviated as JCVD, is a Belgian actor, martial artist, screenwriter, film producer, and director best known for his martial arts action films. The most successful of these projects include Bloodsport (1988), Kickboxer franchise (1989-2018), Lionheart (1990), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier franchise (1992-2012), Hard Target (1993), Street Fighter (1994), Timecop (1994), Sudden Death (1995), JCVD (2008), The Expendables 2 (2012), Kung Fu Panda 2, and 3 (2011-2015).
Contents
1 Early life and education
2 Career
2.1 Early 1970's to 1980: Martial arts and first film appearance
2.2 1982 to 1988: Early works and breakthrough
2.3 1989 to 1999: International stardom
2.4 2000s: Subsequent films
2.5 2010-present: Current works
3 Missed role
4 Monument
5 Controversies
5.1 Lawsuit and fight record controversy
5.2 Kadyrov event
6 Public image and influence
7 Personal life
8 Filmography
8.1 Films
8.2 Television
8.3 Music videos
8.4 Video games
9 Awards and nominations
10 Semi-contact/light-contact record
11 Kickboxing record
12 Notes
13 Books cited
14 Further reading
15 External links
Early life and education
Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, on 18 October 1960, in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, the son of Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, who was an accountant and florist.[1][2][3][4] His father is Walloon (French-speaking) from Brussels, and his mother is Flemish (Dutch-speaking).[5] Van Damme's paternal grandmother was Jewish.[6]
He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a Shōtōkan karate school.[7] His styles consist of Shōtōkan Karate and Kickboxing.[8] He eventually earned his black belt in karate at 18.[9] He started lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to a Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title.[10] At the age of 16, he took up ballet, which he studied for five years. According to Van Damme, ballet "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."[11] Later he took up both Taekwondo and Muay Thai.[12]
Career
Early 1970's to 1980: Martial arts and first film appearance
At the age of 12,[13] Van Damme joined the Centre National de Karaté (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Claude Goetz in Belgium. Van Damme trained for four years and he earned a spot on the Belgian Karate Team; he later trained in full-contact karate and kickboxing with Dominique Valera.[14]
At the age of 15, Van Damme started his competitive karate career in Belgium. From 1976 to 1980, Van Damme compiled a record of 44 victories and 4 defeats in tournament and non-tournament semi-contact matches.
Van Damme was a member of the Belgium Karate Team when it won the European Karate Championship on 26 December 1979 at La Coupe François Persoons Karate Tournament in Brussels.[14][15]
Van Damme placed second at the Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials). At the 3-day tournament, Van Damme defeated 25 opponents before losing in the finals to teammate Angelo Spataro.[14]
On 8 March 1980, in Brussels, Belgium, Van Damme competed against his former teammate Patrick Teugels at the Forest National Arena on the undercard of the Dan Macaruso-Dominique Valera Professional Karate Association Light-Heavyweight World Championship bout.[14] Prior to this match, Teugels had defeated Van Damme twice by decision, including a match for the Belgium Lightweight Championship. Van Damme had a 1977 victory over Teugels. Teugels was coming off an impressive showing at the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations World Championships four months earlier, and was favored by some to win this match. According to reports, and Patrick Teugels' own interview (with photos), Teugels lost to Van Damme by TKO in the 1st round. Teugels was kicked in the nose and was unable to continue as a result.[14] In a 2013 interview, Van Damme called this fight his most memorable match.[16]
Van Damme began his full-contact career in 1977, when Claude Goetz promoted the first ever full-contact karate tournament in Belgium.
From 1977 to 1982, Van Damme compiled a record of 18 victories (18 knockouts) and 1 defeat[citation needed]. He was also named "Mr. Belgium" in a bodybuilding competition.[citation needed]
In 1979, he had an uncredited role in André Delvaux's Woman Between Wolf and Dog. A Belgian-French drama film starring Marie-Christine Barrault, and Rutger Hauer.
In 1980, Van Damme caught the attention of Professional Karate Magazine publisher and editor Mike Anderson, and multiple European champion Geert Lemmens. Both men tabbed Van Damme as an upcoming prospect.[17] Van Damme retired from competition in 1982.
1982 to 1988: Early works and breakthrough
In 1982, Van Damme and childhood friend Michel Qissi moved to the United States in the hope to work as actors They did a variety of jobs to support themselves. Their first job working on a film as extras in the hip hop dance film Breakin' (1984), made by Cannon Films. They are seen dancing in the background at a dance demonstration.[18]
Around that time he developed a friendship with action martial art movie star Chuck Norris. They started sparring together, and Van Damme started to work as a bouncer at a bar named Woody's Wharf, owned by Norris.[19]
In 1984, he worked in the stunt team in the Norris action film Missing in Action which was also released by Cannon Films.[20]
He had a role in the comedy short film Monaco Forever (1984).[21][22]
Van Damme's first sizeable role came when he was cast as the Russian villain in Corey Yuen' martial arts movie No Retreat, No Surrender (1986), starring Kurt McKinney, and released through New World Pictures.[23][24] McKinney performs as Jason Stillwell, a U.S. teenager who learns karate from the spirit of Bruce Lee. Stillwell uses these lessons to defend his martial arts dojo against Soviet martial artist played by Van Damme.[25]
Van Damme worked for director John McTiernan for the 1987 film Predator as an early (eventually abandoned) version of the titular alien, before being removed and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall.[26]
Van Damme's breakout film was Bloodsport (1988), based on the alleged true story of Frank Dux. Shot on a $1.5-million budget for Cannon.[27][28] The film is about U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux (played by Van Damme), trained from his youth in the ways of ninjutsu by Senzo Tanaka, honors his mentor by taking the place of Tanaka's deceased son Shingo in the illegal martial-arts tournament Kumite in Hong Kong.[29][30] It became a U.S. box-office hit in the spring of 1988. Producer Mark Di Salle said he was looking for "a new martial arts star who was a ladies' man, [but Van Damme] appeals to both men and women. He's an American hero who fights for justice the American way and kicks the stuffing out of the bad guys."[31] This success would establish Van Damme becoming a regular action star for The Cannon Group alongside Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, Sho Kosugi, and Michael Dudikoff.
Van Damme played another Russian villain, in Black Eagle (1988), opposite Sho Kosugi. In the film, Sho Kosugi is a martial artist and special operative for the U.S. government codenamed "Black Eagle", is summoned by his superiors after an F-111 carrying an experimental black ops laser tracking device was shot down over Malta by Russian forces.[32]
1989 to 1999: International stardom
After the success of Bloodsport, Cannon Films offered Van Damme the lead in Delta Force 2, American Ninja 3 or Cyborg, a cyperpunk martial arts movie directed by Albert Pyun. Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Gibson Rickenbacker, a mercenary who battles a group of murderous marauder along the East coast of the United States in a post-apocalyptic future. The film was a low budget box office success and led to two sequels, neither of which Van Damme appeared in.
Cannon used Van Damme again in Kickboxer (1989), playing a man who fights to avenge his brother who has been paralyzed by a Thai kickboxing champion (Qissi). It was highly successful, returning over $50 million on a $3-million budget.[33] The film started the Kickboxer franchise. Van Damme did not appear in any of the film's four sequels, though he did return as a different character in the reboot series.
Also successful was Death Warrant (1990), the first script credit for David S. Goyer. In the film, Van Damme plays a police detective going into a prison facility at California as an undercover cop in order to find out who stands behind a mysterious series of murders, and finds himself locked up with his nemesis; Christian Naylor, a psychotic serial killer who calls himself "The Sandman" whom sets out to exact revenge upon him after getting into prison.
He followed it with Lionheart (1990) aka Wrong Bet, where he played a French Legionnaire who deserts his post to return to Los Angeles after his brother is murdered.[34]
Lionheart was directed by Sheldon Lettich who had co-written Bloodsport, and who claimed the film was "the first movie to demonstrate that Van Damme was more than just a flash-in-the-pan "Karate Guy" who would never rise above simplistic low-budget karate movies."[35] It also featured rear nudity from Van Damme which Lettich says "became a very memorable moment for the ladies in the audience, and for the gay guys as well. Showing off his butt (clothed or unclothed) almost became a signature trademark of his after that."[35]
Double Impact, directed by Lettich, featured Van Damme in the dual role of Alex and Chad Wagner, estranged twin brothers fighting to avenge the deaths of their parents. This film reunited him with his former Bloodsport co-star, Bolo Yeung and was very popular.
In 1992, Van Damme starred in one of the biggest blockbusters of the year in the sci-fi action picture Universal Soldier directed by Roland Emmerich for Carolco. Van Damme (as Luc Deveraux) Dolph Lundgren (as Sergeant Andrew Scott) and play U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War who are sent to secure a village against North Vietnamese forces. However they end up shooting each other dead after Devereaux discovers that Scott has gone insane and has resorted to mutilating the villagers and barbarically cutting off their ears, taking an innocent girl and boy hostage.[36] They are later reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers and sent on a mission as GR operatives. At the 1992 Cannes Film Festival, Van Damme and Lundgren were involved in a verbal altercation that almost turned physical when both men pushed each other only to be separated, but it was believed to have only been a publicity stunt.[37][38]Universal Soldier opened in theatres on 10 July 1992, a moderate success domestically with $36,299,898 in US ticket sales, but a major blockbuster worldwide, making over $65 million overseas, which earned the film a total of $102 million worldwide, on a $23 million budget.[39]
Jean-Claude Van Damme at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993[40]
After making a cameo in Last Action Hero, Van Damme starred in Nowhere To Run (1993) alongside Rosanna Arquette, based in part on a script by Joe Eszterhas. The film was the first in a three-picture deal between Van Damme and Columbia Pictures and his fee was $3.5 million. Columbia said the film is "true to his audience and goes beyond his audience."[41] However it was a box office disappointment.
More successful was Hard Target (1993) for Universal, the first American film from director John Woo. In the film he stars as Chance Boudreaux, an out-of-work Cajun merchant seaman who saves a young woman, named Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler), from a gang of thugs in New Orleans. Chance learns that Binder is searching for her missing father (Chuck Pfarrer), and agrees to aid Binder in her search.
Also for Universal he did Timecop (1994), playing a time-traveling cop, who tries to prevent the death of his wife.[42] Directed by Peter Hyams, the film was a huge success, grossing over $100 million worldwide, and remains his highest-grossing film in a lead role to date.
Van Damme starred in Street Fighter (1994), written and directed by Steven E. de Souza for Universal and based on the video game. The film focuses on the efforts of Colonel Guile (Van Damme) to bring down General M. Bison played by Raul Juliá, the military dictator and drug kingpin of Shadaloo City who aspires to conquer the world with an army of genetic supersoldiers, while enlisting the aid of street fighters to infiltrate Bison's empire and help destroy it from within. It was poorly received critically. Though a commercial success, making approximately three times its production cost.
Van Damme and Hyams re-teamed for Universal' on Sudden Death (1995). Van Damme plays a French Canadian-born firefighter with the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau who suffered a personal crisis after he was unable to save a young girl from a house fire. Now removed from active duty, Darren has become demoted to being fire marshal for the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, where a gang of terrorists are holding U.S. Vice President and several other VIPs hostage in a luxury suite during a game.
He appeared in the TV show Friends in the two parts episode called The One After the Superbowl. The star studded episode also included Brooke Shields, Chris Isaak, Julia Roberts, Fred Willard, and Dan Castellaneta. In the episode two of the leading ladies of the show meet him, and compete for his attention.
Van Damme turned director for The Quest (1996), which he directed; Roger Moore co-starred. The plot, set in 1925, revolves around a martial arts tournament in the mysterious "Lost City", located deep in Tibet, with martial artists from around the world fighting to earn the winner's prize, the "Golden Dragon", a valuable statue made of solid gold.
Maximum Risk (1996) was his following film for Columbia, the first American film from Ringo Lam, and his first collaboration with Van Damme. He plays Alain Moreau a French cop in Nice. A dead body of someone that looks exactly like him, is discovered. It turns out, that it is the twin brother Alain never knew he had. Tracing his brother's steps back to New York City, Alain discovers that he was a member of the Russian Mafia, who was chased down and killed when he attempted to get out. Now Alain is mistaken for hiim, who was also mixed up in a series of affairs concerning the FBI and the Russian mafia. With his only real ally being Mikhail's fiancé Alex Bartlett (Natasha Henstridge), Alain sets out to avenge his brother's death.
Van Damme's first box office bomb since he became star was Double Team (1997), a buddy film with NBA superstar Dennis Rodman. It was Hong Kong's director Tsui Hark American debut for Columbia and his first collaboration. Van Damme plays counter-terrorist agent Jack Quinn, who is assigned to bring an elusive terrorist known as Stavros to justice. Things become personal when Stavros kidnaps Quinn's pregnant wife after his own lover and child were killed in an assassination attempt that went awry. Aiding Quinn in his rescue is his flamboyant weapons dealer Yaz (Dennis Rodman)
He and Hark reunited on Knock Off (1998), a Hong Kong-US co production which also flopped. It co-stars Rob Schneider, Lela Rochon, Michael Fitzgerald Wong, Carman Lee, Paul Sorvino, etc.
Van Damme tried a costume action movie, Legionnaire (1998) co-written by Lettich. He plays Alain Lefevre a French boxer in 1920s Marseille, France. Alain is forced by local crime boss Lucien Galgani to take a dive in a fight. Galgani's girlfriend is also Alain's ex-fiancée whom he left standing at the altar. The two hatch a plan to run off to America together. Hence he does not take a dive in the fight, but just as the escape plan is about to succeed, Alain's friend is killed, and Katrina is captured by Galgani's men. But Alain has shot and killed Galgani's brother. Desperately needing a new escape plan, Alain signs up for the French Foreign Legion, and is shipped to North Africa to help defend Morocco against a native Berber rebellion. Despite a $35 million budget, it was not released theatrically in the US, only overseas.[43]
Van Damme then made his first sequel, Universal Soldier: The Return, (1999). The film takes place seven years after the events in the first film, Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), now an ordinary human after having had his cybernetic implants removed, is a technical expert who is working for the US government with his partner Maggie (Kiana Tom), who has been through countless hours of combat training with him. They work to refine and perfect the UniSol program in an effort to make a new, stronger breed of soldier that is more sophisticated and intelligent to reduce the use of normal, human soldiers in the battlefield. All of the new UniSols, which are faster and stronger than the original UniSols, are connected through an artificially intelligent computer system called S.E.T.H. (Self-Evolving Thought Helix). When S.E.T.H. discovers that the Universal Soldier program is scheduled to be shut down because of budget cuts, it takes action to protect itself. Killing those who try to shut off its power, and unleashing a platoon of super soldiers, led by the musclebound Romeo (Bill Goldberg).
In Inferno (1999), Van Damme plays a veteran soldier sick of life, wandering the desert looking for a reason to die. An incident with a few thugs from the nearby town who steal Eddie's motorbike and beat him almost to death, starts in Eddie a flame for revenge.
2000s: Subsequent films
Replicant is the second collaboration between Van Damme and director Ringo Lam, and the fifth time that Van Damme has starred in a dual role. It co-stars Michael Rooker. The film is about Edward "The Torch" Garrotte (Van Damme) is a serial killer who has a penchant for killing women and setting them on fire. All of his victims are also mothers. Detective Jake Riley (Rooker) is a Seattle police detective who has spent three years chasing him. A secret government agency hires Jake as a consultant on a project. They make a clone of Garrotte from DNA evidence, who has genetic memories from Garrotte and a telepathic link to him. They need Jake's help to train him in order to find Garotte.
The Order is a 2001 American action film co-starring Charlton Heston, Vernon Dobtcheff, Ben Cross, Sofia Milos... It is directed by Sheldon Lettich, and written by Van Damme. In this film he stars as Rudy Cafmeyer a thief and smuggler of valuable historical artifacts. Rudy's father is archaeologist and museum curator Oscar "Ozzie" Cafmeyer (Dobtcheff) is kidnapped upon an important archaeologist discovery.[44]
The following year he starred in Derailed, co-starring Tomas Arana, Laura Harring, Dayton Callie, Nikolay Binev, etc. Van Damme plays NATO operative Jacques Kristoff who is summoned into action, upon the theft of extremely valuable and dangerous top-secret container from the Slovakian government.
In Hell is a 2003 American prison action film directed by Ringo Lam. It is the third collaboration between Jean-Claude Van Damme and Hong Kong film director Ringo Lam. Van Damme plays an American working overseas in Magnitogorsk, Russia. When he hears his wife being attacked over the phone, he rushes home, but is too late to save her. The man who killed his wife, buys the judge and is found not guilty for lack of evidence. Taking the law into his own hands and kills him, and for this, he is sentenced to life in prison. The general who runs the prison amuses himself by betting on organized fights between his prisoners to fill his pockets, where Van Damme is eventually forced to compete.
That same year, Van Damme employed his dancing training in the music video for Bob Sinclar's "Kiss My Eyes."
His 2004 film was Wake of Death, an action film directed by Philippe Martinez. Ringo Lam was the original director, but he left the project after a few weeks of filming in Canada. It co-stars Simon Yam, Valerie Tian, Tony Schiena, etc. Van Damme stars as a gangster who decides to become legit to spend more time with his wife. However, it proves to be a fatal mistake. Kim's father, Sun Quan (Yam), is a Chinese Triad. Once Sun Quan discovers where his daughter is, he kills Cynthia, her parents, and many of the workers in the restaurant at which they're dining without provocation. However, Sun Quan is not alone in his attempts to avenge his wife, as a French mobster has a vendetta against him.
Van Damme at Until Death event in 2007.
He played himself in the french film Narco (2005), he appears as an imagined version of himself, when one character who idolizes him as the ultimate 'Karate man', imagines a conversation where he acts as that character's conscience.
He followed it with Second in Command (2006), where he plays Commander Samuel "Sam" Keenan, a decorated U.S. Navy SEAL, is sent to the Eastern European nation of Moldavia to become the new security attaché at the U.S. Embassy.
He reunited with Lettich for The Hard Corps (2006) co-starring Raz Adoti, Vivica A. Fox, and Peter Bryant. Van Damme plays Phillip Sauvage an American soldier suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Through his former commanding officer, he gets to work as a bodyguard for former World Heavyweight boxing champion and now successful businessman, where his adventure begins.
The Exam (2007), is a Turkish comedy-drama film directed by Ömer Faruk Sorak, about five Turkish high school students preparing to sit for the university entry exam, who enlist the services of a professional thief, played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, to steal the papers.
Until Death (2007), also with Fellows. Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a corrupt police detective addicted to heroin whom everybody hates at the workplace. After being shot in a gunfight he falls into a coma. Months later he recovers and decides to use his second chance at life.[45]
Van Damme returned to the mainstream with the limited theatrical release of the 2008 film JCVD, which received positive reviews. Time Magazine named Van Damme's performance in the film the second best of the year (after Heath Ledger's The Joker in The Dark Knight),[46] having previously stated that Van Damme "deserves not a black belt, but an Oscar."[47] While promoting the film Van Damme indicated that he had experienced a period of homelessness "sleeping on the street and starving in L.A."[48]
In The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008), he plays a border patrol is up against a highly dangerous drug smuggling operation.
He then reprised his role as Luc Deveraux alongside Dolph Lundgren in the 2009 film Universal Soldier: Regeneration, directed by John Hyams (son of Peter Hyams). The film was released theatrically in the Middle East and Southeast Asia and directly to video in the United States and other parts of the world. Since its release, the film has received better than average reviews for a straight-to-DVD franchise sequel.[49][50][51]
2010-present: Current works
In 2010, Van Damme directed himself in the barely released Full Love.
In 2011, Van Damme voiced the Master Croc in the computer animation film Kung Fu Panda 2, alongside Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Victor Garber, and many more. In the film, Po and the Furious Five (heroes of the previous film) battle an evil peacock named Lord Shen who has a powerful weapon that he plans to conquer China with. They eventually meet his character who helps them in their quest.
That same year he played in Assassination Games, along side Scott Adkins. The film is about an assassin named Flint (Adkins), who after a drug dealer puts his wife in a coma, assassin Flint retires. When a contract is put out on the drug dealer, Flint comes out of retirement, only to find that another assassin, Brazil (Van Damme), is also on the job due to the money. The two assassins reluctantly partner in order to combat corrupt Interpol agents and gangsters.
Also in 2011 he co-starred in the french comedy Beur sur la ville alongside Issa Doumbia, Steve Tran, Sandrine Kiberlain, and many more.
He starred in his own reality TV show Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors (2011). The show showcases his family life, his personal trouble, and an upcoming fight. Since 2009, Van Damme has been planning to make a comeback to fight former boxing Olympic gold-medalist Somluck Kamsing.[52][53][54] The fight was a focal point in his ITV reality show Jean Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors. The fight has been repeatedly postponed, with many critics doubting it will occur, especially due to the difficulty of booking the venue.[55] December 2012, Van Damme was seen as part of Kam Sing's ring crew when Kam Sing fought against Jomhod Kiatadisak.[56]
The first release he was involved with in 2012 was a supporting role in is a Russian comedy film named Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon.
He worked with Joe Hymans again on Dragon Eyes (2012) then appeared in commercials for Coors Light beer, showing him on a snow-covered mountain wearing a sleeveless denim jacket,[57] and for the washing powder Dash.
He starred as the main villain in Simon West' The Expendables 2 against Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story of the second installment in The Expendables film series follows the mercenary group known as "the Expendables" as they undertake a seemingly simple mission which evolves into a quest for revenge against rival mercenary Jean Vilain (Van Damme), who murdered one of their own and threatens the world with a deadly weapon. The film was a success. it grossed over $310 million worldwide.
Also in 2012 he starred alongside Scott Adkins, and Dolph Lundgren in Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. In the film, a young former military man named John (Adkins) awakens from a coma and finds out that his wife and daughter were murdered in a home invasion, and goes on a personal vendetta against the man behind the incident which revealed to be Luc Deveraux (Van Damme) the nefarious Universal Soldier from the first two films who now became a powerful terrorist military leader.
Still of Van Damme in U.F.O.
Six Bullets (2012) is action film where he stars. It is directed by Ernie Barbarash and co-stars Joe Flanigan, Anna-Louise Plowman, and Charlotte Beaumont.[58] Veteran mercenary Samson Gaul (Van Damme) is retired from combat when his actions resulted in the deaths of helpless victims, but now he's the last hope for a desperate father. Mixed martial artist, Andrew Fayden (Flanigan) knows how to fight, but alone he's unprepared to navigate the corrupt streets of a foreign city to find his kidnapped daughter. Together, these two try to stop a network of criminals that prey upon the innocent.[59][60]
U.F.O. (2012) is a British science fiction film about an alien invasion where he had a supporting role.[61] It was written and directed by independent British filmmaker Dominic Burns, and co-stars stars Bianca Bree, Sean Brosnan and Simon Phillips.
On 21 October 2012, Van Damme was honored with a life-size statue of himself in his hometown of Brussels. He told reporters during the unveiling, "Belgium is paying me back something, but really it's to pay back to the dream. So when people come by here, it is not Jean-Claude Van Damme but it's a guy from the street who believed in something. I want the statue to represent that".[62]
Welcome to the Jungle, is a 2013 American comedy film where he co-starred with Adam Brody, Megan Boone, Rob Huebel, Kristen Schaaland Dennis Haysbert.
In 2013, he played the main villain in Enemies Closer an American action thriller film directed and photographed by Peter Hyams, and starring, Tom Everett Scott and Orlando Jones. It is Hyams' third directorial collaboration with Van Damme, following 1994's Timecop and 1995's Sudden Death.[63]
On 13 November 2013, Volvo Trucks released an advertisement on YouTube that shows Van Damme doing the splits while perched with each of his feet on the outer rearview mirrors of one semi-trailer truck and one box truck moving backwards, which Van Damme describes in the commercial as "the most epic of splits". The video quickly went viral around the web, receiving more than 11 million views in three days,[64] 35 million in the first week.[65] It was dubbed as the epic split.[66]
Swelter is a 2014 American action film where he plays one of the leads. It stars Lennie James, and co-stars Grant Bowler, Josh Henderson, and Alfred Molina. James plays a sheriff in a small town who has a dark past that he can not remember, only to have to confront it when his ex-partners show up looking for stolen money they believe he has.
Pound of Flesh (2015) he starred in the action thriller film directed by Ernie Barbarash. Co-starring Darren Shahlavi, Aki Aleong, John Ralston, Jason Tobin and Philippe Joly. The story takes place in Manilla, Philippines, to donate his kidney to his dying niece, Deacon, a former black-ops agent, awakes the day before the operation to find he is the latest victim of organ theft. Stitched up and pissed-off, Deacon descends from his opulent hotel in search of his stolen kidney and carves a blood-soaked path through the darkest corners of the city - brothels, fight clubs, back-alley black markets, and elite billionaire estates.
He had a supporting role in a 2015 Chinese superhero parody film. It was directed, written and also starring Da Peng, Mabel Yuan and Liu Yan. The film was released on 17 July 2015.
He returned to his voice role of Master Croc in the Kung Fu Panda franchise for the third installment. Many of the same cast returned as well as new ones such as Bryan Cranston, J. K. Simmons and Kate Hudson.
Kickboxer: Vengeance is a 2016 American martial arts film directed by John Stockwell. It is a reboot of the original where Van Damme was the lead. Only this time he plays the master and Alain Moussi plays the students on quest to avenge his brother. It co-stars Dave Bautista, Gina Carano, Georges St-Pierre and Darren Shahlavi.
He starred in Kill 'Em All (2017) an action film directed by Peter Malota, and co-starring Autumn Reeser and Peter Stormare.
In 2018 he returned to his role in Kickboxer: Retaliation a sequel to the reboot. Many of the same cast returned as well as new ones such as Christopher Lambert, Ronaldinho, Mike Tyson and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. The film received positive reviews.[67]
Black Water (2018) is an action thriller film directed by Pasha Patriki. It co-stars and Dolph Lundgren in the fifth collaboration between both actors [68] as well as the first time they appear together as on-screen allies.[69]
In August 22 of that same year he starred in Julien Leclercq' The Bouncer. He plays Lukas antihero, struggling through life to nurture his eight-year-old daughter, and working in nightclubs as a doorkeeper to provide his income. When he gets involved in a fight, he ends up in jail, while his daughter gets placed under the care of social services. He is then asked by the police to infiltrate a criminal organization. In return, he would regain custody of his daughter.
Missed role
Jean-Claude Van Damme was set to star in No Retreat, No Surrender 2, but backed out.[70]
The Cannon Group offered Van Damme the lead in either Delta Force 2, and American Ninja 3.[71]
Van Damme was supposed to play Simon Phoenix in Demolition Man.[72]
Van Damme turned down the role of Gunner Jensen in the first installment of The Expendables the role went to Dolph Lundgren.[73]
Monument
In 2012, a statue of the actor was unveiled in Anderlecht, Belgium. The artwork, which depicts a younger incarnation of 'the muscles from Brussels' in a fighting pose, was commissioned to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Westland Shopping complex. The unveiling took place on Boulevard Sylvain Dupuis and was attended by Van Damme, his parents, Wallonia-Brussels culture minister Fadila Laanan and nearly 2,000 fans. Van Damme said the statue "represented the dream of a Brussels kid" and was "for all the children who want something bad", adding that "if you believe in something strongly enough, it can come true".[74]
Controversies
Lawsuit and fight record controversy
In 1997, Frank Dux, the martial artist whom Van Damme portrayed in Bloodsport, filed a lawsuit against Van Damme for $50,000 for co-writing and consultation work Dux did on the 1996 film The Quest. According to the lawsuit, Dux also accused Van Damme of lying to the public about his martial arts fight record, stating that when Dux tutored Van Damme while Van Damme was laying carpet for a living, Van Damme exhibited a lack of martial arts skills. Van Damme's lawyer, Martin Singer, responded, "There are records to document his martial arts acclaim. Why, just look at his movies; he didn't get those roles on his acting ability! He's the one who does those splits on chairs. He doesn't have a stuntman to do that."[75]
Kadyrov event
In October 2011, Van Damme, along with other celebrities including Hilary Swank, Vanessa-Mae and Seal attracted criticism from human rights groups for attending an event in Russian federal subject Chechnya's capital Grozny on the 35th birthday of Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov on 5 October.[76] Human rights groups, who had urged the celebrities to cancel their appearances because of abuses carried out under Kadyrov, criticised the celebrities for attending the event.[77]Human Rights Watch released a statement which said, "Ramzan Kadyrov is linked to a litany of horrific human rights abuses. It's inappropriate for stars to get paid to party with him [...] And getting paid to be part of such a lavish show in Chechnya trivializes the suffering of countless victims of human rights abuses there."[78][79]
Public image and influence
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, the environment, etc.) in a sort of Zen franglais.[80]
The original video game Mortal Kombat was conceived as a fighting game based on Van Damme.[81] Creators Ed Boon and John Tobias had originally wanted to star Van Damme himself in the game. That fell through as he had a prior deal for another game under the auspices of the Sega Genesis platform. Ed Boon and John Tobias eventually decided to create a different character for the game named Johnny Cage, who is modelled after Jean-Claude Van Damme, primarily from Van Damme's appearance and outfit in the martial arts film Bloodsport.[82][83] In the German version of Donkey Kong 64 website, DK greatest hero is Jean-Claude Van Kong.
In January 2017, Van Damme featured in an Ultra Tune television advert which was part of a controversial series of ads.[84] Two women were confronted in a car park by a gang of youths in a threatening manner, Van Damme appears to defend them and then the mood lightens and they take pictures with the star.[85]
Personal life
By the mid-1990s, the stress of the constant filming and promotion of his films, as Van Damme explains, led him to develop a cocaine habit, on which he spent up to $10,000 a week, and consuming up to 10 grams per day by 1996. He was arrested for driving under the influence[86][87][88] in 1999.[89] Attempts at drug rehabilitation were unsuccessful, and he resorted to resolve his addiction via quitting cold turkey and exercise.[87] In 1998, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[87][88][90] In 2011, he discussed the condition on the British reality show Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors, saying, "Sometimes you're gonna like me, and sometimes you're gonna hate me. But what can I do? I'm not perfect ... I'm an extreme bipolar, and I'm taking medication for this ... When I was young, I was suffering those swing moods. In the morning, the sky was blue [when I was] going to school, and to me, the sky was black. I was so sad."[91]
Van Damme has been married five times to four different women. He was married to his third wife, bodybuilder Gladys Portugues - with whom he has two children: Kristopher (born 1987) and Bianca (born 1990)[92] - until 1992, when he began an affair with actress Darcy LaPier, whom he married in February 1994. From this marriage, they had a son named Nicholas (born October 10, 1995). That same year he had an affair with his Street Fighter co-star Kylie Minogue during filming of that movie in Thailand.[93][94] LaPier, who was pregnant at the time with their son, did not become aware of this until Van Damme publicly admitted it in 2012.[95] After leaving LaPier, Van Damme remarried bodybuilder Portugues in 1999.
Van Damme is a Roman Catholic.[96]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Functioned as | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Role | |||
| 1979 | Woman Between Wolf and Dog | Yes | Movie Goer/Man in Garden | Uncredited[97] | |||
| 1984 | Monaco Forever | Yes | Gay Karate Man | Minor role | |||
| 1984 | Breakin' | Yes | Spectator in First Dance Sequence | Uncredited Extra | |||
| 1986 | No Retreat, No Surrender | Yes | Ivan Krushensky | ||||
| 1988 | Bloodsport | Yes | Frank Dux | also editor (uncredited) and First starring role | |||
| 1988 | Black Eagle | Yes | Andrei | ||||
| 1989 | Cyborg | Yes | Gibson Rickenbacker | also editor (uncredited) | |||
| 1989 | Kickboxer | Yes | Yes | Kurt Sloane | Also fight scene choreographer and fight scene director | ||
| 1990 | Death Warrant | Yes | Louis Burke | ||||
| 1990 | Lionheart | Yes | Yes | Lyon Gaultier | also fight choreographer | ||
| 1991 | Double Impact | Yes | Yes | Yes | Alex Wagner/Chad Wagner | Dual role, also fight choreographer | |
| 1992 | Universal Soldier | Yes | Luc Deveraux | ||||
| 1993 | Last Action Hero | Yes | Himself | Cameo | |||
| 1993 | Nowhere to Run | Yes | Sam Gillen | ||||
| 1993 | Hard Target | Yes | Chance Boudreaux | ||||
| 1994 | Timecop | Yes | Max Walker | ||||
| 1994 | Street Fighter | Yes | Colonel William F. Guile | ||||
| 1995 | Sudden Death | Yes | Darren McCord | ||||
| 1996 | The Quest | Yes | Yes | Yes | Christopher Dubois | ||
| 1996 | Maximum Risk | Yes | Alain/Mikhail Moreau | Dual role | |||
| 1997 | Double Team | Yes | Jack Quinn | ||||
| 1998 | Knock Off | Yes | Marcus Ray | ||||
| 1998 | Legionnaire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Alain Lefevre | ||
| 1999 | Universal Soldier: The Return | Yes | Yes | Luc Deveraux | |||
| 1999 | Inferno | Yes | Yes | Eddie Lomax | Limited release | ||
| 2001 | The Order | Yes | Yes | Rudy Cafmeyer/Charles Le Vaillant | Dual role Direct-to-video | ||
| 2001 | Replicant | Yes | Edward "The Torch" Garrotte/Replicant | Dual role Direct-to-video | |||
| 2002 | Derailed | Yes | Jacques Kristoff | Direct-to-video | |||
| 2003 | In Hell | Yes | Kyle LeBlanc | Direct-to-video | |||
| 2004 | Wake of Death | Yes | Ben Archer | Direct-to-video | |||
| 2004 | Narco | Yes | Jean's ghost by Lenny | Minor role | |||
| 2006 | The Hard Corps | Yes | Phillip Sauvage | Direct-to-video | |||
| 2006 | Second in Command | Yes | Sam Keenan | Direct-to-video | |||
| 2006 | The Exam | Yes | Charles | Minor role | |||
| 2007 | Until Death | Yes | Anthony Stowe | Direct-to-video | |||
| 2008 | The Shepherd: Border Patrol | Yes | Jack Robideaux | Direct-to-video | |||
| 2008 | JCVD | Yes | Yes | Himself (fictionalized autobiography) | Limited release Also the executive producer | ||
| 2009 | Universal Soldier: Regeneration | Yes | Luc Deveraux | Limited release | |||
| 2011 | Kung Fu Panda 2 | Yes | Master Croc | Voice only | |||
| 2011 | Assassination Games | Yes | Vincent Brazil | Limited release Also the executive producer | |||
| 2011 | Beur sur la ville | Yes | Colonel Merot | Cameo | |||
| 2012 | Rzhevsky versus Napoleon | Yes | Himself | Cameo | |||
| 2012 | Dragon Eyes | Yes | Jean-Luis Tiano | Limited release | |||
| 2012 | The Expendables 2 | Yes | Jean Vilain | Van Damme's first widely released film since 1999 | |||
| 2012 | Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning | Yes | Luc Deveraux | Limited release | |||
| 2012 | Six Bullets | Yes | Samson Gaul | Limited release Also the executive producer | |||
| 2012 | U.F.O. | Yes | George | Limited release | |||
| 2014 | Welcome to the Jungle | Yes | Storm Rotchild | Limited release | |||
| 2013 | Enemies Closer | Yes | Xander | Limited release | |||
| 2014 | Swelter | Yes | Stillman | Direct-to-video | |||
| 2014 | Full Love | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Frenchy | Also editor |
| 2015 | Pound of Flesh | Yes | Deacon | Limited release Also the executive producer | |||
| 2015 | Jian Bing Man | Yes | Cameo | ||||
| 2016 | Kung Fu Panda 3 | Yes | Master Croc | Voice only | |||
| 2016 | Kickboxer: Vengeance | Yes | Master Durand | ||||
| 2017 | Kill 'Em All | Yes | |||||
| 2018 | Kickboxer: Retaliation | Yes | |||||
| 2018 | Black Water | Yes | Wheeler | Co-starring with Dolph Lundgren. | |||
| 2018 | The Bouncer | Yes | Lukas | ||||
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Friends | Himself | "The One After the Superbowl" (Season 2, Episode 13) |
| 2004 | Las Vegas | Himself | "Die Fast, Die Furious" (Season 1, Episode 15) |
| 2009 | Robot Chicken | Himself Count Dracula Rhett Butler | Voice only "Maurice Was Caught" (Season 4, Episode 12) |
| 2011 | Jean Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors | Himself | 1 season (8 episodes) |
| 2011 | Les Anges Gardiens | Himself | 1 season (20 episodes) |
| 2016 - 2017 | Jean-Claude Van Johnson | Johnson / Jean-Claude Van Damme | 1 season (6 episode) |
Music videos
| Year | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Body Count's in the House" | Body Count |
| 1994 | "Time Won't Let Me" | The Smithereens |
| 1994 | "Straight to My Feet" | MC Hammer featuring Deion Sanders |
| 1995 | "Something There" | Chage and Aska |
| 1999 | "Crush 'Em" | Megadeth |
| 2003 | "Kiss My Eyes" | Bob Sinclar |
| 2008 | "Ya Lyublyu Ego" | Iryna Bilyk and Olga Gorbacheva |
| 2015 | "The Hum"[98] | Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike vs. Ummet Ozcan |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Street Fighter: The Movie | Colonel Guile |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Bloodsport | Golden Raspberry Award | Worst New Star[99] | Nominated |
| 1992 | Double Impact | MTV Movie Award | Most Desirable Male | Nominated |
| 1993 | Nowhere to Run | MTV Movie Award | Most Desirable Male | Nominated |
| 1994 | Hard Target | MTV Movie Award | Most Desirable Male | Nominated |
| 1998 | Double Team | Golden Raspberry Award | Worst Screen Couple (with Dennis Rodman) | Won |
| 2001 | Replicant | Video Premiere Award | Best Actor | Nominated |
| 2004 | Bollywood Movie Award | Bollywood Movie Award | International Action Super Star | Won |
| 2008 | JCVD | Silver Leopard | Best Actor | Nominated |
| 2009 | JCVD | TFCA Award | Best Performance, Male | Nominated |
| 2014 | Macau International Film Festival | Golden Lotus Award | Outstanding Achievement of Action Movies Show | Won |
Semi-contact/light-contact record
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Date | Round | Time | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 44-4-0 |  Jonny Wellum | Decision | 7 May 1980 | 3 | W.A.K.O. | Brussels, Belgium | Light-Contact (Van Damme avenges early career defeat) | |
| Win | 43-4-0 | Jordy Claes | Decision | 1980 | 3 | Gala International W.A.K.O. | Brussels, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 42-4-0 | Patrick Teugels[14] | l'abandon (TKO) | 8 March 1980 | 1 | Forest Nationals | Brussels, Belgium | Light-Contact:Teugels suffers a broken nose and is unable to continue.) | |
| Win | 41-4-0 |  Andres Kovac | Decision | 1980 | 3 | W.A.K.O. | Brussels, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 40-4-0 |  Bekim-Moussa Muhammad | Decision | 1980 | 3 | W.A.K.O. | Brussels, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 39-4-0 | Mustapha-Ahmad Benamou | Decision | 1980 | 3 | W.A.K.O. | Brussels, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 38-4-0 |  Reinhard Krass | Disq. | 26 December 1979 | 2 | Karate Tournament: Belgium Team vs. German Team | Woluwe, Brussels, Belgium | Light-Contact[14] | |
| Win | 37-4-0 |  Gilberto Dias | l'abandon | November 1979 | 1 | World-All Styles Karate Organization | Brussels, Belgium | Light-Contact (Dias suffers ankle injury and is unable to continue.) | |
| Win | 36-4-0 | Hans Kohler | Decision | 1979 | 3 | World-All Styles Karate Organization | Ingelmunster, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Loss | 35-4-0 | Patrick Teugels | Decision | 1979 | 3 | W.A.K.O. | Tampa, Florida, U.S.A. | Light-Contact (Both men fight in karate gi uniforms, no pads or gloves) | |
| Win | 35-3-0 | Matthias Evrard | Decision | 1979 | 3 | Cup of Antwerp World-All Styles Karate Organization | Antwerp, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 34-3-0 | Paul Sperati | Decision | 1979 | 3 | World-All Styles Karate Organization | Opprebais, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 33-3-0 | Lucus Reinfeld | Decision | 1979 | 3 | World-All Styles Karate Organization, Europe Interland Cup | Mulhouse, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 32-3-0 | Robbe Bogaerts | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Hope Cup World-All Styles Karate Organization | Brussels, Belgium | Semi-Contact[100] | |
| Win | 31-3-0 | Leonard Baptiste | Decision | 1978 | 3 | World-All Styles Karate Organization | Izegem, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 30-3-0 | Fernando Cabanela | Decision | 1978 | 3 | World-All Styles Karate Organization | Izegem, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Loss | 29-3-0 | Angelo Spataro[14] | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 29-2-0 | Gabriel Van Der Driessche | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 28-2-0 | Farid Muhammad Mousseau | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 27-2-0 | Jacques van Laere | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 26-2-0 | Christian Hedin | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 25-2-0 | Gerard Charon | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 24-2-0 | David Arranz | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 23-2-0 | Bernard Redden | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 22-2-0 | Antoine Redi | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 21-2-0 | Ben Salah Ellah | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 20-2-0 | Gaston Airey | Foul | 1978 | 1 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 19-2-0 | Abdembi Hassan Ali | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 18-2-0 | Jonas "Marcel" Cohen | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 17-2-0 | Christian Van Tieghem | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 16-2-0 | Max Roelandt | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 15-2-0 | Andre Verbon | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 14-2-0 | Michel Juvillier | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 13-2-0 | Joel Maoreau | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 12-2-0 | Ronald Duivenbode | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials) | Antwerp, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Loss | 11-2-0 | Patrick Teugels | Decision | 1978 | 3 | Belgium Lightweight Championship | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact | |
| Win | 11-1-0 | Gris Lubbers | Decision | 1976 | 3 | European Karate Union | Ingelmunster, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 10-1-0 | Andre Lemaire | Decision | 1977 | 3 | World Association of Kickboxing Organizations Open International | Izegem, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 9-1-0 | Patrick Teugels | Decision | 1977 | 3 | Antwerp Open International Competition W.A.K.O. | Antwerp, Belgium | Light-Contact[citation needed] | |
| Win | 8-1-0 | Maurice Devos | Decision | 1977 | 3 | World Allstyles Kickboxing Organization | Antwerp, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 7-1-0 |  , Jacques Berri | Decision | 1976 | 3 | Antwerp Open WAKO | Antwerp, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 6-1-0 | Johannes Binding | Decision | 1976 | 3 | Antwerp Open WAKO | Antwerp, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 5-1-0 | Jean-Morin Devigne | Decision | 1976 | 3 | Antwerp Open WAKO | Antwerp, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 4-1-0 | Roland Vedani | Decision | 1976 | 3 | European Karate Union | Ingelmunster, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Win | 3-1-0 | Jean-Paul Gaston | Decision | 1976 | 3 | European Karate Union | Brussels, Belgium | Semi-Contact | |
| Loss | 2-1-0 | Jonny Wellum | Decision | 22 January 1976 | 3 | La Federation Europeene de Karate (European Karate Federation) | Brussels, Belgium | Semi-Contact (J.Vandenberg credit with Defaite (loss) | |
| Win | 2-0-0 | Bernard Briers | Decision | 22 January 1976 | 3 | La Federation Europeene de Karate (European Karate Federation) | Brussels, Belgium | Semi-Contact (J.Vandenberg credit with victoire (win) | |
| Win | 1-0-0 | Robin Lomard | Decision | 22 January 1976 | 3 | La Federation Europeene de Karate (European Karate Federation) | Brussels, Belgium | Semi-Contact (J.Vandenberg credit with victoire (win))-Magazine "boxe francise" (Karate) |
Kickboxing record
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Date | Round | Time | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 18-1-0 |  Nedjad Gharbi | KKO | 1982 | 1 | Brussels, Belgium | Kickboxing | ||
| Win | 17-1-0 | Daniel Le Jaouen | KKO | 1982 | 1 | 1:05 | Brussels, Belgium | Kickboxing | |
| Win | 16-1-0 | Lenny Leikman[14] | KKO | 1982 | 3 | 1st Journée Des Arts Martiaux | Brussels, Belgium | Kickboxing | |
| Win | 15-1-0 |  Ajom Mahmud Uddin | KO | 1981 | 1 | 0:19 | Brussels, Belgium | Kickboxing | |
| Win | 14-1-0 | Mustapha-Ahmad Benamou | KKO | 1981 | 1 | Brussels, Belgium | Kickboxing | ||
| Win | 13-1-0 |  Henk Besselman | KO | 1981 | 1 | Brussels, Belgium | Kickboxing | ||
| Win | 12-1-0 |  Michael J. Heming | KKO | 1980 | 1 | 0:46 | European Karate Federation Middleweight Championship | Brussels, Belgium | Kickboxing[citation needed] |
| Win | 11-1-0 | Georges Verlugels | KO | 1980 | 2 | P.K.A. Middleweight Championship | Brussels, Belgium | Kickboxing[17] | |
| Win | 10-1-0 |  Sherman Bergman | KKO | 1979 Nov 4 | 1 | 0:56 | Tampa, Florida, USA | Full-Contact | |
| Win | 9-1-0 | Rolf Risberg | KKO | 1979 | 1 | Ingelmunster, Belgium | Kickboxing[citation needed] | ||
| Win | 8-1-0 | Emile Leibman | KKO | 1979 | 1 | Iseghem, Belgium | Kickboxing[citation needed] | ||
| Win | 7-1-0 | Cyrille Nollet | KKO | 1978 | 1 | Iseghem, Belgium | Kickboxing | ||
| Win | 6-1-0 | Orlando Lang | KO | 1978 | 1 | 0:26 | Antwerp, Belgium | Kickboxing | |
| Win | 5-1-0 | Jacques Piniarski | KKO | 1978 | 1 | Belgium | Kickboxing[citation needed] | ||
| Win | 4-1-0 | Eric "Basel" Strauss | KKO | 1978 | 1 | 0:18 | Antwerp, Belgium | Kickboxing[citation needed] | |
| Win | 3-1-0 | Andre "Robar" Robaeys | KKO | 1978 | 1 | Mulhouse, Belgium | Kickboxing[citation needed] | ||
| Win | 2-1-0 | Michel Juvillier | KO | 1978 | 1 | 0:39 | Antwerp, Belgium | Full-Contact[citation needed] | |
| Loss | 1-1-0 | Etienne "Tuf" Aubry | Disq | 7 March 1977 | 1 | 1:02 | Marseilles, France | Full-Contact (Magazine "boxe francise" (Karate)) | |
| Win | 1-0-0 | Toon Van Oostrum | KKO | 1977 | 1 | 0:46 | Brussels, Belgium | Full-Contact[citation needed] |
Notes
^ Hendrix, Grady (19 October 2007). "Happy Belated Birthday, Jean-Claude Van Damme!". Slate.
^ Current Biography Yearbook. H. W. Wilson Company. 1999. p. 577..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Jean-Claude Van Damme Biography (1960–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
^ "Jean-Claude van Damme- Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ "Jean-Claude Van Damme unveils his statue in Belgium". The Reel Place.Standing next to his Flemish mother and his Walloon father, the actor talked about the linguistic conflict: "It's a dispute between two cultures that are, in fact, the same. But, there's a lot of love in this war" he concluded, true to himself.
; "Jean-Claude Van Damme - Bifff 2007". VanDammeTV.Mijn moeder is Vlaamse en mijn vader is van Brussels [My mother is Flemish and my father is from Brussels]
^ Getting a kick out of stardom By Pearl Sheffy Gefen, The Jerusalem Post: November 29, 1996
^ "Why is he famous?". AskMen.com. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
^ Stanley, John (2 April 1989). "Belgian Bruiser Muscles Into B-Movie Scene". San Francisco Chronicle.
^ Karate black belt Archived 5 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Grobel, Lawrence (1 January 1995). "Playboy interview". Playboy.
^ Kim, Jae-Ha (14 April 1989). "Van Damme gets his kicks from acting now, not karate". Chicago Sun-Times.
^ "FanDamme Jean Claude van Damme". Retrieved 6 December 2014.
^ Katherine Drobot Lawrence. Jean-Claude Van Damme (The Rosen Publishing Group, 2002), p. 11.
^ abcdefghi "Standardized Tournaments And Ratings System Historic Kickboxing Ring Records" Archived 1 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine.. The Star System. 8 March 1980. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ "CNK – Centre National de Karaté". Jcvandamme.net. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
^ "King Of Kung Fu Presents: The Jean Claude Van Damme Interview". Asian Movie Pulse. 13 June 2013.
^ ab Warrener, Don (15 August 2011). "Jean Claude van Damme: Behind The Public Image". FightingArts.com. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ "The muscles from Brussels - the story of Jean-Claude Van Damme | Worldation". Worldation. 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
^ "Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris training together". Bjj Eastern Europe. 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
^ Missing in Action (1984), retrieved 2018-04-09
^ Levey, William A., Monaco Forever, Charles Pitt, Nancy Brock, Daniele Romer, retrieved 2018-04-09
^ "Van Damme's first film". EW.com. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
^ No Retreat, No Surrender Blu-ray, retrieved 2018-08-27
^ No Retreat, No Surrender, retrieved 2018-08-27
^ "NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER: An Endearing THE KARATE KID Clone". Cinapse. 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
^ Haufrect, Ian T (2001). "If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It". 20th Century Fox.
^ JOHNSON, JOHN (1988-05-01). "NINJA: Hero or Master Fake? : Others Kick Holes in Fabled Past of Woodland Hills Martial Arts Teacher". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
^ "Bloodsport (1988) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
^ "15 Things You Didn't Know About "Bloodsport"". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
^ Bloodsport (DVD)|format=requires|url=(help) (film) (in English, French, and and Japanese). Warner Home Video. 2002-10-01. ISBN 0-7907-6540-3. 0 85393 77442 4.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
^ Thompson, Anne (August 27, 1989). "Punch Lineage". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
^ Black Eagle Blu-ray, retrieved 2018-08-27
^ Sherrill, Martha (August 11, 1991). "The muscles from brussels". Washington Post.
^ Bates, James (23 September 1994). "Van Damme Gains 'Franchise' Status". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
^ ab Evan Sathoff, "Badass Interview: Talking Jean-Claude Van Damme With LIONHEART Director, Sheldon Lettich", 5 Feb 2015 accessed 20 June 2015
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Books cited
Corcoran, John; Farkas, Emil (1988). Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. New York City: Gallery Books. pp. 60, 265. ISBN 978-0-8317-5805-9. (Wako)
Corcoran, John; Farkas, Emil (1988). Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. New York City: Gallery Books. pp. 285–286. ISBN 978-0-8317-5805-9. (PKA World Heavyweight Title)
Corcoran, John; Farkas, Emil (1988). Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. New York City: Gallery Books. pp. 210, 393. ISBN 978-0-8317-5805-9. (Eku)
Soet, John Steven (March 1990). "Jean-Claude Van Damme". Inside Kung-Fu Presents: Martial Artists One on One. pp. 16–25.
Further reading
Vandehey, Tim (April 1991). "Gunning for Van Damme". Karate Kung-Fu Illustrated.
Xuat Tinh Som (31 December 2007). "Jean-Claude Van Damme". Tre Today News.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jean-Claude Van Damme. |
 | Wikiquote has quotations related to: Jean-Claude Van Damme |
- Official website
Jean-Claude Van Damme on IMDb- Rodin Entertainment
"Volvo Trucks - The Epic Split feat. Van Damme (Live Test 6)". Volvo Trucks. YouTube. 13 November 2013.
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