Jean-Claude Van Damme

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

107

Gender

Male

Birthday

1960-10-18 (63 years old)

Place of Birth

Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium

Also Known As

  • JCVD
  • The Muscles from Brussels
  • Jean-Claude van Varenbergh
  • Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg
  • Ζαν-Κλοντ Βαν Νταμ
  • Ζαν Κλοντ Βαν Νταμ
  • Βαν Νταμ
  • Жан-Клод Ван Дамм
  • 尚格·云顿
  • 장 끌로드 반담

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Biography

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).

Known For

Friends
8.4%

Friends

Sep 22, 1994

Kung Fu Panda 2
7.0%

Kung Fu Panda 2

May 25, 2011

The Expendables 2
6.3%

The Expendables 2

Aug 8, 2012

Kung Fu Panda 3
6.9%

Kung Fu Panda 3

Jan 23, 2016

Minions: The Rise of Gru
7.3%

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Jun 29, 2022

Last Action Hero
6.4%

Last Action Hero

Jun 18, 1993

Bloodsport
7.0%

Bloodsport

Feb 26, 1988

Universal Soldier
6.3%

Universal Soldier

Jul 10, 1992

Street Fighter
4.6%

Street Fighter

Dec 23, 1994

Kickboxer
6.8%

Kickboxer

Apr 20, 1989

Timecop
6.0%

Timecop

Sep 15, 1994

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Acting

What's My Name?
Silent Kill
Kill 'em All 2 as Philip
Le Jardinier
Dolph as Self
An escaped prisoner hiding from authorities, Sam always manages to be in the wrong place at the right time. Risking his hard-fought freedom, he aids a beautiful young widow against a ruthless developer who wants her land. as Sam
2024
Darkness of Man as Russell Hatch
2023
Jean-Claude van Damme: Karate King as Self - Portait Subject & Interviewee (archive)
2022
Minions: The Rise of Gru as Jean Clawed (voice)
2022
Ramez Movie Star
2021
Haters as Jean-Claude Van Damme
2021
The Last Mercenary as Richard Brumére
2021
Monsieur Jean-Claude as (uncredited)
2020
JCVD's Day Out as JCVD
2019
In Search of the Last Action Heroes
2019
The UnXplained as Self
2019
The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2
2019
We Die Young as Daniel
2018
The Bouncer as Lukas
2018
Black Water as Wheeler
2018
Kickboxer: Retaliation as Master Durand
2017
Kill 'em All as Philip
2016
Jean-Claude Van Johnson as Johnson
2016
Kickboxer: Vengeance as Master Durand
2016
Kung Fu Panda 3 as Master Croc (voice)
2015
Jian Bing Man as Jean-Claude Van Damme
2015
Pound of Flesh as Deacon
2014
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films as Self
2014
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films as Gibson Rickenbacker (archive footage) (uncredited)
2014
Swelter as Stillman
2013
Enemies Closer as Xander
2013
Welcome to the Jungle as Storm
2012
U.F.O. as George
2012
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning as Luc Deveraux
2012
6 Bullets as Samson Gaul
2012
The Expendables 2 as Jean Vilain
2012
Dragon Eyes as Tiano
2012
Corporal vs. Napoleon as Himself
2011
Beur sur la ville as Colonel Merot
2011
Assassination Games as Vincent Brazil
2011
Kung Fu Panda 2 as Master Croc (voice)
2011
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors
2010
Conan as Self
2010
Full Love as Frenchy
2009
Universal Soldier: Regeneration as Luc Deveraux
2008
JCVD as J.C.V.D.
2008
The Shepherd: Border Patrol as Jack Robideaux
2007
Until Death as Anthony Stowe
2006
Heist School as Charles
2006
The Hard Corps as Phillippe Sauvage
2006
Second in Command as Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan
2004
Wake of Death as Ben Archer
2004
Narco as Jean-Claude Van Damme
2004
Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans as Himself
2004
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier' as Himself
2004
Crossings: John Woo as Self
2003
In Hell as Kyle LeBlanc
2003
Las Vegas as Self
2003
Celebrities Uncensored as Self
2003
Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme
2002
Derailed as Jacques Kristoff
2002
All the Love You Cannes! as Self
2002
Ultimate Fights from the Movies as Max Walker (archive footage)
2001
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee as Himself (archive footage)
2001
Playboy Mansion Parties Uncensored as Self
2001
Replicant as Replicant / Garrotte
2001
The Order as Rudy Cafmeyer
2000
C'è posta per te
1999
Inferno as Eddie Lomax
1999
Universal Soldier: The Return as Luc Devereux
1999
Beckmann as Self
1998
Legionnaire as Alain Lefevre
1998
Vivement dimanche as Self
1998
Knock Off as Marcus Ray
1997
Double Team as Jack Quinn
1996
Maximum Risk as Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov
1996
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
The Quest as Christopher Dubois
1995
Sudden Death as Darren Francis Thomas McCord
1995
Viva el lunes as Self
1995
WCW Monday Nitro
1995
Top Fighter as Himself (Archive Footage)
1994
Street Fighter as Colonel William Guile
1994
Friends as Jean-Claude Van Damme
1994
Timecop as Max Walker
1993
The Curse of the Dragon as Self (archive footage)
1993
Last Action Hero as Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited)
1993
Hard Target as Chance Boudreaux
1993
Nowhere to Run as Sam Gillen
1992
Universal Soldier as Luc Deveraux / GR44
1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1991
Double Impact as Alex / Chad Wagner
1990
Death Warrant as Louis Burke
1990
Lionheart as Leon Gaultier
1990
Voices That Care as Self - Choir Member
1990
The Best of the Martial Arts Films as Himself
1989
Kickboxer as Kurt Sloane
1989
Cyborg as Gibson Rickenbacker
1988
Black Eagle as Andrei
1988
Bloodsport as Frank Dux
1986
No Retreat, No Surrender as Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian"
1984
Missing in Action as Soldier (uncredited)
1984
Breakin' as Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited)
1984
Barbarous Street as Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited)
1984
Monaco Forever as Gay Karate Man
1979
Woman Between Wolf and Dog as Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited)
1962
The Late Late Show as Self

Crew

1991
Double Impact as Fight Choreographer
1989
Kickboxer as Stunt Coordinator
1989
Kickboxer as Martial Arts Choreographer
1987
Predator as Stunts
1984
Missing in Action as Stunts

Directing

2010
Full Love as Director
1996
The Quest as Director
1989
Kickboxer as Action Director

Editing

2010
Full Love as Editor
1989
Cyborg as Editor
1988
Bloodsport as Editor

Production

Silent Kill as Producer
2024
Darkness of Man as Executive Producer
2019
We Die Young as Executive Producer
2018
Black Water as Executive Producer
2015
Pound of Flesh as Executive Producer
2012
6 Bullets as Executive Producer
2011
Assassination Games as Executive Producer
2010
Full Love as Producer
2008
JCVD as Executive Producer
1999
Inferno as Producer
1999
Universal Soldier: The Return as Producer
1998
Legionnaire as Producer
1991
Double Impact as Producer

Writing

2024
Darkness of Man as Story
2016
Kickboxer: Vengeance as Characters
2010
Full Love as Writer
2001
The Order as Writer
1996
The Quest as Screenplay
1991
Double Impact as Screenplay
1991
Double Impact as Screenstory
1991
Double Impact as Story
1990
Lionheart as Screenplay
1989
Kickboxer as Story
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