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 associations 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 wasnt good enough to get anybodys 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).

Filmek -tól nem elérhető Jean-Claude Van Damme

Kickboxer

Kurt Sloane

Film 1989

Replicant

Replicant / Garrotte

Film 2001

Legionnaire

Alain Lefevre

Film 1998

Universal Soldier: The Return

Luc Devereux

Film 1999

Until Death

Anthony Stowe

Film 2007

Bloodsport

Frank Dux

Film 1988

Street Fighter

Colonel William Guile

Film 1994

The Quest

Christopher Dubois

Film 1996

Double Impact

Alex / Chad Wagner

Film 1991

Double Team

Jack Quinn

Film 1997

No Retreat, No Surrender

Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian"

Film 1986

JCVD

J.C.V.D.

Film 2008

Jean-Claude van Damme: Karate King

Self - Portait Subject & Interviewee (archive)

Film 2023

Universal Soldier: Regeneration

Luc Deveraux

Film 2009

Wake of Death

Ben Archer

Film 2004

The Order

Rudy Cafmeyer

Film 2001

Knock Off

Marcus Ray

Film 1998

Dolph: Fights Worth Fighting

Self

Film

Derailed

Jacques Kristoff

Film 2002

Black Eagle

Andrei

Film 1988

In Hell

Kyle LeBlanc

Film 2003

Assassination Games

Vincent Brazil

Film 2011

Corporal vs. Napoleon

Himself

Film 2012

Monaco Forever

Gay Karate Man

Film 1984

What's My Name?

Film

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning

Luc Deveraux

Film 2012

U.F.O.

George

Film 2012

Kill 'em All 2

Philip

Film 2024

Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme

Film 2003

Silent Kill

Film

The Gardener

Léo

Film 2025

The Best of the Martial Arts Films

Self (archive footage)

Film 1990

Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4

Self

Film 2013

Breakin'

Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited)

Film 1984

Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies

Self

Film 2023

Heist School

Charles

Film 2006

Halloween Ends

(archive footage) (uncredited)

Film 2022

Woman Between Wolf and Dog

Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited)

Film 1979

Street of the Damned

Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited)

Film 1984

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Gibson Rickenbacker (archive footage) (uncredited)

Film 2014

The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films

Self

Film 2014

The Bouncer

Lukas

Film 2018

Last Action Hero

Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited)

Film 1993

The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2

Film 2019

Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans

Himself

Film 2004

Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier'

Himself

Film 2004

JCVD's Day Out

JCVD

Film 2020

In Search of the Last Action Heroes

Film 2019

The Last Mercenary

Richard Brumére

Film 2021

Monsieur Jean-Claude

(uncredited)

Film 2021

Missing in Action

Soldier (uncredited)

Film 1984

All the Love You Cannes!

Self

Film 2002

Spaten

Van Damme

Film 2024

Serie televisive -tól nem elérhető Jean-Claude Van Damme

Las Vegas

Self

Tv 2003

E! True Hollywood Story

Tv 1996

Celebrities Uncensored

Self

Tv 2003

Viva el lunes

Self

Tv 1995

Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors

Tv 2011

Beckmann

Self

Tv 1999

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Tv 1992

Ramez Movie Star

Tv 2022

The Late Late Show

Self

Tv 1962

WCW Monday Nitro

Tv 1995

Conan

Self

Tv 2010

The UnXplained

Self

Tv 2019

Vivement dimanche

Self

Tv 1998