Jean Claude Van Damme - Biography

Last Editor: wren7maps				Jean Claude Van Damme Biography -   Name : Jean Claude Van Damme Birth Date : October 18th, 1960, Birth Place : Brussels, Belgium Birth Name : Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg Height : 5'10 Occupation : Actor Nickname : Muscles from Brussels Trade mark : Thrilling one and all with his 360-degree ultimate leaping & super flying karate kicks.

Jean Claude Van Damme Trivia -

His fight scenes are so intense that he won't film them in the U.S. for fear of being sued. In 1989, he was sued for willfully gouging the eye of an extra in a sword fight while filming Cyborg (1989). Won a court case filed against him by martial arts legend Frank Dux, who claimed he collaborated with Van Damme on his 1996 directorial debut The Quest (1996), only for Van Damme to deny him any share of the profits. His evidence was lost in an earthquake. Coincidentally, Van Damme played Dux in his debut Bloodsport (1988). Former European Professional Karate Association middleweight champion. On July 10, 2000, Van Damme was sentenced to an anti-drunk driving class, a $1,200 fine, 3 years probation and a 90 day revocation of his license after pleading no contest for a September 23, 1999 DUI arrest in Beverly Hills. Once said he learned to speak English by watching the cartoon "The Flintstones" (1960). In Jesse Ventura's book, he mentions Van Damme as having played Predator (1987) monster until he was fired and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall. Studied classical ballet for five years Speaks French, English, Spanish and German. In his late teens he opened a gym called California Fitness Center. Was student of Dominique Valera. Was a European Middle Weight Champion in Karate in his late teens. Likes classical music and his favorite composer is Beethoven. Jean-Claude Van Damme lost in the WAKO Open International in 1979, and for the Belgium Title in 1980. However, he was a member of the 1979 Belgium when it won the European Team Championships. He also won at the Forest Nationals in 1980. Can lift 166 kg on a bench. Has his own production companies, Long Road Productions / 777 Films Corp. Was the original choice to play the title character in Predator (1987). Related to Screenwriter Adam Burnett through marriage. One-time sparring partner of Chuck Norris during the early 80s. Children: Kristopher Van Varenberg (b. 1987) and Bianca Van Varenberg (b. 1990) with Gladys Portugues; son Nicholas (b. 1995) with Darcy LaPier. He was the inspiration for the character Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat. One of Johnny Cage's special moves is doing the splits while punching his opponent in the groin, as seen when Van Damme's character, Frank Dux, punches his large sumo opponent in Bloodsport (1988). As the original choice to play the role of the alien hunter itself in the movie Predator (1987), he hit a few personal snags. For starters, he was not happy with the fact that his face would not be shown on camera, and that he would be having an uncredited special effects role. He was also not fond of the original monster suit - he frequently passed out due to heat exhaustion. Because he complained so much and was very uncooperative, he was fired from the film. When Stan Winston's Predator design came in, Kevin Peter Hall was chosen to play the title role and filled it perfectly. Supposedly, Van Damme has no regrets on backing out of the Predator project. Purchased a condominium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Knocked out Germany's Eric 'Basel' Strauss in 18 seconds in 1978 at Antwerp, Belgium, in a scheduled 3-round full-contact match. Knocked-out Emile Leibman in the first round of a scheduled three-round full-contact match at Iseghem, Belgium in 1979. Often states 'Charlie Chaplin (I)' as the first great action star. Adopted Van Damme as his stage name from one of his friend's father name. He considered it punchy, short and clear than his birth name of Van Varenberg. Brother of Veronique Van Varenberg. Films often contain injuries to the groin area. Examples: Double Impact (1991) Hard Target (1993) and Timecop (1994). Fought on the March 8, 1980 under-card of the main event between France's Dominique Valera and U.S.A.'s Dan Macaruso. The fight took place in 1980 in Brussels, Belgium, and Jean-Claude stopped Patrick Teugels by first round knockout, fracturing Teugels nose. At Mulhouse, Belgium in 1978, he knocked out Andre (Robar) Robaeys in 1 round of a scheduled 3-round full-contact match. At Opprebais, Belgium in 1978, he stopped Jacques Piniarski in 1 round of a scheduled 3-round full-contact match. In 1980, in Brussels, fighting under his birth name, Jean Claude Van Varenberg, he knocked out a fighter known as Verlugels in 2 rounds. Fighting as Jean Claude Van Varenberg, he knocked out Rolf Risberg in 1 round of a scheduled 3-round full-contact match in Ingelmunster, Belgium, in 1979. Both of Van Dammes defeats were to Patrick Teugels, his former team mate on the Belgium team. However, prior to retiring, Van Damme defeated Teugels in under two minutes. In 1979, fighting as Jean-Claude Van Varenberg, he climbed off the canvas to knock out Sherman 'Big Train' Bergman of Miami Beach, Florida with an Axe-kick in one round. He was another consideration for a villain in Rush Hour 3 (2007). He was considered for the role of Wolverine at one point in X-Men (2000). Was briefly considered for the role of Michael Cheritto in Heat (1995). The character of Johnny Cage from the Mortal Kombat games was initially modeled on Jean Claude Van Damme. Fight Record: 18-2 (18 knockouts) 1977: Won: Knocked out Toon Van Oostrum in 1 round. 1977: Won: Knocked out Maurice Devos in 1 round. 1977: Lost:Decision to Patrick Teugels 3 rounds. 1978: Won: Knocked out Eric Bruno Strauss in 1 round. 1978: Won: Knocked out Michel Juvillier in 1 round. 1978: Lost:Decisioned to Patrick Teugels in 3 rounds. 1978: Won: Knocked out Orlando Lang in 1 round. 1978: Won: Knocked out Emile Leibman in 1 round. 1978: Won: Knocked out Cyrille in 1 round. 1979: Won: Knocked out Andre Robaeys in 1 round. 1979: Won: Knocked out Jacques Piniarski in 1 round. 1979: Won: Knocked out Rolf Risberg in 1 round. 1979: Won: Knocked out Sherman Bergman in 1 round. 1979: Won: Knocked out Gil Dias in 1 round. 1980: Won: Knocked out Mustapha-Ahmad Benamou in 1 round. 1980: Won: Knocked out Bekim-Moussa Muhammad in 1 round. 1980: Won: Knocked out Micheal J. Heming in 2 rounds. 1980: Won: Knocked out Georges Verlugels in 2 rounds. 1980: Won: Knocked out Andres Kovac in 2 rounds. 1980: Won: Knocked out Patrick Teugels in 1 round.

Jean Claude Van Damme Detailed Biography -

Born and Raised in Brussels, Belgium on October 18th, 1960, Claude Van Varenberg (adopting the name "Van Damme" from an early mentor) was a self-admitted "skinny, sensitive kid who loved classical music and painting," among other childhood studies. At the urging of his father, he began early instruction in ballet and karate--foreshadowing a career that would later capitalize on the intertwined nature of both. Invited to join the Paris Opera as a dancer, the young Van Damme instead chose to focus on karate and body-building, quitting school to operate his very own successful fitness center, The California Gym in Brussels. Though he quickly found fame in his native Belgium as a prized athlete and health club entrepreneur, his life would take another turn. Cast in the French-made film Rue Barbare (1984), an interest in acting awoke in him that would forever alter his life. He abandoned a lucrative business and local fame in search of a film career in Hong Kong. After little success breaking into the Honk Kong martial arts film industry, Van Damme felt it was time to take on Hollywood. Arriving on American soil in 1982, Van Damme possessed the requisite good looks and persistent attitude to succeed--unfortunately, he knew no languages other than French and Flemish. In corporating the elegance of ballet into his karate, Van Damme has transcended the brute force of the martial arts genre. Yet it was karate, the actor says, which helped him focus on and achieve his movie-making dreams. Van Damme made his feature film debut starring in Cannon Film's 1988 release Bloodsport. Its success and critical praise ushered in a wave of tiny budgeted action thrillers within two years, including the futuristic Cyborg (1989) and prison-set Death Warrant (1990). Numerous studio films followed, starting with the successful Double Impact (1991), which also marked his first foray into producing. Van Damme eventually earned the nickname "The muscles from Brussels" and soon enough, the actor's involvement in his films grew even more. The 5'10" actor made his writing debuts with Kickboxer (1989) and Lionheart (1990) and made his directorial debut with the 1996 box office flop The Quest. Over the past few years, his films have not fared well at the U.S. box office, with modestly budget action films like Double Team (1997) and Knock-Off (1998) all failing to reach their production costs. Replicant (2001), a sci-fi thriller about cloning, was the muscles from Brussels' first film of the new millennium, and, while it skipped theatrical release around the world, it earned him the best reviews of his career. More recently, Van Damme's movie career has hit a bit of a snag, with all of his recent films like The Order (2001), Derailed (2002) and In Hell (2003) bypassing theaters all together and debuting directly to video. Nevertheless, the success of this Belgian can be traced to his ability to appeal to all ages and genders and his larger-than-life image that captures the imagination of moviegoers worldwide.