Belgian actor and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme was born 63 years ago as Jean-Claude Camille Francois Van Varenberg in Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Brussels, is married and has 3 children.
Jean-Claude started taking martial arts lessons when he was 10 years old, particularly kickboxing and Shotokan Karate, and at the age of 18 obtained a black belt. He also studied ballet for 5 years, took up weightlifting to ameliorate his body and learnt Muay Thai and Taekwondo.
Between 1976 and 1982, Van Damme won 3 Gold and 1 Silver medals in 4 bodybuilding/karate championships, as well as accomplished numerous records. After that year, he quit competing and decided to travel to the US along with a friend and try his luck as an actor.
He then met actor Chuck Norris and they became friends. Chuck offered Jean-Claude a job as a bouncer in his bar, and in addition he worked also as a karate instructor and limousine driver to maintain himself. Determined to become a successful actor at all costs, he started contacting film producers and finally his prayers were answered.
Initially, he was part of the stunt team in Chuck Norris’s 1984 movie ‘Missing in Action’ followed by a role in a comedy film. The following year, Van Damme had a more significant role in ‘No Retreat, No Surrender’. A career breakthrough arrived in 1988 when he was cast in ‘Bloodsport’, which was a box-office hit in the US. This was followed by another successful movie ‘Kickboxer’ a year later, leading Jean-Claude to international fame.
From the 90s to date, Van Damme has starred in over 50 films, some of which were written, directed and produced by himself. In addition, he voiced animated characters in movies like ‘Kung Fu Panda 2 & 3’ and ‘The Minions: The Rise of Gru’. He has also appeared in several music videos of different artists as well video games and TV programmes.
During his +40-year career, Jean Claude, nicknamed ‘The Muscles from Brussels’, received a Golden Raspberry, a Bollywood Movie and a Golden Lotus award.
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