Born Jean-Claude Camille Francois Van Varenberg, Jean-Claude Van Damme became the first and only martial arts film star from Belgium and the first European actor to make it big in Hollywood as a martial arts film star. With a kickboxing/karate record of 20 wins and two losses, Jean-Claude Van Damme got his big break in a vein similar to Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris appeared in Bruce Lee’s Way of the Dragon (1972), and Jean-Claude Van Damme appeared in Yuen Kwai’s (Corey Yuen) No Retreat, No Surrender (1986).
With a career spanning many A to B films as well as straight-to-DVD releases and “nowhere” movies, Jean-Claude Van Damme has retained his signature moves. One is his 360-degree jumping, spinning and splits-in-midair kick. Another is doing the splits while flexing every muscle in his body. In 2008, Jean-Claude Van Damme kicked life back into his career with a “second” breakout film. In an article about the film, JCVD, Time magazine wrote, “[Jean-Claude Van Damme] deserves not a black belt but an Oscar.”
– May 6, 2011
It was 1 o’clock, and I was sitting at Jun Chong’s taekwondo school in Los Angeles getting ready to work out. In walked Dolph Lundgren, 6 feet 5 inches tall and built like a brick [outhouse].
He said, “You’re Bill Wallace, right?”
I said, “Yeah, and you’re Dolph Lundgren.”
I stood up and
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– March 21, 2011
Jean-Claude Van Damme + Dolph Lundgren + a Universal Soldier sequel = ’nuff said. That’s right. The 1990s sci-fi franchise is back with its two original European stars. Van Damme and Lundgren co-headline Universal Soldier: Regeneration, the latest installment about troops resurrected as killer cyborgs called UniSols. It should be
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– March 18, 2011
I loved the 1980s. The decade produced some of history’s best “bad” martial arts movies—genre flicks that are critically panned but commercially loved. Think Steven Seagal’s Above the Law, Michael Dudikoff’s American Ninja and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Bloodsport. Looking back, I find these movies so amazingly cheesy that I’m surprised
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– March 18, 2011
The universally positive response to JCVD has given Jean-Claude Van Damme a career boost. While fans have long championed the man and his movies, only now do the mainstream media seem willing to acknowledge his appeal. In this Black Belt exclusive, the comeback kid talks about his latest films and
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