Jean-Claude Van Damme

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Jean-Claude Van Damme (2010)

Jean-Claude Van Damme , actually Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (born October 18, 1960 in Sint-Agatha-Berchem near Brussels ), is a Belgian actor . He is best known for his action films with martial arts acts (see Martial Arts Films ). His nickname is The Muscles from Brussels ("The muscles from Brussels").

Life

Van Damme was born in 1960 in the bilingual municipality of Sint-Agatha-Berchem in Brussels, the son of a florist. At the age of ten his father introduced him to the karate trainer Claude Goetz. He also did bodybuilding and trained in ballet from the age of 16 . Van Damme became middleweight champion of the European Professional Karate Association at the age of nineteen . He earned the black belt in Shōtōkan karate. In 1978 he became Mr. Belgium in bodybuilding.

In 1982, he and his childhood friend Michel Qissi moved to the United States to begin an acting career, and acquired US citizenship . He initially worked as a limousine driver, bouncer and fitness trainer for three years until he got his first role. In 1984 he was hired as a stuntman thanks to Chuck Norris in Missing in Action . Van Damme previously worked as a bouncer at Norris' wife's club, where he became aware of him. Van Damme was able to convince him and received a contract.

Van Damme played his first major role in 1986 as an antagonist in Karate Tiger . In 1987 he was initially slated for the role as Predator in the film of the same name , but director John McTiernan , who wanted a tall and imposing Predator, decided to give the role to Kevin Peter Hall because of Van Damme's comparatively small height of 1.77 m Back then, due to his enormous height of 2.20 m, he was a popular actor for monsters and aliens. Van Damme finally celebrated his breakthrough in 1988 with the film Bloodsport , which is loosely based on events (the truth of which is, however, controversial) from the life of the martial artist Frank Dux.

In the following years, Van Damme became a sought-after action film actor and also played in commercially successful films with films such as Cyborg , Karate Tiger 3 - The Kickboxer , Without Way Out or Timecop . Are These films Leon and his dual role as twin brothers in Double Impact - Double Impact , in which he was involved as a co-author, as well as its participation in Roland Emmerich's Universal Soldier 1992. He then turned to the Action cult director John Woo in 1993 Hard Target .

In 1994, the commercially successful video game adaptation Street Fighter, which was largely panned by critics and fans of the original, followed . The following years were marked by commercial flops, such as the work Double Team , in which Van Damme played alongside Mickey Rourke and the former professional basketball player Dennis Rodman , or films such as Maximum Risk and Universal Soldier - The Return . With The Legionnaire and The Quest - The Challenge , he was able to convince some critics not only with his fighting skills but also with his acting. The Quest was also Van Damme's directorial debut, for which he won Roger Moore in a leading role.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (2007)

However, as of 1999, none of his films made it to theaters, and these mostly critically maligned works were released directly on DVD . In 2008 the film JCVD was released , with which Van Damme, at least in some countries, made it back to the cinemas. In this tragic comedy , he plays himself as an aged and disaffected action star with many problems. Critics praised the film, the critical self-reflection and acting Van Damme, and some see it as his best film yet.

In an interview with The Sun , in which he discussed his film JCVD , Van Damme mentioned that he was homeless in Los Angeles for a while . His previous life consisted of “ being on the street and sleeping on the street and starving in LA ” (German: “ being on the street, sleeping on the street and starving in LA”) .

Time magazine praised his portrayal and acting, which in the author's opinion was only surpassed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight that same year , and that he "didn't deserve a black belt, but an Oscar" for the film. Concerning this film, Van Damme interviewed Ben Wilson for FHM magazine . In it, he also talks about his naivety early in his career in Hollywood and his fears, noting that with all the sudden fame, success and sudden decline, “But in the end I was to blame only on myself. I was just that stupid guy from Belgium. "

His next project, The Eagle Path , which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 , was followed with interest . Van Damme was offered a role in the ensemble film The Expendables by Sylvester Stallone , which he declined. In retrospect, however, Van Damme regretted this decision. For the sequel The Expendables 2 , shot in 2012 , Van Damme agreed to work, but only on the condition that Steven Seagal did not also participate in the film. Since Seagal now has a tense relationship with producer Avi Lerner , this was acceptable to Stallone.

A rivalry and a tense relationship between Van Damme and Seagal has existed for years. Seagal claimed that Van Damme was "nothing more than a coked fake". Van Damme replied these attacks:

“I liked Steven Seagal. I was impressed with his lack of facial expressions, especially when he was firing a gun. Then I saw him on TV performing on Jay Leno's talk show . He called me a copycat and that upset me. Then I went to one of his premieres and gave him my opinion. Seagal must have forgotten that I was the first guy to become famous with the 360 ​​degree kick in the air. I was the first guy to do a split on the movie screen. "

- Van Damme : Interview with Ben Wilson for FHM

This rivalry is also ironically treated in the film JCVD , where Seagal Van Damme steals a film offer because he is willing to sacrifice his ponytail for it.

In October 2011, his appearance at the birthday party of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov , who is accused of serious human rights violations, was criticized by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, among others .

In October 2012 it was announced that Van Damme would not be considered for a remake of his hit film Bloodsport planned for 2014 . He had hoped to get a supporting role as a trainer and reacted angry and disappointed about the decision in a video published on Youtube. In the same video, he suffered a mental breakdown and apologized for once leaving his wife for Hollywood glamor. At the same time he expressed himself negatively about the pressure experienced in the film business.

In November 2013, a commercial for Volvo Trucks entitled "Epic Split" went viral online, in which Van Damme performed a balancing act on two exterior mirrors of two reversing trucks. Van Damme performed the stunt himself, but was secured by a safety rope. The spot was viewed over 40 million times worldwide within a week, making it one of the most popular advertising clips in recent years. The spot was parodied several times within a few days. In 2016, a series was published on Amazon Originals called Jean-Claude-van-Johnson in which he plays himself and parodies many films in an ironic style.

Private life

Van Damme has three children and has been married five times. He was married to Maria Rodriguez from 1980 to 1984, to Cynthia Derderian from 1985 to 1986, to former bodybuilder and fitness trainer Gladys Portugues from 1987 to 1992, to actress Darcy LaPier from 1994 to 1997 and again to Gladys Portugues from 1999. His son Kristopher Van Varenberg (* 1987) appeared in Universal Soldier , The Quest - The Challenge , The Eagle Path , Universal Soldier: Regeneration , Assassination Games , Derailed and Six Bullets , his daughter Bianca Bree alias Bianca Van Varenberg (* 1990 ) in The Shepherd , The Eagle Path , Assassination Games and Six Bullets , his son Nicolas Van Varenberg in Kickboxer: The Reckoning . He lives in Los Angeles with his wife.

In retrospect, Van Damme himself makes no secret of an earlier cocaine problem that began in 1995 . He broke off therapy he started in 1996 after a month and spent around $ 10,000 a week on cocaine. Van Damme also suffers from bipolar disorder .

Voice actor

In the German dubbed versions of his films, Van Damme is mostly dubbed by Charles Rettinghaus , although other renowned speakers such as Thomas Wolff and Mathias Einert also played a few roles in Van Damme's earlier films .

Trivia

In the television series Cosmo and Wanda - When Elves Help, there is a character whose name and appearance are based on Jean-Claude Van Damme: the senior elf Jean-Claude von Ramme.

Van Damme already played a double role in three of his films, namely in Concentrated Charge , Maximum Risk and Replicant .

In the film Last Action Hero , Van Damme, as one of many prominent actors, made a brief cameo appearance during a film premiere and made a flippant comment about the main actor Arnold Schwarzenegger .

The US wrestler Rob Van Dam named himself after him because of the close resemblance to Jean-Claude Van Damme. He also cultivates a martial arts-heavy and acrobatic wrestling style and also masters the balancing act that Van Damme has made his trademark in his films.

Filmography (selection)

Documentary / Reality Show

  • 2002: E! True Hollywood Story: Jean-Claude Van Damme
  • 2010: De Jean-Claude A Van Damme: Le doc exclusif
  • 2010: Put Up Your Dux - The Real Story of Bloodsport
  • 2011: Van Damme against the rest of the world ( Jean Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors , 8 episodes)
  • 2011: Les Anges Gardiens

Awards

Golden Raspberry

  • 1989: Nomination for the Golden Raspberry in the worst newcomer category for Bloodsport
  • 1998: Winner of the Golden Raspberry in the category of worst screen pair for Double Team

MTV Movie Awards

  • 1992: Nomination for the MTV Movie Award in the category Most Desirable Actor for Concentrated Load - Double Impact
  • 1993: Nomination for the MTV Movie Award in the Most Desirable Actor category for No Way Out
  • 1994: Nomination for the MTV Movie Award in the category Most Desirable Actor for Hard Aims

Toronto Film Critics Association Awards

  • 2008: Nominated for the Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor for his role on JCVD

Chlotrudis Awards

  • 2009: Nominated for the Chlotrudis Award in the Best Actor Actor category for his role in JCVD

Web links

Commons : Jean-Claude Van Damme  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Jean-Claude Van Damme Biography (1960-). Retrieved January 16, 2019 .
  2. ↑ JAMES BATES: Company Town: Van Damme Gains' Franchise 'Status: Movies: Star of Universal Pictures'' Timecop 'is about to become the focal point of a merchandising campaign. In: Los Angeles Times . September 23, 1994, ISSN  0458-3035 ( latimes.com [accessed January 16, 2019]).
  3. ↑ www.critic.de: JCVD | Criticism. Retrieved January 16, 2019 .
  4. ↑ http://www.moviereporter.net/filme/1994-jcvd
  5. ^ The Sun. February 6, 2009: “ My eldest son doesn't know how to deal with society because I over-protect him because of my last life of being on the street and sleeping on the street and starving in LA I didn't want him to have that. ”
  6. ^ Richard Corliss, Richard Zoglin, Lev Grossman, James Poniewozik: Short List . In: Time . November 13, 2008, ISSN  0040-781X ( time.com [accessed January 16, 2019]).
  7. ↑ FHM , July 2009 edition, p. 66.
  8. ↑ Filmstalker: Van Damme turned down Stallone's The Expendables. Retrieved January 16, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Jean-Claude Van Damme in "The Expendables" sequel? Retrieved January 16, 2019 .
  10. ↑ EXCLUSIVE: JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME TALKS TO TODAY.AZ, REMEMBERS BAKU - PHOTOS. Retrieved January 16, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Only without Steven Seagal: Catfight at Expendables, triggered by Van Damme. Retrieved January 16, 2019 .
  12. ↑ The Expendables 2: Van Damme included - on one condition; Bruce Willis confirmed. January 17, 2011, accessed January 16, 2019 .
  13. ↑ FHM , July 2009 edition, p. 64.
  14. ↑ FHM, July 2009 edition, p. 67.
  15. ↑ Hillary Swank sings for Chechnya President , Handelsblatt, October 6, 2011
  16. ↑ Happy Birthday, Mister Machthaber , Spiegel Online, October 6, 2011
  17. ↑ Criticism of Stars for Appearance in Chechnya , Focus Online, October 12, 2011
  18. ↑ Slap in the face: Van Damme not wanted in the Bloodsport remake. Retrieved January 16, 2019 .
  19. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqZg-tCTAU4
  20. ^ How Volvo Created the Jean-Claude Van Damme 'Epic Split' Video at wsj.com, accessed November 21, 2013
  21. ↑ Viral hit “Epic Split”: The analysis by Markus Hündgen at wuv.de , accessed on November 21, 2013
  22. ↑ 6 Side-Splitting Parodies of Jean-Claude Van Damme's Epic Split at mashable.com, accessed on November 21, 2013
  23. ↑ a b Jean-Claude Van Damme - Actor; Bipolar Disorder, Cocaine and Abuse Charges. In: bipolar.about.com (archived version). May 20, 2012, archived from the original on June 26, 2012 ; accessed on November 19, 2018 (English).
  24. ^ The Everything Health Guide to Adult Bipolar Disorder (Everything Books, 2006, p. 47), Jon. P. Bloch and Jeffrey A. Naser
  25. ↑ The Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), April 8, 1997, p. 24.
personal data
SURNAME Van Damme, Jean-Claude
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Van Varenberg, Jean-Claude Camille François (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian actor
DATE OF BIRTH October 18, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH Sint-Agatha-Berchem near Brussels