4.1 Lawsuit and fight record controversy.2.3 1989 to 1999: International stardom.2.2 1982 to 1988: Early works and breakthrough.2.1 Early 1970s to 1980: Martial arts and first film appearance.After a decline, Van Damme returned to prominence with the critically acclaimed crime drama JCVD (2008).įrom thereon Van Damme continued starring in more action films and playing supporting roles in The Expendables 2 (2012), the Kung Fu Panda franchise (2011–2016), and the Kickboxer reboot (2016–2018). Van Damme became a popular action film star and followed up with Cyborg (1989), Kickboxer (1989), Lionheart (1990), Death Warrant (1990), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run (1993), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994), Street Fighter (1994), Sudden Death (1995), The Quest (1996), Maximum Risk (1996), etc. With the desire of becoming an actor, he moved to the United States in 1982, where he did odd jobs and worked on several films, until he got his break as the lead in the martial arts film Bloodsport (1988). Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the age of ten his father enrolled him in martial arts classes, which led to Van Damme entering several competitions. Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg ( French:, Dutch: born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme ( French:, Dutch: ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer.
