Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg Biography
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (born 18 October 1960), better known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a well-known Belgian actor, martial artist, director, and fight choreographer.
Key Takeaways
- Full Name: Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg
- Stage Name: Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Born: 18 October 1960 (age 62 years old)
- Place of Birth: Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Belgium
- Nationality: Belgian
- Height: 1.77 m
- Parents: Eliana Van Varenberg, Eugene Van Varenberg
- Siblings: Veronique Van Varenberg
- Wife • Spouse: Darcy LaPier (m. 1994-1997), Gladys Portugues (m. 1987), Cynthia Derdian (m. 1985-1986), Maria Rodriguez (m. 1980-1984)
- Girlfriend • Partner: Alena Kaverina (2009-2016), Savanna Samson (1998), Kylie Minogue (1994), Luciana Gimenez
- Children: Bianca Bree, Kristopher Van Varenberg, Nicholas Van Varenberg
- Occupation: Actor • Filmmaker
- Net Worth: $40 million
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg Personal Life
Innumerable martial artists throughout the world have been influenced by his films. He promoted and used these martial arts forms in his films before Muay Thai or kickboxing acquired prominence in the martial arts world. Despite having modest budgets, films such as Kickboxer and Bloodspot went on to make millions of dollars worldwide. They undoubtedly influenced a new generation of performers and martial artists.
Many of his friends and fans couldn’t understand how a thin, fragile kid could become a Hollywood martial arts celebrity and eventually become known as “Muscles from Brussels.” Jean-Claude Van Damme, a Belgian celebrity, trained in martial arts from a young age before finding a job as a nightclub bouncer.
Here, he landed his first acting role in the hitchhiker film Lost in Action, which served as his entry point into Hollywood. He soon began accepting new film contracts, but despite his growing celebrity, the prior contracts and promises he had made to multiple low-budget films hindered his climb in Hollywood.
Numerous martial arts artists and fans have attempted to imitate his trademark 360-degree jumping karate kick. Jean-Claude Van Damme was born in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium to Eugene and Eliana Van Varenberg. Veronique Van Varenberg is his sister.
He was a skinny youngster who began training Shotokan karate at the age of 11 to acquire muscle. At the Centre National De Karate, Claude Goetz took him under his wing.
He also began performing ballet and weightlifting as a teenager. Jean-Claude Van Damme fought in karate and won the European Professional Karate Association’s middleweight title when he was just 15 or 16 years old. He also won a bodybuilding competition and was dubbed “Mr. Belgium.”
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg Career
Jean-Claude Van Damme founded a gym in Brussels and obtained some modeling work, but he was more interested in becoming a movie star. Around this period, he worked as a bouncer in a nightclub. Before committing to his first full-contact professional karate career in 1977, he competed in various events and semi-contact battles. From 1977 and 1982, he had an incredible record of 18 wins and only one loss, when Sherman Bergman knocked him to the ground.
Jean-Claude Van Damme briefly attempted to break into the lucrative Hong Kong martial arts film industry before coming to Los Angeles to pursue his Hollywood dreams in 1982. He and a boyhood buddy who had appeared as an extra in the film Breakin were cast.
In the 1986 film No Retreat, No Surrender, he played Ivan Krushensky. In 1987, the actor had one of his most lucrative years, which helped him break into Hollywood. When he played Frank Dux in the film Bloodsport, he realized his dream of combining acting with martial arts.
In the 1988 television drama War and Memory, Jean-Claude Van Damme played a Secret Service agent in a quiet role. The same year, he played a minor role in the film Black Eagle. At this time, he signed a number of low-budget film contracts and acted in the films Cyborg and Kickboxer, the latter of which was more commercially successful.
From 1990 and 1993, he acted in films such as Death Warrant, Lionheart, Double Impact, Universal Soldier, Last Action Hero, Nowhere to Go, and Hard Target. In addition, Jean-Claude Van Damme produced Double Impact and choreographed the Lionheart fight scenes.
In 1994, he played a time-traveling police officer in the critically acclaimed film Timecop. This film is claimed to have earned the actor his highest box office total. After the success of Timecop, several of his subsequent projects struggled at the box office.
From 1995 and 1999, Jean-Claude Van Damme featured in a succession of commercially disastrous films, including Sudden Death, The Hunt, Maximum Risk, Double Team, Knock-Off, and Universal Soldier: The Return.
He took a hiatus from film acting. He did, however, feature in Bob Sinclair’s Kiss My Eyes music video in 2003. The next year, he was cast as himself in a Las Vegas episode. In 2008, he returned to mainstream cinema with the limited theatrical release of the hit film JCVD.
His performance in the film received significant praise from reviewers, ranking second only to Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight. In the 2009 film Universal Soldier: Regeneration, Jean-Claude Van Damme reprised his role as Luc Deveraux. The same year, he appeared in an episode of the TV program Robot Chicken.
In 2011, he performed the voice of Master Croc for the famous game.
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg Social Media
Instagram: @JVCD
Facebook: @JVCD
Twitter: @JVCD
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg Net Worth
The retired martial artist and actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, often known as JCVD, hails from Belgium and has a $40 million fortune.
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