Jean-Claude Van Damme
Known for Acting · 111 credits
- Born
- 1960-10-18 (age 65)
- Place of birth
- Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
- Also known as
- JCVD · The Muscles from Brussels · Jean-Claude van Varenbergh · Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg
Biography
Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène van Varenberg, an accountant. “The Muscles from Brussels” started martial arts at the age of eleven. His father introduced him to martial arts when he saw his son was physically weak. At the age of 12, van Damme began his martial arts training at Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Master Claude Goetz in Ixelles, Belgium. Van Damme trained for 4 years and earned a spot on the Belgium Karate Team. He won the European professional karate association's middleweight championship as a teenager, and also beat the 2nd best karate fighter in the world. His goal was to be number one but got sidetracked when he left his hometown of Brussels.
In 1976 at the age of sixteen, Jean-Claude started his Martial Arts fight career. Jean-Claude retired from martial arts in 1982, following a knockout over Nedjad Gharbi in Brussels, Belgium. Jean-Claude posted a 18-1 (18 knockouts) kickboxing record, and a semi-contact record of 41-4. He came to Hong Kong at the age of 19 for the first time and felt insured to do action movies in Hong Kong. In 1981, van Damme moved to Los Angeles. He took English classes while working as carpet layer, pizza delivery man, limo driver, and thanks to Chuck Norris he got a job as a bouncer at a club. Norris gave van Damme a small role in the movie Missing in Action (1984), but it wasn't good enough to get anybody's attention. In 1984, he got his first significant role as a villain named Ivan in the low-budget movie, No Retreat, No Surrender (1986). Then one day, while walking on the streets, Jean-Claude spotted a producer for Cannon Pictures and showed some of his martial arts abilities which led to a role in Bloodsport (1988). The movie, filmed in Hong Kong, was so bad when it was completed, it was shelved for almost two years. It might have never been released if van Damme did not help them to re-cut the film and begged producers to release it. They finally released the film, first in Malaysia and France and then into the US shot on a meager 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a US box-office hit in the spring of 1988. It made about 30 million worldwide and audiences supported this film for its new sensational action star, Jean-Claude van Damme.
His good looks led to starring roles in higher budgeted movies like Cyborg (1989), AWOL: Absent Without Leave (1990), Double Impact (1991) and Universal Soldier (1992). In 1994, he scored with his big breakthrough $100 million worldwide hit Timecop (1994). But in the meantime, his personal life was coming apart. A divorce, followed by a new marriage, followed by another divorce. It began to show up in his career when his projects began to tank at the box office: The Quest (1996), which he directed; Maximum Risk (1996) and Double Team (1997). The three films made less than $50 million combined. In 1999, he remarried his ex-wife, Gladys Portugues, and restarted his lost career to attain new goals. With help from his family, he faced his problems and made movies like Replicant (2001), Derailed (2002), and In Hell (2003).
Known For
TV Shows (19)
Friends
1994
as Jean-Claude Van Damme
Conan
2010
as Self
Quotidien
2016
as Self - Guest
Las Vegas
2003
as Jean-Claude Van Damme
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Vivement dimanche
1998
as Self
Sacrée soirée
1987
as Self
Beckmann
1999
as Self
The Apartment
2001
as Self - Guest
WCW Monday Nitro
1995
The Word
1990
The UnXplained
2019
as Self
The Late Late Show
1962
as Self
Viva el lunes
1995
as Self
Ramez Movie Star
2022
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
2016
as Johnson
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors
2011
Celebrities Uncensored
2003
as Self
Movies (92)
Minions: The Rise of Gru
2022
as Jean Clawed (voice)
Kung Fu Panda 2
2011
as Master Croc (voice)
Kung Fu Panda 3
2016
as Master Croc (voice)
Bloodsport
1988
as Frank
The Expendables 2
2012
as Jean Vilain
Lionheart
1990
as Lyon Gaultier
Double Impact
1991
as Alex / Chad Wagner
Hard Target
1993
as Chance Boudreaux
Universal Soldier
1992
as Luc Deveraux / GR44
Last Action Hero
1993
as Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited)
The Gardener
2025
as Léo
The Shepherd: Border Patrol
2008
as Jack Robideaux
Kickboxer
1989
as Kurt Sloane
Kill 'em All
2017
as Philip
Street Fighter
1994
as Colonel Guile
Kill 'em All 2
2024
as Philip
In Hell
2003
as Kyle LeBlanc
Timecop
1994
as Max Walker
Cyborg
1989
as Gibson Rickenbacker
Black Water
2018
as Wheeler
Nowhere to Run
1993
as Sam Gillen
Maximum Risk
1996
as Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov
Pound of Flesh
2015
as Deacon
Assassination Games
2011
as Vincent Brazil
Kickboxer: Retaliation
2018
as Master Durand
Universal Soldier: The Return
1999
as Luc Deveraux
The Bouncer
2018
as Lukas
Welcome to the Jungle
2013
as Storm
Inferno
1999
as Eddie Lomax
Missing in Action
1984
as Soldier (uncredited)
Replicant
2001
as Replicant / Garrotte
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning
2012
as Luc Deveraux
Universal Soldier: Regeneration
2010
as Luc Deveraux
Death Warrant
1990
as Louis Burke
Double Team
1997
as Jack Quinn
Breakin'
1984
as Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited)
6 Bullets
2012
as Samson Gaul
Kickboxer: Vengeance
2016
as Master Durand
No Retreat, No Surrender
1986
as Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian"
The Hard Corps
2005
as Phillippe Sauvage
The Quest
1996
as Christopher Dubois
Legionnaire
1998
as Alain Lefevre
Prison Fight
Sudden Death
1995
as Darren Francis Thomas McCord
All the Love You Cannes!
2002
as Self
Wake of Death
2004
as Ben Archer
Derailed
2002
as Jacques Kristoff
Darkness of Man
2025
as Russell Hatch
Silent Kill
Black Eagle
1988
as Andrei
The Order
2001
as Rudy Cafmeyer
Knock Off
1998
as Marcus Ray
The Last Mercenary
2021
as Richard Brumére
Enemies Closer
2013
as Xander
Swelter
2014
as Stillman
Until Death
2007
as Anthony Stowe
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
2001
Second in Command
2006
as Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan
Street of the Damned
1984
as Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited)
JCVD
2008
as J.C.V.D.
Dragon Eyes
2012
as Tiano
Narco
2004
as Jean-Claude Van Damme fantasmé par Lenny
Spaten
2024
as Van Damme
Beur sur la ville
2011
as Colonel Merot / Le colonel
U.F.O.
2012
as George
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of "Universal Soldier"
as Self
Jian Bing Man
2015
as Jean-Claude Van Damme
Corporal vs. Napoleon
2012
as Himself
Raid Pacific
as Captain William Pierce
Dolph: Unbreakable
2025
as Self
Jean-Claude Van Damage
2014
Full Love
2010
as Frenchy
Woman Between Wolf and Dog
1979
as Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited)
We Die Young
2019
as Daniel
Chinese Hercules: The Bolo Yeung Story
as Self
Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4
2013
as Self
In Search of the Last Action Heroes
2019
as Self
Slinger
2011
as Gibson Rickenbacker
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films
2014
as Self
Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies
2023
as Self
Sensation: Cruise
2025
as Kyle LeBlanc (archival footage from 'In Hell')
The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2
2019
Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier'
2004
as Himself
Heist School
2006
as Charles
Haters
2021
as Jean-Claude Van Damme
Monsieur Jean-Claude
2021
as (uncredited)
Universal Soldier: A Tale of Two Titans
2004
as Himself
Monaco Forever
1984
as Gay Karate Man
Ultrarêve
2020
as Self
Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme
2003
What's My Name?
Bon Voyage
2017
as Self (archive footage)
About Jean-Claude Van Damme
Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène van Varenberg, an accountant. “The Muscles from Brussels” started martial arts at the age of eleven. His father introduced him to martial arts when he saw his son was physically weak. At the age of 12, van Damme began his martial arts training at Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Master Claude Goetz in Ixelles, Belgium. Van Damme trained for 4 years and earned a spot on the Be… With 111 credits spanning from 1962 to 2025, Jean-Claude Van Damme has appeared in 92 films and 19 TV shows.
Fans searching for Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, Jean-Claude Van Damme filmography, or the latest projects starring Jean-Claude Van Damme can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Jean-Claude Van Damme Movies
- Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) — as Jean Clawed (voice)
- Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) — as Master Croc (voice)
- Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) — as Master Croc (voice)
- Bloodsport (1988) — as Frank
- The Expendables 2 (2012) — as Jean Vilain
Where to Watch Jean-Claude Van Damme Films
Most Jean-Claude Van Damme movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, check our movies catalogue and browse page.