KickboxerVan Damme became a phenomenon through Bloodsport and Kickboxer and could join the ranks of established action heroes like Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Later, he appeared in more films such as Double Impact, where he played the lead role twice as the twins Alex Wagner and Chad Wagner, Universal Soldier, Hard Target, and Timecop. His successes came to an end in the late 90s, and Van Damme often made headlines in the autumn of his career due to his alcohol and drug problems. In 2010, it was reported that Van Damme had a heart attack. Fortunately, it was not severe, and he survived, but the Belgian actor has seen better times. In 2012, he appeared in Sylvester Stallone’s Expandables 2, where he played the villain Jean Vilain. But really big titles were lacking. In his career, Van Damme has earned over $70 million and has had as many as 4 marriages in his personal life.
Jean Claude van Damme workout in 2019
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The originally Belgian actor Jean Claude Van Damme, was born on October 18, 1960 with the real name Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg. Due to his muscular body and his Belgian roots, he was quickly nicknamed: The Muscles from Brussels.
Jean Claude Van Damme was active in karate early in his life. He practiced the martial art from the age of 11. In 1982, he left Belgium and emigrated to America to seek his success in the film industry.
He got his first role soon after, in 1985, in the movie No Retreat, No Surrender. In this film, he played the villain Ivan Krushensky. His big breakthrough came three years later, when he landed the leading role as Frank Dux in the film Bloodsport.
The great success of Bloodsport was quickly followed by an even greater success, when he took on the role of Kurt Sloane in the blockbuster:
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