Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Van Damme Movies and TV Shows

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).

Personal info

  • Gender: Male
  • Date of birth: 10/18/1960 (63 years old)
  • Place of birth: Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
  • nationality: Belgian
  • height: 1.77 m
  • Net worth: $40,000,000
  • twitter: JCVD
  • instagram: jcvd
Year
Genre
IMDB
TMDB
Available on the following streaming services in the United States
Minions: The Rise of Gru
IMDB 6.5
TMDB 73%
role:
Jean Clawed (voice)
2022

Action

Adventure

Animation

Comedy

Family

6.5
73%
The Last Mercenary
IMDB 5.3
TMDB 66%
role:
Richard Brumére
2021

Action

Comedy

5.3
66%
2019

Action

Documentary

7.2
69%
We Die Young
IMDB 5.2
TMDB 69%
role:
Executive Producer & 1 more
2019

Action

Crime

Drama

Thriller

5.2
69%
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The Bouncer
IMDB 5.9
TMDB 63%
role:
Lukas
2018

Action

Drama

Thriller

5.9
63%
Black Water
IMDB 4.7
TMDB 57%
role:
Executive Producer & 1 more
2018

Action

Thriller

4.7
57%
Kickboxer: Retaliation
IMDB 5.0
TMDB 54%
role:
Master Durand
2018

Action

Drama

5.0
54%
Kill 'em All
IMDB 4.3
TMDB 54%
role:
Philip
2017

Action

Crime

4.3
54%
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
IMDB 7.5
TMDB 67%
role:
Johnson
Not available
2016

Action

Adventure

Comedy

7.5
67%
Not available
Kickboxer: Vengeance
IMDB 4.9
TMDB 50%
role:
Characters & 1 more
2016

Action

Drama

4.9
50%
Kung Fu Panda 3
IMDB 7.1
TMDB 69%
role:
Master Croc (voice)
2016

Action

Adventure

Animation

Comedy

Family

7.1
69%
Jian Bing Man
IMDB 5.6
TMDB 51%
role:
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Not available
2015

Action

Comedy

Drama

5.6
51%
Not available
Pound of Flesh
IMDB 5.1
TMDB 57%
role:
Executive Producer & 1 more
2015

Action

5.1
57%
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
IMDB 7.4
TMDB 73%
role:
Gibson Rickenbacker (archive footage) (uncredited)
Not available
2014

Documentary

7.4
73%
Not available
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Swelter
IMDB 4.5
TMDB 50%
role:
Stillman
2014

Action

Drama

Thriller

4.5
50%
2013

Action

Thriller

5.1
53%
2013

Comedy

4.9
51%
U.F.O.
IMDB 3.1
TMDB 44%
role:
George
2012

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Horror

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

3.1
44%
2012

Action

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.1
55%
6 Bullets
IMDB 6.0
TMDB 61%
role:
Executive Producer & 1 more
2012

Action

Crime

Thriller

6.0
61%
The Expendables 2
IMDB 6.6
TMDB 63%
role:
Jean Vilain
2012

Action

Adventure

Thriller

6.6
63%
Dragon Eyes
IMDB 4.4
TMDB 51%
role:
Tiano
2012

Action

4.4
51%
Corporal vs. Napoleon
IMDB 2.8
TMDB 32%
role:
Himself
Not available
2012

Comedy

2.8
32%
Not available
Assassination Games
IMDB 6.1
TMDB 63%
role:
Executive Producer & 1 more
2011

Action

6.1
63%
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Switched at Birth
IMDB 7.7
TMDB 76%
role:
Rudy Cafmeyer / Charles Le Vaillant & 1 more
2011

Drama

7.7
76%
Kung Fu Panda 2
IMDB 7.2
TMDB 70%
role:
Master Croc (voice)
2011

Animation

Family

7.2
70%
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors
IMDB 8.2
TMDB 80%
role:
Not available
2011

Documentary

Drama

8.2
80%
Not available
2009

Action

Adventure

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.3
56%
JCVD
IMDB 7.0
TMDB 66%
role:
Executive Producer & 1 more
2008

Action

Comedy

Crime

Drama

7.0
66%
2008

Action

5.5
60%
Until Death
IMDB 5.7
TMDB 59%
role:
Anthony Stowe
2007

Action

5.7
59%
Heist School
IMDB 6.6
TMDB 58%
role:
Charles
Not available
2006

Comedy

Drama

6.6
58%
Not available
The Hard Corps
IMDB 5.2
TMDB 62%
role:
Phillippe Sauvage
2006

Action

5.2
62%
Second in Command
IMDB 5.0
TMDB 57%
role:
Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan
2006

Action

5.0
57%
The Real Housewives of Orange County
IMDB 4.3
TMDB 57%
role:
Kurt Sloane & 4 more
Not available
2006

Reality TV

4.3
57%
Not available
Wake of Death
IMDB 5.5
TMDB 60%
role:
Ben Archer
2004

Action

5.5
60%
Narco
IMDB 6.2
TMDB 59%
role:
Himself
Not available
2004

Comedy

6.2
59%
Not available
In Hell
IMDB 6.1
TMDB 64%
role:
Kyle LeBlanc
2003

Action

Drama

Thriller

6.1
64%
Derailed
IMDB 3.9
TMDB 50%
role:
Jacques Kristoff
Not available
2002

Action

Thriller

3.9
50%
Not available
Replicant
IMDB 5.3
TMDB 58%
role:
Replicant / Garrotte
2001

Action

Adventure

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.3
58%
Inferno
IMDB 5.1
TMDB 61%
role:
Producer & 1 more
1999

Action

Drama

Romance

5.1
61%
Universal Soldier: The Return
IMDB 4.2
TMDB 56%
role:
Producer & 1 more
1999

Action

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

4.2
56%
Legionnaire
IMDB 5.5
TMDB 57%
role:
Producer & 1 more
1998

Action

Adventure

Drama

History

Thriller

5.5
57%
Knock Off
IMDB 4.8
TMDB 51%
role:
Marcus Ray
Not available
1998

Action

Adventure

Thriller

4.8
51%
Not available
Double Team
IMDB 4.8
TMDB 51%
role:
Jack Quinn
1997

Action

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

4.8
51%
Maximum Risk
IMDB 5.5
TMDB 56%
role:
Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov
1996

Action

5.5
56%
The Quest
IMDB 5.6
TMDB 61%
role:
Director & 2 more
1996

Action

Adventure

5.6
61%
Sudden Death
IMDB 5.8
TMDB 59%
role:
Darren Francis Thomas McCord
1995

Action

Adventure

Drama

Thriller

5.8
59%
Street Fighter
IMDB 4.0
TMDB 46%
role:
Colonel William Guile
1994

Action

Adventure

Drama

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

4.0
46%
Timecop
IMDB 5.9
TMDB 60%
role:
Max Walker
1994

Action

Crime

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.9
60%
Hard Target
IMDB 6.2
TMDB 63%
role:
Chance Boudreaux
1993

Action

Adventure

Crime

Drama

Thriller

6.2
63%
Last Action Hero
IMDB 6.5
TMDB 64%
role:
Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited)
1993

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Family

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

6.5
64%
Nowhere to Run
IMDB 5.7
TMDB 63%
role:
Sam Gillen
1993

Action

Drama

Romance

Thriller

5.7
63%
Universal Soldier
IMDB 6.1
TMDB 63%
role:
Luc Deveraux / GR44 & 2 more
1992

Action

Crime

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

6.1
63%
Double Impact
IMDB 5.6
TMDB 60%
role:
Screenstory & 2 more
1991

Action

Crime

Drama

Thriller

5.6
60%
Death Warrant
IMDB 5.7
TMDB 62%
role:
Louis Burke
1990

Action

Crime

5.7
62%
Lionheart
IMDB 6.2
TMDB 65%
role:
Screenplay & 1 more
1990

Action

6.2
65%
Cyborg
IMDB 5.0
TMDB 56%
role:
Editor & 1 more
1989

Action

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.0
56%
Black Eagle
IMDB 3.8
TMDB 50%
role:
Andrei
1988

Action

Drama

3.8
50%
Bloodsport
IMDB 6.8
TMDB 70%
role:
Editor & 1 more
1988

Action

6.8
70%
Predator
IMDB 7.8
TMDB 75%
role:
Stunts
1987

Action

Adventure

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.8
75%
No Retreat, No Surrender
IMDB 5.6
TMDB 62%
role:
Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian"
Not available
1986

Action

5.6
62%
Not available
Missing in Action
IMDB 5.4
TMDB 57%
role:
Stunts & 1 more
1984

Action

Adventure

Thriller

War & Politics

5.4
57%
Breakin'
IMDB 5.8
TMDB 68%
role:
Spectator in First Dance Sequence
1984

Comedy

Music

5.8
68%

FAQs

Some movies or TV shows available in the United States starring or involving Jean-Claude Van Damme are, for example, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Ramez Movie Star and The Last Mercenary.
The streaming services with the largest selection are Prime Video, iTunes and Amazon.
The best Anystream ratings are Switched at Birth (7.7), Predator (7.7) and Minions: The Rise of Gru (7.2).
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