Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (; ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist, actor, filmmaker, fight choreographer, and conservationist. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the age of ten his father enrolled him in martial arts classes, which led Van Damme to compete in several karate and kickboxing competitions. 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). Van Damme became a popular action film star and followed up with box-office successes such as 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 film)|The Quest]] (1996), Maximum Risk (1996), etc. After a decline, Van Damme returned to prominence with the critically acclaimed crime drama JCVD (2008). His first widely released action film since 1999 was The Expendables 2 (2012), in which he starred as the villain, opposite Sylvester Stallone. From thereon Van Damme continued starring in action films and doing extensive voice work. Van Damme's films have grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making him one of the most successful action stars of all time. Outside acting, Van Damme has publicly supported various conservationist causes. In 2017, he became an international ambassador for GAIA (Global Action in the Interest of Animals), and in 2022, was appointed as DRC Ambassador On Environment.https://www.brusselstimes.com/215874/jean-claude-van-damme-named-as-new-ambassador-of-the-democratic-republic-of-congo Early life and education Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, on 18 October 1960, in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, the son of Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, who was an accountant and florist. His father is from Brussels and bilingual, and his mother is Flemish (Dutch-speaking). Van Damme was brought up Roman Catholic. His paternal grandmother was Jewish.