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Jean-Claude Van Damme (b. Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg October 18, 1960, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium) is a Belgian actor who rose to fame as an action star after a successful career as a kick boxer. He made his full-contact karate debut at 18 and later came to be known as "The Muscles from Brussels". He also studied ballet for five years beginning at 16.
Van Damme opened the California Gym in Brussels at 18. He made his film debut in the French film Rue Barbare in 1984 as a "Very Gay Karate Man". Drawn to film, he gave up a career in fitness to move abroad for a film career. His success was not immediate. He made an uncredited appearance as a break dancer in the 1984 film Breakin and in 1985 appeared as 1985 in the Hong Kong film, No Retreat, No Surrender. Van Damme was slated to play the alien creature in the film Predator starring Aarnold Schwarzenegger but left the production unsatisfied with his part. His breakthrough came in the 1988 kickboxing film Blood Sport which led to more prominent roles including his genre debut in the 1989 film Cyborg.
Van Damme became increasingly popular in the 1990s with roles in such notable films as Kickboxer, Universal Soldier, Nowhere to Run, Hard Target, Timecop, and Street Fighter. Genre roles include Universal Soldier: The Return, and Replicant. His carreer hit a slump in the late 90s but Van Damme continues to appear in action films though not with the same success as he experienced in the past. His recent films include Second in Command (2006), The Hard Corps (2006) and Until Death (2007).
In later years, Van Damme suffered through addiction to cocaine and other drugs. He entered rehab but never completed the program. He has been married five times, including two marriages to current wife, Gladys Portugues. He has two children with Portugues and one daughter with fourth wife Darcy LaPier. He has revealed that he suffers rapid-cycling bipolar disorder and is taking medication for his disease.
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