Jean-Claude Van Damme Biography

Jean-Claude Van Damme's life story has the perfect makings for a mid-afternoon soap opera. Growing up he was by all reports, a very awkward child. Jean-Claude Van Damme was short, thin, wore glasses and was in the ballet. It's hard to believe that this nerdy little kid would grow into a martial arts super star who would sport the nick name "Muscles from Brussels". By the way, Jean-Claude Van Damme does not like his nickname.  "It's like I'm known as a shellfish", he once said.

On 18 October 1960  in Berchem-Sainte Agathe, Belgium, mister Eugene van Varenberg  and Eliana van Varenberg did get a son: Jean-Claude van Varenberg. (Later he changed his name into Van Damme . That name he borrowed from a friend to have a more 'power full' name when he moved to the US). Jean-Claude Van Damme was the 2nd of two children. Jean-Claude Van Damme has an older sister.

Jean-Claude Van Damme can be called an actor, though it's more accurate to describe him as a bodybuilder and kickboxer. It evidently wasn't in the genes; Van Damme's father was an accountant and flower salesman. Jean-Claude Van Damme started martial arts at the age of 11, his father introduced him to martial arts when he saw that Van Damme was physically weak. Jean-Claude started with Shotokan Karate. Jean-Claude Van Damme later studied Kickboxing, Taekwon-Do, and Muay Thai. Van Damme won the European professional karate associations middleweight championship as a teenager(??), where he thrilled one and all with his 360-degree leap-kick. Jean-Claude Van Damme also beat the 2nd best karate fighter in the world. Cashing in on his fame, the 18-year-old Van Damme launched the California Gym in Brussels. 

Jean-Claude Van Damme came to the United States in 1981. When he finally flew to L.A., he had $7,000 to his name and spoke only French and Flemish. Jean-Claude Van Damme claims of being a European Champion were thoroughly researched and found to be false(??). Howard Hanson, President of the World Karate Association, only found evidence of Jean-Claude Van Damme competing in 1 amateur bout and writers from Black Belt Magazine have labeled him "a complete fraud." Though no proof of Van Damme's champion status was ever presented, Van Damme's lawyer, Martin Singer, made a public statement defending his client: "There are records to document his martial-arts acclaim. Jean-Claude Van Damme's the one who does those splits on chairs. He doesn't have a stunt man do that. 

"Upon arrival, Van Damme attempted to make it into the movies. Unfortunately, the movie business didn't welcome him with open arms and his first experiences of working in America were as a chauffeur, carpet layer, and pizza delivery driver.  Jean-Claude Van Damme would have made a great night club or casino (http://www.partycasino.com/) bouncer, with his build and martial arts skills, but he kept pursuing his acting dream. Jean-Claude Van Damme never gave up, no matter how many obstacles arose or how long it took. Slowly, he started getting a few more opportunities — not all of them successful.

Jean-Claude Van Damme cast in his first feature, the 1983 French film "Rue Barbere", he clashed with the director and either quit or was fired (depending on whose version one believes).