History Creator / JeanClaudeVanDamme

Before venturing into films, he had a career in the martial arts competitions, earning multiple wins in Karate tournaments and gaining a black belt in Shotokan Karate. He also did some bodybuilding and studied ballet for five years.

Before venturing into films, he had a career in the martial arts competitions. He also did some bodybuilding and studied ballet for five years.

* MrFanservice: Guaranteed to show off his ass in ''most'' films he stars in. Of his own admission, he may be perfectly comfortable with this much, but full frontal is a whole different story: "I wouldn't want to lose all my fans."

* ''Film/{{Legionnaire}}'' (1998) -- In 1924, a boxer pisses off a French mob boss and has to join the Foreign Legion to get away. [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits He and his fellow Legionnaires]] end up fighting bedouins in the ass end of the Algerian desert. Notable for its [[CoolGuns well-researched weapons]], [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct remarkably good performance by JCVD]], and complete lack of spin-kicks and/or men doing the splits. Also notable for Jean-Claude [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome holding the fort gates alone with a Lewis Gun]].

Starting with couple minor roles in ''Film/{{Breakin}}'', ''Monaco Forever'' and ''Street of the Damned'', his first major role in movies was Ivan, the champion of the villains in ''Film/NoRetreatNoSurrender''. He later found his {{Star Making Role}}s in the one-two punch of ''Film/{{Bloodsport}}'' and ''Film/{{Kickboxer}}'', which highlighted his legitimate martial arts skills along with his flexibility (a man being able to do full leg splits is fairly rare).

* CaptainErsatz: Johnny Cage from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' games is modeled after him.

Starting with couple minor roles in ''Film/{{Breakin}}'', ''Monaco Forever'' and ''Street of the Damned'', his first major role in movies was Ivan, the champion of the villains in ''Film/NoRetreatNoSurrender''. He later found his {{Star Making Role}} in the one-two punch of ''Film/{{Bloodsport}}'' and ''Film/{{Kickboxer}}'', which highlighted his legitimate martial arts skills along with his flexibility (a man being able to do full leg splits is fairly rare).

Starting with couple minor roles in ''Film/{{Breakin}}'', ''Monaco Forever'' and ''Street of the Damned'', his first major role in movies was Ivan, the champion of the villains in ''Film/NoRetreatNoSurrender''. He later found his StarMakingRole in ''Film/{{Bloodsport}}'', which highlighted his legitimate martial arts skills along with his flexibility (a man being able to do full leg splits is fairly rare).

* ''Film/WelcomeToTheJungle'' (2013) -- Another parody, with him playing a [[spoiler:fake]] "military man" with a length special ops background who now runs weekend teambuilding survival sessions for corporations.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, 18 October 1960 in Brussels, Belgium) is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his {{Martial Arts|Movie}} and {{Action|Genre}} films.

See Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, who is more or less Van Damme's [[UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} Austrian counterpart]].

Nicknamed "The Muscles from Brussels," he was a hot ActionHero darling during the advent of 80s and early 90's SummerBlockbuster action films, before Creator/JackieChan and Creator/JetLi took center stage in America.

His early films tended to recycle certain plot elements, like his character unknowingly having a twin brother or attending a martial arts competition for the sake of a fallen friend.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, 18 October 1960 in Brussels, Belgium) is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his {{Martial Arts|Movie}} and ActionHero films.

Nicknamed "The Muscles from Brussels," he was a hot darling during the advent of 80s and early 90's SummerBlockbuster action films, before Creator/JackieChan and Creator/JetLi took center stage in America.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (born Jean-Claude [[EmbarrassingMiddleName Camille]] François Van Varenberg, 18 October 1960 in Brussels, Belgium) is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his {{Martial Arts|Movie}} and ActionHero films.

He's the father of three children: Kristopher (born 1987), Bianca (1990) and their half-brother, Nicholas (1995). He has been married five times to four different women (Gladys Portugues twice, mother of his oldest two children, who's his current wife). His children have all taken up acting too, while middle child Bianca has followed him into martial arts too.

!!Tropes applicable to the man:

* AmazonChaser: As mentioned below, his third (and current) wife is a former bodybuilder.
* AmicableExes: He and his ex-wife remain close best friends, and he has promised that if she ever needs him, he'll be there to protect her. Aww...

* UsefulNotes/BipolarDisorder: Was diagnosed in 1998.

* CloudCuckooLander
* CunningLinguist: In addition to French and English, he also speaks German and Spanish.

* DivorceIsTemporary: He remarried his third wife, former [[UsefulNotes/{{Bodybuilding}} bodybuilder]] Gladys Portugues, after a divorce which lasted 7 years (during which he married and divorced his fourth wife). The couple had another divorce in 2015 which lasted about 2 months. [[note]] started March 18, following an 11-day-long separation, canceled in May.[[/note]]
* DumbMuscle: How popular media likes to stereotype him as.
* EmbarrassingNickName: Reportedly does not like being called "The Muscles from Brussels."

* GenderBlenderName: Camille is a unisex name in the French language, although it does tend to be more frequently used on men in somewhat traditional social circles. He himself finds it feels "''old-fashioned'', like the smell of a piece of Provence furniture."

* ItRunsInTheFamily: He nominated his daughter Bianca for the ALS Ice Bucket challenge. In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j26Zbuhsqfk video]], Bianca shows off what her father ''and'' mother (Portugues) were famous for.
* UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}: His main fighting style is Shotokan Karate in which he sports a third level black belt. He is also extensively trained in Taekwondo, Muay Thai and Kickboxing.
* KickChick: Gender-inverted example, compared to most 80s-90s action stars, he is noticably shorter and most of his fight scenes focus on using kicks, as would be expected of a trained UsefulNotes/{{Kickboxing}}, UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} or UsefulNotes/MuayThai practitioner.
* MrFanservice: Guaranteed to show off his perfect ass in ''most'' films he stars in. Of his own admission, he may be perfectly comfortable with showing off his ass but full frontal is a whole different story, quote, "I wouldn't want to lose all my fans."
* NiceGuy: By all accounts in RealLife, apparently.

* RealMenWearPink: He trained in {{Ballet}} for five years (and attests to how brutally difficult it truly is).

* SerialSpouse: Married 5 times to four women, although he was married to his third (and current) wife for more than 15 years in total.
* ShirtlessScene: Nearly every movie features him ''at least'' shirtless a minimum of once. Several movies have shown him completely nude. It helps that he has a very nice body.

* PrettyBoy: In his early films, he was very much this and noted for his striking good looks and more elegant, defined features standing out compared to the more rugged features of other action stars.

* PrettyBoy: In his early films, he was very much this and noted for his striking good looks standing out compared to the more rugged features of other action stars.

* ''Film/{{Predator}}'' (1987) -- Originally cast as the Predator, but when the suit was redesigned it also required the part to be recast. Some scenes with him made it into the finished product; when the predator is in the trees, that is Van Damme.

* ''Film/{{Predator}}'' (1987) -- originally cast as the predator but when the suit was redesigned it also required the part to be recast. when the predator is in the trees that is Van damme.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vandamme.png]]

[[quoteright:290:[[Film/StreetFighter https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1861_43789.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[OhCrap Prepare yourself for a]] {{groin attack}}.]]

** Then there's his Coors Light adverts, where he's himself played [[UpToEleven up to about 86]].

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He's the father of three children: Kristopher (born 1987), Bianca (1990) and their half-brother, Nicholas (1995).

* MrFanservice: Guaranteed to show off his perfect ass in ''most'' films he stars in.
** Of his own admission, he may be perfectly comfortable with showing off his ass but full frontal is a whole different story, quote, "I wouldn't want to lose all my fans."