History Creator / JeanClaudeVanDamme

* ''Film/{{Cyborg}}'' (1989) -- Jean-Claude Van Damme being awesome on a post-apocalyptic future. One of director Albert Pyun's most commercially successful films.

* ''Film/NowhereToRun'' (1993)

* ''Film/KnockOff'' (1998)

* TheCastShowoff: His early films featured him doing the full leg split at least once.
** When doing the videogame Street Fighter: The Movie, he came up with a number of moves for Guile that were not in the original games. One of those moves is, you guess it, a punch from a full split position.

* FakeNationality: As usual with the foreign action stars. Most famously in ''Film/StreetFighter''.

* OldShame: He deeply regrets divorcing Portugues, even though he later remarried her.

* RomanceOnTheSet: With Music/KylieMinogue while filming ''Street Fighter''. His wife at the time didn't know about it, until his public confession in 2012.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** He was originally set to portray the first ''Film/{{Predator}}'', when the original intention with the character was supposed to be quick and ninja-like. He was not very happy with the working conditions (hot suit in hot conditions) and the fact his face would never been seen led him to leave and be recast.
** He was offered a role in the first ''Film/TheExpendables'', but he refused. It was after seeing the film that he regretted the decision, so he appeared in the second one.
** He was also considered to play Gambit in the first ''Film/XMen1'' film, the main villain of ''RushHour 3'' and Michael Ceritto in ''Film/{{Heat}}''.

* BadassGrandpa: Fifty-three years young and still capable of pulling off [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FIvfx5J10 something like this]]

* 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]]

* ArchEnemy: Reputedly had a feud with Creator/StevenSeagal, which came to a head when Seagal (falsely) claimed Van Damme had lied about his achievements in martial arts. According to SylvesterStallone, this came to a head at a party at his Miami home in 1997, when Van Damme offered to fight Seagal, who fled to a nightclub, and then fled again when Jean-Claude chased him to the local trying to end the thing.

* ''Film/DesertHeat'' (1999) -- An ex-soldier off to visit a friend gets shot by bad guys and his bike stolen.

** 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]]

* [[GenderBlenderName Gender Bender Middle Name]]: 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."
* GratuitousEnglish: Particularly prone to this trope in his French-language interviews due to his propensity to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeswitching codeswitching]], which only compounds his CloudCuckoolander reputation among [[FrenchJerk the guys]] who primarily know him as "that funny Belgian who delivers [[IceCreamKoan Ice Cream Koans]] in Frenglish". Most famously, using the word "[[MemeticMutation aware]]" to convey the idea of self-awareness (maybe).

* ''Film/HardTarget'' (1993) -- Jean-Claude is [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame the Most Dangerous game]] for the villains. Oh and it's directed by JohnWoo.

* ''Film/DesertHeat'' (1999) -- An ex-soldier off to visit a friend gets shot by bad guys and his bike stolen. [[Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina Son of a bitch must pay]].

* ''Film/{{JCVD}}'' (2007) -- A [[SelfDeprecation self deprecating parody]]. His most critically praised film.

** 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).

* ''TheExpendables2'' (2012) -- [[AllStarCast Of course]]. He's playing the villain, [[PlayingAgainstType in a departure from the norm]].

* ''Film/{{NoRetreatNoSurrender}}'' (1986) -- As Ivan Kraschinsky, an intimidating Russian martial artist and the main antagonist of the film. It was Van Damme's first major role in America.

-->''Van Damme''': By the way, Drew has some ground rules...

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

* GratuitousEnglish: Particularly prone to this trope in his French-language interviews due to his propensity to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeswitching codeswitching]], which only compounds his CloudCuckoolander reputation among [[FrenchJerk the guys]] who primarily know him as "that funny Belgian who delivers {{IceCreamKoan}}s in Frenglish". Most famously, using the word "[[MemeticMutation aware]]" to convey the idea of self-awareness (maybe).

* 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 were famous for.

** 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).

** He remarried his third wife, former [[UsefulNotes/{{Bodybuilding}} bodybuilder]] Gladys Portugues, after a divorce which lasted 7 years.

* YourCheatingHeart: Cheated on his third wife with a lady who eventually became his fourth wife. He then cheated on his fourth wife with Creator/KylieMinogue, his ''StreetFighter'' co-star.