History Creator / JeanClaudeVanDamme

* RealMenWearPink: He once took {{Ballet}} classes (and attests to how brutally difficult it truly is).

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 ActionHero films.

* ''Wake Of Death'' (2004) -- An ex-mobster takes on the [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triads]] after his wife is brutally murdered.

[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1861_43789.jpg]]

* YourCheatingHeart: Cheated on his third wife with a lady who eventually became his fourth wife. He then cheated on his fourth wife with Music/KylieMinogue, his ''StreetFighter'' co-star. His fourth wife was then pregnant AND had a cameo in the same movie.

* ''Film/EnemiesCloser'' (2013) as the villain, Xander.

* ''Film/EnemiesCloser'' as the villain, Xander.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (born Jean-Claude [[EmbarrassingMiddleName Camille]] François Van Varenberg, 18 October 1960) is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his ActionHero films.

* ''Film/AssassinationGames'' (2011) -- He's a professional killer who clashes with another killer on the same job.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (born Jean-Claude [[EmbarrassingMiddleName Camille]] François Van Varenberg, born 18 October 1960) is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his ActionHero films.

* ''Wake Of Death'' (2004) -- An ex-cop takes on the [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triads]] after his wife is brutally murdered.

[[quoteright:240:[[Film/StreetFighter https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vandamn_9754.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:240:[-[[OhCrap Prepare yourself for a]] {{groin attack}}.-] ]]

Jean-Claude Van Damme (born Jean-Claude [[EmbarrassingMiddleName Camille]] François Van Varenberg, born 18 October 1960) is a Belgian martial artist, best known for his 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.

* BadassGrandpa: Even in his fifties, Van Damme can still pull off [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FIvfx5J10 something like this]]

* 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 kickboxer,Taekwondo and Muay Thai practitioner.

* ''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]], [[HeReallyCanAct remarkably good performance by JCVD]], and complete lack of spin-kicks and/or men doing the splits. Also notable for Jean-Claude [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome holding the fort gates alone with a Lewis Gun]].

* ''Film/{{Legionaire}}'' (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 Legionaires]] end up fighting bedouins in the ass end of the Algerian desert. Notable for its [[CoolGuns well-researched weapons]], [[HeReallyCanAct remarkably good performance by JCVD]], and complete lack of spin-kicks and/or men doing the splits. Also notable for Jean-Claude [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome holding the fort gates alone with a Lewis Gun]].

* ''Film/StreetFighter'' (1994) -- As Guile. Casting a man with thick Belgian accent as a very American character is only one of the film's SoBadItsGood highlights.

Starting with couple minor roles in ''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/{{Legionairre}}'' (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 Legionairres]] end up fighting bedouins in the ass end of Algerian desert. Notable for its [[CoolGuns well-researched weapons]], [[HeReallyCanAct remarkably good performance by JCVD]], and complete lack of spin-kicks and/or men doing the splits. Also notable for Jean-Claude [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome holding the fort gates alone with a Lewis Gun]].

Jean-Claude Van Damme (born Jean-Claude [[EmbarrassingMiddleName Camille]] François Van Varenberg) is a Belgian martial artist, best known for his 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.

* GratuitousEnglish: Particularly prone to this trope in his French-language interviews due to his propensity for [[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).

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!!Van Damme's partial filmography:
* ''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.
* ''Film/{{Bloodsport}}'' (1988) -- As Frank Dux, who is compelled to enter an underground fighting tournament after the death of his sensei.
* ''Film/{{Kickboxer}}'' (1989) - As Kurt Sloane, who seeks revenge against a brutal kickboxer who paralyzed his brother from the waist down.
* ''Film/{{Cyborg|1989}}'' (1989) -- Jean-Claude Van Damme being awesome on a post-apocalyptic future. One of director Albert Pyun's most commercially successful films.
* ''Film/{{Lionheart}}'' (1990) -- As Lyon, who enters American underground fighting circuit after the death of his brother to help his family.
* ''Film/{{Death Warrant}}'' (1990) -- As Louis Burke, a homicide cop sent to prison undercover to investigate a series of murders. Seen today, the film has quite a lot of [[NarmCharm Narm Charm]]
* ''Film/DoubleImpact'' (1991) -- Van Damme's characters find out that they are twin brothers and must avenge the death of their parents.
* ''Film/UniversalSoldier'' (1992) -- He is pitted against Creator/DolphLundgren. And it's awesome.
* ''Film/NowhereToRun'' (1993) -- As Sam Gillen, an escaped convict who protects a family from an evil developer who wants their land for his own.
* ''Film/HardTarget'' (1993) -- Jean-Claude is [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame the Most Dangerous game]] for the villains. Creator/JohnWoo's first English-language film.
* ''Film/StreetFighter'' (1994) -- As Guile. Casting a man with thick Belgian accent as a very American character is only one of the film's SoBadItsGood highlights.
* ''Film/TimeCop'' (1994) -- Van Damme's most commercially successful film.
* ''Film/SuddenDeath'' (1995) -- [[DieHardOnAnX Die Hard in a hockey stadium]], notable for being filmed almost entirely within the Pittsburgh Civic Arena (with the building's huge retractable dome used as part of a plot point), as well as being the debut of the Pittsburgh Penguins' mascot, Iceburgh. Takes place during [[AlternateTimeline game 7 of the 1995 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Finals between the Pens and Chicago Blackhawks]].
* ''Film/TheQuest'' (1996) -- He also directed it. The movie wasn't a hit and didn't get very good reviews but it was praised for featuring actual martial artists and (more or less realistic) fighting styles across the world.
* ''Film/MaximumRisk'' (1996) -- Van Damme's character finds out that he had a twin brother and must avenge his death.
* ''Film/DoubleTeam'' (1997) -- An anti-terrorist agent must un-retire to stop a terrorist alongside Dennis Rodman.
* ''Film/KnockOff'' (1998) -- As Marcus Ray, a fashion designer who must join forces with a CIA agent to stop a terrorist plot.
* ''Film/{{Legionairre}}'' (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 Legionairres]] end up fighting bedouins in the ass end of Algerian desert. Notable for its [[CoolGuns well-researched weapons]], [[HeReallyCanAct remarkably good performance by JCVD]], and complete lack of spin-kicks and/or men doing the splits. Also notable for Jean-Claude [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome holding the fort gates alone with a Lewis Gun]].
* ''Film/UniversalSoldierTheReturn'' (1999) -- Van Damme is once again Deveraux, who oversees an updated [=UniSol=] project that inevitably goes haywire.
* ''Film/DesertHeat'' (1999) -- An ex-soldier off to visit a friend gets shot by bad guys and his bike stolen. He survives. The bad guys don't.
* ''Film/{{Replicant}}'': (2001) -- A cop uses the clone of a serial killer to track him down.
* ''Film/InHell'' (2003) -- An American gets sent to a Russian prison for killing his wife's murderer. Directed by Hong Kong director Ringo Lam, it's one of the few films where Van Damme's fight scenes are few but also actually quite realistic.
* ''Wake Of Death'' (2004) -- An ex-cop takes on the [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triads]] after his wife is brutally murdered.
* ''Second In Command'' (2006) -- A Navy SEAL commander battles communist insurgents in Moldova.
* ''Until Death'' (2007) -- A drug-addicted cop falls into a coma after a gunfight and upon his recovery decides to use his second chance at life. A nice departure from Van Damme's usual ActionHero roles.
* ''Film/{{JCVD}}'' (2007) -- A [[SelfDeprecation self-deprecating parody]]. His most critically praised film.
* ''Film/UniversalSoldierRegeneration'' (2009)
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'' (2011) -- He is the voice of Master Croc. [[AwesomenessIsVolatile Feel free to explode if you want to]]. Master Croc does a split kick, naturally.
* ''Film/AssassinationGames'' (2011) -- He's a professional killer who clashes with another killer on the same job.
* ''Film/UniversalSoldierDayOfReckoning'' (2012)
* ''Film/TheExpendables2'' (2012) -- [[AllStarCast Of course]]. He's playing the villain, [[PlayingAgainstType in a departure from the norm]].
* ''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.
* ''Series/JeanClaudeVanJohnson'' (2016) -- Another parody show similar to JCVD. This time, he's a retired black ops agent turned actor trying to get back into the spy game.

!Tropes applicable to the man:

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