Birth Name: Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg
Height: 5' 11''
Nationality: American
Date: October 18, 1960
Birth Place: Sint-Agatha Berchem, Belgium
Occupation: actor, director, writer
Education: Dropped out of school at age 16

Facts about Jean Claude Van Damme:

Van Damme's career appears to have taken a huge slump that he's now considering an offer to appear on France's equivalent of reality TV show BIG BROTHER. (June 2, 2003)

Jean-Claude Van Damme is known as The muscles from Brussels.

His fight scenes are so intense that he won't film them in the U.S. for fear of being sued.

Van Damme moved to the USA in 1981, didn't speak English, didn't know anyone,and only had 2,000 dollars to his name, which he lived on for almost 5 yrs.

In 1989, he was sued for willfully gouging the eye of an extra in a swordfight while filming CYBORG.

He won a court case filed against him by martial arts legend Frank Dux, who claimed he collaborated with Van Damme on his 1996 directorial debut THE QUEST, only for Van Damme to deny him any share of the profits. His evidence was lost in an earthquake. Coincidentally, Van Damme played Dux in his debut BLOODSPORT (1988).

He was once said he learned to speak English by watching the cartoon THE FLINTSTONES.

He studied classical ballet for five years.

Is giving his fans the chance to look just like him - by launching his own clothes line.

Wants the world to know he is back for good.

According to an interview with director John McTiernan, the hole in the jungle appearance of the Predator in PREDATOR (1987) was played by Van Damme in a blue screen (actually red) suit. Van Damme quit after two days, unhappy with being cast as an uncredited special effect. The alien was scrapped, redesigned and was eventually played by 7'2 Kevin Peter Hall.
HARD TARGET (1993) originally was to end with a boat chase, but was changed to a horseback chase due to his insistence.

In TIMECOP (1994), while riding in the sled which will transport him into the future, Jean-Claude Van Damme takes out a stick of chewing gum called Black Black, a brand of Japanese gum. During 1994, Van Damme appeared in television commercials for Black Black chewing gum in Japan.

Jean-Claude's father's mother was Jewish.

He can play the piano.

He won the European Professional Karate Association's middleweight championship in his late teens.

His favorite music is Classical...and Beethoven is his favorite composer.

Was nominated for Most Desirable Male at MTV Movie Awards in 1992 for DOUBLE IMPACT, in 1993 for NOWHERE TO RUN and in 1994 for HARD TARGET.

Personal quotes:
"I am the Fred Astaire of karate."