Hollywood star
Arte documentary about Jean-Claude Van Damme
Scene from the documentary “Jean-Claude Van Damme: Karate Diva”. photo
© Philippe Graton/ARTE/dpa
Through iron training and great persistence, Jean-Claude Van Damme became a Hollywood star in the 1980s. But then the Belgian’s career took a downturn. A new documentary from Arte looks back on a career of extremes.
The film “Jean-Claude Van Damme: Karate Diva” sheds light on the background and career of the now 62-year-old, who was also called “The Muscles From Brussels” during his most successful times. The Arte channel will broadcast the documentary this Friday at 9:45 p.m.
He also took ballet lessons
The actor was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg in 1960 in the Berchem-Sainte-Agathe district of Brussels. His father sends him to Claude Goetz’s karate school, which was supposed to “make a man out of him.” Van Damme was shy and ugly, Goetz reports uncharacteristically. But under the edgy coach, young Jean-Claude becomes a proud athlete who also takes ballet training on the side. Apparently not much was missing and he would have made a career as a dancer.
After a trip to the USA with the karate team, Jean-Claude is fascinated by the country. He finally goes to Los Angeles with his close friend and martial arts partner Mohamed Michel Qissi, where the two initially make it through without any outside help and without good language skills. Van Damme works as a bouncer in Chuck Norris’ restaurant, becoming his assistant and sparring partner. But Norris doesn’t help him with his film career.
“Bloodsport” becomes a global success
His short engagement in the action film “Predator” with Arnold Schwarzenegger – Van Damme initially dressed as the alien before he left the project in frustration – brought him a contract with Cannon Studios, which specializes in action and martial arts films. After a bumpy start, the film “Bloodsport” surprisingly becomes a global success. The handsome Jean-Claude Van Damme, who recently gave up the name Van Varenberg, is a star. Various martial arts cinema hits follow. He does all the stunts himself.
However, to his dismay, Van Damme is never quite on a par with the two action superstars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And in the 90s he ruined his career with cocaine. He gambles away a million-dollar contract with Universal while playing poker and ruins his career. From now on, most of his films are no longer shown in cinemas, but instead end up directly in video stores. It wasn’t until the end of the 2000s that he made a small comeback.
Chaotic private life
Time and time again, it was his impressive balancing act that drove his career forward. At a young age, he reportedly won a bodybuilding competition by doing the splits while posing. He is said to have later impressed Cannon boss Menahem Golan with it. At the end of the 2000s, a commercial in which he does the splits between two moving trucks achieved cult status. However, Jean-Claude Van Damme is no longer a Hollywood star today.
The documentary by director Olivier Monssens is entertaining, but at 58 minutes it is too short to paint a complete picture of Jean-Claude Van Damme. His chaotic private life – he was married five times, twice to the same woman – and the time in which he caused irritation with strange appearances are only briefly touched upon. At least it becomes clear that the ambitious Van Damme would have liked to show more in front of the camera than roundhouse kicks and splits. Perhaps his best acting performance was only shown in the 2018 film “JCVD”. In it he plays himself and ponders his career collapse in an improvised scene.