He became an international action star after his breakthrough role in the martial arts film Bloodsport in 1988.

Jean-Claude Van Damme was born October 18, 1960, in Brussels, Belgium, and stands 5 feet 10 inches tall. The Belgian martial artist and actor holds a 2nd-dan black belt in Shotokan karate and rose to fame with Bloodsport in 1988. His films have grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide, making him one of the most successful action stars of all time.

His father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate school in Brussels at age ten, beginning a martial arts journey that led to a 2nd-dan black belt by age 18. He won the middleweight championship of the European Professional Karate Association in 1979 and the Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title in 1978. He compiled a competitive karate record of 44 victories and four defeats between 1976 and 1980, and later studied ballet for five years starting at age 16.

Born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg to accountant and florist Eugène Van Varenberg and Eliana Van Varenberg, he was raised Roman Catholic with a Jewish paternal grandmother. His father is bilingual and from Brussels, while his mother is Flemish. He is alive and active in 2025, continuing to appear in action films and doing extensive voice work while publicly supporting conservationist causes and animal rights organizations.