Best Fight Scenes: Jean-Claude Van Damme

(Born Jean-Claude Camille Francois Van Varenberg) This Belgian martial artist is known for his perfect splits and incredible kicks. Jean-Claude Van Damme started out as a competitive Karate fighter and later lead a Kickboxing career winning all 18 of his victories by knockout. His first major film role was as Ivan Krushensky, the antagonist of the 1986 film “No Retreat, No Surrender”. But he would not reach international fame until portraying Frank Dux, the alleged real life underground martial arts champion, in the 1988 film “Bloodsport”. In 1989, he starred in another martial arts movie classic, “Kickboxer”, then cemented his status as a Hollywood action star with 1993’s “Hard Target”. Although now well past the peak of his film career, he has matured as an actor with 2008’s “JCVD” widely regarded as his best acting performance to date where he depicts a fictionalized yet earnest version of himself. Besides his background in Shotokan Karate and Kickboxing, Jean Claude-Van Damme has also trained in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and even Ballet which he believes to have been far more physically demanding than his prior martial arts experience. He even won the bodybuilding title of “Mr. Belgium”. Here’s a compilation of my favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme fight scenes.

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  Film & Animation