Skip to content
MovieCove
Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Actor, producer and writer, also editor and director · Born October 18, 1960 (66) · Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium

Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène van Varenberg, an accountant. “The Muscles from Brussels” started martial arts at the age of eleven. His father introduced him to martial arts when he saw his son was physically weak. At the age of 12, van Damme began his martial arts training at Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Master Claude Goetz in Ixelles, Belgium. Van Damme trained for 4 years and earned a spot on the Belgium Karate Team. He won the European professional karate association's middleweight championship as a teenager, and also beat the 2nd best karate fighter in the world. His goal was to be number one but got sidetracked when he left his hometown of Brussels. In 1976 at the age of sixteen, Jean-Claude started his Martial Arts fight career. Jean-Claude retired from martial arts in 1982, following a knockout over Nedjad Gharbi in Brussels, Belgium. Jean-Claude posted a 18-1 (18 knockouts) kickboxing record, and a semi-contact record of 41-4. He came to Hong Kong at the age of 19 for the first time and felt insured to do action movies in Hong Kong. In 1981, van Damme moved to Los Angeles. He took English classes while working as carpet layer, pizza delivery man, limo driver, and thanks to Chuck Norris he got a job as a bouncer at a club. Norris gave van Damme a small role in the movie Missing in Action (1984), but it wasn't good enough to get anybody's attention. In 1984, he got his first significant role as a villain named Ivan in the low-budget movie, No Retreat, No Surrender (1986). Then one day, while walking on the streets, Jean-Claude spotted a producer for Cannon Pictures and showed some of his martial arts abilities which led to a role in Bloodsport (1988). The movie, filmed in Hong Kong, was so bad when it was completed, it was shelved for almost two years. It might have never been released if van Damme did not help them to re-cut the film and begged producers to release it. They finally released the film, first in Malaysia and France and then into the US shot on a meager 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a US box-office hit in the spring of 1988. It made about 30 million worldwide and audiences supported this film for its new sensational action star, Jean-Claude van Damme. His good looks led to starring roles in higher budgeted movies like Cyborg (1989), AWOL: Absent Without Leave (1990), Double Impact (1991) and Universal Soldier (1992). In 1994, he scored with his big breakthrough $100 million worldwide hit Timecop (1994). But in the meantime, his personal life was coming apart. A divorce, followed by a new marriage, followed by another divorce. It began to show up in his career when his projects began to tank at the box office: The Quest (1996), which he directed; Maximum Risk (1996) and Double Team (1997). The three films made less than $50 million combined. In 1999, he remarried his ex-wife, Gladys Portugues, and restarted his lost career to attain new goals. With help from his family, he faced his problems and made movies like Replicant (2001), Derailed (2002), and In Hell (2003).

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 18, 1960 (66)
From
Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
Works as
Actor, producer and writer, also editor and director
Titles
68 on MovieCove · 90 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 23% in 30 days

What are Jean-Claude Van Damme's films like?

Across their 58 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Action50 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 26th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 90th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
30%
Survival
25%
Bonds
19%
Self
15%
Power
4%
Society
4%
Ideas
2%
Survival27 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds18 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge14 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice14 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption10 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition7 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 57 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 14 · Serious 26 · Dark 17

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 25 · Stylized 21 · Heightened 11

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 15 · Intense 40

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 16 · Shifting 36 · Whiplash 5

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 42 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 28 · Relentless 25

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 27 · Engaged 30 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 27 · Affecting 23 · Heavy 7

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 51 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

50 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 40 of 50 analyzed roles.

Hero
40 of 50
Shadow
5 of 50
Mentor
5 of 50
Show the 50 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
52
Thrilling
39
Dread
14
Triumphant
8
Absurd
6
Other
29

How their films linger

Rousing26 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy30
  • Bittersweet23
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jean-Claude Van Damme's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 53 of their 68 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (32).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jean-Claude Van Damme's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

90 credits, 68 with a MovieCove page; 23 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Darkness of Man(2024)

    Executive Producer · Story · as Russell Hatch

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Sensation: Cruise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Kyle LeBlanc (archival footage from 'In Hell')

  • The Gardener(2025)

    as Léo

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Kill Em All 2(2024)

    Producer · as Philip

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Spaten (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Van Damme

  • Minions: The Rise of Gru(2022)

    as Jean Clawed (voice)

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Ramez Movie Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 30 episodes · Actor

  • Haters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Jean-Claude Van Damme

  • The Last Mercenary(2021)

    as Richard Brumére

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Monsieur Jean-Claude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as (uncredited)

  • The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Actor

  • We Die Young(2019)

    Executive Producer · as Daniel

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Bouncer(2018)

    as Lukas

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Black Water(2018)

    Executive Producer · as Wheeler

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Kickboxer: Retaliation(2018)

    Characters · Producer · as Master Durand

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Kill 'Em All(2017)

    as Philip

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs(2017)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Jean-Claude Van Johnson(2016)

    Show 6 episodes · Producer · as Johnson

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Kickboxer: Vengeance(2016)

    Characters · as Master Durand

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Kung Fu Panda 3(2016)

    as Master Croc (voice)

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Jian Bing Man(2015)

    as Jean-Claude Van Damme

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Pound of Flesh(2015)

    Executive Producer · as Deacon

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Swelter(2014)

    as Stillman

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Jean-Claude Van Damage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Actor

  • Enemies Closer(2013)

    as Xander

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Welcome to the Jungle(2013)

    as Storm

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Alien Uprising(2012)

    as George

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning(2012)

    as Luc Deveraux

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • 6 Bullets(2012)

    Executive Producer · as Samson Gaul

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Expendables 2(2012)

    as Jean Vilain

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Dragon Eyes(2012)

    as Tiano

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Arab on the City(2011)

    as Colonel Merot · as Le colonel

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Assassination Games(2011)

    Executive Producer · as Vincent Brazil

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Kung Fu Panda 2(2011)

    as Master Croc (voice)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 8 episodes · Actor

  • Slinger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Gibson Rickenbacker

  • Full Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Frenchy

  • Universal Soldier: Regeneration(2009)

    as Luc Deveraux

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • JCVD(2008)

    Executive Producer · as J.C.V.D.

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Shepherd(2008)

    as Jack Robideaux

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Until Death(2007)

    as Anthony Stowe

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Heist School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Charles

  • Second in Command(2006)

    as Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Hard Corps(2005)

    as Phillippe Sauvage

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Wake of Death(2004)

    as Ben Archer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Narco(2004)

    as Jean-Claude Van Damme fantasmé par Lenny

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • In Hell(2003)

    as Kyle LeBlanc

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Las Vegas(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Jean-Claude Van Damme

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • Derailed(2002)

    as Jacques Kristoff

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Unbeatable Bruce Lee(2001)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Replicant(2001)

    as Replicant / Garrotte

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Order(2001)

    Writer · as Rudy Cafmeyer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Inferno(1999)

    Producer · as Eddie Lomax

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Universal Soldier: The Return(1999)

    Producer · as Luc Deveraux

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Legionnaire(1998)

    Producer · Story · as Alain Lefevre

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Knock Off(1998)

    as Marcus Ray

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Double Team(1997)

    as Jack Quinn

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Maximum Risk(1996)

    as Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Quest(1996)

    Director · Story · as Christopher Dubois

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Sudden Death(1995)

    as Darren Francis Thomas McCord

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • WCW Monday Nitro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Street Fighter(1994)

    as Colonel Guile

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Friends(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Jean-Claude Van Damme

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Timecop(1994)

    as Max Walker

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Last Action Hero(1993)

    as Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Hard Target(1993)

    as Chance Boudreaux

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Nowhere to Run(1993)

    as Sam Gillen

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Universal Soldier(1992)

    as Luc Deveraux / GR44

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Double Impact(1991)

    Fight Choreographer · Producer · Screenplay · Story · as Alex / Chad Wagner

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Kickboxer 2: The Road Back(1991)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Death Warrant(1990)

    as Louis Burke

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Word (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Lionheart(1990)

    Fight Choreographer · Screenplay · Story · as Lyon Gaultier

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Kickboxer(1989)

    Action Director · Martial Arts Choreographer · Story · Stunt Coordinator · as Kurt Sloane

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Cyborg(1989)

    Editor · as Gibson Rickenbacker

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Black Eagle(1988)

    as Andrei

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Bloodsport(1988)

    Editor · as Frank

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • No Retreat, No Surrender(1986)

    as Ivan Kraschinsky "The Russian"

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Missing in Action(1984)

    Stunts · as Soldier (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Breakin'(1984)

    as Spectator in First Dance Sequence (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Barbarous Street(1984)

    as Extra in Police Arrival Sequence (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Monaco Forever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Gay Karate Man

  • Woman Between Wolf and Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Movie Goer / Man in Garden (uncredited)

  • Prison Fight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Raid Pacific (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Captain William Pierce

  • Silent Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Actor

  • What's My Name? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 89 titles, 85 of them dated from 1979 to 2025; peak year 2012.

Biggest box office

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

$940M worldwide

Highest rated

JCVD (2008)

Midcredits 81st

Most popular right now

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19792025

Peak 2012 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 43 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting88 of 89: 66 only acting, 22 with another role · typical Midcredits score29thDirecting2 of 89: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting11 of 89: 1 only writing, 10 with another role · typical Midcredits score28thProducing13 of 89: 0 only producing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score27thEditing3 of 89: 0 only editing, 3 with another roleOther crew4 of 89: 0 only other crew, 4 with another role

89 titles, 22 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 13 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · acting1980s9 · 9 acting · 4 crew1990s23 · 22 acting · 7 crew2000s15 · 15 acting · 2 crew2010s27 · 27 acting · 8 crew2020s10 · 10 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 71% of 63 roles
8489949904091419

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Jean-Claude Van Damme's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 27th percentile, the median of all 65; across their 57 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 31st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 57

Approval · how many liked their films

23rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 57

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 57

Midcredits score across 68 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th25
  • Below 25th25

Shape of the crowd

37 of their 68 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned3
  • Cult Classic5
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed37

Most divisive · actor

Arab on the City (2011)

87th percentile spread · 39% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Midcredits 92nd · 80% liked

Reviewers score the acting 46/100 in their films, across 54 reviewed titles; fans 62, detractors 27. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jean-Claude Van Damme's work okay for kids?

Across up to 38 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore30 titles52–96 · median 81 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity38 titles20–65 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity27 titles46–90 · median 71 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs19 titles17–58 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense21 titles40–83 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jean-Claude Van Damme work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jean-Claude Van Damme's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Moshe Diamant shares the most, 14.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles