Unlike the other contemporary popular action heroes, Van Damme projected a softer character. He was not as invincible as Schwarzenegger nor as unrefined as Stallone. Also, his impressive physicality (in nearly every Van Damme film, he executes a masterful split) set him apart. Yet, he was not as mainstream as the others. There is a finite fan base for a Van Damme film and while some of his movies have been money-makers, none have achieved blockbuster status in the USA. On the other hand, worldwide his appeal is unchallenged.
Van Damme's vehicles in the late 1980s and early 90s were fairly formulaic, requiring him to speak little, display as much of his muscular physique as possible and kick butt. At the same time, the actor was shouldering more and more responsibilities, moving into second unit work and providing storylines (Kickboxer, 1988) and later producing (Double Impact, 1991) and even directing (The Quest, 1996). Although savvy enough to ally himself with Hong Kong masters, like John Woo (Hard Target, 1993), Ringo Lam (Maximum Risk, 1996) and Tsui Hark (Double Team, 1997 and Knock Off 1998), the results have been minor entries in the directors' filmographies.
Van Damme is a self-promoter. He has often given startlingly candid interviews, often timed to the release of new films. His personal life has elements of a soap opera played on a very public stage.
Jean Claude has
been married five times and divorced four. His first wife
was Maria Rodriguez from Venezuelan. She was born in born 1954
and they
separated in 1981 when Van Damme moved to the US.
The second wife
was Cynthia Derdian. Jean Claude married her for one year in
1985. He met her while he was working in her father's carpet store.
Number three was Gladys Portugues. Married her in 1986. She was
a bodybuilder. They
separated in July 1992.
On 3 February 1994 van Damme married for the fourth time,
now with Darcy La Pier. She worked as a model and was born
in 1965. She won the Hawaiian Tropic
beauty-contest, representing the state of Oregon in
1985.
Though van Damme often
refers to himself as a loving and devoted husband, Darcy LaPier filed for divorce, claiming the
"Muscles from Brussels" terrorized her and their son,
Nicholas. She also stated instances of mood swings and physical
abuse, which she attributed to his cocaine addiction. Among
LaPier's other claims: Van Damme threatened to kidnap their son
and leave the United States; he threatened to kill one of her
lawyers; and he once assaulted her so badly that she needed to
go to the hospital. In Sun Valley, Idaho, LaPier called 911 after an argument
with him. No charges were filed. In 1996 their divorce was finalized and a
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge granted LaPier custody of their
son and Jean Claude was ordered to pay $27,000 a month in child
support and $85,000 a month in spousal support. It was one of
the largest litigated child support awards ever handed. On
the other hand, once
in Bali, Van Damme claims, LaPier attacked him with an end
table.
Anyway. Darcy LaPier does not like Van Damme anymore.
Van Damme's parents did not approve of LaPier. "We told
him, marriage, don't do it," says his father. "Not a
good woman for you," his mother warned him. Van Damme's
mother, a vital, statuesque woman who used to run a flower shop
in Brussels, is very positive about his son. "Jean-Claude
is a very family man," she once said. Jean Claude visited
the family in Europe as often as he could (his older sister,
Veronique, owns a hair salon in Belgium) and flew them to his
various movie sets around the world.
The stress of Hollywood combined with his failed marriages
has apparently taken a toll.
After his 1995 movie "Sudden Death", Van Damme
plummeted at the box-office. Every movie he made after 95'
plugged and the stress lead Van Damme to cocaine. After 95' he
was in the media but only because of his drug usage and other
personal problems that he had. In 1996 Van Damme announced that he
was battling a cocaine addition and admitted himself into a
thirty-day substance-abuse program at the Daniel Freeman Marina
Hospital in Los Angeles. He had only completed seven days of the
program when he checked himself out. It would seem that the
seven days of treatment weren't enough and in 1998 Van Damme
announced that he had relapsed.
Cocaine was
not his only vice;
he has also been in an ongoing battle with the bottle. In
October of 1998 a drunken Van Damme had kissed an unwilling
female at an Australian nightclub. The police questioned Van
Damme, but no charges were filed. On September 23,1999 Van Damme
was arrested for drinking and driving in West Hollywood. Though
Van Damme has had his share of bad luck, one of the most amusing
instances was his confrontation with his former bodyguard, Chuck
Zito, in the New York topless nightclub, Scores. It seems that
Van Damme was bad-mouthing Zito when the ex-bodyguard confronted
him. Van Damme stood up, removed his glasses and prepared to
demonstrate his champion martial arts ability. Though spectators
couldn't agree whether it took one punch or two, the result was
indisputable, Van Damme was out for the count.
In 1998 Van Damme realized that
it was time to stop the drugs and problems and get control over
his life once again. With help from his family he got control
over his life, faced his problems and in 1998 he made the movie
"Knockoff", although it wasn't a success, Van Damme
still tryed and filmed two straight to video movies "Desert
Heat" and "Legionnaire", and although
"Universal Soldier: The Return" went to theatres it
too wasn't a success, but Jean-Claude gave his fans what they
wanted to see, his acting in those movies got better and each
movie was action packed.
In 1999 Jean Claude remarried to Gladys
Portugues. He has
three children Kristopher (1987, mother Gladys Portugues),
Bianca (1990, mother Gladys Portugues) and and Nicholas
(1995, mother Darcy Lapier)
In 2001 Jean Claude van Damme entered the fashion world with a
line of eponymous denim clothing. "It's going to be a great
business. It's a very special, unusual line and I'm proud of
it." van Damme said to a reporter. In the same year, he'd
also made an unusual movie: The Replicant. Normally we always
see the 'good guy' van Damme, but in this flick he played the
hard serial killer. Van Damme hoped this movie was his
great comeback. But in the United States, it did not screen in
theatres. Van Damme: "It is a pity. But it was a choice of
the producers. Simply, by deciding on this formula, they were
certain of the money they would gain. I am very proud of this
film."
Now Van Damme continues makes films like The Order, Derailed,
the SHU and
The Monk.
Who knows what will follow...
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