Jean Claude Van Damme’s Net Worth: How Did He Earn Money Through His Passion?

Jean-Claude Van Damme is an actor, director, and martial artist. He was born in Belgium on October 18, 1960. He began his career in the 1980s and 1990s.

In the 1990s, Jean-Claude Van Damme’s martial arts movies The Universal Soldier, Time Cop, and Sudden Death made him a big star and won him fans all over the world. He was also in the movies “Sudden Death,” “Maximum Risk,” and “Double Team,” where he had to show off his physical skills instead of talking. This made him less popular in the business, though.

Early Life of Jean Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Camille Francois van Varenberg was born in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium on October 18, 1960. His father enrolled him in a Shotokan Karate school when he was ten years old, at which point he began martial arts training.

This inspired his fighting technique, which comprises Shotokan Karate and kickboxing, significantly. Eventually, at the age of eighteen, he achieved his karate black belt. He later took up Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and ballet at the age of sixteen, studying the latter for five years.

What is Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Net Worth?

Jean-Claude Van Damme, also known as JCVD, is a Belgian actor and retired martial artist with a net worth of $40 million. He is best known for a popular series of martial arts action movies he made in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Also Read: Christian Horner’s Net Worth: How Did He Make His Money?

Martial Arts Career of Jean-Claude Van Damme

At the age of twelve, Van Damme joined the Centre National de Karaté, where he trained for four years and earned a seat on the Belgian Karate Team. His competitive karate career began at age fifteen in Belgium. In tournament and non-tournament semi-contact matches, he amassed a record of 44 wins and 4 losses from 1976 to 1980.

In December 1979, he was a member of the Belgian Karate Team that won the European Karate Championship. 1977 was the beginning of his full-contact career, during which he earned 18 victories and one loss before withdrawing from competition in 1982.

Acting Career of Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude moved to America in 1982, when he was 22 years old, with a friend from back home so he could try to get a job in Hollywood. He started a chain of private gyms in his home country. By the time he decided to move to California to become an actor, he was reportedly already worth a million dollars. Soon after, he was hired as an extra in the 1984 movie “Breakin.” However, it was the 1988 movie “Bloodsport” that made him a huge action star.

After that, he got to be the main character in movies like “Kickboxer” (1989), which was made by Cannon Films. After his movies did well, Van Damme joined other famous action stars like Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, Sho Kosugi, and Michael Dudikoff in The Cannon Group’s line-up.

The movies “Death Warrant” (1990), “Lionheart” (1990), and “Double Impact” (1991), in which he played twins Alex and Chad Wagner, were also big hits. Roland Emmerich’s “Universal Soldier,” which came out in 1992, was one of the year’s biggest hits. It made a total of $102 million around the world, even though it only cost $23 million to make.

According to reports, he signed a three-film deal with Columbia Pictures that paid him $3.5 million. His first film under the agreement was 1993’s “Nowhere to Run” alongside Rosanna Arquette. He then starred in a number of films for Universal, including “Hard Target” (1993), “Street Fighter” (1994), “Timecop” (1994), and “Sudden Death” (1994). (1995). Maximum Risk (1996) and Double Team (1997) were his return to Columbia (1997).

In “Double Team,” directed by Tsui Hark of Hong Kong, Van Damme co-starred with NBA superstar Dennis Rodman. This was Van Damme’s first major box office flop, and his 1998 picture “Knock Off” also underperformed. His other noteworthy work is the 2008 Belgian murder drama JCVD. Van Damme portrays a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the film.

Salary Highlights of Jean-Claude Van Damme

“Bloodsport,” the movie that made Van Damme famous, only paid him $25,000. Then, for each of the movies “Black Eagle,” “Kickboxer,” and “Death Warrant,” he made about $75,000. In the early 1990s, when “Double Impact” made $600,000, his pay started to go up.

The next year, for “Universal Soldier,” he made $1.5 million. The next year, for “Hard Target,” he made $3.5 million. The next year, for “Timecop,” he made $5 million. In 1994, the same year “Street Fighter” came out, Van Damme made $8 million for it. In 1995, “Sudden Death” made him $5 million. From 1991 to about 1995, Van Damme made about $40 million before taxes in base salaries. In today’s money, that’s the same as about $70 million.

Personal Life and Real Estate of Jean-Claude Van Damme

In the mid-1990s, Van Damme had an expensive cocaine habit and was required to undergo a rehabilitation program. During that period, he spent $10,000 per week on cocaine. Eventually, he was also diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar disorder. He’s been married to four different ladies five times and has three children.

In 2012, Van Damme spent $6 million for a brand-new spec mansion in Marina Del Rey, California, $125,000 more than the asking price. In 2016, he sold this home to the rapper Ice Cube for $7.25 million.

Jean Claude Van Damme Awards And Nomination

Jean-Claude Van Damme has been nominated for many awards, including Best Actor and Most Desirable Male. He has won the Golden Lotus Award, the Golden Raspberry Award, and the Bollywood Movie Award.

Final Words

Jean-Claude Van Damme is an actor, director, and martial artist. He is best known for a series of martial arts action movies he made in the ’80s and ’90s. Signed a three-film deal with Columbia Pictures that paid him $3.5 million. “Universal Soldier,” which came out in 1992, made a total of $102 million around the world. Van Damme has been married to four different ladies and has three children.