Kevin Smith (actor)

See Kevin Smith for the New Jersey film director and writer.. Lists of Van Damme quotes are compiled and available on the WWW.
. He is especially well-known for his usage of the word aware (in English). He died on February 15, 2002 after an accident on set in China. In the French-speaking world, Jean-Claude Van Damme is well-known for the picturesque aphorisms that he delivers on a wide range of topics (personal well-being, ecology, etc.) in a strange mixture of French and English. Kevin Tod Smith (March 16, 1963-February 15, 2002) was a New Zealand actor best known for playing the god Ares in the connected television programmes Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Young Hercules. Chuck Zito floored Van Damme with two punches.

In 1998, Van Damme and actor Chuck Zito engaged in a fistfight at a New York city bar. He has been married five times, including two marriages with his current wife Gladys Portugues. He has had troubles with cocaine and is also reported to have experienced bipolar disorder. Van Damme has won a number of European karate championships.

His movies have earned over US$650 million worldwide, earning him a place in the action movie world along with others like Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris. By the end of the 1990s his high-profile career had faded but he continues to star in smaller, often direct-to-video, films. In most of his movies, he plays a prize fighter, policeman, or soldier. Notable films include Universal Soldier (1992), Hard Target (1993), and Timecop (1994).

Van Damme worked his way up to Hollywood mainstream in the 1990s, often working with acclaimed foreign directors. Van Damme's appearance in Bloodsport earned him a nomination as "Worst New Star" in the 1988 Golden Raspberry Awards (he lost). Van Damme claims he intentionally got fired so he could move on to other films. How he left the picture is disputed: some say he quit, others say he was replaced when the character was revised.

Wearing a heavy costume in the jungle was rough and Van Damme was unhappy with his role. He was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged monster in Predator. His first major role came in 1985, when he played Ivan Krushensky in No Retreat, No Surrender. His Belgian background gave rise to the nickname "Muscles from Brussels".

Jean Claude Van Damme (born October 18, 1960), born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, is a Belgian-born action movie actor who's most known for martial arts films.