Talk:Jean-Claude Van Damme/Archive 1

Career Section
His fighting career and in ring career shouldn't be divided and should be written continuously as he put his fight career on hold when he became an actor. It also makes the overall article fluid and easier to read.--Cube b3 (talk) 13:45, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

Fight Career References
Maybe somebody can help me out. I've been very sick & it's difficult for me to spend long hours on my computer. I have discovered legit references on Van Dammes fight career. I'd like someone to format these references in the proper Wiki way.


 * http://www.patrickteugels.be/interviewwithpatrickteugels.php lists newspaper results, photos of Patrick Teugels and his career & matches with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
 * www.imdb.com has an updated version of Van Damme's career with new information on his fights.
 * YouTube lists a number of Van Damme fight videos.

Anyhow, these are some things I've found. Think they help support his fight stats listed on Wiki. ThanksDavidToma (talk)DavidToma

No emphasis of his film career
This entry covers in good detail about his fighting but there is very little mention of his film industry career. Most people know him for his movies rather than for his fighting career. Anyone more knowledgeable should fill in —Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.186.1.199 (talk) 08:47, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Chuck Zito fight
Are there any good sources for this fight confirming what actually happened? I remeber seeing Van Damme on Letterman after it happened where they discussed the issue, but it was years ago, and I honestly can't remember anything of what was said. I've noticed that it's mentioned on Chuck Zito's IMDB profile, but I don't consider that as a very perfect source.
 * EliasAlucard|Talk 06:36, Apr 4, 2005 (UTC)
 * I removed the old one since it was a pure copy/paste from this site, just search for Zito on that site and compare it to the previous one. Although not the best source, I used this one that seems pretty detailed, as well as comparing it with many other sources. Seems so far the most credible version until someone finds a better source. It was pretty detailed though.


 * EliasAlucard|Talk 08:08, Apr 4, 2005 (UTC)

Flemish or Wallonian
I believe Jean Claude was born in Charlerois but he does have a Flemish name instead of a French one. Is he Flemish? Meursault2004 1 July 2005 12:32 (UTC)


 * He was born in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe. So neither I'd guess. Asherett 22 July 2005 03:17 (UTC)

So clearly I was misinformed :) Does he speak dutch? Meursault2004 13:15, 22 July 2005 (UTC)


 * As far as i know he doesn't. Flemish TV did an interview nog so long ago and they spoke English. PrinceCharming 16:08, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

Berchem-Sainte Agathe is in the outskirts of Brussels, and being the vast majority of the population of this city French-speaking, I think he's from Brussels, that as it's well-known is the only part of Belgium that is part of Flanders and Wallonia too. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.67.174.130 (talk) 09:40, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Van Damme is Flemish. In an interview for the Flemish TV he told, that his mother is Flemish and his father is from Brussels. Both his parents spoke fluent Dutch, but Van Damme himself spoke mainly in English and French. [|tv interview] --Gyte75 (talk) 09:13, 29 September 2012 (UTC)
 * His paternal grandmother was Jewish, fwiw. See This. All Hallow&#39;s Wraith (talk) 10:52, 29 September 2012 (UTC)

Maybe an IPA for French should be added to his name since the "Van Damme" part is often pronouned incorrectly? Both his official last name and Van Damme are originally Flemish but pronounced in a French way by French-speaking Belgians.Keffertje08 (talk) 11:22, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

Possible Jean Claude Van Damme movie
(This question was asked on the reference desk - Akamad 10:20, 15 November 2005 (UTC))

I am trying deperately to locate the origin of a movie quote. I do believe it is from a Jean Claude movie.

The scene goes something like this:

Two guys are in a bar, the villian throws a punch, the punch is 'caught' mid blow, one handed by the hero and says something to the effect of "not today."

Any help would be greatly appreciate as there is a lot riding on a wager.

Aphorisms
I don't really get the meaning and/ore use of this paragraph in the article, but this line bothers me a lot: He is especially well-known for his usage of the word aware (in English). I mean, can someone be known for using a very common word in a very common language?? And where does this knowledge come from? I didn't know he was "especially well-known" for that.. PrinceCharming 16:08, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

I understand this paragraph can give Van Damme the image of an idiot, but JCVD is in fact well known for using the word "aware" in english when he speaks french. Pierre 16:28, 24 March 2006

This is an absurd nonsense. Jean Claude Van Damme is clearly not Aristotle. Don't make me laugh. What kind of joke is this?.An abstract thinker?. This is clearly false and derogatory. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.128.75.213 (talk) 15:19, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

It's absolutely extravagant your asseveration of a philosophical Van Damme. Thus you're only giving Van Damme the aspect of a silly and stupid person. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.204.192.247 (talk) 16:03, 20 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Saying someone is known for Zen-like aphorisms is not claiming they are a philosophical genius, rather they are offering simplistic but witty sayings much like the American baseball manager Yogi Berra was known for (e.g., "No one ever goes to that restaurant because you can never get a table.") or the Dutch soccer star Johann Cruyff ("Football is a simple game. It’s just very hard to play it simple.") Perhaps some examples of Van Damme's "wittiness" in the article would settle the matter? Historian932 (talk) 01:25, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

Jean Claude's image
Not trying to be an ultra conservative or anything, but i'm sure there is a better image of Mr. Van Damme that we can come up with, you know...something more professional. - Rudykog 10:05, 15 December 2005 (UTC)
 * Thanks to whoever for changing the image. - Rudykog 05:56, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

Trivia
Umm.. Jean Claude Van Damme is in no way related to Rob Van Dam, "Rob Van Dam (born Robert Szatkowski on December 18, 1970 in Battle Creek, Michigan)",Rob was given the 'stage' name due to his facial resemblance to Jean Claude. Can someone amend this as I don't know how to.

Jean Claude featuring in Predator
Does anyone have any references for this? I heard (yes, scuttlebutt) that he was in fact featured in the scenes where the Predator was moving through the trees. I dont think he was ever intended to play the part of the up-close monster as his small build would have been laughable against Arnold's. Kevin Peter Hall I believe was always going to play the part, but obviously this gentleman is far too large to swing around a tree when required and thus this was the part Jean Claude played and was always intended to play. I would have to find my own references but just wanted to hear if anyone else had heard this story. Enigmatical 04:54, 26 May 2006 (UTC)


 * Best reference for Predator related material is David A. McIntee's Beautiful Monsters. Page 156 says J-C VD was hired to wear a "red suit" and play the Predator, with a small insect-like alien being added in later. The design was rejected in favour of the original suit. Later on page 161-162 he picks up the thread again. The suit hadn't shown up so they started shooting the jungle scenes with VD in the red suit (and they'd take it out in post-production and add in the invisible Predator). He wasn't happy about working in the jungle in a full body suit for an uncreditted part so during a break in production he quit, his story changes but basically he claim he quit (or was fired by Joel Silver) because he refused to do a stunt and the stuntman broke his ankle doing it. The production of the film was convoluted so most of his shots never made it although some invisible Predator shots are of him, including the one from up between its feet after Mac lost his head. Hope that helps clarify things. The bit that comes from Jesse Ventura's autobiography needs serious checking as it doesn't match with what it says in the book and might be libelous if not true (as it implies he assaulted someone to get out of the film). (Emperor 17:41, 27 March 2007 (UTC))

Stuntman abuse?
Has anyone else heard of Van Damme abusing his stuntmen?--Vercalos 08:42, 25 July 2006 (UTC)


 * No that is Seagal... Ask around. Bluebadger1 (talk) 20:36, 19 October 2010 (UTC)


 * Not particularly "abuse," but I once watched a court-type television program that featured a lawsuit against Van Damme by a stuntman for having accidentally injured the stuntman's ribs while shooting the film, Cyborg. I'll try to find a good reference to this. (FF7SquallStrife7 14:05, 2 November 2006 (UTC))

i remember this court case as clear as mud, van damme had been sued by the black african that van damme fought in the final part of the film "Cyborg" in the rain, (apparanttly, martial artists are supposed to be able to pull there kicks and punches millimitres from the oposing body), van damme was knife fighting with the black guy in cyborg and had managed to pierce the left or right eye of the black guy thereby blinding him in one eye, the black guy received $850,000 US in damages

black african? the guy was a black american soldier at the time. i remember the case too, especially because the soldier said they recruited him and a bunch of other bodybuilders from a local gym near the location where the movie was shot. It was on Insider Edition or some other tabloid show. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Enkidus shade (talk • contribs) 14:37, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

Possible source on Bipolar disorder and cocaine abuse?
Is this a good source?--Vercalos 08:44, 25 July 2006 (UTC)


 * - A section on his bipolar/drug abuse/relapse/etc really needs to be added. Dreamfall1028 16:56, 17 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Yes I agree there should be something on this. Historian932 (talk) 01:14, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

Requested move
Jean Claude Van Damme → Jean-Claude Van Damme – Proper name (move requested by Dissident) -- Kjkolb 16:06, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Survey
Add "* Support" or "* Oppose" followed by a brief explanation, then sign your opinion with ~


 * Support (it is his real name and even IMDB got it right) -- Chronos 14:16, 17 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Support - per Chronos RedZebra 08:36, 18 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Support. Recury 17:06, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Discussion
Add any additional comments
 * Moved. Teke ( talk ) 03:33, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

His philosophies
i would like to hear more about his philosophies. i have heard many people call him crazy because of what he says at interviews but i would like to hear more about it since i understand very little french. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.158.13.120 (talk • contribs)


 * He said things such as "I can break a wallnut in my butt". Matthieu 13:33, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

Website
According to http://www.jeanclaudevandamme.us, it is Jean's official site. Some sites e.g. http://www.jeanclaude-vandamme.com keep appearing now and then. Is it ok to keep them in the external links? Victor 02:12, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
 * I keep reverting these edits, coming from slightly different but very similar ip addresses, because according to the guidelines at WP:EL, these are links normally to be avoided. Since there is an official site in English, the French language links are unnecessary. Belovedfreak 14:28, 4 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Site officiel : http://www.jeanclaudevandamme.us Site partenaire : http://www.jeanclaude-vandamme.com —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.248.19.251 (talk • contribs) 09:27, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

The website of Jean-Claude Van Damme : http://www.jeanclaude-vandamme.com JCVD CENTRAL

Just thes ma'am
I suppose if I put in ==Acting career==, it'd be considered vandalism, huh? itsprobablyme —Preceding unsigned comment added by Trekphiler (talk • contribs)

Title bouts
Is this actor for real, he is a great fighter, but somebody needs to mention about his early title bouts, or is that only a rumor? And lately his career is going nowhere, is he on the way down, doing movies in other countries? I noticed these movie stars, never fight in tournaments.BoxingWear

Quotes
Pretty much all of those quotes seem fake, and none of them are cited. Anyone else in favor of deleting them until someone can find some sources? --djrobgordon 04:53, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Gone - for the reasons stated above.Peter Rehse 05:59, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Wait! They exist (http://www4.tz-technologie.com/). Apparently there is a book collecting his bons mots, sort of like with Donald Rumsfeld. I propose the quote section should be resurrected as "Attributed Quotes."

And back again. Please trim the ones not from that page.Peter Rehse 07:19, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Phony?
Years ago I read an article in a martial arts magazine stating that there were no records of Van Damme ever being a Karate champion. Has anyone ever seen anything to confirm this? 99DBSIMLR 15:36, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

I remember a interview he did after the movie kick boxer came out and he clearly stated he had to "learn martial arts" for this movie. Stephen Segal challenged him on the Arseno Hall show, to prove he is and ever was a champion of any kind of martial arts and, he challenged him to a fight. He also added that the martial arts world is a pretty close knit community and wouldn't you think it would be published somewhere or someone would remember him winning a championship.... The guy a is a has been food for thought —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.72.168.138 (talk) 16:53, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Foolish friend and random claim
Okay, a very good friend of mine is swearing that he and his mother watched an MSNBC news story a couple of years ago that said Van Damme's wife SHOT him to death. This is clearly NOT true being that every site I've researched him on (including IMDB which is known for being VERY VERY VERY accurate) has no D.O.D. (date of death) anywhere attached to his profile or life summary. Please, can someone tell me whether this actually happened, if he was just shot and NOT killed? If this DID happen, why isn't it on Wikipedia. More importantly, if it didn't happen, where can I get hard proof that he is IN FACT ALIVE besides IMDB and WIKIpedia, for someone who is so stubborn as he is. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by St jimmy86 (talk • contribs) 06:52, 26 February 2007 (UTC).

Jean Claude Van Damme is very much alive - in all of us. He is in every roundhouse kick we deliver, in every punch we feel, and in every ass-kicking we wish to inflict on someone.

Well, ask a silly question.......


 * And in every wallnut we break with our butts... hahaha sorry, couldn't resist. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 200.23.91.241 (talk) 16:17, 13 April 2007 (UTC).

Missing movie in filmography
I tried to add Derailed (2002 film) to the filmography, but I can't work those fancy schmancy wikitables (what's wrong with lists?). Can someone please add it. Entheta 21:06, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Add catalan interwiki, please!
Please, add Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Thanks.--85.54.251.219 11:01, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

I think that Guile from Street Fighter(film) should be in his most noyibale roles.

Who's Patrick Passis?
According to IMDB, No Retreat, No Surrender was directed by Corey Yuen, not Patrick Passis. By the way, who the heck is this Patrick Passis? Probably some loser who thought it'd be fun to stick his name in a wiki article.Dailukmuk 04:16, 28 October 2007 (UTC)

Daz Yeats Fight?
Noticed at one point that someone added the name Daz Yeats to Jean-Claude Van Damme's kickboxing record. It claimed that Yeats knocked out Van Damme at the World Full Contact Champions in Orlando, Florida in 1979. From all research I could find, Van Damme lost to 'Patrick Teugels at the World Championships. Tried to google Daz Yeats and came up with nothing. Anyone have info on this guy? or was this just an on-line prank? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.234.114.177 (talk) 23:40, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Confusing
The line at the end of the section on VD's early life is damn confusing (he didn't say what he said he didn't do... or whatever!)(83.13.39.98 (talk) 12:38, 4 February 2008 (UTC))

Health
Was he really put on valproate? Usually, bipolar disorders get Lithium (which is a salt). This would make more sense, imo Jansmid (talk) 17:27, 14 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Lithium is not a salt any more than iron is. It is a metal.  Lithium salts are salts.  In the twenty-first century bipolar patients get a wide array of medications.


 * What is the "burgaw of the forehead"?? I cannot find a definition to "burgaw" anywhere. Is this a typo? That phrase does not make sense at all. WiLLGT09 (talk) 19:22, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Why were my updates on Van Damme deleted?
The additional information I added to Van Damme's page was obtained from : Jean-Claude Van Damme-Site Officiel-Official Website: www.jeanclaudevandamme.be/-3k. & his page at Internet Movie Data Base. According to his official page, Van Damme's father enrolled him at NKC (National Karate Center) which was deleted. It also says that when he was 18, he earned his black belt, this was deleted. On his IMDB page, his kickboxing record is listed as 17-1 with 17 knockouts. I've spent many hours researching Van Damme, and I don't feel it's fair to just delete info without at least asking about it, considering I've put a lot of effort in a number of martial artists pages. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.DavidToma (talk) 00:49, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

Why were my updates deleted again?
Again I noticed the 17-1 was changed to 15-1, & as in above statement, everything I posted was deleted.DavidToma (talk) 22:51, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Height
In an interview on the Ruby Wax show he states that he's only 5'4" tall.Winterdenni (talk) 15:07, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

Jean claude c'est le meilleur acteur de tour de les temps par ce que il a respir dans les movies et puis ila jouer le role profesonell pour montre le role acteur vien pour montrer il n'a jamais mort dans ce qua.Van damme vien tant cour Jesus Chrirt pour combatir pour tout ca qui vraie et fair la differense dans tout l'action  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.203.97.20 (talk) 17:32, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

Filmography and television
Friends is not a movie and should not show under filmography. It should show under a section called television. ICE77 (talk) 07:36, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

What's with the bizzare fight section?
Why do we have a massive fight section that's about three times as long as the rest of the article? --Cameron Scott (talk) 00:48, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Filial S.N.A.F.U. (Error in his family information)
In the article, it states in the Personal Life section, that Mr. Van Damme was born to a muslim mother and a dutch father. This makes no sense whatsoever. Either we need to swap out the father's ethnicity for his religion, or the mother's religion for her actual ethnicity. I'd do it myself, but I don't know enough about them. Lethe (talk) 13:58, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

Van Damme's most successful movies are Bloodsport and Kickboxer?
I find this statement to be strange because Hard Target and Timecop grossed far more at the box office.68.153.115.72 (talk) 18:26, 28 March 2009 (UTC)RUKiddingMe

Brussels is not French...
on the right side under his picture it says that he was born in 'Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Brussels, France'

Brussels is not French, it's the capital of Belgium. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.86.152.16 (talk) 01:51, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

i dont know if its been mentioned before but MR. van damme was in a film called  A.W.OL   and for some reason its not on the list  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.6.115.76 (talk) 20:34, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

"Based on the alleged true story of..."
The article mentions that Bloodsport is "based on the alleged true story of Justin Slay". Obviously, Frank Dux should be mentioned instead of Justin Slay. JustAnotherDutchman (talk) 06:39, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

AWOL missing from Filmogrpahy
Not sure how to add it in the table. But AWOL was from 1990 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.161.12.58 (talk) 15:11, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Religion
Not seeing anything about his being a member of the church of Scientology. Would have that that would be significant enough to be in here. AerobicFox (talk) 17:29, 28 January 2011 (UTC)

"Paul Maslak of the STAR System World Kickboxing Ratings researched this record and came up with facts that showed that most likely these fights were amateur matches.[16] " sounds like original research; just wandering 3why some names are red and other names like the very first doesnt bear any colours. wikilord. definitlyoriginalresearch188.25.109.53 (talk) 23:35, 24 February 2012 (UTC)25022012;

December 2012 fight postponement
The fight was postponed to December 2012.[21] --82.170.113.123 (talk) 18:05, 5 August 2012 (UTC)


 * Removed. Thanks. Nightscream (talk) 01:22, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

Van Damme's Sexuality
I came here to read about the accusations in the book written by John Travolta's lover/accuser - he wrote in his book that he saw Van Damme in the steam room sandwiched between two guys - giving it to one up the rear, and taking it up the rear at the same time. As I recall, the guy in the front was an Asian. The author said that Van Damme was very vocal while doing it. Anyway, I come to this article and. . . . . . . nothing. Not even a denial. No mention of it at all. Strange. Anybody have any info that can post in the article? I mean, what the guy wrote in the book could be put in the article - after all, Van Damme (and Travolta) were unable to stop the book being published. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.143.232.144 (talk) 18:22, 15 August 2012 (UTC)


 * If you're talking about this book, it does not meet Wikipedia's standards for reliable sources and biographies of living persons. --GenericBob (talk) 11:45, 16 August 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes! That's the book! - "You'll Never Spa in This Town Again". Who or what determines if a book meets Wikipedia's standards?  I mean, Van Damme obviously couldn't stop it being published.  It seemed pretty reliable to me - I mean, I had always heard that Van Damme was bixsexual (along with many many Hollywood celebrities - seems to almost be a requirement on one's resume to be an actor), and then that book came out and I didn't really blink an eye, and one day decided to see what else there was on Wikipedia and I was amazed to find the entire subject to not even be mentioned in the Van Damme Wikipedia bio.  I mean, I would have thought that it would have been appropriate to at least mention that it has been published and that "Van Damme denies it".  I guess I have to ask another question - and another reason why I came to Wikipedia to read his bio - has he ever denied it?  Maybe he can't - might get sued for slander?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.171.223.26 (talk) 11:18, 20 August 2012 (UTC)


 * If you follow the two links I provided above you'll see the relevant standards. From skimming the preview material available at Amazon, it's clearly a self-published work. Self-published works about celebrities used to be two a penny, but since the Internet put self-publishing within reach of anybody with a word processor and some bad clip art they're worth even less than that. --GenericBob (talk) 11:52, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

Age
Aside from looking like he's a whole lot older, he said on Leno (August 21, 2012), that he was 18 years old when he saw Rocky. That would put his birth year at 1958, which would make him 54 in 2012.


 * Or he saw it a couple of years after it was released (plenty of ways that can happen). Or he misremembered. --GenericBob (talk) 09:14, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Birthplace?
There is some shadiness about his birth place, some say Belgium while others say he was born in Lubumbashi, DR Congo's second largest city... can someone confirm? ~ 04/09/2012 ,00:38 GMT — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.2.94.185 (talk) 23:38, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

His marriages?
What about his marriages and children,whe there is no information about it*--88.249.123.175 (talk) 10:26, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

Epic split link
The part " with each of his feet on the mirrors of two semi-trailer trucks moving" of the Volvo commercial is falce. Only one of the trucks is a semi-trailer. the other one is a normal truck — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.166.152.2 (talk) 14:09, 29 November 2013 (UTC)
 * fixed. Could just refer to them as trucks instead if that's preferable. vlad§inger  tlk  05:48, 1 December 2013 (UTC)

this edit moved the epic split video from adjacent to the text down to the external links. Is that really preferable?--TonyTheTiger (T / C / WP:FOUR / WP:CHICAGO / WP:WAWARD) 08:32, 27 November 2013 (UTC)