A copy of the shorts from the movie "Blood Sport" signed by actor Jean-Claude Van Damme

With the beginning of filming in the 1980s, he changed his unpronounceable name to a more euphonious one, taking the surname of a deceased friend. But at the same time, the aspiring actor had to take on a variety of jobs: he worked as a driver, bouncer, delivered pizza, trained beginners in karate and laid carpets.

The last of these works changed his life in many ways – while laying a carpet in the house of the famous martial artist Frank Dukes, whose biography became the basis for the script of the film "Blood Sport", Jean-Claude talked with the owner of the dwelling, and then, at his request, demonstrated to Frank his abilities in the field of karate.

Shortly after this meeting, he was invited to star in the film "Blood Sport". However, Dukes' invitation alone was not enough to get the role. The actor had to literally break into the office of producer M. Golan, to whom he showed his famous hit "ushiro-mawashi" in order to convince the latter to give the role to him, which happened.

Since the "Blood Sport", the actor's career has gone up the hill, now they began to actively offer him roles in action films.