Before he turned into an action movie legend, Jean-Claude Van Damme was a person nobody could imagine to appear in the large screen. Having been a little boy in 1960s Brussels, he was not only short, timid, infirm, but also wore heavy glasses.
He did not match the picture of a future martial art legend. But this quiet exterior concealed a rather unexpected interest: classical ballet.
At the time when other children were playing outside, Jean-Claude attracted with the beauty and precision of dancing. He studied ballet with tremendous concentration in five years time to get an opportunity to dance at the Paris Opera.
The things he had learned on stage, balance, precision, control, would become later the basis of his unique fighting style.
His weak health bothered his father who brought him to karate. This decision modified everything.
Martial arts inspired him, and the combination of beauty of ballet and the strength of fighting established a truly unbelievable image. He later turned out to be a Belgium national karate champion.
Beethoven was close to his heart and he loved music. It enriched his character and ultimately it affected his movie appearances, lending emotion to the action.
He immigrated to the United States using very little other than determination. Her roles in such films as Bloodsport and Kickboxer appeared, and the shy boy of Brussels became an international star.
His experience is a lesson that not every strong person has to appear strong. Often it begins in the least likely of places, and with whispers of strength and creativity and the audacity to fantasize.