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Steven Seagal (born April 10, 1951) is an American action movie actor, producer, writer, director, martial artist, singer-songwriter, spiritualist and activist. Seagal belongs to a generation of movie action hero actors including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis which featured in many of the Hollywood blockbuster action films of the late 1980s and 1990s. A 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) 7th-dan black belt in aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an aikido instructor in Japan, and became the first foreigner to ever own and operate an aikido dojo in Japan in Osaka. He later moved to the Los Angeles, California area where he made his film debut in 1988 in Above the Law. Since then, Seagal has become a globally recognized action star, mainly due to his action films of the 1990s such as Under Siege (1992) and Under Siege 2 (1995) where he played Navy SEALs counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback. In total his movies have earned about $730 million worldwide. A stern-looking martial arts wizard who studied and later taught his craft in Japan, Seagal (pronounced say-GAL) got his feet wet in motion pictures as a fight coordinator on John Frankenheimer's "The Challenge" (1982) and later set up a popular martial arts school in West Hollywood. He caught the attention of Michael Ovitz (then head of Creative Artists Agency) who arranged a martial arts demonstration for Warner Brothers president Terry Semel. Impressed by Seagal, Ovitz arranged a screen test and he was somewhat unexpectedly catapulted to action stardom. His first feature was the low-budget, urban cop drama "Above the Law" (1988), for which he provided the story, served as producer and played a CIA operative in Vietnam who later exposes the corruption of Chicago government officials. Seagal has used his fame as an action star to cross over into other industries. He is also a recording artist and guitarist and the founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. In addition to his professional achievements, he is also known as an environmentalist, an animal rights activist and, like other actors such as Richard Gere, is a supporter of Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama and the cause of Tibetan independence. Spiritualism and Buddhism plays an important role in Seagal's life and he has been recognized by Tibetan lama Penor Rinpoche as a reincarnated Tulku (Chungdrag Dorje). According to Seagal in a November 2006 interview "I was born very different, clairvoyant and a healer". Seagal cemented his popularity as an avenging action hero with the follow-up action/Aikido films "Marked for Death", "Hard to Kill" (both 1990) and "Out For Justice" (1991), in which his larger-than-life presence alternates between meditative serenity and vigilante violence. His persona represented an odd mix of the mainstreaming of Chinese and trendy New Age philosophizing with the contemporary taste for good guys who seemed sinister and yet satisfied an increasing taste for simplified notions of instant justice in a troubled USA, justified heroes who enjoy dispatching their enemies in as dispassionate a manner as possible. Steven Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan. When he was 5 years old, the family relocated to Fullerton, California, where Seagal attended the Buena Park High School, Buena Park, California. It was at the age of 7 that Seagal reportedly first began studying the martial arts under the direction of renowned Shito-ryu karate master Fumio Demura and Aikido under Rod Kobayashi, the President of the Western States Aikido Federation. He earned belts in aikido, karate, judo, and kendo and in his late teens, Seagal became part of Demura's Karate Demonstration Team and performed daily demonstrations in the former Japanese Village and Deer Park, in Southern California. The canny, pony-tailed actor has enhanced his mystique by creating a public image shrouded in mystery and surrounded by speculation about his possible past links with the CIA. Although critics have carped at Seagal's modest acting abilities, Janet Maslin of THE NEW YORK TIMES has summed up as the aspects of his star persona: "What Mr. Seagal offers is a clever, uncategorizable hybrid of physical prowess, fortune-cookie wisdom, law-and-order politics, street-smart bravado and, above all, the confident insouciant manner of a natural-born star." Segal earned mainstream status with "Under Siege" (1992), a "Die Hard"-style thriller that grossed over $80 million. Its villains were played with relish by Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey and it possessed welcome moments of deadpan humor. Seagal followed up this success with his directorial debut, "On Deadly Ground" (1994), a well-intentioned eco-thriller featuring Seagal as Alaska's last hope. The inevitable sequel to his earlier smash, "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" (1995), followed, with the inscrutable but increasingly accepted star receiving the occasional kudo for some lively action scenes. Indeed, although many critics found Seagal to be unchanged for his "guest star" supporting turn in the Kurt Russell actioner "Executive Decision" (1996), some found his cool dispatch, taken in measured doses, to constitute some of the best moments of his career to date. After finishing college, Seagal moved to Japan with then-girlfriend Miyako Fujitani, native of Japan whom he later married, and lived with her parents, who owned an aikido school. Allegations surfaced that he left in order to avoid the Vietnam draft at the time, and married Ms. Fujitani in order to provide reasonable evidence to his remaining there in spite of a possible draft-call. Seagal later changed affiliation from Koichi Tohei's Ki Society and Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido to the Aikikai. Under the title Master Take Shigemichi, Seagal was reputedly the first foreigner ever to own and operate an aikido dojo in Japan; the Aikido Tenshin Dojo in the city of Osaka. Seagal initially returned to Taos, New Mexico with senior student and later stuntman Craig Dunn. There, they opened a dojo, but Seagal spent much of his time pursuing a film career and other ventures. Dunn stayed in New Mexico and is there to this day, still running the dojo. After another period spent in Japan, Seagal returned to the U.S. with senior student Haruo Matsuoka in 1983. The two opened an aikido dojo, initially located in Burbank, California, but later moved to the city of West Hollywood. Seagal left Matsuoka in charge of the dojo, which he ran until the two parted ways in 1997. During this period, Seagal first found himself in contact with Hollywood. Initially he worked as martial arts coordinator on the films The Challenge (1982) starring Toshirô Mifune and Never Say Never Again (1983) starring Sean Connery. Seagal then became a bodyguard to celebrities such as future wife Kelly Le Brock and Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz. It was Ovitz who, impressed with Seagal's martial arts abilities, personally financed a screen test in front of Warner Bros. executives. They too were impressed and Seagal was signed for his first film. Seagal has played a cop or a military official/agent in all of his movies. In 1988, Seagal began work on his first film, Above the Law (also known as Nico in Europe), with director Andrew Davis. Following its success, Seagal made three more pictures (Hard to Kill, Marked for Death, and Out for Justice) that were decent box office hits, marking him as an action hero. Seagal found wider mainstream success in 1992's Under Siege, playing the role of an ex-Navy SEALs counter-terrorist turned cook Casey Ryback. The film reunited Seagal with the director Andrew Davis and was a blockbuster in America and abroad, grossing $156.4 million worldwide. After the success of Under Siege, Seagal made his directorial debut with On Deadly Ground (1994) in which he also starred, alongside Michael Caine. The movie cost an estimated $50 million to make and grossed a little more than $38 million in the United States. Seagal filmed a sequel to his most successful film Under Siege titled Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) and a cop drama, The Glimmer Man (1996). In 1996, Seagal also had his first supporting role, in the Kurt Russell film Executive Decision, in which Seagal was billed as having a starring role to keep his character's fate secret. He then tried again to make an environmentally-conscious film. In Fire Down Below (1997), Seagal played an EPA agent fighting industrialists dumping toxic waste in the Kentucky hills region, but the movie was not a commercial success. This film marked the end of Seagal's original multi-picture deal with Warner Bros. With its failure at the box office, his contract was not renewed and the film itself was released direct to video in certain areas. Seagal took a break from the big-screen scene to concentrate on his love for music. After signing a seven year contract with OutWest Entertainment, Seagal returned back to his first love. He took on and mastered the role of Orin Boyd, a Detriot police detective in "Exit Wounds" (2001). The surprise success of "Exit Wounds" served as a breakout platform for newcomer rapper/actor DMX as well as a reclaiming-of-status for Seagal. In 2002, Seagal teamed up with Morris Chestnut and rapper Ja Rule for the action crime feature "Half Past Dead," portraying an undercover agent in a new high tech Alcatraz prison. In the months prior to the film's release, Seagal also made headlines when he was sued for $60 million by his longtime producing partner Julius Nasso, for allegedly backing out of a deal to star in four films, a development which took an unusual turn in June 2002 when Nasso was arrested and charged with extorting money from the action star. Federal investigators alleged that Nasso was acting in league with New York's notorious Gambino crime family, reportedly headed by Nasso's brother Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone, to extort $150,000 from Seagal for every film he made with the producer. The on-screen action hero said he was threatened with violence if he didn't cooperate. Later, allegations surfaced that Segall had hired private detective-to-the-stars Anthony Pellicano to stage a threatening incident against a Los Angeles Times reporter to make it look as if Nasso was behind it. The next year, Seagal made The Patriot, another environmental thriller which was his first direct-to-video release in the United States (though it was released theatrically in most of the world). Seagal produced this film with his own money, and the film was shot on-location on and near his farm in Montana. After taking a couple years to produce Prince of Central Park, Seagal returned to cinema screens with the release of Exit Wounds in March 2001. The film had fewer martial arts scenes than Seagal's previous films, but it was a commercial success, taking almost $80 million worldwide. However, he was unable to capitalize on this success and his next two projects were both critical and commercial failures. Ticker co-starring Tom Sizemore and Dennis Hopper, and filmed in San Francisco before Exit Wounds, went straight to DVD while Half Past Dead, starring rap star Ja Rule, made less than $20 million worldwide. As of April 2007, all 13 films Seagal has made since 2003 have been released direct-to-video in North America, with only limited theatrical releases in the rest of the world. Steven Seagal is currently working on a comeback for 2007 with action film Urban Justice. In May 2007 he agreed to work on the Indie film Pistol Whipped for Roel Reiné, a Dutch director. In 2007 Seagal signed a 4-picture deal with Canadian Production Company Insight Films with his first film being Higher Form Of Learning in 2007 and Killing Point and Deception following in 2008. Seagal has clarified the purpose of his films: "Above the Law was a politically conscientious movie. On Deadly Ground was environmentally conscientious so I want to keep making movies like that which are more geared with a certain entertainment value but also bring people forward into contemplation." Seagal has produced many of the movies that he stars in, and has also participated in writing and directing. While his acting performance in Above the Law gained praise from the likes of Roger Ebert, Seagal has repeatedly faced criticism from both actors and fans who accuse him of playing the same character in many of his movies, as well as displaying a lack of emotional range. Some say that the sun never sets on Steven Seagal, these few are correct. He has also been accused of playing a one-dimensional type of action movie star who never gets injured or loses a fight. Others have surmised that Seagal's unorthodox approach to film is actually an elaborate joke. Once he filmed in an entire movie by carrying a camera around and solving crime. This is supported by Seagal's statement regarding humor: "I’m a very funny guy, if you’ll forgive me for saying so. When I did The Glimmer Man with Keenan Ivory Wayans, he and I were talking about who was funniest, and...I kicked his ass every day." In addition, some of Seagal's own self-parody supports this view. In at least two commercials (for Orange SA and Mountain Dew), Seagal pokes fun at his 'invincible' action star archetype. In addition to acting and aikido, Seagal also plays the guitar, and his songs have been featured in several of his movies (such as Fire Down Below and Ticker). In 2005, he released his first album, Songs from the Crystal Cave, which has a mix of pop, world, and blues music. It features duets with Tony Rebel, Lt. Stichie, Lady Saw, and Stevie Wonder. The soundtrack to Seagal's 2005 film Into the Sun features several songs from the album. One of his album tracks, "Girl It's Alright", was also released as a single in parts of the world alongside an accompanying music video created for it. Seagal is also a collector of vintage guitar and amplifier gear. Seagal's second album, titled Mojo Priest, was released in April 2006. Subsequently, he spent summer 2006 touring the United States and Europe with his band, Thunderbox, in support of the album. Mr. Seagal played the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco on June 6, 2006. Having received some support from UK audiences, the tour continued through early 2007. Seagal uses a blend of Blues, Country, and World Music in his unique compositions, reflecting the eclectic mosaic style of his martial arts and film work, both of which combine different styles (aikido/gunfire and action/lecture are respective examples). Seagal is also known for his live cover versions including seminal works like Don Macleans' 'American Pie' and Hot Gossips' 'I Fell In Love With a Starship Trooper'. Steven Seagal Enterprises markets an energy drink known as Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt, as well as an herbal oil product line. Seagal personally endorses this drink, "I have traveled the world creating this drink; there is none better that I know." Steven Seagal was born to an Irish Catholic mother Patricia (an emergency room technician) and Jewish father Stephen (a high school math teacher). He now keeps a home in the Memphis suburb of Germantown, Tennessee, a ranch in Shasta, California and a home in the Mandeville Canyon section of Brentwood, a wealthy district of Los Angeles. He has adopted many animals from shelters, including the cats "Sylvester" and "Gap", and the dogs "Gruff", "Cole", "Tyson", "Hamlet", "Chaos", and "Fist." He married former Days of Our Lives actress Adrienne La Russa, despite his divorce to Fujitani not yet being finalized. During his marriage to La Russa he met actress/model Kelly LeBrock, with whom he began a relationship and who eventually became pregnant with his child. When news of this emerged, Seagal's marriage to La Russa was annulled and he then married LeBrock on 5th September 1987. In 1994, LeBrock filed divorce papers citing "irreconciable differences". During this time it emerged that Seagal was having an affair with Arissa Wolf, who was hired to be a nanny to Seagal and Lebrock's children. Seagal has six known children from three relationships in which he has been involved. With Fujitani, he had a son, model and actor Kentaro Seagal (b. October 3, 1975), and a daughter, writer and actress, Ayako Fujitani (b. December 5, 1979). His three children with LeBrock are daughters Annaliza (b. 1987) and Arissa (b. 1993), and son Dominic (b. 1990). Seagal and Arissa Wolf have one daughter, Savannah (b. 1996). In addition to his biological children, Seagal's Tibetan Buddhist beliefs have led him to a position of friendship to a Tibetan child, Yabshi Pan Rinzinwangmo. Rinzinwangmo, or "Renji", is the only child of the 10th Panchen Lama of Tibet. Renji studied in the United States at American University. A Buddhist, Seagal was quoted in an interview with Stanley Weiser as saying, "People call me all kinds of things, including four letter words. I respond to all of them. When I walk into a room some people see a dog, some people see a cow; I am all of what they see, it is their perception. But I do believe that buddha nature is in all of us, even in a mangy dog lying in the gutter with fleas. That dog is Buddha to me. People can call me anything they want, I respond to anything." Seagal has described his activism method as "shaming companies into changing," a theme that is visible in such films as On Deadly Ground and Fire Down Below. He has worked with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to discourage the fur trade, and has written to the Prime Minister of India to seek increased legal protection for cows. Seagal worked effectively towards saving dogs destined to drown in Taiwan; he successfully sought the Premier of Taiwan to sign legislation limiting animal cruelty. Seagal was awarded a PETA Humanitarian Award in 1999. In 2003, Seagal wrote an open letter to the government of Thailand, urging them to enact a law to prevent the torture of baby elephants. While being interviewed by PETA, Seagal was asked to provide an example of a special interaction with an animal, to lend context and meaning to his animal rights work. Seagal offered the story about a dog which approached him during his early aikido years in Japan. Seagal described feeling as if he had known this white dog forever. After keeping the dog for a few days, the dog (by barking) warned Seagal that his dojo was on fire. Seagal quickly summoned help to put out the fire. He never saw the dog again. Seagal is an advocate for solar power, consistent with his views on oil, as showcased in 1994's On Deadly Ground. Upon spotting another Caucasian in Thailand in 2004, Seagal was pleased to find this man was a manufacturer of solar-powered bicycles. Seagal promptly purchased a number of solar electric utility and transport vehicles to bring feed to his animal partners at his ranch in California. Seagal is an advocate for the rights and interests of Native Americans. In On Deadly Ground, Seagal depicted himself as The Chosen One, sent to save the Inuit people from the evils of "Big Oil". Seagal has also narrated an activist film project, Medicine Lake Video, which seeks to protect sacred tribal ground near his ranch in Siskiyou County. On MADtv, Seagal was portrayed by Will Sasso. In various skits involving the actor, Seagal was portrayed to be an unintelligent, disrespectful, and egotistical actor for comedic effect with a strong preference for violence. The trademark slapstick humor ranges from attempting to do stunts, but failing miserably, to random attacks on other characters in the scene (most notably, random chops or snapping necks.) He was also portrayed on MADtv in a parody of Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. A scene in an episode of Family Guy portrays Seagal in the Arctic fighting a group of seals for killing a village's fish. In what could be considered a parody or satirical homage, Seagal is mentioned by name in the film In & Out during its fictional Academy Awards event, where Seagal is "nominated" for Best Actor for his role in a film called "Snowball in Hell". Seagal was also seen portrayed with clay animation in Celebrity Deathmatch on MTV in a fight-to-the-death against David Spade. He lost after Spade used Scottie Pippen's basketball ring as a sling shot and it went right through Seagal's head killing him instantly. |
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