Steven F. Seagal

Steven F. Seagal (born April 10, 1952) is an American action movie actor, producer, writer, director, martial artist and singer-songwriter. He belongs to a generation of movie action hero actors (including Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone) who were featured in many blockbuster action films of the late 1980s and 1990s.

A 6' 4" (193 cm) 7th-dan black belt in aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an aikido instructor in Japan. He became the first foreigner to operate an aikido dojo in Osaka, Japan. 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 major action star, mainly due to his 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 in excess of $850 million worldwide.

Seagal 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 play an important role in Seagal's life and he has been recognized by Tibetan lama Penor Rinpoche as a reincarnated Tulku. According to Seagal in a November 2006 interview: "I was born very different, clairvoyant and a healer".

Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan, where he lived until he was five years old. His mother, Patricia, was a medical technician, and his father a high school math teacher.^[5] His mother was Irish and his father Jewish.The family relocated to Fullerton, California, where Seagal attended the Buena Park High School in Buena Park, California. Following his graduation, Seagal held one of his first jobs at the local Burger King.

It was allegedly at the age of seven that Seagal first began studying martial arts under the direction of renowned Shitō-ryū 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. In 1974, he was promoted by Kobayashi-sensei to shodan in Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (a fact disputed by ex-wife Miyako Fujitani [below]). He was also reported as having trained in Mas Oyama's Kyokushin Kai karate do.

Return to the U.S.

Seagal initially returned to Taos, New Mexico, with his student—and later a film 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 continued to run the dojo. After another period in Japan, Seagal returned to the U.S. in 1983 with senior student Haruo Matsuoka. They opened an aikido dojo, initially in Burbank, California, but later moved it to the city of West Hollywood. Seagal left Matsuoka in charge of the dojo, which he ran until the two parted ways in 1997. It was during that period that Seagal first found himself in contact with Hollywood. Initially, he worked as the martial arts co-ordinator for the films The Challenge (1982) starring Scott Glenn and Toshirô Mifune, and Never Say Never Again (1983) starring Sean Connery.

In 1988, Seagal began work on his first film, Above the Law (titled Nico in Europe), with director Andrew Davis and reportedly as a favor to a former aikido student, the agent Michael Ovitz, who believed he could make anyone a star.^[7] Following its success, Seagal made three more movies – Hard to Kill, Marked for Death, and Out for Justice – that were box office hits, making him an action hero. Later, he achieved wider, mainstream success in 1992 with the release of Under Siege (1992). That film reunited Seagal with director Andrew Davis, and was a blockbuster in the U.S. and abroad, grossing $156.4 million worldwide.^[8]

He then filmed a sequel to one of his most successful films Under Siege titled Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) and the cop drama The Glimmer Man (1996). In 1996, he had his first supporting role, in the Kurt Russell film Executive Decision (1996), which featured him in a starring role, but kept secret his character's fate. Then, he again made an environmentally-conscious film, Fire Down Below (1997), wherein he was an EPA agent fighting industrialists dumping toxic waste in the Kentucky hills, but the movie was commercially unsuccessful. This film ended his original multi-picture contract with Warner Bros., and because of its disaster, his contract was not renewed.

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 May 2008^[update], all of the films Seagal has made since 2003 have been released direct-to-video (DTV) in North America, with only limited theatrical releases in the rest of the world. Though Seagal is credited as a producer (and sometimes a writer) on many of these DTV movies, it is unclear how deeply involved he was in their production - his voice is often dubbed in by another actor as seen in the film Attack Force and a double is used in almost any scene where his face is not shown clearly. The most notable stunt doubles are in his films Black Dawn, Belly of the Beast, Out of Reach and Submerged. One of his most recent films, Kill Switch (2008), also featured extensive fight-double footage added in post-production to unintentionally humorous effect.

His latest direct-to-video films include Urban Justice (2007), Pistol Whipped (2008), Against The Dark (2009), Kill Switch (2008), and Driven to Kill (2009). He has finished filming The Keeper (2009) for a projected 2009 release.

Seagal intends to have his films remembered; "I am hoping that I can be known as a great writer and actor some day, rather than a sex symbol." 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. Seagal's roles do not fit the standard action hero archetype; instead, Seagal's characters are usually "born perfect," displaying no limitations, character flaws, or character development (as is typically included in the story arc for most action heroes). His characters are often associated with attributes given to action movie antagonists or villains, such as clandestine government associations (Under Siege), great wealth and high-level corporate ties (On Deadly Ground), high-level biochemical research skill (The Patriot). Seagal's characters are normally nigh-on invincible and are unable to be beaten or even slowed down. Reports state that Seagal insists on such roles, even allegedly becoming hysterical when his character was scripted to die a heroic death in the movie Executive Decision, when director Stuart Baird insisted he must do it as scripted. Seagal held up filming for a few days, and finally acted the death scene as scripted after threat of contractual breach.

While his acting performance in Above The Law gained praise from 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 (see typecasting), as well as displaying a lack of emotional range.

Others have surmised that Seagal's unorthodox approach to film is actually an elaborate joke.^[12] 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."^[13] In addition, some of Seagal's own self-parody supports this view. In at least one commercial for Orange SA, Seagal pokes fun at his 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'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. Having received good support from UK audiences, the tour continues through early 2007.

Seagal uses a blend of Blues, Country, World Music and Euro techno 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'.

Despite initial doubts by music industry insiders about his success as a musician, the sales volume that his albums have received proved them wrong. While there is no true institution to monitor every record that Seagal has sold, estimates range from between 9 to 13 million albums sold in the domestic U.S. market, mostly to under privileged inner city youths who find his voice inspiring, and double the sales figure for global sales.

Seagal is currently a deputy sheriff of his home community of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. In November 2008, A&E announced that they have begun filming Steven Seagal: Lawman, a reality show that follows his on- and off-duty work in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Seagal stated that "I’ve decided to work with A&E on this series now because I believe it’s important to show the nation all the positive work being accomplished here in Louisiana—to see the passion and commitment that comes from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in this post-Katrina environment.”

Seagal Enterprises markets an energy drink known as Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt, as well as an herbal oil product line.^[16] Seagal personally endorses this drink, "I have traveled the world creating this drink; there is none better that I know."^[16] He also has his own aftershave called Scent of Action. Seagal has his own imprint of Kershaw Knives. The "Steven Seagal Edition" knives feature 4" blades with his signature etched in, and no auto-assisted opening mechanism.

An only son, he has three sisters, one older and two younger. He now keeps a dude ranch in Colorado and a home in the Mandeville Canyon section of Brentwood, a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles. He has adopted many animals from shelters, including the cats Sylvester and Gap, and the dogs Gruff, Cole, Tyson, Hamlet, and Chaos.^[17] Steven travels back and forth to a home in Eads, Tennessee, a rural unincorporated area located just east of Memphis, Tennessee.

Seagal has six 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 also placed him in the role of guardian 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, and Seagal was her guardian and bodyguard.^[21]

Seagal has been an outspoken opponent of animal cruelty which can be seen in a scene in the movie Out for Justice. This is consistent with his views on spirituality, as well as his environmentalist views (as showcased in On Deadly Ground). Seagal believes in reincarnation: "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."

Steven 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.

This activism has not diminished in recent years. For these and other efforts, Seagal was awarded a PETA Humanitarian Award in 1999.^[23] In 2003, Seagal wrote an open letter to the leadership of Thailand, urging them to enact law to prevent the torture of baby elephants.
Steven Seagal (született 1951. április 10-én) amerikai akciófilm-színész, producer, forgatókönyvíró, harcművész, énekes-dalszerző, spiritualista és aktivista. Színészként az 1980-as évek végén és a ’90-es évek elején akciófilmes szerepeivel vált híressé.

Seagal – aki 7 danos fekete öves aikidomester – fiatal felnőttként aikido-oktatóként dolgozott Japánban; ő volt az első külföldi, aki Ószakában saját edzőtermet üzemeltetett. Később Los Angelesbe költözött és 1988-ban Nico című filmjével debütált a tengerentúlon. A ’90-es években a színész jellegzetes akciósztárrá vált, olyan filmekkel, mint az Úszó erőd (1992) vagy a Száguldó erőd (1995). Filmjeivel világszerte összesen több mint 850 millió dollár bevételt ért el. Seagal filmes pályafutásán túl zenészként és gitárosként is tevékenykedik, de hivatásos munkáján túl aktív környezetvédő és állatjogi aktivista, valamint Richard Gere-hez hasonlóan a dalai láma támogatója és Tibet függetlenségének szószólója.

Seagal a Michigan állambeli Lansingben született, családjával ötéves koráig élt ebben a városban. Édesanyja, Patricia az egészségügyben dolgozott, édesapja középiskolai matematikatanár volt. A család a kaliforniai Fullertonba költözött, ahol Seagal hétéves korában kezdett érdeklődni a harcművészetek iránt; először karatét, mjad aikidót tanult. Aikidóból, karatéból és kendóból fekete övet szerzett és a karatés bemutatócsapat tagja lett.

A diploma megszerzése után Seagal az akkori barátnőjével, Miyako Fujitanival (akit később feleségül vett és akitől két gyermeke született) Japánba költözött, a fiatal pár a lány szüleinél élt, akik aikidót oktattak; rossz nyelvek szerint csupán azért költözött Japánba, hogy elkerülje a besorozást az akkor dúló vietnami háborúba és házasságának valódi célja is a lehetséges hadba hívás megakadályozása volt.

1988-ban Seagal Andrew Davis rendezővel elkészítette első filmjét, Nico (Above the Law) címmel. Ezt az átlagos bűnügyi thrillernek induló filmet az akciójelenetekkel és a karakterábrázolásokkal sikerre vitték. Ezután Seagal három további filmben szerepelt – Ölve vagy halva (Hard to Kill, 1990), Halálra jelölve (Marked for Death, 1990) és Törvényre törve (Out for Justice, 1991) – melyek jegyeladási szempontból sikert arattak és a színész igazi akciófilmes hőssé avanzsálták. Az 1992-es Úszó erőd (Under Siege) című film még szélesebb körben ismertté tette, az USA-ban és külföldön egyaránt, összesen 156,4 millió dollár bevétellel.

Az Úszó erőd pozitív fogadtatása után Seagal rendezőként debütált a Lángoló jég (On Deadly Ground) című 1994-es környezetvédelmi filmmel, melyben Michael Caine mellett szerepelt, de a film nézettségi, kritikai és pénzügyi kudarcot is vallott (az elkészítése 50 millió dollárba került, de az USA-ban csak 39 millió dolláros bevételt hozott).^[2]

Hogy népszerűségét visszaszerezze, Seagal 1995-ben folytatást készített legsikeresebb filmjéhez, az Úszó erődhöz, Száguldó erőd (Under Siege 2: Dark Territory) címmel és a Tisztítótűz (The Glimmer Man) című 1996-os rendőrdrámában is főszerepet vállalt. Még ugyanebben az évben, először tűnt fel mellékszereplőként Kurt Russell oldalán a Tűzparancsban (Executive Decision), ezután 1997-ben a Lángoló jég után újabb környezetvédelemmel foglalkozó filmet készített, Tűz a mélyben (Fire Down Below) címmel, de ez a film a bevétel szempontjából bukásnak számított. A Warner Bros. ekkor a sikertelen film miatt már nem újított szerződést a színésszel.

1998-ban Seagal ismét elkészített egy környezetvédelmi thrillert, A patriótát (The Patriot), mely első olyan filmje volt, amelyet közvetlenül videón jelentettek meg az Egyesült Államokban (noha a legtöbb országban moziban is bemutatták). A színész a filmet saját tőkéből gyártotta, és montanai birtokán forgatta le.

Miután pár évre a Prince of Central Park című családi film producere volt, Seagal 2001-ben tért vissza a mozivászonra Sebhelyek (Exit Wounds) című akciófilmjével. Ez ugyan kevesebb harcművész jelenetet tartalmazott, mint korábbi filmjei, de pénzügyileg sikeres volt és majdnem 80 millió dollár bevételt ért el. Seagal azonban nem tudta meglovagolni sikerét, és két következő filmjével minden téren kudarcot vallott; a Másodpercekre a haláltól (Ticker) csak DVD-n jelent meg, míg a Félholttal (Half Past Dead), melyben a rapsztár Ja Rule is szerepelt, mindössze 20 millió dollárt keresett világszerte.

2008 májusáig az összes Seagal-film, mely 2003 után készült, közvetlenül videón jelent meg az USA-ban, a a világ többi országában is csak pár helyen mutatták be őket moziban. Habár ezek közül sok filmben Seagalt tüntetik fel producerként (és néha íróként is), nem tudni, valójában mennyire vett részt ezen filmek elkészítésében; a hangját ugyanis sokszor egy másik színész kölcsönözte és szinte az összes jelenetben dublőrt alkalmaztak helyette – például az Idegen 2 - Sötét hajnal (Black Dawn), A fenevad gyomrában (Belly of the Beast), A megmentő (Out of Reach) és a Terror a tenger alatt (Submerged) című filmekben.

Legutóbbi videófilmjei közé tartozik a Volt egyszer egy igazság (Urban Justice, 2007), a Piszkos lappal (Pistol Whipped, 2008), a Könyörtelen csapás és a Ruslan. Legújabb, The Keeper című filmje várhatólag 2009-ben jelenik majd meg.