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EspañolSTEVEN SEAGAL
(Redirected from Steven Segal)
'Steven Seagal' (born April 10 1951) is an American action movie actor, producer, writer, director, martial artist, singer-songwriter, and activist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an aikido instructor in Japan, before moving to the Los Angeles, California area where, after being noticed by entertainment executives, he made his film debut in 1988. Since then, Seagal has become a well recognized action star, with his movies earning more than $600 million worldwide.[1]
Seagal belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero, including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, and Bruce Willis.
Seagal has used his fame as an action star to cross over to other industries. He is also a recording artist and the founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. In addition to his professional achievements, he is also known as an environmentalist, aikido master (''Takeshigemichi''), an animal rights activist, and he has been recognized by Tibetan lama Penor Rinpoche as a reincarnated Tulku (Chungdrag Dorje).[2]
Steven Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan. When he was 5 years old, the family then relocated to Fullerton, California, where Seagal attended the Buena Park High School in Buena Park, California. It was at the age of 7 that Seagal first began allegedly 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. In 1974, he was promoted by Kobayashi-sensei to shodan in Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (a fact disputed by his now ex-wife, below).
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.Steven Seagal Biography & Description Woo Factor, Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
During this time in Japan, Seagal 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 (though his in-laws, and not himself, were the actual owners): the Aikido Tenshin Dojo in the city of Osaka. Seagal claims that he "battled" the yakuza (Japanese mafia) over the rights to the Aikido Tenshin Dojo, which he claims that his wife's father lost in a gambling game; however, his former wife Miyako Fujitani, claims "it's a lie", and that he "yelled at some drunks, but never fought anyone".
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''. The film reunited Seagal with the director Andrew Davis and was a blockbuster in America and abroad, grossing $156.4 million worldwide.[3]
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 was a failure with both audiences and critics, and made a financial loss, costing an estimated $50 million to make and grossing less than $39 million in the United States.[4]
To try to recoup popularity, Seagal filmed a sequel to his most successful film ''Under Siege'' titled '' (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. and owing to its failure at the box office, 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 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. These films are characterized by a severe drop in their overall quality compared with Seagal's films from the 1990s. Steven Seagal is currently working on a comeback for 2007 with action films ''Urban Justice'', and ''Prince of Pistols'' which he will direct. In May 2007 he agreed to work on the Indie film ''Marker'' for Roel Reiné, a Dutch director. In August 2007 he will start work on ''Cold Blooded'',a thriller about a cop chasing a serial killer in new york(although shooting will be in Vancouver) which is going through Screen Gems.Seagal will write and produce the film and Claudio Fäh will direct the $15M movie.
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."[5] 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."[6]
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 the likes of Roger Ebert,[7] 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.
Others have surmised that Seagal's unorthodox approach to film is actually an elaborate joke.[8] 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."[9] In addition, some of Seagal's own self-parody supports this view. In at least two commercials (for Orange[10] and Mountain Dew[11]), Seagal pokes fun at his 'invincible' action star archetype.
Steven Seagal was born to an Irish Catholic mother Patricia (an emergency room technician) and Jewish father Stephen (a high school math teacher) . An only son, he has three sisters, one older and two younger. He now keeps a ranch in Shasta, California 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", "Chaos", and "Fist."[12]
#Miyako Fujitani (1975–1986) (divorced) 2 children
#Adrienne La Russa (1984-1987) (annulled)
#Kelly LeBrock (1987–1996) (divorced) 3 children
Seagal has gained some notoriety for being a bigamist. When he left his first wife Miyako Fujitani to go back to America (reportedly, Steven's last words to her were, "You are crazy; I want a divorce"),[13][14] 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.[15]
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.[16]
A Buddhist, Seagal has received criticism for his interviews regarding his beliefs. "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."
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.[12]
Seagal was awarded a PETA Humanitarian Award in 1999.[18]
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.[19]
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.[12]
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.[21] A future ''Under Siege'' sequel may feature terror aboard a solar-powered ship.
Seagal is an advocate for the rights and interests of Native Americans. In his film ''On Deadly Ground'', Seagal depicted himself as The Chosen One, sent to save the Inuit people from the evils of "Big Oil".
Seagal has narrated an activist film project, ''Medicine Lake Video,'' which seeks to protect sacred tribal ground near his ranch in Siskiyou County.[22]
Seagal has become the target of Internet-based jokes at his expense. The above-mentioned commercials for Orange SA and Mountain Dew poke fun at his ability to knock anyone unconscious without effort. Seagal is sometimes considered to be in on the joke.[8]
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. 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.)
A scene in an episode of ''Family Guy'' portrays Seagal in the Arctic fighting a group of seals for killing a village's fish.
★ ''Above the Law'' (1988)
★ ''Hard to Kill'' (1990)
★ ''Marked for Death'' (1990)
★ ''Out for Justice'' (1991)
★ ''Under Siege'' (1992)
★ ''On Deadly Ground'' (1994)
★ '' (1995)
★ ''Executive Decision'' (1996)
★ ''The Glimmer Man'' (1996)
★ ''Fire Down Below'' (1997)
★ ''My Giant'' (1998)
★ ''The Patriot'' (1998)
★ ''Get Bruce'' (1999) (documentary)
★ ''Exit Wounds'' (2001)
★ ''Ticker'' (2001)
★ ''Half Past Dead'' (2002)
★ ''The Foreigner'' (2003)
★ ''Out for a Kill'' (2003)
★ ''Words of My Perfect Teacher'' (2003) (documentary)
★ ''Belly of the Beast'' (2003)
★ ''Clementine'' (2004)
★ ''Out of Reach'' (2004)
★ ''Into the Sun'' (2005)
★ ''Submerged'' (2005)
★ ''Today You Die'' (2005)
★ ''Black Dawn'' (2005)
★ ''Mercenary for Justice'' (2006)
★ ''Shadow Man'' (2006)
★ ''Attack Force'' (2006)
★ ''Flight of Fury'' (2007)
★ ''The Onion Movie'' (2007)
★ ''Urban Justice'' (2007)
★ ''Marker'' (2008)
★ ''Prince of Pistols'' (2008)
★ ''Guitar Man'' (2008) (documentary)
★ 2005: ''Songs from the Crystal Cave''
★ 2006: ''Mojo Priest''
1. The Numbers - People: Steven Seagal
2. Statement by H.H. Penor Rinpoche Regarding the Recognition of Steven Seagal as a Reincarnation of the Treasure Revealer Chungdrag Dorje of Palyul Monastery
3. "Under Siege" "IMDb'' Business Data for Under Siege (1992).
4. "On Deadly Ground" "IMDb'' Business Data for On Deadly Ground (1994).
5. Steven Seagal quotes
6. Steven Seagal IMDB biography
7. Rogerebert.com Reviews- Above the Law
8. Steven Seagal: Under Closer Scrutiny by Tom Dooley
9. The Steven Seagal interview
10. Directed by Bryan Buckley. Orange Mobile Phones Steven Segal
11. Directed by Traktor. Mountain Dew "Seagal"
12. Getting tough with Steven Seagal
13. E! TV- "E! True Hollywood Story" - Steven Seagal
14. Mini Facts
15. Spiritually Retreat With Steven Seagal
16. Buddha's daughter: A young Tibetan-Chinese woman
17. Getting tough with Steven Seagal
18. Paul McCartney's World Exclusive Performance at PETA's Party Of The Century and Humanitarian Awards
19. Letter to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand by Steven Seagal
20. Getting tough with Steven Seagal
21. Seagal and solar bicycles
22. Medicine Lake Video
23. Steven Seagal: Under Closer Scrutiny by Tom Dooley
★ Official Website
★
★ Actor Steven Seagal and the Mob, Court TV Crime Library
★ Steven Seagal "The Action Lama" World Tibet News
★ Hollywood tough guy hits town - Express & Star
★ Steven Seagal Audio Interview
'Steven Seagal' (born April 10 1951) is an American action movie actor, producer, writer, director, martial artist, singer-songwriter, and activist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an aikido instructor in Japan, before moving to the Los Angeles, California area where, after being noticed by entertainment executives, he made his film debut in 1988. Since then, Seagal has become a well recognized action star, with his movies earning more than $600 million worldwide.[1]
Seagal belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero, including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, and Bruce Willis.
Seagal has used his fame as an action star to cross over to other industries. He is also a recording artist and the founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. In addition to his professional achievements, he is also known as an environmentalist, aikido master (''Takeshigemichi''), an animal rights activist, and he has been recognized by Tibetan lama Penor Rinpoche as a reincarnated Tulku (Chungdrag Dorje).[2]
Early years
Youth
Steven Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan. When he was 5 years old, the family then relocated to Fullerton, California, where Seagal attended the Buena Park High School in Buena Park, California. It was at the age of 7 that Seagal first began allegedly 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. In 1974, he was promoted by Kobayashi-sensei to shodan in Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (a fact disputed by his now ex-wife, below).
Japan
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.Steven Seagal Biography & Description Woo Factor, Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
During this time in Japan, Seagal 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 (though his in-laws, and not himself, were the actual owners): the Aikido Tenshin Dojo in the city of Osaka. Seagal claims that he "battled" the yakuza (Japanese mafia) over the rights to the Aikido Tenshin Dojo, which he claims that his wife's father lost in a gambling game; however, his former wife Miyako Fujitani, claims "it's a lie", and that he "yelled at some drunks, but never fought anyone".
Return to the U.S.
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.
Hollywood career
1990s: the action hero years
Seagal in 1992's ''Under Siege''.
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''. The film reunited Seagal with the director Andrew Davis and was a blockbuster in America and abroad, grossing $156.4 million worldwide.[3]
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 was a failure with both audiences and critics, and made a financial loss, costing an estimated $50 million to make and grossing less than $39 million in the United States.[4]
To try to recoup popularity, Seagal filmed a sequel to his most successful film ''Under Siege'' titled '' (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. and owing to its failure at the box office, his contract was not renewed.
Retreat to video
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. These films are characterized by a severe drop in their overall quality compared with Seagal's films from the 1990s. Steven Seagal is currently working on a comeback for 2007 with action films ''Urban Justice'', and ''Prince of Pistols'' which he will direct. In May 2007 he agreed to work on the Indie film ''Marker'' for Roel Reiné, a Dutch director. In August 2007 he will start work on ''Cold Blooded'',a thriller about a cop chasing a serial killer in new york(although shooting will be in Vancouver) which is going through Screen Gems.Seagal will write and produce the film and Claudio Fäh will direct the $15M movie.
Steven Seagal, the filmmaker
Seagal as director and star of the 1994 environmental thriller, ''On Deadly Ground''.
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."[5] 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."[6]
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 the likes of Roger Ebert,[7] 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.
Others have surmised that Seagal's unorthodox approach to film is actually an elaborate joke.[8] 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."[9] In addition, some of Seagal's own self-parody supports this view. In at least two commercials (for Orange[10] and Mountain Dew[11]), Seagal pokes fun at his 'invincible' action star archetype.
Personal life
Steven Seagal was born to an Irish Catholic mother Patricia (an emergency room technician) and Jewish father Stephen (a high school math teacher) . An only son, he has three sisters, one older and two younger. He now keeps a ranch in Shasta, California 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", "Chaos", and "Fist."[12]
Marriages
#Miyako Fujitani (1975–1986) (divorced) 2 children
#Adrienne La Russa (1984-1987) (annulled)
#Kelly LeBrock (1987–1996) (divorced) 3 children
Steven Seagal (r) and the Dalai Lama.
Seagal has gained some notoriety for being a bigamist. When he left his first wife Miyako Fujitani to go back to America (reportedly, Steven's last words to her were, "You are crazy; I want a divorce"),[13][14] 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.[15]
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.[16]
Views and activism
A Buddhist, Seagal has received criticism for his interviews regarding his beliefs. "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."
Animal rights work
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.[12]
Seagal was awarded a PETA Humanitarian Award in 1999.[18]
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.[19]
Mystical dog incident
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.[12]
Solar power
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.[21] A future ''Under Siege'' sequel may feature terror aboard a solar-powered ship.
Native American issues
Seagal is an advocate for the rights and interests of Native Americans. In his film ''On Deadly Ground'', Seagal depicted himself as The Chosen One, sent to save the Inuit people from the evils of "Big Oil".
Seagal has narrated an activist film project, ''Medicine Lake Video,'' which seeks to protect sacred tribal ground near his ranch in Siskiyou County.[22]
Parodies
Seagal has become the target of Internet-based jokes at his expense. The above-mentioned commercials for Orange SA and Mountain Dew poke fun at his ability to knock anyone unconscious without effort. Seagal is sometimes considered to be in on the joke.[8]
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. 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.)
A scene in an episode of ''Family Guy'' portrays Seagal in the Arctic fighting a group of seals for killing a village's fish.
Filmography
★ ''Above the Law'' (1988)
★ ''Hard to Kill'' (1990)
★ ''Marked for Death'' (1990)
★ ''Out for Justice'' (1991)
★ ''Under Siege'' (1992)
★ ''On Deadly Ground'' (1994)
★ '' (1995)
★ ''Executive Decision'' (1996)
★ ''The Glimmer Man'' (1996)
★ ''Fire Down Below'' (1997)
★ ''My Giant'' (1998)
★ ''The Patriot'' (1998)
★ ''Get Bruce'' (1999) (documentary)
★ ''Exit Wounds'' (2001)
★ ''Ticker'' (2001)
★ ''Half Past Dead'' (2002)
★ ''The Foreigner'' (2003)
★ ''Out for a Kill'' (2003)
★ ''Words of My Perfect Teacher'' (2003) (documentary)
★ ''Belly of the Beast'' (2003)
★ ''Clementine'' (2004)
★ ''Out of Reach'' (2004)
★ ''Into the Sun'' (2005)
★ ''Submerged'' (2005)
★ ''Today You Die'' (2005)
★ ''Black Dawn'' (2005)
★ ''Mercenary for Justice'' (2006)
★ ''Shadow Man'' (2006)
★ ''Attack Force'' (2006)
★ ''Flight of Fury'' (2007)
★ ''The Onion Movie'' (2007)
★ ''Urban Justice'' (2007)
Upcoming
★ ''Marker'' (2008)
★ ''Prince of Pistols'' (2008)
★ ''Guitar Man'' (2008) (documentary)
Discography
★ 2005: ''Songs from the Crystal Cave''
★ 2006: ''Mojo Priest''
Notes
1. The Numbers - People: Steven Seagal
2. Statement by H.H. Penor Rinpoche Regarding the Recognition of Steven Seagal as a Reincarnation of the Treasure Revealer Chungdrag Dorje of Palyul Monastery
3. "Under Siege" "IMDb'' Business Data for Under Siege (1992).
4. "On Deadly Ground" "IMDb'' Business Data for On Deadly Ground (1994).
5. Steven Seagal quotes
6. Steven Seagal IMDB biography
7. Rogerebert.com Reviews- Above the Law
8. Steven Seagal: Under Closer Scrutiny by Tom Dooley
9. The Steven Seagal interview
10. Directed by Bryan Buckley. Orange Mobile Phones Steven Segal
11. Directed by Traktor. Mountain Dew "Seagal"
12. Getting tough with Steven Seagal
13. E! TV- "E! True Hollywood Story" - Steven Seagal
14. Mini Facts
15. Spiritually Retreat With Steven Seagal
16. Buddha's daughter: A young Tibetan-Chinese woman
17. Getting tough with Steven Seagal
18. Paul McCartney's World Exclusive Performance at PETA's Party Of The Century and Humanitarian Awards
19. Letter to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand by Steven Seagal
20. Getting tough with Steven Seagal
21. Seagal and solar bicycles
22. Medicine Lake Video
23. Steven Seagal: Under Closer Scrutiny by Tom Dooley
External links
★ Official Website
★
★ Actor Steven Seagal and the Mob, Court TV Crime Library
★ Steven Seagal "The Action Lama" World Tibet News
★ Hollywood tough guy hits town - Express & Star
★ Steven Seagal Audio Interview
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