Steven Seagal

Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-law's dojo. He later moved to Los Angeles where he had the same profession. In 1988, Seagal made his acting debut in '' Above the Law''. By 1991, he had starred in four films.

In 1992, he played Navy SEAL counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback in ''Under Siege''. During the latter half of the 1990s, Seagal starred in three more feature films and the direct-to-video film '' The Patriot''. Subsequently, his career shifted to mostly direct-to-video productions. He has since appeared in films and reality shows, including '' Steven Seagal: Lawman'', which depicted Seagal performing his duties as a reserve deputy sheriff.

Seagal is a guitarist and has released two studio albums, ''Songs from the Crystal Cave'' and ''Mojo Priest'', and performed on the scores of several of his films. He has worked with Stevie Wonder and Tony Rebel, who both performed on his debut album. He has been involved in a line of "therapeutic oil" products and energy drinks. Seagal is an environmentalist, animal rights activist, and supporter of 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. He is a supporter of Vladimir Putin, to whom he once referred as "one of the great living world leaders". He was granted both Russian and Serbian citizenship in 2016. In 2018, he was appointed Russia's special envoy to the U.S.

From 1996 to 2018, multiple women accused Seagal of sexual harassment or assault.

Early life

Steven Frederic Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan, on April 10, 1952, the son of a medical technician and a mathematics teacher. His mother was of Irish descent, while his father was Jewish. His paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants. During an interview for the Russian talk show, Let Them Talk, Seagal stated that he has paternal ancestors from the Siberian city of Vladivostok, as well as Belarus and Saint Petersburg. He stated that genetic testing determined that he has Yakut and Buryat ancestry.

When he was five years old, he moved with his parents to Fullerton, California. His mother later told ''People'' magazine that prior to the move Seagal was frail and suffered from asthma: "He was a puny kid back then. But he really thrived after the move rom Michigan" Seagal attended Buena Park High School in Buena Park, California, and Fullerton College between 1970 and 1971. As a teen, he spent much time in his garage listening to loud rock music. While working with a friendly old Japanese man at a dojo in Garden Grove he was encouraged to visit Japan.

Martial arts

Seagal moved to Japan at some point between 1971 and 1973. By 1974, he had returned to California. That year he met Miyako Fujitani, a second-degree black belt and daughter of an Osaka aikido master who had come to Los Angeles to teach aikido. When Miyako returned to Osaka, Seagal went with her. In 1975 they married and had a son, Kentaro, and a daughter, Ayako. He taught at the school owned by Miyako's family. As of 1990, Miyako and her brother still taught there, and her mother was the chairwoman.

Seagal returned to Taos, New Mexico, with his student (and later film stuntman) Craig Dunn, where they opened a dojo, although Seagal spent much of his time pursuing other ventures. 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 North Hollywood, California, but later moved it to the city of West Hollywood. Seagal left Matsuoka in charge of the dojo, which the latter ran until the two parted ways in 1997.

Seagal helped train Brazilian mixed martial artist Lyoto Machida, who credited Seagal for helping him perfect the front kick that he used to knock out Randy Couture at ''UFC 129'' in May 2011.

Career

1987–2002

In 1987, Seagal began work on his first film, '' Above the Law'' (titled ''Nico'' in Europe), with director Andrew Davis. Following its success, Seagal's subsequent movies were '' Hard to Kill'', ''Marked for Death'', and ''Out for Justice''; all were box office hits, making him an action hero. Later, he achieved wider, mainstream success in 1992 with the release of ''Under Siege'' (1992), which reunited Seagal with director Andrew Davis.

On April 20, 1991, Seagal hosted Season 16 Episode 18 of ''Saturday Night Live''. The series' long-time executive producer Lorne Michaels and cast-members David Spade and Tim Meadows called Seagal the show's worst host ever. Spade and Meadows cited Seagal's humorlessness, his ill-treatment of the cast and writers, and his refusal to do a " Hans and Franz" sketch because the skit's title characters had previously said that they could "beat up Steven Seagal". Seagal has never been invited back to the show.Miller, James Andrew; Shales, Tom (October 6, 2015)
''Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests''
Back Bay Books. p. 386. Archived at Google Books. Retrieved October 29, 2015. Meadows commented, "He didn't realize that you can't tell somebody they're stupid on Wednesday and expect them to continue writing for you on Saturday." The cast and crew's difficulties with Seagal were later echoed on-air by Michaels during guest host Nicolas Cage's monologue in the September 26, 1992 Season 18 premiere. When Cage worried that he would do so poorly that the audience would regard him as "the biggest jerk who's ever been on the show", Michaels replied: "No, no. That would be Steven Seagal."

Seagal directed and starred in ''On Deadly Ground'' (1994), featuring Michael Caine, R. Lee Ermey, and Billy Bob Thornton in minor supporting roles. The film emphasized environmental and spiritual themes, signaling a break with his previous persona as a genre-ready inner-city cop. ''On Deadly Ground'' was poorly received by critics, especially denouncing Seagal's long environmental speech in the film. Regardless, Seagal considers it one of the most important and relevant moments in his career. Seagal followed this with a sequel to one of his most successful films, ''Under Siege'', titled '' Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'' (1995).

In 1996, he had a role in the Kurt Russell film ''Executive Decision'', portraying a special ops soldier who only appears in the film's first 45 minutes. The same year, he filmed a police drama ''The Glimmer Man'' (1996). In another environmentally conscious and commercially unsuccessful film, '' Fire Down Below'' (1997), he played an EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance agent fighting industrialists dumping toxic waste in the Kentucky hills.

In 1998, 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 producing ''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. The movie '' Ticker'', co-starring Tom Sizemore and Dennis Hopper, was filmed in San Francisco before ''Exit Wounds'', and went straight to DVD. ''Half Past Dead'', starring hip hop star Ja Rule, made less than $20 million worldwide.

2003 to present day: direct-to-video films and television

Other than his role as a villain in Robert Rodriguez's ''Machete'', all of the films Seagal has made since the latter half of 2001 have been released direct-to-video (DTV) in North America, with some theatrical releases to other countries around the world. Seagal is credited as a producer and sometimes a writer on many of these DTV movies, which include '' Black Dawn'', ''Belly of the Beast'', '' Out of Reach'', '' Submerged'', ''Kill Switch'', '' Urban Justice'', ''Pistol Whipped'', ''Against the Dark'', ''Driven to Kill'', ''A Dangerous Man'', '' Born to Raise Hell'', and '' The Keeper''.

In 2009, A&E Network premiered the reality television series '' Steven Seagal: Lawman'', focusing on Seagal as a deputy in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

In the 2010s, Seagal's direct-to-video films increasingly started to become ensemble pieces, with Seagal playing minor or supporting roles, despite the fact that he often received top billing. ''Maximum Conviction'', ''Force of Execution'', ''Gutshot Straight'', '' Code of Honor'', '' Sniper Special Ops'', ''The Asian Connection'', '' The Perfect Weapon'', ''Cartels'', and ''China Salesman'' all exemplify this trend. This has led some commentators to criticize Seagal for his low-effort participation in movies which heavily promote his involvement.

In 2011, Seagal produced and starred in an American television action series entitled ''True Justice''. The series first aired on Nitro, a TV station in Spain, on May 12, 2011. It premiered in the UK on 5 USA, with the first episode broadcast July 20, 2011. April 26, 2012 the series was renewed for a second season airing on ReelzChannel July 4, 2012. In the UK, ''True Justice'' has been repackaged as a series of DVD "movies," with each disc editing together two episodes.

Themes and motifs

Many of Seagal's films share unique elements which have become characteristic of his body of work. His characters often have an elite past affiliation with the CIA, Special Forces, or Black Ops (for example, Casey Ryback in ''Under Siege'', a former Navy SEAL, Jack Cole in ''The Glimmer Man'', an ex-CIA police detective, or Jonathan Cold in '' The Foreigner'' and '' Black Dawn'', an ex-CIA Black Ops freelancer). His characters differ from those of other action movie icons by virtue of their near-invulnerability; they almost never face any significant physical threat, easily overpowering any opposition and never facing bodily harm or even temporary defeat. A notable exception is 2010's ''Machete'', which features Seagal in a rare villainous role.

In 2008, author and critic Vern (no last name) published ''Seagalogy'', a work which examines Seagal's filmography using the framework of auteur theory. The book divides Seagal's filmography into different chronological "eras" with distinct thematic elements. The book was updated in 2012 to include more recent films and Seagal's work on the reality TV show '' Steven Seagal: Lawman''.

Other ventures

Music

Seagal plays the guitar. His songs have been featured in several of his movies, including ''Fire Down Below'' and ''Ticker''. Among his extensive collection are guitars previously owned by "the Kings"; Albert, BB, and Freddie, as well as Bo Diddley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix.Marshall, Wolf
"Albert King's Flying Vs"
''Vintage Guitar'', published June 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2016.

In 2005, he released his first album, ''Songs from the Crystal Cave'', which has a mix of pop, world, country, 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 several countries alongside an accompanying music video. Seagal's second album, titled ''Mojo Priest'', was released in April 2006. Subsequently, he spent the summer of 2006 touring the United States and Europe with his band, Thunderbox, in support of the album.

Law enforcement work

Seagal has been a Reserve Deputy Chief in the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff's Office. In the late 1980s, after teaching the deputies martial arts, unarmed combat, and marksmanship, then-sheriff Harry Lee (1932–2007) asked Seagal to join the force. Seagal's rank in Louisiana was ceremonial.

'' Steven Seagal: Lawman'', a series which follows his work in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, premiered on A&E on December 2, 2009. 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." The series premiere drew 3.6 million viewers, ranking as best season opener for any original A&E series ever.

On April 14, 2010, the series was suspended by Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand due to a sexual trafficking lawsuit filed against Seagal. The suit was later dropped. A&E resumed the show for the second season, which began on October 6, 2010.

Production on Season 3 started in February 2011, with a change of location from Louisiana to Maricopa County, Arizona. Two episodes were scheduled to be aired, beginning on January 4, 2012. Shortly before the episodes were to be aired, Season 3 was suspended, with no explanations given. Season 3 premiered on January 2, 2014, but the show was not renewed for a fourth season.

In October 2011, Seagal was sworn-in as the Sheriff department’s deputy sheriff of Hudspeth County, Texas, a law department responsible for patrolling a 98-mile stretch of the Texas-Mexico border.

Business ventures

In 2005, Seagal Enterprises began to market an energy drink known as "Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt", but it has since been discontinued. Seagal has also marketed an aftershave called "Scent of Action", and a range of knives and weapons.

In 2013, Seagal joined newly formed Russian firearms manufacturer ORSIS, representing the company in both a promotional capacity as well as lobbying for the easement of US import restrictions on Russian sporting firearms. It was also announced he would work with the company to develop a signature long-range rifle known provisionally as "ORSIS by Steven Seagal".

Personal life

Seagal has an extensive sword collection, and at one time had a custom gun made for him once a month.

Residences

Seagal owns a home in the Mandeville Canyon section of Los Angeles, and a home in Louisiana.

Religion

Seagal is a Buddhist. In February 1997, Lama Penor Rinpoche from Palyul monastery announced that Seagal was a tulku, and specifically the reincarnation of Chungdrag Dorje, a 17th-century terton (treasure revealer) of the Nyingma, the oldest sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Citizenship

Seagal reportedly holds citizenships in three countries: the United States, Serbia, and Russia. Born in the United States, he possesses ''jus soli'' U.S. citizenship. He was granted Serbian citizenship on January 11, 2016, following several visits to the country, and has been asked to teach aikido to the Serbian Special Forces.

Seagal was granted Russian citizenship on November 3, 2016; according to government spokesman Dmitry Peskov

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