Steven Seagal is a famous American actor, martial artist, and movie producer. He is well known for his roles in action movies which often showcase his martial arts skills. He has starred in a couple of blockbuster projects such as Above The Law, Hard To Kill, Marked For Death, Out For Justice and Under Siege . Seagal is also an environmental and animal rights activist and has used some of his later movies to promote same. In addition, he holds the citizenship of other countries such as Russia and Serbia and in 2018, the Russian government made him their special envoy to the U.S.
Steven Seagal Biography
Steven Frederick Seagal was born on the 10th of April, 1952 in Lansing, Michigan. His mom, Patricia had Dutch, English and German heritage while his dad, Samuel was the son of a Jewish-Russian who had immigrated to the States. Seagal spent his formative years in California and fell in love with martial arts at an early age. By the time he was 7, he was already training under a professional karate instructor.
He completed his high school education at Buena Park High School before enrolling at Fullerton College. He spent only a year at Fullerton before his passion for martial arts took him to Japan in 1971. Seagal returned to the States in 1974, armed with a first Dan certification in aikido (a style of Japanese martial art). Between 1974 and 1983, he split his time between Japan and California, instructing at various martial arts school (known as dojo).
While instructing rich clients in L.A., Steven Seagal caught the eye of a popular Hollywood financier who reasoned that his martial arts skills would make him a perfect fit for action movies, which were in vogue at the time. The financier, Michael Ortiz, gave him a lead role in the 1988 action film, Above The Law. The film was a success and launched Seagal’s career as an action film star. Other movies he has featured in are Marked for Death (where he played a former DEA agent battling Jamaican drug lords), Hard to Kill (an L.A. detective out to avenge his wife’s death), Out For Justice (an NYPD detective in pursuit of his partner’s killers) and the Oscar-nominated Under Siege (where he plays a Navy SEAL battling a group of mercenaries). Steven Seagal is also an outspoken environmental and animal rights activist. Some of his movies have advocated environmental issues. They are On Deadly Ground (1994), The Glimmer Man (1996), Fire Down Below (1997) and The Patriot (1998).
Seagal’s career has been marred by allegations of sexual harassment dating back to the 1990s. Some actresses and female employees have accused him of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and even rape. He has denied all the allegations and has not been convicted of any.
Net Worth
Steven Seagal has a net worth estimated at $16 million. He made his fortune from a number of sources including his movies. He has earned at least $600 million from the movies he has featured in. The action star has also been involved in several successful business ventures including an energy drink (lightning bolt), a range of knives and weapons as well as an aftershave. Seagal has also made money from endorsement deals. He has partnered with a Russian gun maker, ORSIS, both in an ambassadorial and lobbyist capacity. The company also developed a rifle under his name.
Spouse and Children
The actor has been married four times. His first marriage was to a Japanese woman, Miyako Fujitani, in 1975. The marriage produced two children, Kentaro (son) and Ayako (daughter). The union was however dissolved in 1986. Seagal got married for a second time, to actress Adrienne La Russa, in 1984. At the time, his first marriage had not been dissolved. as such, this second marriage was not legal and thus annulled. Seagal’s third marriage was in September 1987 when he got hitched to his Hard to Kill co-star and on-screen wife, Kelly LeBrock. They had three children together, Annaliza and Arissa (daughters) and Dominic (son). Their marriage lasted nearly a decade but they divorced in 1996. Seagal is now married to a Mongolian woman, Elle. They have a son named Kunzang.
Who is His Sister?
Steven Seagal has a sister named Brenda Seagal. There is not much information available about her except that she lives in Toronto, Canada. Some people erroneously assume that the award-winning actor, Katie Sagal, is his sister. This is not true. They are not related and their surnames are different in spelling.
Height and Weight
Seagal is 6 feet 4 inches or 1.93m tall and weighs 265lbs or 120kg. His eye color is dark brown while his hair is black. As a result of age, Seagal has lost some of the good looks that made him one of Hollywood’s favorite action stars in his heydays.