Steven Seagal has had a really up-and-down life. He’s always been moving around, living in different places all over the world. He became famous by taking a big chance and diving into the entertainment industry.
Steven Seagal has been in some really successful movies and used to be a big action star. But then he kind of disappeared from the spotlight. What happened? And what does he look like now?
Here’s the scoop on Steven Seagal!
Steven Seagal grew up fast, leaving his home country before he turned 18. Since then, this tall guy, standing at 6 feet 4 inches, has done a bit of everything: he’s been an actor, a musician, and even worked as a cop!
But even though it might seem like Steven Seagal’s life has always been full of success, he’s had some tough times too. And if you see him now, he might look different than you remember.
Here’s the lowdown on Steven Seagal – and why he’s not as famous as he used to be.
Steven Seagal was born on April 10, 1952, in Lansing, Michigan. His mother, Patricia, worked as a medical technician and his father, Samuel, was a high school mathematics teacher.
Steven Seagal – early life
When Seagal was young, he loved music, especially the blues. He said, “I got my first guitar when I was 12. The blues got into my blood, you know. I started to imitate them and tried to learn from them.”
He was also really into martial arts. In fact, a little fib got him started in karate.
When he was 5, his family moved to Fullerton, California. Seagal had asthma and wasn’t very strong as a kid.
“He was a small kid back then. But he really improved after the move,” his mom said.
Seagal apparently fibbed about his age to get a job washing dishes at a restaurant. The chef, who knew karate, thought Seagal was quick on his feet and decided to teach him.
After high school, Seagal left the US when he was 17. He went to Japan in 1968 to teach English and keep learning martial arts.
Seagal became a devout student of martial arts, educating himself each day. He stayed in Japan for 15 years, and by the end of his stint had become a very well-respected figure in the field.
Steven Seagal – martial arts
Seagal started becoming famous, showing up in lots of martial arts magazines. Plus, he became the only non-Japanese person to have his own dojo, which is like a school for martial arts, in Japan.
He got really good at martial arts and earned black belts in karate, judo, kendo, and aikido.
At first, though, it was tough for Seagal. Being a Westerner learning martial arts in Japan wasn’t easy. Some people thought you could just pay to learn a few moves and then teach them back in America. But Seagal said it wasn’t like that at all.
“You have to understand, the way to get really good is through hard work and sacrifice. They put you in a tough situation where you’re not getting much praise for all the effort you’re putting in. You’re not sleeping much, not getting love or attention, and you’re getting beat up. You’re up before everyone else, making food and cleaning,” Seagal explained.
“They push you to your limit and when you are so deprived and so hungry for everything, a little window opens up in your mind that when they do give you something you’re going to get it, understand it, appreciate it, and you’ll understand some of the mystical deeper meaning that starts to become available to you.”
Entering show business
Never Say Never Again was the final Bond film starring Connery. But working with Steven Seagal on the film turned out to be quite a painful experience.
Broke Sean Connery’s wrist
Connery was supposedly really good at karate, even having a black belt. But when he started showing off a bit too much with his moves, Seagal wasn’t happy.
“We were going to work together on a movie called Never Say Never Again,” Connery said on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1996. “I thought I knew what I was doing because the idea is defense, but I got a bit too confident.”
“I tried something fancy—and he broke my wrist,” Connery said, holding his hand up to his face. He said he didn’t realize his wrist was broken until much later.
Around this time, Seagal was working on movies, but not acting in them. Instead, he became a bodyguard for different famous people. One of them was Kelly LeBrock, who later became his wife.
Seagal also worked as a bodyguard for Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz. He would become another very important person in Seagal’s life.
Steven Seagal – biggest movies
Ovitz, who really liked martial arts, was super impressed by Seagal’s skills. He thought Seagal would be awesome in movies.
So, Ovitz decided to pay for Seagal’s audition with Warner Bros. And the big bosses at the studio were blown away. On an empty sound stage, Seagal showed off his amazing aikido moves. The studio bosses couldn’t believe their eyes.
“The audition was like magic,” said Warner Bros. President Terry Semel in 1988. “With just a flick of his hand, Steven could send the other guy flying. I’m not an expert in martial arts, but the way he knocked those guys around effortlessly was pretty unbelievable.”
After seeing that, Warner Bros. signed Seagal for his first movie, Above the Law.
“Michael has been a huge supporter of Steven,” Semel said. “He did more than just be Steven’s agent. Usually, with a big star like Michael’s other clients, you wouldn’t see him get so involved with a new actor.”
“But he really believes Steven can be a star. Michael knew Steven from the world of martial arts, where Steven is apparently something of a celebrity.
“So Michael has really gotten involved. He’d constantly say to me, ‘Think of this guy. Think of this guy.’”
“Michael and I are very close–we love each other,” Seagal said. “I’m like a guru to him.”
What is Steven Seagal doing today?
Steven Seagal became a big action movie star almost overnight. In the 1990s, he was in movies like Under Siege (1992) and Under Siege 2 (1995), where he played a Navy Seals expert named Casey Ryback. These movies made a lot of money, around $160 million worldwide, and made Seagal famous around the world.
He also directed a movie in 1993 called Deadly Ground, with Michael Caine. But that movie didn’t do well at all. It lost about $50 million.
Seagal has been in more than 50 movies, but he’s never been at the very top of Hollywood’s A-list.
So, what’s he up to now? Well, he’s not living in the US anymore, he’s in Russia. The US government is trying to get $200,000 from him because they say he didn’t tell them he was getting paid to promote a digital currency.
He became a Russian citizen in 2016, and two years later, the Russian government gave him a job as a special representative for Russian-US relations. But they say he’s not getting paid for it.
Even though he’s had some financial trouble, Seagal’s still pretty wealthy. His net worth is about $16 million.
Through his Instagram page, Seagal posts plenty of pictures of himself. And he sure doesn’t look the same as he did 20 years ago!
Steven Seagal: Family, wife, children
After his first marriage ended, Seagal had a relationship with Adrienne LaRussa for three years. Then, in 1987, he married Kelly LeBrock. They had three kids together: two daughters named Annaliza and Arissa, and a son named Dominic. But they divorced in 1996, and during their marriage, Seagal had an affair with their nanny, Arissa Wolf. They had a daughter named Savannah.
When Seagal left Japan to come back to the US, it seems like he lost touch with his kids. His eldest son, Kentaro, said in an interview that he doesn’t talk to his father anymore, and Seagal hasn’t tried to reach out to him. In fact, Kentaro said he doesn’t really know his father at all.
Actor Steven Seagal is seen in attendance during the UFC 280 event at Etihad Arena on October 22, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)