Steven Seagal has lived quite an eventful life. Always moving and experiencing various parts of the world, the well-known actor initially stepped into the world of showbiz through a leap of faith.
Seagal has starred in numerous high-grossing films and was once one of the biggest action stars, only to fade into relative obscurity. What happened since then? And how does he look now?
Here’s everything you need to know about Steven Seagal today!
Steven Seagal became an adult quickly, leaving his home country before turning 18. Since then, the 6ft 4in actor, musician, and even law enforcement officer has truly done it all, becoming a film star as well as a martial arts master.
But while it might seem like Seagal’s life has been filled with nothing but happiness and success, he has gone through several tough periods as well. Today, he might look quite different to you.
Here’s all you need to know about Steven Seagal – and why he stepped away from the spotlight.
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
From a young age, Seagal had a keen interest in music. He frequently listened to the blues, which would influence him throughout his life.
“I got my first guitar when I was 12,” he explained. “The blues got into my blood, you know. I started to imitate them and tried to learn from them.”
Seagal was not only interested in music but also very passionate about martial arts. Interestingly, a lie was what first led him down the path of karate.
At the age of five, his family moved to Fullerton, California. Young Steven Seagal had asthma and was quite frail as a child.
“He was a puny kid back then. But he really thrived after the move,” his mother told People, recalling his childhood.
Seagal reportedly lied about his age to secure a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant. The chef, who knew karate, saw potential in Seagal and decided to teach him.
Following his studies at the local high school, Seagal decided to leave the US at 17. In 1968, he moved to Japan to teach English and further practice martial arts.
Seagal dedicated himself to martial arts, learning every day. He stayed in Japan for 15 years, becoming a well-respected figure in the field.
Steven Seagal – martial arts
Seagal steadily transformed into somewhat of a celebrity, appearing in many martial arts magazines. He became the only Westerner at the time to operate his own dojo—a “school for training in various arts of self-defense”—in Japan.
Seagal mastered martial arts and earned black belts in karate, judo, kendo, and aikido.
Initially, it was tough for Seagal to be a Westerner who had moved to Japan to learn martial arts. Many Westerners believed you could simply pay someone to learn a few moves and then return to America to teach what you’d learned.
But things weren’t that simple.
“You have to understand that the way to enlightenment is through deprivation. They create an environment where you’re not getting any approval for all the work you’re putting in,” Seagal told the Los Angeles Times in 1986. “You aren’t getting any sleep or love or attention, and you’re getting your butt kicked while you’re up before anyone else fixing meals and cleaning.”
“They push you to your limit, and when you are so deprived and hungry for everything, a window opens up in your mind that, when they do give you something, you’ll get it, understand it, appreciate it, and understand some of the mystical deeper meaning that starts to become available to you.”
Entering show business
“Martial arts must be an endeavor where you are trying to develop the physical man and perfect the spiritual self at the same time,” he added. “If what you’re doing is devoid of spiritual essence, it’s nothing but street fighting.”
Seagal stayed in Japan for 15 years before returning to the US in 1984. There, he opened his own dojo with stuntman Craig Dunn.
Initially shocked by the “fast-food approach” to martial arts in the US, he even criticized legendary actor Chuck Norris’s films for their martial arts skills.
Seagal took matters into his own hands, teaching martial arts himself. Eventually, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
With senior student Haruo Matsouka, whom he brought from Japan, Seagal opened an Aikido dojo in West Hollywood while also working as a martial arts coordinator.
Seagal worked on films such as The Challenge (1982), starring Scott Glenn, and the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983) with Sean Connery.
Never Say Never Again was Connery’s final Bond film. Working with Seagal, however, turned out to be quite a painful experience.
Broke Sean Connery’s wrist
Connery was reportedly a trained black belt in karate. But when the Bond actor got “a little cocky” with his moves, Seagal made it clear that wasn’t okay.
“We were going to do a film called Never Say Never Again, and there was a possibility I was going to do Aikido,” Connery said on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1996. “Steven was really good, and I got cocky because I thought I knew what I was doing. I did that—and he broke my wrist.”
Connery claimed that he never realized his wrist was broken until years later.
At this time, Seagal worked on films but was never in them himself. He then became a bodyguard to different celebrities, including Kelly LeBrock, who would become his future wife.
Seagal also worked as a bodyguard for Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz, an important person in his life.
Steven Seagal – biggest movies
Ovitz, a martial arts fan, was impressed with Seagal’s skills and believed he would be great on-screen.
He personally paid for Seagal’s screen test with Warner Bros, and the executives were impressed. On a deserted studio sound stage, Seagal displayed his Aikido skills, leaving the studio heads astonished.
“The demonstration was miraculous,” Warner Bros. President Terry Semel told the Los Angeles Times in 1988. “With just a toss of his hand, Steven would send the other guy flying. I’m no martial-arts expert, but he had the ability to knock these guys up in the air effortlessly—it was astounding.”
They signed Seagal to his first film Above the Law.
“Michael has been one of Steven’s major supporters,” Semel explained. “He went far beyond just being Steven’s agent. With his superstar client list, you wouldn’t normally see him work so closely with a first-time actor.
“But he really believes Steven can be a star. Michael knew Steven from the world of martial arts, where Steven is something of a celebrity.
“So Michael got really 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 recognized action film star overnight. In the 1990s, he starred in films such as Under Siege (1992) and Under Siege 2 (1995), playing Navy Seals counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback. The film grossed $160 million worldwide, making him an international star.
He directed the 1993 film Deadly Ground, featuring legendary actor Michael Caine, though it failed miserably, losing an estimated $50 million.
To date, Steven Seagal has worked on over 50 productions as an actor. Despite that, he’s never really cracked the top tier of Hollywood celebrities.
What is he doing today? Well, he is no longer living in the US but in Russia. According to News24, the US government is trying to collect $200,000 which Seagal owes for “failing to disclose he was being paid to promote a digital token.”
According to The Sun, Seagal was granted Russian citizenship in November 2016. Two years later, the Russian foreign ministry gave him a job as “special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties.” The position is reportedly unpaid.
Seagal isn’t short on money – his net worth is around $16 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Through his Instagram page, Seagal posts plenty of pictures of himself. He certainly doesn’t look the same as he did 20 years ago!
Steven Seagal: Family, wife, children
Seagal has lived a long and productive life, focusing on more than just his career. His professional life has been eventful, but his private life hasn’t been calm either.
In 1975, he married aikido master Miyako Fujitani. They had a son, Kentaro, and a daughter, Ayako, before divorcing in 1986.
He then had a three-year relationship with Adrienne LaRussa before marrying Kelly LeBrock in 1987. They had two daughters, Annaliza and Arissa, and a son, Dominic. They divorced in 1996, but Seagal had an affair with his children’s nanny, Arissa Wolf, while married to LeBrock.
They had a daughter named Savannah.
After leaving Japan and moving back to the US, Seagal seemingly lost all contact with his children.
In an interview with RadarOnline, Seagal’s eldest son Kentaro revealed he no longer speaks to his father and Seagal hasn’t reached out. Kentaro said he doesn’t “even know” his father.
Steven Seagal has done it all as a martial arts coordinator, actor, and bodyguard. Even though he’s aged and doesn’t look the same, he still is the same old Steven!
