Steven Frederic Seagal (/sɪˈɡɑːl/sih-GAHL; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician.[2] A 7th-dan black belt andshihan inAikikai aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan where he became the first non-Japanese and American to operate an aikidodojo.[3][4][5] He later moved toLos Angeles where he continued teaching aikido. In 1988, Seagal made his acting debut inAbove the Law, which is regarded as the first American film to feature aikido in fight sequences.[6]
By 1991, he had starred in three commercially successful films, and would go on to achieve greater fame inUnder Siege (1992), where he played Navy SEAL counter-terrorist expertCasey Ryback, a role he reprised in the sequelUnder Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). In 1994, he starred in hisdirectorial debut filmOn Deadly Ground. During the latter half of the 1990s, Seagal starred in three more feature films and the direct-to-video filmThe Patriot. Subsequently, his career shifted to mostly direct-to-video productions. He has since appeared in films and reality shows, most notably as the main villain inRobert Rodriguez'sMachete (2010), andSteven Seagal: Lawman, which depicted Seagal performing duties as a reserve deputy sheriff.
Steven Seagal was born on April 10, 1952, inLansing, Michigan,[19] the son of Patricia Anne Fisher, a medical technician, and Samuel Seagal, a mathematics teacher. His mother was of Irish descent, while his father was Jewish.[20] His paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants.[21] During an interview for the Russian talk showLet Them Talk, Seagal stated that he has paternal ancestors from the Siberian city ofVladivostok, as well as Belarus and Saint Petersburg. He claims that genetic testing determined that he hasYakut andBuryat ancestry as well.[22] When he was 5, Seagal moved with his parents toFullerton, California. His mother later toldPeople magazine that prior to the move Seagal was frail and suffered fromasthma: "He was a puny kid back then. But he really thrived after the move [from Michigan]."[23]
Seagal attendedBuena Park High School inBuena Park, California, andFullerton College between 1970 and 1971. Seagal has been described as a “pathological liar”[24] due to his propensity of making greatly exaggerated or outright fabricated statements about his personal life and achievements.[25] For instance, Seagal has stated that he was a student of the founder ofaikido,Morihei Ueshiba, despite the fact that Ueshiba died in 1969 when Seagal was 17 and five years before Seagal moved to Japan at age 22 — when he moved there toavoid the draft for the Vietnam War by marrying a Japanese national.[23][25]
Martial arts and Japan
According to Seagal's first wife, Miyako Fujitani: "I met Steven inCalifornia in the fall of 1974. He followed me back toJapan in October. We got married in December 1974."[25] Fujitani was a second-degree black belt and daughter of anJūsō,Osaka aikido master who had come toLos Angeles to teach aikido. After they married, they had a son, Kentaro, and a daughter,Ayako. Seagal taught at the school owned by Miyako's family and earned hisaikido black belt in 1978. While there, he ran the Fujitani family dojo on behalf of Miyako's retired father, making him the first westerner to operate an Aikido dojo.[5][23][4] Interviewed in 1993, Fujitani stated that: "The only reason Steven was awarded the black belt was because the judge, who was famous for his laziness, fell asleep during Steven's presentation. The judge just gave him the black belt."[25]
Seagal has claimed that he helped trainCIA agents inJapan: "They saw my abilities, both with martial arts and with the language. You could say that I became an advisor to several CIA agents in the field, and through my friends in the CIA, I met many powerful people and did special works and favors."[23] Fujitani has refuted these allegations and has also dismissed Seagal's claims that he had combattedyakuza. There is no evidence that Seagal has ever worked with the Central Intelligence Agency.[25] In the early-1980s, Seagal had aspirations to return toAmerica and become amovie star.[25] Fujitani then "scrimped and saved for years, even denying herself and her children necessities, to help pay his way home."[25] According to Fujitani, "he then availed himself of her savings and hied off."[25]
Seagal returned toTaos, 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 United States in 1983 with senior student Haruo Matsuoka. They opened an aikido dojo, initially inNorth Hollywood, but later moved it to the city ofWest Hollywood. Seagal left Matsuoka in charge of the dojo, which the latter ran until the two parted ways in 1997.[26][27][28] In the early 1980s, Seagal had his first experiences in the film industry by working as a fight coordinator onThe Challenge (1982), which was shot in Japan,[29] andNever Say Never Again (1983).[30]
Later in his career, Seagal helped train Brazilian mixed martial artistLyoto Machida, who credited Seagal for helping him perfect thefront kick that he used to knock outRandy Couture atUFC 129 in May 2011.[31][32]
Career
1987–1993: Hollywood action star
In 1987, Seagal began work on his first film as an actor,Above the Law (titledNico in Europe), with directorAndrew Davis. Seagal was asked to make the film by agentMichael Ovitz, who reportedly became convinced that Seagal hadmovie star potential after taking aikido classes with him.[33] Ovitz financed Seagal's successfulscreen test, which led Seagal to be offered a contract byWarner Bros.[34] Ovitz's role in starting Seagal's acting career led to a long-standing, unfounded rumor that the agent had made a bet that he could turn anyone into a movie star and decided to bank on his martial arts teacher to win his wager.[35]Above the Law was a success, grossing $18,869,631 in the U.S.[36] andRoger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times stated "It contains 50 percent more plot than it needs, but that allows it room to grow in areas not ordinarily covered in action thrillers."[37] Following its success, Seagal's subsequent movies wereHard to Kill,Marked for Death, andOut for Justice; all were box office hits and made Seagal anaction hero.Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times wrote, "Mr. Seagal is effective for both his novelty value and his ability to be both literally and figuratively disarming."[38]
Seagal achieved mainstream success in 1992 with the release ofUnder Siege, which reunited him with director Andrew Davis for what critics described as "Die Hard on a battleship".Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 83% based on reviews from 30 critics. The site's consensus states: "A well-directed action thriller that makes the most of its confined setting,Under Siege marks a high point for early '90s action—and its star's spotty filmography."[39] Reviewers praisedTommy Lee Jones andGary Busey's performances as the film's villains,[40][41][42] and it is often considered Seagal's best film to date.[43]
On April 20, 1991, Seagal hostedSeason 16, Episode 18 ofSaturday Night Live. The series' long-time executive producerLorne Michaels and cast-membersDavid Spade andTim 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.[44][45] 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."[45]
SNL cast memberJulia Sweeney later recalled that Seagal "had this idea that he's a therapist and he wantedVictoria Jackson to be his patient who's just been raped. And the therapist says, 'You're going to have to come to me twice a week for like three years," because, he said, 'That's how therapists freaking are. They're just trying to get your money.' And then he says that the psychiatrist tries to have sex with her."[45] The cast and crew's difficulties with Seagal were later echoed on-air by Michaels during guest hostNicolas 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."[46]
1994–2002: Career fluctuations
Seagal directed and starred inOn Deadly Ground (1994), featuringMichael Caine,R. Lee Ermey, andBilly 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,[47] 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, titledUnder Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), for which he was paid $15 million.[48][49] According to co-starMorris Chestnut, Seagal rewrote many of the scenes he was in. "The only time they really stuck to the script or had ad libs was the stuff when he really wasn't there. It was a lot of stuff, because at that time I think he was flying a helicopter, he was doing something... He would come to set, "Okay, you're gonna say this. I'm gonna say this and this is gonna happen and then you do that." That's how we did a lot of that movie."[50]
In 1996, Seagal had a role in theKurt Russell filmExecutive Decision, portraying a special ops soldier who appears in only the film's first 45 minutes. Former Warner Bros Vice President Bill Daly later stated Seagal agreed to the role in exchange for the studio forgiving him losing his director's salary due to going over-budget withOn Deadly Ground.[51] 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 anEPAOffice of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance agent fighting industrialists dumping toxic waste in theKentucky hills.[52] AfterFire Down Below his deal with Warner Bros. ended.[49]
In 1998, Seagal madeThe Patriot, another environmental thriller which was his firstdirect-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 inMontana. After producingPrince of Central Park, Seagal returned to Warner Bros. and cinema screens with the release ofExit Wounds in March 2001.[49] The film had fewer martial arts scenes than Seagal's previous films, but it was a commercial success, taking almost $80 million worldwide. It was considered at the time to be a "comeback" for Seagal.[53] However, Seagal was unable to capitalize on this success and his next two projects were both critical and commercial failures. The movieTicker, co-starringTom Sizemore andDennis Hopper, was filmed in San Francisco beforeExit Wounds, and went straight to DVD.Half Past Dead, starringhip hop starJa Rule, made less than $20 million worldwide. It was ranked in aRotten Tomatoes editorial on the 100 worst movies of all time.[54] Seagal was also nominated for Worst Actor at the 2002Stinkers Bad Movie Awards and the23rd Golden Raspberry Awards.[55][56]
2003–present: direct-to-video films and television
Seagal speaking at the Astana International Action Film Festival in July 2011
In 2011, Seagal produced and starred in an American television action series entitledTrue Justice. The series first aired onNitro, a TV station in Spain, on May 12, 2011.[60] It premiered in the UK on5 USA, with the first episode broadcast July 20, 2011.[61] The series was renewed for a second season airing onReelzChannel.[62] In the UK,True Justice was repackaged as a series of DVD movies, with each disc editing together two episodes.
Influence and artistry
At the height of his career, Seagal was one of the biggest action movie stars in the world, and one of the most successful martial arts actors of the 1980s and 1990s, alongsideJean-Claude Van Damme.[63][64] Credited with popularisingaikido in film, Seagal is considered an important figure in the development and popularization of East Asian martial arts in the West.[65]
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 theCIA,Special Forces, orBlack Ops (for example,Casey Ryback inUnder Siege, a formerNavy SEAL; Jack Cole inThe Glimmer Man, an ex-CIA police detective; or Jonathan Cold inThe Foreigner andBlack Dawn, an ex-CIA Black Ops freelancer). His characters differ from those of other action movie icons by virtue of their near-invulnerability; they rarely face any significant physical threat, easily overpowering any opposition and seldom facing bodily harm or even temporary defeat.[66] Two notable exceptions areExecutive Decision (1996), in which Seagal's character is introduced as afalse protagonist only to bekilled halfway through[67] andMachete (2010), which features Seagal in a rarevillainous role.[68]
Seagal's films also frequently reflect aspects of his personal life. His music appears in several of his films (for example,Into the Sun andTicker, where he appears as part of a bar band), as does his fluency in other languages (he speaks Japanese inInto the Sun) and religion (Buddhism features prominently inThe Glimmer Man andBelly of the Beast). His past as an aikido teacher is also incorporated into several films, for exampleAbove the Law (which opens with a montage of real-life photos from Seagal's own past) orShadow Man, where he is seen giving an aikido demonstration. Several of his films also feature prominent political messages, most notably the environmentalism evident inOn Deadly Ground.[69]
While Seagal's acting inAbove the Law gained praise from the likes ofRoger Ebert, Seagal has repeatedly faced criticism from both critics and fans who accuse him of playing the same character in many of his movies, as well as displaying a lack of emotional range. In fact, histypecasting has been informally referred to as "Seagalism" and has become the subject of muchparody. In 2008, author andcritic Vern publishedSeagalogy, a work which examines Seagal's filmography using the framework ofauteur theory. Vern describes themes of government corruption (particularly involving the CIA),environmentalism, and adoption of foreign cultures as being examples of recurrent motifs in Seagal's films, among a variety of others. The first edition breaks Seagal's career into four chronological "eras", marked by specific differences in style and content. The 2012 updated edition adds a fifth era.[70][71][72]
These chronological "eras" describe different phases of Seagal's career, and include the "Golden Era" (1988–1991), the period of Seagal's first successes, the "Silver Era" (1992–1997), during which Seagal saw the peak of his fame and made high-profile blockbusters, a "Transitional Period" (1998–2002) during which he made lower-profile or ensemble films, a lengthy "direct-to-video" period (his most prolific to date, 2003–2008) and, in the 2012 updated addition, a "Chief Seagal" period (2009–present) during which Seagal moved intotelevision and began reflecting elements of hisSteven Seagal: Lawman persona in his films.[73]
Other ventures
Music
Seagal performing in 2007
Seagal plays the guitar and among his extensive collection are guitars previously owned by "the Kings";Albert,BB, andFreddie, as well asBo Diddley,Stevie Ray Vaughan,Buddy Guy,Howlin' Wolf,Muddy Waters, andJimi Hendrix.[74] In 2004, he released his first album,Songs from the Crystal Cave, which has a mix of pop,world,country, andblues music. It features duets withTony Rebel, Lt. Stichie,Lady Saw, andStevie Wonder. The soundtrack to Seagal's 2005 filmInto 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, titledMojo Priest, was released in April 2006; Seagal used the material to embark on a concert tour.[75] Thom Jurek ofAllMusic panned the album, rating it 1.5 stars out of 5 and stating that Seagal's guitar playing "rarely rises above bar band pedigree" and that "all of this music takes itself so seriously that it borders on delusional excess."[76]
Law enforcement work
Seagal has been aReserve Deputy Chief in theJefferson Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff's Office. In the late 1980s, after teaching the deputies martial arts, unarmed combat, andmarksmanship, then-sheriffHarry Lee (1932–2007) asked Seagal to join the force. Seagal's rank in Louisiana was ceremonial.[77]Steven Seagal: Lawman, a series which follows his work in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, premiered onA&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.[78]
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.[79] 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 toMaricopa County, Arizona.[80] Two episodes were scheduled to be aired, beginning on January 4, 2012.[81] 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.[82] In October 2011, Seagal was sworn in as the Sheriff department's deputy sheriff ofHudspeth County, Texas, a law department responsible for patrolling a 98-mile stretch of the Texas-Mexico border.[83]
Business ventures
In 1997, Seagal was to be featured in an action video game for theNintendo 64 and theoriginal PlayStation calledDeadly Honor, but it was cancelled for undisclosed reasons in its beta phase of development.[84] In 2005, Seagal Enterprises began to market anenergy 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.[85][86] In 2013, Seagal joined newly formed Russian firearms manufacturerORSIS, representing the company in both a promotional capacity[87] as well as lobbying for the easement of US import restrictions on Russian sporting firearms.[88]
Seagal signing his Russian passport in November 2016
Seagal holds citizenships in three countries: the United States, Serbia, and Russia.[94][95] Born in the United States, he possessesjus soliU.S. citizenship. He was grantedSerbian citizenship on January 11, 2016, following several visits to the country, and has been asked to teach aikido to theSerbian Special Forces.[96][97]
Seagal was grantedRussian citizenship on November 3, 2016; according to government spokesmanDmitry Peskov, "He was asking quite insistently and over a lengthy period to be granted citizenship."[98][15] Various media outlets have cited Seagal and PresidentVladimir Putin as friends and Seagal stated that he "would like to consider [Putin] as a brother".[13] Putin bestowed the Russian award ofOrder of Friendship medal upon Seagal in 2023;[17] Peskov has said of Putin: "he's definitely seen some of his movies."[99]
Seagal introduces his wife Erdenetuya Batsukh toMatthieu Ricard in January 2008
While in Japan, Seagal married his first wife, Miyako Fujitani, the daughter of an aikido instructor. With Fujitani, he had a son, actor and model Kentaro Seagal, and a daughter, writer and actressAyako Fujitani. Seagal left Miyako to move back to the United States.[100][101] During this time, he met actress and modelKelly LeBrock, with whom he began an affair that led to Fujitani granting him a divorce.[23] Seagal was briefly married to actressAdrienne La Russa in 1984, but that marriage was annulled the same year over concerns that his divorce had not yet been finalized.[102] LeBrock gave birth to Seagal's daughter Annaliza in early 1987. Seagal and LeBrock married in September 1987 and their son Dominic was born in June 1990.[23] Their daughter Arissa was born in 1993.[103] The following year, LeBrock filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences".[102][103]
Seagal is married toMongolian Erdenetuya Batsukh (Mongolian:Батсүхийн Эрдэнэтуяа), better known as "Elle".[104][105] They have one son together, Kunzang.[106] From an early age, Elle trained as a dancer at the Children's Palace inUlaanbaatar, Mongolia. After her graduation from high school and the Children's Palace, she pursued a career as a professional dancer. She won a number of dancing contests and was considered the top female dancer in Mongolia, excelling at ballroom dancing in particular. Elle first met Seagal in 2001, when she worked as his interpreter during his visit to Mongolia. Seagal has seven children from four relationships, two grandchildren by his eldest son, Kentaro[107] and two granddaughters by his daughter Ayako Fujitani.[108] In addition to his biological offspring, Seagal is theguardian ofYabshi Pan Rinzinwangmo,[109] the only child of the10th Panchen Lama ofTibet. When she studied in the United States, Seagal was herminder andbodyguard.[110]
In 2017, former two time World boxing heavyweight championGeorge Foreman publicly challenged Seagal to an official ten-round MMA match in Las Vegas.[111]
In May 1991 (during the filming ofOut for Justice), Warner Bros. employees Raenne Malone, Nicole Selinger, and Christine Keeve accused Seagal ofsexual harassment.[25] In return for remaining silent, Malone and another woman received around $50,000 each in an out-of-court settlement.[25][112] Around the same time, at least four actresses said that Seagal had made sexual advances, typically during late-night "casting sessions".[113] In another incident,Jenny McCarthy said that Seagal asked her to undress during an audition forUnder Siege 2: Dark Territory.[114]
In 1995, Seagal was charged withemployment discrimination, sexual harassment, andbreach of contract.[115] Cheryl Shuman filed a case against Seagal, accusing him of threatening and beating her during the filming ofOn Deadly Ground. In August 1995, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki dismissed the case, calling the claims "repetitive and unintelligible".[115]
On April 12, 2010, 23-year-old Kayden Nguyen filed a lawsuit against Seagal in aLos Angeles County Superior Court, requesting more than one million dollars indamages.[116][117][118] In her suit, Nguyen alleged Seagal engaged in sexual harassment, the illegaltrafficking of females for sex, failure to prevent sexual harassment, andwrongful termination.[116][117] Seagal denied the allegations, but his reality showSteven Seagal: Lawman was suspended while his attorneys resolved the case.[117] On July 14, 2010, three months after Nguyen filed her suit, she withdrew her claim without explanation.[119][120]
On August 30, 2011, Jesus Sanchez Llovera filed a lawsuit against Seagal over his part in a Maricopa county police raid with heavy weapons (notably including an army surplus tank) of Llovera's residence for suspicion ofcockfighting. The incident was taped for Seagal's A&E reality showSteven Seagal: Lawman. Llovera was seeking $100,000 for damages caused during the raid and a letter of apology from Seagal to Llovera's children for the death of their family pet. Llovera claimed that his 11-month-old puppy was shot and killed during the raid.[121] Llovera failed to file court-ordered paperwork after his attorney withdrew from the case and the lawsuit was dismissed in January 2013.[122]
In 2017, actressPortia de Rossi accused Seagal of sexually harassing her during a movie audition. De Rossi alleged that during an audition in Seagal's office, he told her "how important it was to have chemistry off-screen" before unzipping his pants.[123][124] On an April 18 appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live!,Katherine Heigl alleged on the final day of shooting forUnder Siege 2 that Seagal told her that he had girlfriends the same age as the 16-year-old Heigl. Kimmel responded by displaying a photo from the film's promotional tour showing Seagal's hand on Heigl's chest while they posed for a photo.[125] On November 9, 2017, Dutch model Faviola Dadis posted a statement on her Instagram account stating that she also had been sexually assaulted by Seagal years earlier.[126]
On January 15, 2018, actressRachel Grant publicly accused Seagal of sexually assaulting her in 2002, during pre-production on his direct-to-video film,Out for a Kill (2003), stating that she lost her job on the film after the incident.[127][128] In February 2018, theLos Angeles County District Attorney's office acknowledged that it was reviewing a potential sex-abuse case involving Seagal.[129]
In March 2018, Regina Simons publicly claimed that in 1993, when she was 18, Seagal raped her at his home when she arrived for what she thought was a wrap party for the movieOn Deadly Ground.[130] In September 2018, Los Angeles prosecutors refused to charge the actor based on Regina Simons's accusations, due to California'sstatute of limitations. Two months later, the case involving the actress Rachel Grant was dismissed for the same reasons.[131]
Victim of attempted extortion
Seagal became embroiled in a legal case involving film producerJulius R. Nasso after Nasso attempted to extort Seagal. Nasso produced seven of Seagal's films beginning withMarked for Death in 1990. The two "became best friends", according to Seagal, and formedSeagal/Nasso Productions together. Their relationship became strained, however, and their partnership ended in 2000. Believing that Seagal owed him $3 million in compensation for backing out of a four-film deal, Nasso enlisted members of theGambino crime family to threaten Seagal in an attempt to recoup money Nasso allegedly lost.[132]
Gambino family captainAnthony Ciccone first visited Seagal inToronto during the filming ofExit Wounds in October 2000.[132] In January 2001,Primo Cassarino and other gangsters picked up Seagal by car to bring him to a meeting with Ciccone at aBrooklyn restaurant. At the meeting, Ciccone reportedly told Seagal that he had a choice of making four promised movies with Nasso or paying Nasso a penalty of $150,000 per movie, and that if Seagal refused, Ciccone would kill him.[133]
Seagal, who later claimed that he brought a handgun to the meeting, was able to stall Ciccone and escape the meeting unharmed.[134] In the spring of 2001, Seagal sought out another mobster,Genovese crime family captainAngelo Prisco, to act as a "peacemaker". He visited Prisco in prison atRahway, New Jersey and paid Prisco's lawyer $10,000.[135]
On March 17, 2003, Cassarino, Ciccone and others were convicted of labor racketeering, extortion, and 63 other counts under theRacketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.[136] Seagal testified for the prosecution about the mobsters' extortion attempt.[137] Nasso pleaded guilty to the charge of extortion conspiracy in August 2003. In February 2004, he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, fined $75,000 and ordered to take mental health counselling on release from jail.[138] In January 2008, Nasso agreed to drop a $60 million lawsuit against Seagal for an alleged breach of contract when the two settled out of court.[139]
Conflicts with stuntmen
Seagal has been accused by former stunt performers who have worked with him, includingKane Hodder,Stephen Quadros, andGene LeBell, of intentionally hitting stuntmen during scenes.[140][141] Additionally, while serving as stunt coordinator forOut for Justice, LeBell allegedly got into an on-set altercation with Seagal over his mistreatment of some of the film's stunt performers. After the actor claimed that, due to hisaikido training, he was "immune" to being choked unconscious, LeBell supposedly offered Seagal the opportunity to prove it. With Seagal's permission, LeBell then successfully choked him unconscious, with Seagal losing bowel control. Although LeBell has not directly confirmed the rumor, he implied that it was true in a 2012 interview.[142][143] Seagal's bodyguard and stuntman Steven Lambert stated that a confrontation did happen, during which Seagal elbowed LeBell before he could lock the hold, after which LeBell flipped Seagal.[144] Seagal has directly denied that a confrontation took place, calling LeBell a "sick, pathological scumbag liar".[145]
Robart Wall included LeBell in his "Dirty Dozen", a list of martial artists willing to answer to a public challenge made by Seagal.[146] LeBell however declined to participate, as the feud with Seagal was hurting him professionally. He did however criticize Seagal for his treatment of stuntmen, and left open the possibility of a professional fight if Seagal wanted.[147]
Allegations of mistreatment towards stuntmen have continued throughout Seagal's later career, with both stuntman Peter Harris Kent (Arnold Schwarzenegger's stunt double) andMike Leeder publicly criticizing his on-set antics.[148] ActorJohn Leguizamo also claimed that during rehearsals onExecutive Decision, in retaliation for laughing at him, Seagal caught him off guard and knocked him into a brick wall.[149]Michael Jai White, who acted with him in a number of movies, stated that he routinely hit stunt men, and that he was known for it. He said they just accepted it. However, he stated that Seagal never hit him.[150]
Political views and activism
Seagal lent his voice as a narrator for an activist film project,Medicine Lake Video. The project seeks to protect sacred tribal ground near Seagal's ranch inSiskiyou County.[151] He also wrote anopen letter to the leadership ofThailand in 2003, urging them to enact a law to prevent thetorture of baby elephants.[152] In 1999, Seagal was awarded a PETA Humanitarian Award.[153][154][155]
Seagal and Vladimir Putin attending a Russian martial arts championship in August 2012Seagal and Putin meeting at the aquarium onRusskiy Island in September 2015
In a March 2014 interview withRossiyskaya Gazeta, Seagal describedVladimir Putin as "one of the great living world leaders". He expressed support for theannexation of Crimea by Russia.[13] In July 2014, following calls for a boycott, Seagal was dropped from the lineup of theAugust Blues Festival inHaapsalu,Estonia.[156][157] Estonian musicianTõnis Mägi, minister of Foreign Affairs,Urmas Paet, andParliament's Foreign Affairs chairmanMarko Mihkelson had all condemned inviting Seagal into the country,[157] with Paet saying, "Steven Seagal has tried to actively participate in politics during the past few months and has done it in a way which is unacceptable to the majority of the world that respects democracy and the rule of law."[158]
In August 2014, Seagal appeared at aNight Wolves-organized show inSevastopol, Crimea, supporting the Crimean annexation and depictingUkraine as a country controlled by fascists.[159][160] On November 3, Seagal was grantedRussian citizenship by Putin.[161] His views on Ukraine and Russian citizenship caused Ukraine to ban him from entering the country because he "committed socially dangerous actions".[162] Seagal visited theRepublic of Azerbaijan in 2015 and met with the country's long-time president,Ilham Aliyev.[163] Seagal has expressed support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and dispute with neighboringArmenia over theNagorno-Karabakh conflict.[164]
^"Russian citizen Steven Seagal reveals his Siberian roots".The Siberian Times. December 9, 2016. Archived fromthe original on September 1, 2022. RetrievedAugust 17, 2022.The star told how he hopes to visit Lake Baikal 'a lot' because his paternal roots are from here – in the Buddhist republic of Buryatia. But he also has Yakut blood, he said. 'My father comes from Vladivostok,' [...] We have family from Siberia, we have family from Belarus, family from, apparently, St. Petersburg.
^Vern (May 9, 2016)."Sniper: Special Ops".Vern's Reviews: On The Films Of Cinema. RetrievedJune 19, 2020.
^"Nitro estrena Justicia Extrema" (in Spanish). Nitro. May 11, 2011. Archived fromthe original on September 27, 2013. RetrievedJuly 30, 2011.NITRO, the channel Antena 3, is converted from tomorrow Thursday at 22:15 am in the first World Television to broadcast the series Extreme Justice (True Justice), starring and produced by Steven Seagal.
^Zeman, Ned (October 2002)."Siegel Under Siege".Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on February 24, 2003. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2017.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Thomas Nilsson,A Conversation with "The Toughest Man Alive": "Judo" Gene LeBell Has Seen and Done It All in a 50-Year Martial Arts Career, Black Belt magazine, February 1999
^David W. Clary,Wall Challenges Seagal to Face "Dirty Dozen", Black Belt magazine, March 1992
_07.jpg)
.jpg)
