- Published: November 14, 2021
- Updated: November 14, 2021
- University / College: University of Kent
- Language: English
- Downloads: 32
It would be hard not to remember the boyishly handsome man with the ever-present ponytail who made a grand entrance into the martial arts movie scene on the set of the popular Warner Bros film titled Above the Law (1998). Steven Seagal who studied the aikido style of martial arts in Asia carries himself differently from other players in martial arts movies with his all-black Italian designer suits and his poise which usually appears gentle and harmless until the going gets tough.
Unlike other known actors in the martial arts movies like Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme, who usually take the fights from the angle of tang soo do or Karate, Steven Seagal favors the aikido style of fighting which aims at using the inertia and body weight of the opponents to employ various holds, locks, and chokes that will eventually incapacitate them. Added to his skill in aikido is the actor’s talent as a singer and a guitarist, several of his songs including Ticker and Fire Down Below have been featured in some of his films.
The son of medical technician Patricia Seagal and high school mathematics teacher Samuel Seagal was born as Steven Frederic Seagal in Lansing, Michigan on the 10th day of April 1952. The talented entertainer of American nationality and mixed ethnicity was raised in the USA alongside his sister Brenda Seagal.
The young Steven passed through Buena Park High School, California. In his early years, he studied Martial arts under the tutelage of Fumio Demura, a popular Karate instructor and author. His training in aikido commenced in the 1960s under the supervision of Harry Ishisaka in Orange County, California. The enigmatic Steven Seagal moved to Japan to further his training in martial arts and in 1974, he received his initial accreditation.
With his fighting skills adequately honed, the martial arts expert bagged the 7th dan ranking in the Japanese martial art – aikido. The aikido instructor was teaching affluent clients in Los Angeles when the known Hollywood power broker Michael Ovitz saw the star value in the hunk of a man that was Steven Seagal and thus, his career in acting was born in the late 1980s with his debut film Above the Law.
The actor with the quiet husky voice has a net worth of $16 million which he owes to his acting career. His second career which is music has also made a significant contribution to his current wealth which is expected to increase in the nearest future.
