Steven Seagal is one of the world’s most famous actors – but it’s not the only career path that he’s ever taken.
In fact, the now 65 year old had a successful career as – of all things – a martial arts instructor, before changing tack to work in the movie industry. In his first life, he became the first foreigner ever to operate an aikido dojo in Japan, but in 1988 after moving back to the US, he landed his first major film role.
He’s found fame in action films primarily, but also dabbles in production and screenwriting, proving he really is a multi-talented man. In addition to his Hollywood duties, Segal also finds time to dabble in music. A talented songwriter, his first album featured both Stevie Wonder and Tony Rebel – not bad for a martial artist turned movie star.
In his spare time, Segal is a political campaigner and ardent environmentalist, so any audience for which you choose to hire him is sure to find some common ground. He’s available as a celebrity hire for all sorts of endorsements and events via MN2S talent agents.
We’ve rounded up three of his best roles below:
Above the Law (Nico)
Segal’s first film was a script that he wrote himself, after being unimpressed by the roles he was offered by Warner Brothers. Released under the title ‘Nico’ in Europe, it features Segal as Sgt Nico Toscani, a detective with the Chicago Police Department who is working to bust a drugs ring and root out corruption in the CIA. It’s a fantastic romp of a film that any action movie buff will love. Many of its themes, including the title character’s time spent in Japan, mirror Segal’s own life story. It is also one of the first, if not the first, American film to feature the martial art Aikido in fight scenes – another of Segal’s influences.
Under Siege
Perhaps Segal’s most famous film, Under Siege, sees him starring as an ex-navy SEAL who is on the final voyage of the USS Missouri before it is decommissioned. During the voyage, a group of commandos posing as caterers fly in via helicopter and take over the ship, with the intent of stealing missiles from the vessel and using them for various nefarious purposes. Just in the nick of time, Segal’s character (Casey Ryback, a chef) and his colleagues storm the command room and avert catastrophe. It’s widely regarded as Segal’s most successful film, and grossed more than $156 million at the box office, spawning a sequel and receiving widely positive reviews both at the time and retrospectively.
Executive Decision
Another of Segal’s biggest hits was Executive Decision, although his character is unceremoniously dispatched of just 45 minutes into the film. The movie centres around the hijacking of a US senator’s flight with a bomb on-board, and during an attempt to board the flight mid air, Segal’s character Lt.
Austin Travis has to sacrifice himself to save his colleagues. Eventually, the good guys manage to take back control of the plane and avoid any loss of life, with one of the amateur pilots in the team safely landing it at a nearby airfield. It was generally well reviewed and did well at the box office, with one reviewer saying that: ‘The picture’s logic may be a bit fast and loose, but its action-and-excitement quotient is top-notch.’
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