What Form of Martial Arts Does Steven Seagull Know?

The Untold Truth Of Steven Seagal

In 1992, Steven Seagal starred in Under Siege, an action flick that grossed over $150 one thousand thousand worldwide. In 2003, he played in The Greenhorn, a picture show with a 0 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But the ups and downs of Seagal's contour at your neighborhood cineplex just tell 1 function of his stranger-than-fiction story. If you've followed him at all over the years, yous know there'southward a lot to talk almost — basically, this guy has come a long fashion, much of it downwardly, since the 1990s. In addition to some of the messes surrounding his still-prolific movie career, Seagal has been involved in a long string of scandals featuring the likes of Sean Connery and Vladimir Putin (yes, that Vladimir Putin). He's taken a stab at reality TV, existent-life police force enforcement, various licensed products, and a recording career. The guy has fifty-fifty gone upwards against the mob and the FBI. While his career is often derided by critics, in that location's no denying Seagal lives one wild life.

He's incredibly hard to work with

According to multiple actors, Steven Seagal is an incredibly difficult coworker, something John Leguizamo discovered the hard way. While filming Executive Conclusion, Seagal got angry with his costar and allegedly shoved Leguizamo against a wall. Maybe he'd merely watched Super Mario Brothers?

Seagal also made life hard for the Saturday Night Live cast. While hosting the show in 1991, he was "very disquisitional of the cast and writing staff." Co-ordinate to Tim Meadows, Seagal "didn't realize that you can't tell somebody they're stupid on Wed and expect them to continue writing for you on Saturday." David Spade, meanwhile, said that in his six years on the show, Seagal was the accented worst host, which probably had a lot to do with the aikido rex'southward taste in comedy. According to Julia Sweeney, Seagal wanted to perform a sketch where he played a therapist who wants to sleep with a rape survivor. Ha ha? Obviously, Seagal was so frustrating, he was banned from ever hosting again.

Stephen Tobolowsky also learned firsthand virtually Seagal's petulant means. In The Blink Man, Tobolowsky played a serial killer — naturally, Seagal was supposed to accident the bad guy away. Simply then Seagal decided information technology was "bad for his karma" to continue killing people onscreen. Now, he wanted Tobolowsky to survive. Thinking on his feet, Tobolowsky explained that his character was trapped in his own private Hell. Past killing the villain, Seagal would be allowing the bad guy to reincarnate as a more peaceful being. Seagal agreed, and the scene went on as scripted. Unfortunately, Seagal afterwards ad-libbed the line, "Give thanks God I didn't kill that guy..." Tobolowsky then had to record a few lines to make information technology seem like his obviously dead character had actually survived, like a bad horror movie monster. According to IMDb, still, those lines didn't make the final cut.

Reincarnation controversy

Hollywood is home to several famous Buddhists, like Richard Gere or Keanu Reeves. Just the most powerful glory Buddhist practices aikido and sports a ponytail. As information technology turns out, Steven Seagal is pretty high up on the spiritual ladder, but his ascent to the elevation has drawn some criticism from his religious peers.

In 1997, Penor Rinpoche, the Supreme Head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, announced that Seagal was a tulku. In layman's terms, a tulku is a reincarnated Buddhist master who has "vowed to take rebirth to aid all beings attain enlightenment." Rinpoche believed that, back in the 17th century, Seagal was actually Terton Chungdrag Dorie, a renowned translator who opened his own monastery and found several powerful relics. Thanks to this spiritual "history," Seagal was declared a lama (a venerated teacher in Tibetan Buddhism). According to The Guardian, that means "he is but a notch downwardly from the Dalai Lama himself." During his inauguration, Seagal pledged to help ease suffering beyond the world, and since and so, he's given seminars on compassion at New Age retreat centers.

However, several people are skeptical of Seagal's spiritual condition. Since he's been accused of sexual harassment, some accept questioned whether or non he has the moral graphic symbol to be a lama. Even Richard Gere expressed some doubt, saying, "If someone's a tulku, that'south peachy. Just no one knows if [Seagal'southward claim] is true." Others allege that, before he was pronounced a tulku, Seagal had donated quite a chip of cash to Rinpoche's school, which might explain his conveniently glorious past life. It's all peculiarly weird considering these reincarnated teachers are generally discovered every bit children.

Steven Seagal is not a child.

His weird relationship with the UFC

In February 2011, UFC fans prepared to picket middleweight champion Anderson Silva face off against Vitor Belfort. At the time, Silva was widely considered the greatest mixed martial artist on the planet, and in circular one, he knocked Belfort out with a forepart kick to the face up. Information technology was i of the most iconic moments in UFC history ... and days later, Seagal was taking all the credit.

According to Seagal, he was the man who taught Anderson Silva how to use that particular kick. In fact, Seagal fifty-fifty claimed that he'd invented that boot. While many causeless Seagal was lying, the role player had indeed escorted Silva to the ring that fateful dark. And a few events afterward, Lyoto Machida knocked out the legendary Randy Couture with a Karate Kid-style crane kick. In one case once more, Seagal took credit for the movie, this fourth dimension while on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

While Silva seemed to enjoy the joke at outset, the gnaw somewhen decided to speak up, explaining how he'd been practicing the front kicking long before he met Seagal. In his famous broken English language, Silva admitted, "Seagal is a good homo. No motorcoach. No railroad train me. Is a proficient human. Is a good person. That's it."

Other athletes are far less polite. When Seagal tried to go backstage at UFC 135 to suggest light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, the fighter turned him away. Ronda Rousey once claimed she could "beat the crap" out of the actor. Seagal even challenged two-time ex-champion Randy Couture to a fight ... so long as there weren't any witnesses effectually. When asked about the matchup, Couture said he wasn't surprised that Seagal wanted to fight "in a private, remote location where nobody could run across it happen."

Steven Seagal versus James Bond

In addition to interim, Steven Seagal has done quite a flake of fight choreography. According to IMDb, most of the films he's choreographed are his ain, merely in the early '80s, Seagal worked on the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, having been brought onboard to teach Sean Connery nearly martial arts. At present, Connery was already well-versed in karate. While preparing for 1967's You Simply Live Twice, the thespian was awarded an honorary third-degree black belt. But for his seventh outing equally Bond, Connery needed to learn a niggling aikido, so Steven was hired to teach Sean how to throw opponents and dispense joints.

At first, the lessons seemed to exist going well ... too well, in fact. As Connery put it, "I got a trivial self considering I thought I knew what I was doing," and then an irritated Seagal allegedly grabbed Connery'due south arm and broke the histrion's wrist. While he was undoubtedly in hurting, Connery kept on grooming. In fact, he didn't realize that Seagal had actually snapped his wrist until the belatedly '90s. That must've been 1 tiresome-healing injury.

Of form, Seagal can take a bit of hurting likewise. While working on his breakout moving picture, Higher up the Police, role player Henry Silva bankrupt Seagal's nose with an overzealous punch. Knowing the show must go along, Seagal stayed up late that night, icing his battered schnoz so he could continue on shooting the next day.

Steven Seagal versus the Dirty Dozen

In his heyday, Steven Seagal was the biggest martial arts star in Hollywood. But that doesn't mean he could fight in real life – in fact, he very well can't. Seagal is a legit seventh dan in aikido, a martial art that relies on joint locks and the redirection of momentum. In fact, Seagal was the beginning American to teach aikido in Japan. Only honestly, aikido is pretty worthless when it comes to self-defence force. According to fight analyst Jack Slack, aikido just works if your "opponent is running direct at you lot," something most smart fighters never practise. And as UFC commentator Joe Rogan explained, aikido "would never piece of work against a trained fighter, never, not in a million years." Watch the video above and you'll see why.

Nevertheless, Seagal claimed he could beat anyone, anywhere, anytime. Even worse, Seagal made some controversial comments about Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and the sport of full-contact karate. This didn't sit well with Bob Wall. An role player and high-ranking black belt with plenty of tournament experience, Wall was friends with Norris, had worked with Lee, and absolutely didn't care for Seagal'southward attitude. Wanting to teach the actor a lesson, Wall assembled the "Dirty Dozen," a group of angry kickboxing and karate champions like Benny Urquidez, Bill Wallace, and Howard Jackson. Some wanted to show Seagal was a fake, others were upset at his forementioned comments, while others wanted to avenge a grouping of stuntmen whom Seagal had allegedly injured.

Wanting to go the actor's attention, the Dozen appeared in magazines similar Prevue and Black Belt, only despite their efforts, there was never any showdown. Instead, when Seagal finally met Wall, the movie star supposedly apologized for what he'd said. And if you need more definitive proof that Steven Seagal sucks as an actual fighter ...

The time Steven Seagal got high-strung out

While Seagal never faced off with Bob Wall, many people claim he did square off with "Judo" Gene LeBell. A martial arts pioneer, LeBell has studied nigh every fighting style imaginable, from taekwondo to boxing otka rate. But LeBell was particularly fond of grappling, excelling at both judo and jujitsu. The homo was a two-time national heavyweight judo champion, taught Bruce Lee how to grapple, and currently serves as a mentor to UFC megastar Ronda Rousey. LeBell also competed in the first televised MMA fight in American history, when he used his ground game against boxer Milo Savage in 1963. So, he's tough for real.

LeBell also worked as an actor and a stuntman, appearing in over one,000 films and TV shows. He was the fight choreographer on Out for Justice, an activity movie starring Steven Seagal. During filming, Seagal allegedly said no 1 in the world could choke him out, claiming he had a special move that prevented anyone from putting him to slumber. Naturally, Cistron accepted the claiming, and the ii guys went at it. Inside seconds, LeBell had Seagal in a rear-naked choke. And that'southward when the aikido principal supposedly pulled out his super-hush-hush, special fob motility—a karate strike to LeBell's balls. To be fair, we would definitely break the hold if he did that to united states.

Despite the low accident, LeBell held on — before long, Seagal was out similar a light. On top of that, the actor reportedly had a bizarre reaction to beingness choked out. According to LeBell, Seagal must've had a big repast before the match, because the unconscious star suddenly soiled himself. Plain, Seagal denies the fight ever took place, but co-ordinate to the "Godfather of Grappling," Seagal was a truly crappy fighter.

Steven Seagal versus the mob

Steven Seagal has battled all sorts of bad guys on the silver screen, from terrorists to the yakuza. Simply Seagal has also faced some scary villains in real life, namely the Mafia. In the '90s, Seagal teamed up with producer Julius R. Nasso (pictured above). Together, the duo made a string of hits, but their human relationship soured in 2000. Eventually, the 2 had a falling-out, but things took a nighttime turn when the Gambino crime family got involved.

I solar day, Seagal was ordered into a car and escorted to a Brooklyn restaurant, where he met an alleged Gambino helm named Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone. According to Seagal, Ciccone ordered him to beginning working with Nasso over again. He also demanded that Seagal fork over $150,000 for every movie he fabricated. Patently, Seagal was so shaken, he gave the gangsters $700,000. The martial artist had every reason to exist agape. As he left the coming together, someone supposedly told Seagal, "If you would have said the incorrect matter, they would have killed you."

The scandal came to light in 2003, when the government indicted alleged crime boss Peter Gotti and 16 others for a whole host of crimes. In addition to Seagal's testimony, the regime had recordings of several individuals—including Siccone and Nasso—discussing how they would intimidate Seagal. They fifty-fifty laughed about how they'd scared the movie star. Nasso defended himself by proverb Seagal had backed out of several movie deals, and owed him $500,000. Regardless, the producer was sentenced to i year in federal prison. But one time a crooked mob guy, always a kleptomaniacal mob guy — Nasso wanted his cash, and sued Seagal for $60 million. Subsequently the producer got out of jail, he settled with the role player for an undisclosed amount of money.

Steven Seagal versus the FBI

While never a critical darling, Steven Seagal used to pull in some impressive box role numbers. Simply these days, his films become straight to DVD / Blu-Ray / Any-Else-The-Kids-Use-Past-The-Time-You-Read-This. Then what happened to Seagal's career? Well, he blames his decline on, of all things, the FBI.

In 2002, Los Angeles Times reporter Anita Busch was investigating Seagal nigh Julius Nasso and the whole Mafia mess. But one morning, she institute a expressionless fish, a rose, and a sign that read "Stop!" on her windshield. Plus, there was a brand-new bullet pigsty, just what her auto always wanted. Afraid, Busch informed the FBI, and the feds began investigating Seagal. At start, the FBI thought the histrion had hired a detective named Anthony Pellicano to intimidate Busch. They also suspected Seagal of hiring a thug to scare Vanity Off-white writer Ned Zeman with a gun.

Just afterward digging deeper, the FBI ended there was no show confronting Seagal. (The actor fifty-fifty took a polygraph to evidence his innocence.) Instead, they focused on Pellicano, the private eye who illegally spied on celebrities. Then, Seagal just fell by the wayside. The FBI never charged him, but they didn't exonerate him either. The histrion believes all the notoriety from the Pellicano case majorly harmed his career ... and he might have a point. According to one Hollywood publicist, "Steven Seagal was no Harrison Ford when this [scandal] happened. But these accusations certainly hastened his decline." So it only makes sense that Seagal wants an apology from the FBI. Every bit for Pellicano, he was sentenced to prison in 2008, and information technology looks similar he'll exist behind bars until 2018.

Seagal'southward insane raid

In addition to his love of blues music and ornate saddles, Steven Seagal is also fascinated with law enforcement. In fact, Seagal really served as a cop in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, for virtually 20 years. So, in 2009, Seagal took things to the next level past starring in a reality prove called Steven Seagal: Lawman. In the 3rd flavour, Seagal moved to Arizona and teamed upwardly with the controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County. Arpaio is also known as something of a media hound, and then when Seagal showed up with camera in tow, the Maricopa cop decided to put on one crazy bear witness.

In 2011, Arpaio orchestrated a raid against Jesus Llovera, a local suspected of cockfighting. Just when the cops showed up, they had a lot more than just a warrant. There were up to 40 SWAT officers, a flop squad, Yard-ix units, armored vehicles, and of grade, Steven Seagal riding on top of a tank. During the raid, parts of the doubtable's firm were damaged, and Seagal'southward tank tore down the gates to Llovera'south holding.

But afterward arresting Llovera, Seagal and Maricopa officials found themselves faced with another problem: Llovera owned over 100 roosters. What could they do with all those chickens? Well, they did what any humane police enforcement officer would: they decided to euthanize them all. Even worse, Llovera claimed the police force killed his 11-calendar month-old puppy.

Furious, Llovera started a lawsuit against the Maricopa Canton Sheriff's Office and demanded an apology letter from Seagal. Simply afterwards pleading guilty to cockfighting, the lawsuit was dropped. Fortunately, the insane Arizona raid was never aired on TV.

He's pretty tight with Putin

Most people agree that Vladimir Putin is a not bad, a dictator, and a human rights violator. Steven Seagal is ... not most people. To the reverse, Seagal thinks Putin is "1 of the greatest earth leaders, if not the greatest world leader, live today." He considers the ex-KGB agent "a friend" and "a brother," and he even described Putin'southward actions toward Ukraine every bit "very reasonable." While Seagal isn't the only glory who supports Putin—in that location's also Mickey Rourke and Gerard Depardieu—his human relationship with the Russian president is really something special.

The two bros start met in 2003 while Seagal was at the Moscow Movie Festival, and they rapidly hitting information technology off, probably thanks to their shared beloved of martial arts. (Putin is an eighth-degree blackness belt in judo, though information technology's admittedly easy to rise through the ranks when you lot can have your sensei killed if they neglect you) Soon, they were dining together, visiting dojos, and promoting old Soviet practice programs together. They fifty-fifty visited the Russian judo team as they were preparing for the 2012 Olympics.

This human relationship eventually culminated in 2015, when Putin asked President Obama to make Seagal an honorary consul of Russia, in California and Arizona. That way, the actor could serve as a become-between for the two countries. Needless to say, Obama vetoed that idea pretty quick. But while he isn't running messages from the Kremlin to the White House, Seagal visits Russian federation pretty oftentimes. He'south given aikido demonstrations to Russian crowds, visited the factory that produces Kalashnikov rifles, attended a parade on the 70th anniversary of the Nazi surrender to the USSR, and once played a concert for pro-Russian separatists in the Crimean Peninsula.

In other words, for a guy who supposedly loves American justice, Steven Seagal conspicuously loves Female parent Russia even more.

He's a Russian denizen who'southward banned from the Ukraine

Information technology's i thing to admire Vladimir Putin, but quite some other to dear him so much that y'all motility in with the guy. That's (kind of) what Steven Seagal did in November 2016, when he officially received a Russian passport and became a citizen of the Motherland. What's more, Putin himself signed the passport, challenge he hopes that the Under Siege guy being a Russkie will aid to promote "gradual normalization of the relations between Russia and the United States." Considering when yous desire normalization, you selection Steven Seagal to lead the charge.

Merely it appears the make-new Russian citizen is already grinding other countries' gears, as Ukraine announced in May 2017 that Seagal would exist banned for v years. According to the Ukraine Security Service, the ban was implemented "on the basis of Ukrainian national security," likely due to Seagal'south admiration for Russia's ambitious tactics in the region. (Think of the Crimean Peninsula, which Ukraine would very much like back.) No word nonetheless on whether Seagal'southward movies are banned, too. Let's hope his films stay — we wouldn't desire an unabridged nation to take to go without witnessing the magic that is Born To Raise Hell.

He loves animals, peculiarly mystical ones

For a guy so famous for breaking bones, spilling claret, and being a pain-in-the-rump to about anybody around him, Steven Seagal is surprisingly gentle and loving toward animals. A vegetarian who prefers "shaming companies into changing," probably by angrily mumbling at them until they agree to use fake fur, Seagal says he sees himself in all God's creatures. As he explained it, "When I walk into a room some people run across a canis familiaris, some people see a cow. I am all of what they see. It is their perception." (Honestly, this "oh, it'southward a dog" thing could just be people trying badly to pretend Steven Seagal isn't in the room.)

He'south not just talk, either — in 1999, Seagal worked to force Southward Africa to stop exporting baby elephants to Japan and received a PETA Humanitarian Award for information technology. Four years later, he wrote the government of Thailand about getting them to stop torturing infant elephants — co-ordinate to his website he "singlehandedly" made modify happen there. He's also attempted to shame India into being better to cows. Mayhap that's why Rob Schneider filmed The Animal, and then Seagal would stop being so weird around him.

Merely his favorite animals of all are the mystical, soothsaying ones. During an interview with PETA, Seagal claimed when he was a immature cadet but learning Aikido in Nihon, a white canis familiaris came along and started chilling. After a few days, the dog started barking at the hereafter master of the face-smothering goatee, telepathically warning Seagal that his dojo was on burn. And it was on fire. Seagal put the fire out, and the domestic dog disappeared, never to bark over again. PETA, upon hearing this "magical ESP domestic dog" story, gave Seagal an honor anyway. Nosotros're not sure whether that says more well-nigh PETA or Seagal.

He's a guitar-slingin' singer-songwriter who loves the blues

Steven Seagal's hands aren't just for breaking people's bodies — they're also for making sweet, sweetness music. Yes, Seagal is a long-time musician who loves him some blues. Whether the dejection loves him back is another question entirely.

Seagal has been playing guitar since age 12 and heads the Steven Seagal Blues Band. It wasn't until 2005, nonetheless, that Seagal released his first album, Songs From the Crystal Cave. If Bruce Willis's blues career got your mojo running but you need something fresh, y'all might dig this. (Might.) It's straightforward blues, though not nearly equally grimy and soulful every bit BB Male monarch, Buddy Guy, or John Goodman. In fact, SputnikMusic called Crystal Cave "the Programme 9 From Outer Space of records," probably due to the lethal combination of Seagal singing exactly similar he speaks (mumbly and half-asleep), half-dozen-string noodling that'south but slightly more impressive than a tween playing "Louie Louie" at Guitar Center, and Seagal-penned lyrics like "Y'all're similar a ghost / The more you eat, the more you're hungry / A hungrier ghost." Ghosts don't need to swallow, Steven. You lot'd think a spiritual guy like y'all would know that.

Simply don't accept our word for information technology — merely mind to the music. Hither's "Music," which we put in quotes because that'south the championship, not considering it barely qualifies as music. Here's "Daughter, It'due south Alright," which sounds like the first song Jack Johnson always threw in the trash. Finally, enjoy "Jealousy," the hungry ghost song. It's a great high-schoolhouse-yearbook-quote melody, at the very least.

Maybe dancing is more your thing? Here he is doing a Chechen trip the light fantastic — either that or he was beingness swarmed past gnats. Whatever he'southward doing, it's far more than entertaining than Into The Sunday.

Is that a gun in your couch or are you happy to see me?

Getty Images

In 2018, Emmy-winning star Julianna Margulies (The Good Married woman) was a guest on The Katie Couric Podcast, where they discussed the #MeToo move and how actresses are speaking up near gross and creepy encounters they've endured. Margulies remembered a "horrific" hotel room meeting she'd had with Steven Seagal in the early 1990s.

When a casting director told her Seagal wanted to go over a scene with her in his room, she went, incorrectly assuming that the casting director would also nourish. "I walked in and I sat downward and I jumped right back up because there was something very uncomfortable and hard in the couch. He laughed and said, 'Oh, sorry, that must have been my gun,'" Margulies recalled. "He lifted up the cushion and he took out his gun." When Margulies grew noticeably nervous, Seagal explained that he casually packed to protect himself from "all the crazies that are out there."

It got weirder. Seagal claimed to exist a "healer," and asked to read Margulies's palms. "He told me I had actually weak kidneys. At that point, to exist honest, equally a New York girl, I kind of started laughing inside." Shortly thereafter, Margulies said she "squirmed" out of the room. But and so she realized she hadn't received the cab fare she'd been promised, so she went back asked for it. She got the cash, likewise every bit the function in Out for Justice...although she demanded she never be solitary with Seagal on prepare.

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Source: https://www.looper.com/29030/untold-truth-steven-seagal/