Steven Seagal

Steven Seagal
File:Steven Seagal by Gage Skidmore.jpg Steven Seagal in 2012.
Born	Steven Frederic Seagal (1952-04-10) April 10, 1952 Lansing, Michigan, United States
Nationality	American
Style	Aikido
Rank	7th degree black belt in Aikido
Years active	c. 1988 – present
Occupation	Actor, film producer, martial artist, musician, writer, director, reserve deputy sheriff, entrepreneur
Spouse	Miyako Fujitani (m. 1975–86) Adrienne La Russa (m. 1984–87) Kelly Le Brock (m. 1987–96) Erdenetuya (Batsukh) Seagal (m. 2009)
Children	7, including Ayako Fujitani
Website	stevenseagal.com

Steven Frederic Seagal (born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, film producer, screenwriter, film director, martial artist, Aikido instructor, musician, reserve deputy sheriff and entrepreneur.

A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan; becoming the first foreigner to operate an Aikido dojo in the country. He later moved to Los Angeles, California, where he worked as a martial arts instructor on Never Say Never Again; accidentally breaking actor Sean Connery's wrist during production. In 1988, Seagal made his acting debut in Above the Law. By 1991, he had starred in four successful films. He achieved further fame in 1992, when he played Navy SEALs counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback in Under Siege. However, On Deadly Ground (in 1994) and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (in 1995) were less successful at the box office. During the latter half of the 1990s, Seagal starred in three more theatrical films and the direct-to-video film The Patriot. Since that time, with the exception of Exit Wounds (in 2001) and Half Past Dead (in 2002), his career has shifted almost entirely to direct-to-video productions. From 1998 to 2014, Seagal appeared in a total of 27 of these. At the age of 58, he returned to prominence as Torrez in the 2010 film Machete; his first widely released film since 2002. Intermittently between 2009 and 2013, he filmed three seasons of his reality show Steven Seagal: Lawman, which depicted Seagal performing his duties as a reserve deputy sheriff in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana (season 1–2) and Maricopa County, Arizona (season 3). He also created and starred in two seasons of the undercover police drama series True Justice between 2011 and 2012.

Seagal is an accomplished guitarist; having released two studio albums (Songs from the Crystal Cave and Mojo Priest), and performed on a number of film scores. He has worked with many famous musicians, including Stevie Wonder and Tony Rebel (who both performed on his debut album).

As a businessman, Seagal has undertaken many ventures; he is estimated to be worth anywhere from $5–16 million (as of 2015). In 1997, he began "working closely" with Young Living on a line of "therapeutic oil" products. As the founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises, he began to market his own energy drink, Lightning Bolt, in 2005. In 2013, he began representing the Russian firearms manufacturer ORSIS; appearing in promotional campaigns.

In addition to his professional achievements, Seagal is known as an environmentalist, an animal rights activist, and as a supporter of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. He is also known for his outspoken political views and for his friendship with Vladimir Putin. Seagal once referred to Putin as "one of the great living world leaders".

Early life

Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan, where he lived until he was five years old, when his family moved to California. His mother, Patricia (1930–2003), was a medical technician, and his father, Samuel Seagal (1928–1991), was a high school math teacher. His mother was of English, German, and Dutch ancestry and his father was Jewish (the son of emigrants from Russia). In a Russian interview, Seagal stated that he had a Mongolian grandfather (either Buryat or Kalmyk). His parents relocated to Fullerton, California, where Seagal attended Buena Park High School in Buena Park.

Aikido

At the age of 13, Seagal lied about his age and got a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant named The Wagon Wheel. One of the cooks at the restaurant was a Japanese shotokan karate expert and noticed Seagal moved very quickly around the kitchen. He taught Seagal the basics of karate. Seagal began training in aikido under master Harry Kiyoshi Ishisaka, founder of the Orange County Aikido School (Orange County Aiki Kai) (OCAK) in 1964. Seagal considers him to have been the most important martial arts teacher in his life. Seagal moved to Japan at some point between the ages of 19 and 21 with his father who was visiting for military purposes, and met karate masters and decided to remain in Japan. He received his 1st dan degree (Shodan) under the direction of Koichi Tohei. He continued to train in aikido as a student of Seiseki Abe, Tohei (whose aikido organization, Ki Society, Seagal refused to join in favor of staying with the Aikikai), Kisaburo Osawa, Hiroshi Isoyama and the second doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba. He attained a 7th dan degree and Shihan in aikido, he also holds black belts in karate, judo and kendo and became the first foreigner to operate an aikido dojo in Japan.

After returning to California in 1974, Seagal met Miyako Fujitani, an aikido instructor teaching in Los Angeles. He returned with her to her native Japan in 1975 where they married. When Seagal's father-in-law, also an aikido instructor, retired, Seagal became the new head of the organization known as Tenshin Aikido in Jūsō, Osaka City (affiliated with the Aikikai). Seagal is known by his students as Take Sensei. When Seagal left his dojo in Osaka, his then-wife Miyako became the caretaker of the dojo which has continued to the present day. Seagal initially returned to Taos, 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 U.S. in 1983 with senior student Haruo Matsuoka. They opened an aikido dojo, initially in North Hollywood, California, but later moved it to the city of West Hollywood. Seagal left Matsuoka in charge of the dojo, which he ran until the two parted ways in 1997.

He has helped train Brazilian mixed martial artists Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida. Silva, who is the former UFC Middleweight Champion, went on to knock out Vitor Belfort with a kick, in their fight at UFC 126 in February 2011, and Machida also credited him for helping him perfect the front kick that he used to knock out Randy Couture at UFC 129 in May 2011.

Hollywood career

1980s – 1990s

In 1987, Seagal began work on his first film, Above the Law (titled Nico in Europe), with director Andrew Davis and reportedly as a favor to a former aikido student, the agent Michael Ovitz. Ovitz took Seagal to Warner Brothers to put on an aikido demonstration and the executives were impressed by him and offered him several scripts; Seagal turned them down but agreed to write what would become Above the Law. Following its success, Seagal made three more movies – Hard to Kill, Marked for Death, and Out for Justice – that were box office hits, making him an action hero. Later, he achieved wider, mainstream success in 1992 with the release of Under Siege (1992). That film reunited Seagal with director Andrew Davis, and was a blockbuster in the U.S. and abroad, grossing $156.4 million worldwide.

Seagal hosted the April 20, 1991 episode of the late night variety show Saturday Night Live, which aired as the 18th episode of the 16th season. Cast member David Spade regarded Seagal as the show's worst host during Spade's time there. Spade and co-star Tim Meadows cite Seagal's humorlessness, his ill treatment of the show's cast and writers, and his refusal to do a "Hans and Franz" sketch because that skit's titular characters stated that they could beat up Seagal. Seagal was never invited back to the show following that episode. Meadows commented, "He's didn't realize that you can't tell somebody they're stupid on Wednesday and expect them to continue writing for you on Saturday." The cast and crew's difficulties with Seagal were later echoed on-air by producer Lorne Michaels during guest host Nicholas Cage's monologue in the September 28, 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."

Seagal directed On Deadly Ground (1994). This film, in which he also starred, emphasized environmental and spiritual themes, signaling a break with his previous persona as a genre-ready inner-city cop. The film featured Michael Caine as well as R. Lee Ermey and Billy Bob Thornton in minor supporting roles. On Deadly Ground was poorly received by film critics, but despite many critics denouncing Seagal's long environmental speech in the film, Seagal considers it to have been one of the most important and relevant moments in his career. Seagal filmed a sequel to one of his most successful films, Under Siege, titled Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), and cop drama The Glimmer Man (1996). In 1996, he had a role in the Kurt Russell film Executive Decision, in which he played a special ops soldier who only appears in the film's first 45 minutes. He subsequently made another environmentally conscious film, Fire Down Below (1997), wherein he was an EPA agent fighting industrialists dumping toxic waste in the Kentucky hills, but the movie was commercially unsuccessful. This film ended his original multi-picture contract with Warner Bros.

Direct-to-video work

The next year, Seagal made The Patriot, another environmental thriller which was his first direct-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 in Montana.

After producing Prince of Central Park, Seagal returned to cinema screens with the release of Exit Wounds in March 2001. The film had fewer martial arts scenes than Seagal's previous films, but it was a commercial success, taking almost $80 million worldwide. However, he was unable to capitalize on this success and his next two projects were both critical and commercial failures. The movie Ticker, co-starring Tom Sizemore and Dennis Hopper, was filmed in San Francisco before Exit Wounds, and went straight to DVD. Half Past Dead, starring rap star Ja Rule, made less than $20 million worldwide.

All of the films Seagal has made since the latter half of 2001 have been released direct-to-video (DTV) in North America, with some theatrical releases to other countries around the world. Seagal is credited as a producer and sometimes a writer on many of these DTV movies, which include Black Dawn, Belly of the Beast, Out of Reach, Submerged, Kill Switch, Urban Justice, Pistol Whipped, Against the Dark, Driven to Kill, A Dangerous Man, Born to Raise Hell and The Keeper, a movie released in Japan fifteen weeks earlier than the United States.

Return to the big screen and television work

In 2009, A&E Network premiered the reality television series; Steven Seagal: Lawman, focusing on Seagal as a deputy in Louisiana. In 2010, Seagal appeared in his first theatrically released film in nearly a decade, as the main villain in Robert Rodriguez' Machete. In 2011, he produced and starred in a 13-episode television series entitled True Justice. It was renewed for a second season on ReelzChannel in 2012. In the UK, True Justice has been repackaged as a series of DVD "movies," with each disc editing together two episodes.

Themes and motifs

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 the CIA, Special Forces or Black Ops (for example, Casey Ryback in Under Siege, a former Navy SEAL, Jack Cole in The Glimmer Man, an ex-CIA police detective, or Jonathan Cold in The Foreigner and Black Dawn, an ex-CIA Black Ops freelancer.) His characters differ from those of other action movie icons by virtue of their near-invulnerability; they almost never face any significant physical threat, easily overpowering any opposition and never facing bodily harm or even temporary defeat. A notable exception is 2010's Machete, which features Seagal in a rare villainous role.

Seagal's films frequently reflect aspects of his personal life. His music appears in several of his films (for example, Into The Sun and Ticker, where he appears as part of a bar band), as does his fluency in other languages (he speaks Japanese in Into the Sun) and religion (Buddhism features prominently in The Glimmer Man and Belly of the Beast). His past as an aikido teacher is also incorporated into several films, for example Above the Law (which opens with a montage of real-life photos from Seagal's own past) or Shadow Man, where he is seen giving an aikido demonstration. Several of his films also feature prominent political messages, most notably the environmentalism evident in On Deadly Ground, which ends with a lengthy speech in which Seagal (playing ex-CIA firefighter Forrest Taft) accuses big business of rampant environmental degradation:

Big Business is primarily responsible for destroying the water we drink, the air we breathe and the food we eat. They have no care for the world they destroy, only for the money they make in the process... They basically control the legislation, and, in fact, they control the Law... They influence the media so that they can control our minds. They have made it a crime to speak out for ourselves, and if we do so we're called "conspiracy nuts" and we're laughed at... We have to force these companies to operate safely and responsibly, and with all our best interests in mind.

In 2008, author and critic Vern (no last name) published Seagalogy, a work which examines Seagal's filmography using the framework of auteur theory. The book divides Seagal's filmography into different chronological "eras" with distinct thematic elements. The book was updated in 2012 to include more recent films and Seagal's work on the reality TV show Steven Seagal: Lawman.

Other ventures

Music

File:Steven Seagal 3.jpg

Seagal live in 2007

In addition to acting and aikido, Seagal also plays the guitar, and his songs have been featured in several of his movies (such as Fire Down Below and Ticker). In 2005, he released his first album, Songs from the Crystal Cave, which has a mix of pop, world, country and blues music. It features duets with Tony Rebel, Lt. Stichie, Lady Saw, and Stevie Wonder. The soundtrack to Seagal's 2005 film Into the Sun features several songs from the album. One of his album tracks, "Girl It's Alright", was also released as a single in parts of the world alongside an accompanying music video created for it.

Seagal's second album, titled Mojo Priest, was released in April 2006. Subsequently, he spent summer 2006 touring the United States and Europe with his band, Thunderbox, in support of the album.

Law enforcement work

Seagal has been a Reserve Deputy Chief in the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Sheriff's Office. In the late 1980s after teaching the deputies martial arts, unarmed combat and marksmanship, proving that he is an expert in all of these skills longtime sheriff Harry Lee was so impressed he asked Seagal to join the force. Seagal owns a second home in Louisiana and spends several months there every year. According to the show, Seagal graduated from a police academy in Los Angeles over twenty years ago and has a certificate from Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST), an organization that accredits California police officers. However, POST officials in California and Louisiana have no record of Seagal being certified, and Seagal's rank in Louisiana is ceremonial.

In November 2008, A&E announced that they had begun taping Steven Seagal: Lawman, which follows his work in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. The series premiered on A&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.

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. A&E resumed the show for the second season which began on October 6, 2010.

In February 2011, A&E announced that the series would begin production on Season 3 episodes, with a change of location from Louisiana to Maricopa County, Arizona. Two episodes were scheduled to be aired beginning on January 4, 2012. The episodes were announced by A&E, who created Facebook page for the series and listed in the TV guide. Shortly before the episodes were to be aired, the web and Facebook pages about the series were removed. A&E made no announcements about the sudden suspension of Season 3 or whether there would be a third season.

It was announced on May 16, 2013, that the third season would air on Reelz starting in January 2014. Episodes from the first two seasons began airing on June 6, 2013. Season 3 premiered on January 2, 2014.

Business ventures

File:Steven-Seagal-Drink-4313.jpg

Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt energy drink.

In 1997, a company called Young Living Essential Oils announced it was "working closely" with Seagal on a line of "therapeutic oil" products. The company claimed that Seagal had also allowed them to "use his Montana ranch as an additional site to grow [the] plants used to distill Young Living's Essential Oils..." As of 2015, the company does not mention Seagal or any products co-created with him on its official website.

In 2005, Seagal Enterprises began to market an energy drink known as Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt. In the press material, Seagal claimed, "I have traveled the world creating this drink; there is none better that I know." In 2009, his official twitter profile released a tweet promising "Lightning Bolt will be back soon," but as of 2015 the official website is defunct and it appears that production has been discontinued.

Seagal has also marketed an aftershave called "Scent of Action," and a range of knives and weapons.

In 2013 Steven Seagal joined newly formed Russian firearms manufacturer ORSIS, representing the company in both a promotional capacity as well as lobbying for the easement of US import restrictions on Russian sporting firearms. It was also announced he would work with the company to develop a signature long range rifle known provisionally as "ORSIS by Steven Seagal".

Personal life

He owns a dude ranch in Colorado and a home in the Mandeville Canyon section of Brentwood, a wealthy neighbourhood in Los Angeles. In November 2013, he adopted a Romanian stray dog. Seagal is a Buddhist. In February 1997, Lama Penor Rinpoche from Palyul monastery announced that Seagal was a tulku, and specifically the reincarnation of Chungdrag Dorje, a 17th-century terton (treasure revealer) of the Nyingma, the oldest sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Seagal's recognition aroused controversy in the American Buddhist community, with Helen Tworkov commenting in Tricycle to doubt the extent of Seagal's "spiritual wisdom" and to suggest that Seagal bought his Buddhahood by donations to Penor's Kunzang Palyul Choling center. Penor Rinpoche responded to the controversy by saying that Seagal, although acting in violent movies had not actually killed people, and that Seagal was merely recognized, whereas enthronement as a tulku would require first a "lengthy process of study and practice". Steven Seagal was granted Serbian citizenship on 11 January 2016, following several visits to the country, and has been asked to train Aikido to the Serbian Special Forces

Relationships and family

File:Steven Seagal Vancouver.jpg

Seagal introduces his wife, Elle, to Matthieu Ricard (January 2, 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 actress Ayako Fujitani. Seagal left Miyako to move back to the United States.

In the United States, he married former Days of Our Lives actress Adrienne La Russa, despite his divorce to Miyako not yet being finalized. During his marriage to La Russa, Seagal reportedly saw actress and model Kelly Le Brock in the film Woman in Red and said that she was "his destiny". They began an affair, and Le Brock became pregnant with his child. When news of this emerged, Seagal's marriage to La Russa was annulled. He subsequently married Le Brock on September 5, 1987, and had three children with her: daughters Annaliza and Arissa, and a son, Dominic. In 1994, Le Brock filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences". During this time, it emerged that Seagal was having an affair with Arissa Wolf, the family's nanny. Seagal has a daughter with Arissa Wolf, Savannah.

Seagal is currently married to Erdenetuya Batsukh (Mongolian: Эрдэнэтуяа Батсүх), better known as "Elle". They have one son together, Kunzang. Elle is from Mongolia. From an early age, Elle trained as a dancer at the Children's Palace in Ulaanbaatar, 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, where she worked as his interpreter during his visit to Mongolia.

Seagal has seven children from four relationships, and two grandchildren by his eldest son, Kentaro. In addition to his biological offspring, Seagal is the guardian of Yabshi Pan Rinzinwangmo, the only child of the 10th Panchen Lama of Tibet. When she studied in the United States, Seagal was her minder and bodyguard.

Allegations and lawsuits

Seagal has often been accused of sexual harassment during his film productions. In May, 1991 (during the filming of Out for Justice), Warner Brothers' employees Raenne Malone, Nicole Selinger, and Christine Keeve accused Seagal of sexual harassment. In return for remaining silent, Malone and another women reportedly received around $50,000 each in an out of court settlement. In another incident, Jenny McCarthy claimed that Seagal asked her to undress during an audition for Under Siege 2.

1995 lawsuit

In 1995, Seagal was charged with employment discrimination, sexual harassment and breach of contract. Cheryl Shuman filed a case against Seagal, accusing him of threatening and beating her during the filming of On Deadly Ground. In August, 1995, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki dismissed the case, calling the claims "repetitive and unintelligible".

2010 lawsuit

"The lawsuit filed by Kayden Nguyen against Steven Seagal is a ridiculous and absurd claim by a disgruntled ex-employee who was fired for using illegal narcotics."

— The written statement released by Seagal's attorney, Marty Singer, to CBS News (April 14, 2010).

On April 12, 2010, 23-year-old Kayden Nguyen filed a lawsuit against Seagal in a Los Angeles County Superior Court, specifying damages in excess of one million dollars. In her suit, Nguyen made a number of allegations against Seagal, including: sexual harassment, the illegal trafficking of females for sex, failure to prevent sexual harassment, and wrongful termination. Seagal personally denied the allegations, yet he was forced to suspend his show, Steven Seagal: Lawman, while his attorneys attempted to resolve the case privately. On July 14, 2010, three months after Nguyen made her claims against Seagal, the case was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff without any public explanation.

2011 lawsuit

On August 30, 2011, Jesus Sanchez Llovera filed a lawsuit against Seagal over his part in a police raid that was taped for his A&E reality show, Steven Seagal: Lawman. Llovera was seeking $100,000; for damages made during the raid, and a letter of apology from Seagal to his children; for the death of their family pet. Llovera claimed that his 11 month old puppy was shot and killed during the raid. The lawsuit was dismissed in January, 2013; Llovera failed to file court-ordered paperwork after his attorney withdrew from the case.

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 in Siskiyou County. He also wrote an open letter to the leadership of Thailand in 2003, urging them to enact a law to prevent the torture of baby elephants.

Political views and friendship with Vladimir Putin

Seagal and Vladimir Putin, August 11, 2012.

In a March, 2014 interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Seagal described Vladimir Putin as "one of the great living world leaders". He stated that he "would like to consider [Putin] as a brother", and expressed support for the annexation of Crimea by Russia. In July, 2014, following calls for a boycott, Seagal was dropped from the lineup of the August Blues Festival in Haapsalu, Estonia. Estonian musician Tõnis Mägi, the minister of Foreign Affairs, Urmas Paet, and Parliament's Foreign Affairs chairman, Marko Mihkelson, had all condemned inviting Seagal into the country, with Paet stating, "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." In August, 2014, Seagal appeared at a Night Wolves-organized show in Sevastopol, Crimea, supporting the Crimean annexation and depicting Ukraine as a country controlled by fascists.

Honors

In 1999, Seagal was awarded a PETA Humanitarian Award.

Stunts

Year	Film	Functioned as			Notes
		Martial arts instructor	Choreographer	Stunt coordinator
1982	The Challenge			Yes	Credited as "Steve Seagal".
1983	Never Say Never Again	Yes			Uncredited Seagal accidentally broke Sean Connery's wrist during production.
1985	A View to a Kill		Yes
1988	Above the Law			Yes
1990	Hard to Kill		Yes	Yes
1990	Marked for Death			Yes
2013	Force of Execution		Yes

Filmography

Films

Year	Film	Functioned as						Notes
		Director	Producer	Writer	Music	Actor	Role
1988	Above the Law		Yes	Yes		Yes	Nico Toscani
1990	Hard to Kill					Yes	Mason Storm
1990	Marked for Death		Yes		Yes	Yes	John Hatcher
1991	Out for Justice		Yes		Yes	Yes	Det. Gino Felino	Gene LeBell, the film's stunt coordinator, claimed to have choken Seagal unconscious on the production set.
1992	Under Siege		Yes			Yes	Casey Ryback
1994	On Deadly Ground	Yes	Yes			Yes	Forrest Taft
1995	Under Siege 2: Dark Territory		Yes		Yes	Yes	Casey Ryback	Sequel to Under Siege.
1996	Executive Decision					Yes	Lt. Colonel Austin Travis	Supporting role
1996	The Glimmer Man		Yes		Yes	Yes	Lt. Jack Cole
1997	Fire Down Below		Yes		Yes	Yes	Jack Taggart
1998	My Giant					Yes	Himself	Cameo
1998	The Patriot		Yes			Yes	Dr. Wesley McClaren	Direct-to-video
1998	Not Even The Trees		Yes					Direct-to-video
2000	Prince of Central Park		Yes					Direct-to-video
2001	The Path Beyond Thought		Yes			Yes	Himself/Narrator	Documentary Executive producer
2001	Exit Wounds					Yes	Orin Boyd
2001	Ticker				Yes	Yes	Frank Glass	Limited release
2002	Half Past Dead		Yes			Yes	Sasha Petrosevitch
2003	The Foreigner		Yes			Yes	Jonathan Cold	Direct-to-video
2003	Out for a Kill		Yes			Yes	Prof. Robert Burns	Direct-to-video
2003	Belly of the Beast		Yes			Yes	Jake Hopper	Direct-to-video
2004	Out of Reach					Yes	William Lansing	Direct-to-video
2004	Clementine					Yes	Jack Miller	Limited release
2005	Into the Sun			Yes	Yes	Yes	Travis Hunter	Direct-to-video Also received "story by" credit.
2005	Submerged					Yes	Chris Cody	Direct-to-video
2005	Today You Die		Yes			Yes	Harlan Banks	Direct-to-video
2005	Dragon Squad		Yes					Limited release
2005	Black Dawn		Yes			Yes	Jonathan Cold	Direct-to-video Sequel to The Foreigner.
2006	Mercenary for Justice					Yes	John Seeger	Direct-to-video
2006	Shadow Man		Yes	Yes		Yes	Jack Foster	Direct-to-video
2006	Attack Force		Yes	Yes		Yes	Cmdr. Marshall Lawson	Direct-to-video
2007	Flight of Fury			Yes		Yes	John Sands	Direct-to-video
2007	Urban Justice		Yes			Yes	Simon Ballister	Direct-to-video
2008	Pistol Whipped		Yes			Yes	Matt Conlin	Direct-to-video
2008	The Onion Movie					Yes	Cock Puncher	Direct-to-video Supporting role
2008	Kill Switch		Yes	Yes		Yes	Jacob King	Direct-to-video In 2009, it was given a theatrical release exclusively in the UAE.
2009	Against the Dark					Yes	Tao	Direct-to-video
2009	Driven to Kill					Yes	Ruslan Drachev	Direct-to-video
2009	The Keeper		Yes	Yes		Yes	Roland Sallinger	Limited release
2010	A Dangerous Man					Yes	Shane Daniels	Direct-to-video
2010	Machete					Yes	Rogelio Torrez	Seagal's first wide release since 2002.
2010	Sheep Impact					Yes	Paul Weland	Short film
2011	Born to Raise Hell		Yes	Yes		Yes	Robert "Bobby" Samuels	Direct-to-video
2012	Maximum Conviction					Yes	Cross	Direct-to-video
2013	Force of Execution		Yes			Yes	John Alexander	Direct-to-video
2014	A Good Man		Yes			Yes	John Alexander	Direct-to-video Prequel to Force of Execution.
2014	Gutshot Straight					Yes	Paulie Trunks	Direct-to-video Supporting role
2015	Absolution					Yes	John Alexander	Direct-to-video Sequel to A Good Man.
2015	Code of Honor					Yes	Robert Sikes	Currently in post production.
2015	Killing Salazar					Yes	Harrison	Currently in post production.
2016	End of a Gun					Yes	Unknown	Announced.
TBA	The Asian Connection					Yes	Unknown	Announced.

Television

Year	Film	Functioned as				Notes
		Writer	Executive producer	Actor	Role
1991	Saturday Night Live			Yes	Host	Seagal hosted the episode "Steven Seagal/Michael Bolton". The cast and crew found him difficult to work with, and he is reportedly "banned" from appearing on the show again. The creator of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, referred to him as the "worst host" ever.
2009–present	Steven Seagal: Lawman		Yes	Yes	Himself	Also the creator.
2011–2012	True Justice	Yes	Yes	Yes	Elijah Kane	Also the creator.

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominated work	Award	Category	Results
1995	On Deadly Ground	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Actor	Nominated
1995	On Deadly Ground	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Picture (shared with Julius R. Nasso and A. Kitman Ho)	Nominated
1995	On Deadly Ground	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Director	Won
1997	Executive Decision	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Supporting Actor	Nominated
1998	Fire Down Below	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Actor	Nominated
1998	Fire Down Below	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Picture (shared with Julius R. Nasso)	Nominated
1998	Fire Down Below	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Screen Couple (shared with "his guitar")	Nominated
1998	Fire Down Below	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Original Song (shared with Mark Collie for the song "Fire Down Below")	Nominated
2003	Half Past Dead	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Actor	Nominated

Discography

• 2005: Songs from the Crystal Cave
• 2006: Mojo Priest

External links

• Official website
• Steven Seagal at the Internet Movie Database