Steven Seagal
Biography
Steven Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist, and a reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, he began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan. He became the first foreigner to operate an Aikido Dojo in Japan. He later moved to the Los Angeles, California, area where he made his film debut in 1988 in Above the Law. By 1991, he had starred in three successful films, and would go on to achieve greater fame in Under Siege (1992), where he played Navy SEALs counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback. However, his image became tarnished when both On Deadly Ground (1994, which he directed) and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) did poorly in theaters. During the later half of the 90s, he starred in three more theatrical films and a direct-to-video The Patriot. Aside from Exit Wounds (2001) and Half Past Dead (2002), his career shifted almost entirely to direct-to-video films (often low budget productions and shot in Europe or Asia). Between 1998 to 2009, he appeared in a total of 22 of these. At the age of 59, he finally returned to the big screen as Torrez in the 2010 film Machete. He is also a recording artist and guitarist and the founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. In addition to his professional achievements, he is also known as an environmentalist, an animal rights activist and a supporter of the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, and the Tibetan independence movement.
Known For
Saturday Night Live
1975
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Taff
1997
The Oscars
1953
Under Siege
1992
Projectorparishilton
2008
True Justice
2011
Out for Justice
1991
Executive Decision
1996
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
1995
The Art of Action
2020
Filmography
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host · 1975
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self - Guest · 2003
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
as Self - Guest · 1992
Taff
as self · 1997
The Oscars
as Self · 1953
Under Siege
as Casey Ryback · 1992
Projectorparishilton
· 2008
True Justice
as Elijah Kane · 2011
Out for Justice
as Gino Felino · 1991
Executive Decision
as Lt. Colonel Austin Travis · 1996
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
as Casey Ryback · 1995
The Art of Action
as Self · 2020
Exit Wounds
as Orin Boyd · 2001
Hard to Kill
as Mason Storm · 1990
Machete
as Rogelio Torrez · 2010
Above the Law
as Nico Toscani · 1988
Marked for Death
as John Hatcher · 1990
Zhara Music Awards
as Self - Audience Member · 2018
Fire Down Below
as Jack Taggart · 1997
Pistol Whipped
as Matt Conlin · 2008
The Glimmer Man
as Jack Cole · 1996
E! True Hollywood Story
· 1996
The Onion Movie
as Cock Puncher · 2008
The Foreigner
as Jonathan Cold · 2003
Today You Die
as Harlan Banks · 2005
Half Past Dead
as Sasha Petrosevitch · 2002
On Deadly Ground
as Forrest Taft · 1994
Belly of the Beast
as Jake Hopper · 2003
Force of Execution
as Alexander Coates · 2014
Urban Justice
as Simon Ballister · 2007
Into the Sun
as Travis Hunter · 2005
Out for a Kill
as Professor Robert Burns · 2003
Maximum Conviction
as Cross · 2012
Flight of Fury
as John Sands · 2007
Beyond the Law
as Augustino 'Finn' Adair · 2019
Born to Raise Hell
as Bobby · 2010
Code of Honor
as Colonel Robert Sikes · 2016
Against the Dark
as Commander Tao · 2009
Attack Force
as Cmdr. Marshall Lawson · 2006
Driven to Kill
as Ruslan Drachev · 2009
Kill Switch
as Det. Jacob King · 2008
The Patriot
as Wesley McClaren · 1998
Submerged
as Chris Cody · 2005
A Dangerous Man
as Shane Daniels · 2009
Sniper: Special Ops
as Sergeant Jake Chandler · 2016
Shadow Man
as Jack Foster · 2006
China Salesman
as Lauder · 2017
Steven Seagal: Lawman
· 2009
Steven Seagal: Lawman
as Self · 2009
The Keeper
as Rolland Sallinger · 2009
Mercenary for Justice
as John Seeger · 2006
Gutshot Straight
as Paulie Trunks · 2014
Ticker
as Frank Glass · 2001
Clementine
as Jack Miller · 2004
Get Bruce!
as Self · 1999
Order of the Dragon
as Mason Ryker · 2026
Ramez is Playing With Fire
as Self · 2016
Attrition
as Axe · 2018
Killing Salazar
as John Harrison · 2017
The Perfect Weapon
as The Director · 2016
Out of Reach
as William Lansing · 2004
Black Dawn
as Jonathan Cold · 2006
Vengeance is Mine
as Elijah Kane · 2012
My Giant
as Himself · 1998
Absolution
as John Alexander · 2015
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
· 2001
A Good Man
as Alexander · 2014
The Asian Connection
as Gan Sirankiri · 2016
Angel of Death
as Elijah Kane · 2013
End of a Gun
as Decker · 2016
General Commander
as Jake Alexander · 2019
Dark Vengeance
as Elijah Kane · 2011
The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies
as Self - Interviewee · 2002
Contract to Kill
as John Harmon · 2016
Violence of Action
as Elijah Kane · 2012
Urban Warfare
as Elijah Kane · 2012
Blood Alley
as Elijah Kane · 2012
Deadly Crossing
as Elijah Kane · 2010
One Shot, One Life
as Elijah Kane · 2012
Lethal Justice
as Elijah Kane · 2011
The Real Miyagi
as Self · 2015
The Making of Exit Wounds
as Self · 2002
Payback
as Elijah Kane · 2011
Death Riders
as Elijah Kane · 2011
Dead Drop
as Elijah Kane · 2013
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
as Self · 1997
Street Wars
as Elijah Kane · 2011
Celebrity Guide to Wine
as Self · 1990
Love in Hollywood
as Self · 1996
Kadyrov, The Dictator of Chechnya
as Self (archive footage) · 2018
How to Blow Up a Helicopter (Ayako's Story)
as Himself · 2009
Sheep Impact
as Paul · 2011
Steven Seagal & Samuel Kwok Martial Arts Seminar
as Self · 2018
The Joe Show
as Self · 2014
Hot!
as Steven Seagal · 2019
In the Name of Justice
as Self / Host · 2024
Aikido: The Path Beyond Thought
as Sensei · 2001
The Friday Night Project
as Self - Host · 2005
The Time I Almost Met Steven Seagal
as Self · 2025
Celebrities Uncensored
as Self · 2003
Alex Steele Olache, Nicknamed Holiewood and Garrusvakrian
as Steven Seagal · 2026