American actor, writer and producer Steven Seagal net worth is $16 million.
He is best known for action movies with a martial arts slant. He often plays characters that have an affiliate with the CIA, Black Ops, or Special Forces.
Seagal's Early Life
Steven Seagal was born on 10th April 1952 in Lansing, Michigan, to Patricia, a medical technician, and Samuel, a high school mathematics teacher.
Seagal has mixed heritage; his mother has Dutch, German, and English heritage, while his father was the son of Jews from Russia who had moved to America.
At the age of five, Seagal and his parents moved to Fullerton in California. He went to Buena Park High School, followed by Fullerton College.
A keen musician Seagal enjoyed listening to rock music from a young age. Rock music remains a passion of Seagal's to this day after learning how to play the guitar he later released two studio albums.
Aside from his interest in music, Seagal was fascinated by martial arts from an early age.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, martial arts had gripped America's youth with movie stars like Bruce Lee successfully incorporating the use of martial arts into their storylines.
So enthralled by the new wave of martial arts mania that was sweeping the nation Seagal started to work at a local dojo (martial arts facility) in California.
It was here where he was inspired by the Japanese culture and was encouraged by his mentor, Fumio Demura, to visit the country and pursue his new found passion.
Moving to Japan and Mastering Martial Arts
At 17-years-old, following the advice from his mentor, Seagal travelled to Japan to teach English.
It was here that his interest in martial arts went from a hobby to a lifelong passion. In his spare time he would travel the country and try to understand the Japanese culture.
He studied Zen which is the Japanese translation from the Chinese word 'Chan', which means meditation. Zen originally comes from Chinese Buddhism and it is the practice of achieving enlightenment through meditation.
In addition to studying the many cultural aspects of Japan, Seagal continued to develop his skills in martial arts as he eventually gained black belts in disciplines such as aikido, karate, judo and kendo.
Seagal spent 15 years in Asia living out his passion.
Owing to his status as holding a number of black belts, he gained a reputation in the country for being an expert which was quite an achievement for a non-Japanese born fighter.
In addition to his training, he acted as a consultant for fight scenes in a number of movies which gave him his first taste of show business.
On a visit back home to California, Seagal met second-degree black belt Miyako Fujitani at Los Angeles Airport in July 1974.
Fujitani was the daughter of an aikido master from Osaka who had moved to L.A. to teach aikido.
****Aikido is martial art of Japanese origin that is used to disarm an attack from an opponent with a weapon such as a spear or sword, by using their own momentum against them.
Just six months after meeting each other, Seagal and Fujitani got married in December 1974 and they both returned to Japan where martial arts became the focus of their life.
They opened the Tenshin Dojo in Osaka and in doing so Seagal became the first foreigner to open up an aikido dojo in the country's history.
The couple have two children together, a son called Kentaro who was born October 3rd, 1975 and a daughter called Ayako, born 7th December 1979.
Kentaro has followed his father's footsteps to become an actor in Japan whilst Ayako has also had some small movie roles but has gone on to become an accomplished writer.
Returning to the U.S.
Seagal left his wife and children during the early 1980s and returned to the United States. They officially divorced in 1987.
He opened up his own aikido dojo in West Hollywood with one of his senior students, Haruo Matsuoka in 1983.
Seagal had spent the previous decade honing his skills in martial arts and finally wanted a break from it. He left the Californian dojo in the hands of Matsuoka whilst he pursued a career in the movies.
Movie Career
During his time working at the dojo, Seagal was used as a choreographer for movie fights scenes.
He worked on the James Bond movies, Never Say Never Again and A View to a Kill with lead actors and Hollywood superstars Sean Connery and Roger Moore.
It was rumoured that he actually broke Connery's wrist whilst they were training for Never Say Never Again but it didn't hinder the production of the movie...even though many James Bond fans wished it had!
It was at this time that Seagal became a bodyguard for high profile celebrities. The most notable of his clients were Kelly LeBrock, who he would later go on to marry, and Hollywood talent agent Michael Ovtiz.
Ovitz believed that he could make anyone a movie star and saw potential in his new bodyguard and took him on as a client for movie roles.
Seagal's first major role in the movie industry came in 1987 on the film Above the Law where he played the character Nico Tusacani, an ex-CIA agent and martial arts expert.
Seagal took full control of the movie as he had the lead role, wrote the screenplay and was producer for the entire production.
The entire movie was financed by Ovitz with a budget of approximately $7.5million, and it was filmed in just 60 days.
Ovitz's faith in his new client was justified as the movie grossed over $18million in the US and gave Seagal the platform he needed to launch his acting career.
Riding the wave of the success of his debut movie, Seagal subsequently starred in a number of movies which were hits at the box office in the early 90s.
These included Hard to Kill, Marked for Death, and Out for Justice where he played roles that would involve his martial arts expertise. Thus, he became known as an action hero.
Arguably his biggest success in the mainstream came in 1992 when the action thriller Under Siege was released. In this action thriller Seagal plays a former Navy SEAL who is the last line of defence against terrorists who have taken over a US battleship.
This film brought Seagal back to Andrew Davis, who had directed Above the Law.
The movie earned over $150 million worldwide and two Oscar nominations. It is considered to be the movie that made audiences take Seagal serious as an actor rather than a martial arts specialist.
Career After Under Seige
In the mid-1990s, Seagal made his directing debut.
He directed, co-produced and starred in the 1994 film On Deadly Ground, which featured Michael Caine. The film was poorly received, with Seagal’s environmental speech being a particular area of criticism.
Nevertheless, Seagal considers it an important career moment.
He starred in Under Seige 2: Dark Territory, the sequel to the movie that launched Seagal’s mainstream career, was released in 1995.
Some notable titles during this time were The Patriot (1998), Exit Wounds (2001) and Half Past Dead (2002).
Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s Seagal starred in a number of roles but was unable to shake off the label of just being an action thriller actor who would use his martial arts skills to save the day.
Whilst this genre had served him well whilst he was building his career in Hollywood it became tiresome to audiences and fans alike.
Seagal did have a few sporadic successes in the late 1990s and 2000s with his movies but more often than not his new releases were poorly received and ended up going straight to DVD.
More recently 2017 he appeared in China Salesman alongside former Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. In 2019 he starred in Beyond the Law with American rapper DMX.
Direct-To-Video and Going Into Television
Since 2001, all Seagal’s films have been released DTV (direct-to-video) in the U.S.
Some were released in theatres in other countries.
In 2009, Seagal made a move to T.V. in a reality show titled Steven Seagal: Lawman. In the series, he performed reserve deputy Sherriff duties in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
For the third season, he was in Maricopa County, Arizona.
While critical reception of the series was mixed, the first episode broke a network record for A&E with 3.4 million viewers.
Two years after appearing in Steven Seagal: Lawman, Seagal starred in and produced True Justice, an action series.
Criticism
One of the reasons that Seagal was only ever cast in action/martial arts roles could have been after his infamous television appearance in April 1991.
The actor hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live that would go down in television and prime time history as one of the worst hosts ever to present the prime time show.
His awkward demeanour, wooden acting and poor comedic timing meant Seagal would get the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
After the episode, Seagal was regarded as the worst-ever host by the show’s producer Lorne Michaels and other cast members Tim Meadows and David Spade.
Steven Seagal’s Music Career and Other Interests
From a young age Seagal has loved rock music. He is known to play the guitar and has even written songs that have appeared in his movies.
He has an extensive guitar collection that includes ones previously owned by Jimi Hendrix, among others.
In 2005, Steven Seagal released an album called Songs from the Crystal Cave.
There was a mixed but largely supportive review by Allmusic and despite being criticised as being haphazard, it was also said to have “good vibes” and being “endearing in its own way.”
Not the worst review I have ever seen but certainly not the best.
In 2006 he released his second and final album Mojo Priest.
As well as a guitar collection, Seagal has a sword collection.
He also used to get a custom gun made for him every month.
Seagal's Controversies
Seagal has been involved in several lawsuits since the early 1990s.
He has been accused of sexual harassment, breach of contract, employment discrimination, illegal trafficking of females for sex.
He has also been involved in conflicts with many stunt performers and has been accused of hitting them intentionally when filming.
In 2013 it was reported that the martial arts expert had a close relationship with Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov who was reported to have had kidnapped and tortured Islamic insurgents and their families.
In 2020, Seagal paid $314,000 in compensation to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) for failing to disclose his earnings from promoting the unregulated cryptocurrency Bitcoin on social media.
Seagal & Vladimir Putin
Seagal met Russian President Vladimir Putin at an after-party, and apparently, the two connected over martial arts.
Seagal was even given a Russian passport in 2016.
Seagal has declared Putin to be “one of the greatest world leaders, if not the greatest world leader alive today.”
Awards and Accolades
Steven Seagal has won numerous awards for his humanitarian work, including an award in the First Annual Environmental Media Awards in 1991, a PETA Humanitarian Award in 1999, a Sashi 2001 Humanitarian Award, and an honour as the first private citizen to destroy a nuclear device.
For his films, he hasn’t been quite as successful.
He has been nominated for many Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Actor in 1993, Worst Picture in 1998 and Worst Original Song in 1998.
However, the only one he has won is Worst Director in 1995 for On Deadly Ground.
Steven Seagal’s Family life and Personal life
Steven Seagal is a Buddhist who has citizenship in three countries: the US, Russia, and Serbia.
After leaving his first wife to move back to the U.S., Seagal met Kelly LeBrock. The pair started a relationship that led to his divorce.
In 1987, LeBrock had their daughter Annaliza before the couple married the same year.
Three years later, they had Arissa. However, this marriage was not to last, and LeBrock filed for divorce the following year.
Currently, Seagal is married to Erdenetuya Batsukh, who is Mongolian. Together they have a son called Kunzang. The couple met in 2001 when she was his interpreter for a visit to Mongolia.
Seagal’s daughter from his first marriage Ayako Fujitani is a Japanese writer and actress. His son Kentaro Seagal (also from his first marriage) is also an actor.
Steven Seagal Quotes
“He didn’t realise that you can’t tell somebody they’re stupid on Wednesday and expect them to continue writing for you on Saturday.” – Tim Meadows on Steven Seagal after his poor performance on Saturday Night Live
“I am hoping that I can be known as a great writer and actor someday, rather than a sex symbol.” – Steven Seagal
“One must first learn to heal people to be great. To hurt people is easy.” – Steven Seagal
“Try and find the path of least resistance and use it without harming others. Live with integrity and morality, not only with people but with all beings.” – Steven Seagal
“My CIA godfather told me he’d never heard any American speak Japanese so well.” – Steven Seagal
“Any great warrior is also a scholar, and a poet, and an artist.” – Steven Seagal
“One of the reasons why people – particularly young people – love action movies is because what they are really looking for is justice.” – Steven Seagal
“The secret is not to act, but to be.” – Steven Seagal
“Trust your doubt. Always fight for your beliefs. That is the path beyond thought.” Steven Seagal
“Most of us have unhealthy thoughts and emotions that have either developed as a result of trauma or hardships in their childhood, or the way they were raised.” – Steven Seagal
Summary: Steven Seagal Net Worth 2022
- Steven Seagal Net Worth is $16 million.
- He was born in Michigan but moved to California when he was five.
- Seagal spent a lot of time in Japan, training in martial arts and meeting his first wife there.
- He began his acting career in the late 80s and starred in many roles portraying similar characters.
- Seagal has taken on many roles as a director, writer and producer.
- Seagal’s hobbies include playing the guitar, collecting guitars, and collecting swords and guns.
- He has been involved in numerous lawsuits and has been accused of sexual assault.
- Steven Seagal has seven children to four different women.
- He has citizenship in the U.S., Russia, and Serbia.
What do you think of this Steven Seagal net worth article? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.