On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we explore the life and lies of one of the strangest men to ever come out of Hollywood, Steven Seagal. Seagal made a huge splash in the realm of action films in with his debut movie Above the Law in 1988. He had a string of films after that because he had spent years as a fight advisor and doing security in the film industry, so he kind of knew what he was doing. But part of that was a myth he created around himself. The myth of Seagal claims he worked for the CIA, had the Gambino crime family put a hit on his head, and went to war with the Yakuza.

We know that he worked on everything from James Bond films to protecting 80s star Kelly LeBrock. We also know that he did indeed study various martial arts in Japan and opened several dojos around America before his film career starts. After that, things a bit…confused.

For example, he was a cop or something? He claims he worked in a sheriff’s department training them, so they made him a deputy on a TV show (and that he had police training in California, though nobody seems to be able to prove this). He claims he trained and was maybe an operative for the CIA (though, of course, nobody can prove this). He claims to be close personal friends with Vladimir Putin (though the Russian state denies this).

He did have a buttload of lawsuits filed against him for sexual harassment and rape. He did get plenty of complaints about how he treated cast members (most notably women and stunt men) on the set. But most of the cases get settled out of court and just…go away. So where does the person versus the character of Steven Seagal start and end? You’ll have to listen to find out.

 

Visit Our Sources

https://www.biography.com/actor/steven-seagal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Seagal

https://www.thethings.com/20-facts-about-steven-segal-that-fans-choose-to-ignore/

https://people.com/movies/charlize-theron-says-overweight-steven-seagal-can-barely-fight-hes-not-very-nice-to-women/

https://www.thrillist.com/gear/steven-seagal-facts-trivia-history-biography-martial-arts-sheriff