Dominique Vandenberg

Last updated

Dominique Vandenberg
Born
Dominique Horevoets

Occupation(s)Actor, martial artist, stunt choreographer, stuntman, former foreign legionnaire

Dominique Vandenberg is a Belgian martial artist, actor and stunt performer.

Contents

Vandenberg lives in California, where he has appeared in such movies as Pit Fighter [1] and Mortal Kombat .

Background

Dominique Vandenberg was born Dominique Horevoets in Waasmont, Belgium. As a young adult, Vandenberg competed in many martial arts competitions, winning most of them, and left school at age sixteen to enroll in a Kunto training course in Okinawa, Japan. After graduating the course in a tie for first rank, Vandenberg returned to Belgium, where he was drafted into the military. Vandenberg volunteered for a post in Germany as it offered a shorter service of eight months (as opposed to a year). Immediately upon his release, Vandenberg began training for an invitational freestyle martial arts competition he had been invited to upon completion of the Kunto course. Vandenberg won the competition with only two months of training but was hit by a car and broke his leg. [2]

Unable to fight in further events, Vandenberg left Belgium to join the French Foreign Legion. [2] Graduating from basic training in the top five, he was allowed to pick his post. Vandenberg chose the elite paratrooper regiment, the 2REP, and, after more training, was sent to Africa. He spent five years in countries such as Chad, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic, fighting to control rebellions. During this time, he met his fiancée, Waruny, a freedom fighter. After their meeting, he returned to fulfill his last eight months of service to the Legion, but when he returned, she had been killed.[ citation needed ]

Vandenberg then left the Legion for good and traveled to Thailand to fight in their famed freestyle fighting rings, or "iron circles". After winning several bouts, he returned to Europe.

Bibliography

Filmography

Stunts

Producer

Writer

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Cage</span> Mortal Kombat character

Johnny Cage is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Introduced in the original 1992 game, he is an action movie star with an extensive martial arts background. The series depicts Cage as one of the primary heroes defending Earthrealm from various threats, as well as the comic foil. In the rebooted timeline, Cage is also the love interest to Special Forces officer Sonya Blade and the father of their daughter Cassie. He is inspired by martial arts star Jean-Claude Van Damme, particularly Van Damme's character, Frank Dux, in the 1988 film Bloodsport.

Characters of the <i>Mortal Kombat</i> series

This is a list of playable and boss characters from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise and the games in which they appear. Created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, the series depicts conflicts between various realms. Most characters fight on behalf of their realm, with the primary heroes defending Earthrealm against conquering villains from Outworld and the Netherrealm. Early installments feature the characters participating in the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament to decide their realm's fate. In later installments, Earthrealm is often invaded by force.

Kung Lao is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. He debuted in Mortal Kombat II (1993) as a Shaolin monk and close friend of series protagonist Liu Kang, and his trademark characteristic is his wide razor-brimmed hat that he uses as a weapon. Kung Lao is depicted as one of the series' primary heroes, including a main role in the action-adventure spin-off Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005).

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (1995 film) 1995 film by Paul W. S. Anderson

Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American fantasy action film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and written by Kevin Droney. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, it is the first installment in the Mortal Kombat film series. Starring Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Robin Shou, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, and Christopher Lambert, the film follows a group of heroes who participate in the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament to protect Earth from being conquered by malevolent forces. Its story primarily adapts the original 1992 game, while also using elements from the game Mortal Kombat II (1993).

Fatality (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Classic finishing move that kills

Fatality is the name given to a gameplay feature in the Mortal Kombat series of fighting video games, in which the victor of the final round in a match inflicts a brutal and gruesome finishing move onto their defeated opponent. Prompted by the announcer saying "Finish Him/Her", players have a short time window to execute a Fatality by entering a specific button and joystick combination, while positioned at a specific distance from the opponent. The Fatality and its derivations are notable features of the Mortal Kombat series and have caused a large cultural impact and controversies.

Reptile (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Mortal Kombat character

Reptile is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. He debuted in the original 1992 game as a hidden opponent, establishing him as the first secret character in fighting game history. Reptile became playable in the follow-up Mortal Kombat II (1993) and has remained a mainstay of the franchise. As implied by his name, he is a Saurian, a fictional species of reptilian humanoids. One of the last surviving members of his race, he aligns himself with the series' primary villains in the hope his service will lead to the Saurians' revival.

<i>Mortal Kombat: Armageddon</i> 2006 video game

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is a 2006 fighting game and it is the seventh main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and a sequel to 2004's Mortal Kombat: Deception. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions were released in October 2006, with a Wii version released on May 29, 2007 in North America. The Xbox version was not released in PAL territories. Chronologically the final chapter in the original Mortal Kombat storyline, it features virtually every character from the previous games. Players select one of them and battle a selection of the other fighters to determine the fate of the Mortal Kombat universe.

Ho-Sung Pak is a Korean-American film actor, stunt performer, martial artist, action choreographer, game character, writer, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Norton (actor)</span> Australian martial artist, actor, stuntman (b. 1950)

Richard Norton is an Australian martial artist, actor, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, security consultant, and fight choreographer. He holds a 5th dan black belt in Gōjū-ryū karate, a 6th dan black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, an 8th dan black belt in Chun Kuk Do, and a level 6 ranking in American kickboxing. After high school, Norton worked as a bodyguard in the entertainment business before pursuing an acting career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lateef Crowder dos Santos</span> Brazilian American martial artist, actor, and stunt performer

Lateef Crowder dos Santos is a Brazilian American actor, martial artist, and stuntman. As a member of the ZeroGravity stunt team since 2000, he has been featured in multiple internet short videos and demo reels, such as Inmate 451. An experienced capoeira practitioner, he started training in martial arts when he was 6 years old.

Matt Mullins is an American actor and martial artist. At the age of 16, in 2000, he won his first World Kickboxing Association title in Dublin, Ireland. This would be his first of five championships in the next three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Shahlavi</span> British actor (1972–2015)

Darren Majian Shahlavi was an English actor, martial artist and stuntman.

Jordan Andrew "J. J." Perry is an American action director, martial artist, actor, and stuntman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Ho (martial artist)</span> American martial artist and stuntman

Steven Ho is an American martial artist, stunt coordinator, stuntman and member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat E. Johnson</span> American martial artist (1939–2023)

Patrick E. Johnson was an American martial artist. He was a 9th degree black belt in American Tang Soo Do and was the president of the National Tang Soo Do Congress, which was originally created by Chuck Norris in 1973.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (1992 video game) 1992 fighting game

Mortal Kombat is a 1992 fighting game developed and published by Midway. It is the first entry in the Mortal Kombat series and was subsequently released by Acclaim Entertainment for nearly every home platform at that time. The game focuses on several characters of various intentions who enter a martial arts tournament with worldly consequences. It introduced many key aspects of the Mortal Kombat series, including the unique five-button control scheme and gory finishing moves called Fatalities.

Arnis in popular culture reflects the impact that the Filipino martial arts of arnis/eskrima/kali have made outside of the martial arts community. The three terms are roughly interchangeable and for the purpose of convenience, the term arnis will be used throughout the article. These arts emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, blades, improvised weapons and hand-to-hand fighting which is formally known as Mano Mano or Pangamut. Because of this training with live weapons, elements of arnis have made an impact in film, video games, television, and comic books. Arnis is often used to train actors and stuntmen how to handle similar weapons for use in movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liu Kang</span> Mortal Kombat character

Liu Kang is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Depicted as Earthrealm's greatest warrior and champion, he debuted in the original 1992 game as a Shaolin monk with special moves, which were intended to be the easiest for players to perform. Since his introduction, Liu Kang has appeared as playable in every main installment except Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002). He is also one of the protagonists of the action-adventure spin-off Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005).

Ron Smoorenburg is a Dutch martial artist and actor, who is best known for his film debut as the high-kicking henchman in the final fight of Jackie Chan's Who Am I? in 1998. He currently lives in Thailand, where he works as an actor, stuntman, and fight choreographer.

Lewis Singwah Tan is an English actor and martial artist. On television, he is known for his roles as Gaius Chau in the AMC series Into the Badlands (2018–2019), Lu Xin Lee in the Netflix series Wu Assassins (2019), and Tolya in Shadow and Bone (2023), also on Netflix.

References

  1. DVD Talk Review "Pit Fighter" by Scott Weinberg, 29 May 2005
  2. 1 2 "Black Belt Magazine". Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.