Gladys Portugues

Last updated
Gladys Portugues
Born
Gladys Portugues

(1957-09-30) September 30, 1957 (age 66)
Occupations
Years active1980–present
Spouses
(m. 1987;div. 1992)
(m. 1999)
Children2

Gladys Portugues (born September 30, 1957) is an American former professional female bodybuilder and actress. As a bodybuilder, she twice placed in the top 10 in the Ms. Olympia contest. She is married to Belgian actor and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Contents

Personal life

Born of Puerto Rican parents, Portugues has said that she was inspired to start her own bodybuilding and weight training regimen while attending Marymount Manhattan College, when she saw Rachel McLish on television winning the Ms. Olympia title.[ citation needed ]

In 1987, at the age of thirty, Portugues married Belgian martial artist and actor Jean-Claude van Varenberg. [1] The couple divorced in 1992, then remarried in 1999. They have two children: Kristopher van Varenberg (b. 1987) and Bianca Brigitte (b. 1990). [2] Her husband is professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985 Pumping Iron II: The Women HerselfCinecom International Films
1986 The Morning After Bodybuilder20th Century Fox
1987 It's Alive III: Island of the Alive WaitressLarco Productions Inc.

TV

YearTitleEpisodesRole
2011 Behind Closed Doors 1 season (8 episodes)Herself

Books

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References

  1. "Top 10 Most Beautiful Female Bodybuilders in 2022". Sports Virsa. 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  2. Friedman, Roger (May 14, 2010). "Cannes film festival 2010: Jean-Claude van Damme plans to appear in reality TV show for A&E". New York Daily News . Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-21.