Hard target: Van Damme's daughter follows in her father's footsteps

Be careful if you meet this attractive brunette: she is the daughter of Jean-Claude Van Damme. 25-year-old Bianca Van Varenberg (that's what her father's real name sounds like), professionally known as Bianca Brie, was born from Van Damme's marriage to Gladys Portugues, a fitness and bodybuilding professional. Five years ago, she appeared with her father at a film premiere, and since then she has not been seen or heard from until recently.

In 2012, she stated that she wanted to build a career on her own and not use her father's last name, but after a few years, her views seem to have changed, and now she happily uses all the privileges of a world famous name.

“I don't want to be my father's shadow. Celebrity kids are exactly like that - in fact, they are in the shadow of their parents. I'd rather go through all the trials than follow the easy path. I go to auditions,” Bianca told the Metro newspaper a couple of years ago.

"It is not simple. People come up to me all the time and tell me how much they adore my father. That's nice to hear, but… what does that have to do with me?” she said in a recent interview.

However, things did not always go smoothly for Van Damme. In the 1990s, he admitted that he suffered from drug addiction and took up to 10 grams of cocaine per day. He had fights with the paparazzi and huge debts. Van Damme underwent several rehabilitation courses at a drug treatment clinic and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, after which he gave up drugs.

Photo posted by Jesaca Soubi Lin (@soubi_doo) May 8, 2016 at 11:09 PDT

Photo posted by Jesaca Soubi Lin (@soubi_doo) May 8, 2016 at 11:09 PDT

Actor, director and martial arts promoter Jean-Claude Van Damme is best known for his roles in action films including Hard Target, Bloodsport, Kickboxer, AWOL, but his daughter Bianca is also an aspiring actress who starred in Van Damme's 2008 action movie Special Assignment (The Shepherd). She also played roles in the films Killer Games (2011) and Soldiers of Fortune (2012).

Bianca became an actress by accident when a child was needed during the filming of one of her father's films. Since then, she has starred in six Van Damme films and even co-produced two of his films. Now she proudly demonstrates her flexible body, which she inherited from her father and mother.

Photo posted by Jesaca Soubi Lin (@soubi_doo) May 8, 2016 at 10:03 PDT

Photo posted by Jesaca Soubi Lin (@soubi_doo) May 8, 2016 at 10:03 PDT

“I want to show little girls and boys that you can be both athletic and feminine at the same time. That you can sit cross-legged at dinner, and then gracefully and femininely kick your ass, she said in an interview with the New York Post. “My father popularized martial arts for my generation, and I want to continue this tradition.”

This is an unusual twist, because, judging by the stories, the pretty brunette in her childhood liked to tell her father and mother, a bodybuilding champion, that she hated martial arts.

Photo posted by Leesa Simone (@leesasimone) Aug 30, 2015 at 4:59 pm PDT

Photo posted by Leesa Simone (@leesasimone) Aug 30, 2015 at 4:59 AM PDT

The Van Damme family survived its hardships. Jean-Claude divorced Gladys in 1992 and remarried her only seven years later. In March 2015, she again filed for divorce, but later withdrew her application.

Bianca now lives in New York. Once she dreamed of becoming a speed skater and participating in the Olympics, but due to an injury, she had to abandon these plans. However, she inherited some of the skills that made her father famous - amazing flexibility and incredible jumping kicks.

Photo posted by Sterling Rice Original (@srooriginal_) Apr 19, 2015 at 12:08 pm PDT

Photo posted by Sterling Rice Original (@srooriginal_) Apr 19 2015 at 12:08 PDT

Speaking about her relationship with her father, Bianca admits that they, too, did not go very smoothly, but now everything is fine. “We talk, spend time together, I call him, offer to go have a bite and talk about life. We go to the gym, work out and all that.”