BIOGRAPHY AND PERSONALITY OF A FAMOUS ARIES: STEVEN SEAGAL

Actor, writer, musician, producer. Born April 10, 1951 in Lansing, Michigan, USA. He traveled to Japan at the age of 17 where he taught English, studied Zen and perfected his martial arts, eventually earning black belts in aikido, karate, judo, and kendo.

Seagal spent 15 years in Asia, studying Eastern philosophy and occasionally choreographing martial arts fight scenes in movies. When he returned to the U.S., he opened a martial arts academy and became a bodyguard for such celebrities as Kelly LeBrock and Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz. The former eventually became Seagal's wife and the latter helped him make films for Warner Bros.

His first film, 1988's Above the Law was well received among action buffs, leading to 1989's Hard to Kill and 1992's Under Siege, his most popular film to date. In 1994, his directorial debut, On Deadly Ground, had disappointing results. He followed with two more action vehicles, 1996's Executive Decision and 1998's The Patriot.