Steven F. Seagal (pronounced /sɨˈɡɑːl/; born April 10, 1952) is an American action film actor, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist, and deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an aikido instructor in Japan. He became the first foreigner to operate an aikido dojo in Japan. He later moved to the Los Angeles, California, area where he made his film debut in 1988 in Above the Law. Since then, Seagal has become a major action star, mainly due to his films of the 1990s, such as Under Siege (1992) and Under Siege 2 (1995), where he played Navy SEALs counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback. In total, his movies have earned in excess of $923 million worldwide.
