Steven Seagal (Actor)

"Seagal starts with one other advantage, too: He has the ominous demeanor of a bad guy, so we're favorable disposed simply out of relief that he's on our side. But his real distinctiveness comes at the moment of the kill. Where some avengers regard the kill as necessary, but distasteful, Seagal savors it. He starts smiling when it's imminent. He may summon the victim with a mocking yoo-hoo, then look him in the eye and growl that nothing is forgiven as he sticks a sword through the slug's throat.

"Or, just as often, Seagal doesn't kill at all. That would be letting these vermin off too easy. Instead, he snaps an arm or a leg, sometimes folding it double." --David Hinckley in Daily News, April 30, 1991.

"You have to create a conflict, a situation where you have a reluctant hero who wants to just go about his job. Something has to happen to propel him into a situation where he has to step up, at great sacrifice to himself, and get the bad guys. It doesn't work if the bad guys kill his mother's uncle's friend's neighbor's pet dog. You've got to make the stakes high." --Steven Seagal in response to the question: "How important is it in your films to have a woman get shot?" in Movieline, April 1991.

According to some sources, Seagal organized security for the departure of the Shah of Iran's family from that country.

In March 2002, Seagal and his Steamroller Productions were sued for $60 million by producer Julius Nasso who alleged that the actor breached his contract to appear in four films, one of which, "The Prince of Central Park", was actually made with Harvey Keitel in the role earmarked for Seagal.

Seagal commands the title of "Shihan" - the Japanese word for Master of Masters.