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Steven Seagal made his name in cinema as an all-action martial arts hero, his formidable physique lending weight to several very successful early 1990's movies. But as his career progressed, the quality of this work diminished to the point where most of his films post-2000 ended up as direct-to-video releases. Seagal consoled himself in music by touring with his band, before allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced in the wake of the #MeToo movement. The actor denied any wrongdoing, but, already courting controversy, his close links to Russian president Vladimir Putin and his apparent support for the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 further distanced Seagal from Hollywood and his fanbase. And in February 2023, he was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship from Putin in recognition of his work supporting the nation. So, what will he do next?

Click through and catch up on Steven Seagal's controversial career.

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Steven Frederic Seagal was born on April 10, 1952, in Lansing, Michigan. At age five, he moved with his parents to California. After completing his education, he made a brief visit to Japan around 1971, a trip that would introduce him to the Japanese martial art of aikido.

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Upon his return to the United States, Seagal met his future wife, Miyako Fujitani, a second-degree black belt in aikido. The couple returned to Japan, where they married and where they both taught aikido. Seagal would eventually achieve a 7th-dan black belt in the discipline.

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Seagal arrived back in the US in 1983 and opened an aikido dojo in North Hollywood. His martial artistry and tall (1.93 m/6 ft 4 in) physique soon got him work as a movie stuntman. In 1988, he made his film debut in 'Above the Law.'

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Seagal's second picture, 'Hard to Kill,' debuted at number one at the US box office. The film cemented his reputation as a formidable presence in the action thriller-martial arts genre.

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Settling into a rather predictable formula, 'Out for Justice' nevertheless was Seagal's third straight number one US box-office hit.

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'Under Siege' marked a turning point in Seagal's career. Starring opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey, the film was both a critical and commercial success, and is considered the actor's best picture ever.

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Seagal chose to both star in and direct his next picture, 'On Deadly Ground'—his only directorial effort to date. But despite costarring Michael Caine, the film was poorly received (though it made money at the box office).

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'Executive Decision' stars Kurt Russell with Seagal only appearing in the first 30 minutes or so of the film. His character's unexpected fate and early exit was unusual, and surprised his fans. But even without him, the film was a huge commercial hit, and found favor with most critics.

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'Fire Down Below' has as its central theme an environmental issue, of toxins being illegally dumped into abandoned mines. Seagal has long advocated for a cleaner world and felt at home as EPA agent Jack Taggert, assigned to bring to justice those responsible for polluting the Kentucky countryside. Unfortunately, the film failed to raise much awareness with either critics or cinema audiences.

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In a sign of things to come, 'The Patriot' was Seagal's first direct-to-video film. This movie is the only effort to date in which he costars with Ayako Fujitani, his actress daughter from his marriage to Miyako Fujitani.

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Two films, 2001's 'Exit Wounds' and 'Ticker,' broke the direct-to-video mold, the latter starring Tom Sizemore, Dennis Hopper, and Ice-T. Seagal costars but fails to make much of an impression. His next project, 2002's 'Half Past Dead,' which Seagal coproduced, died a similar death.

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By now, Seagal's Hollywood star had faded. 'The Foreigner' (2003) was the first of a long string of direct-to-video films released starring the actor from 2003 to 2009.

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'Machete' was Seagal's first theatrical release since 2002. The film did well at the box office and temporarily revived Seagal's flagging career, helped along by a cast that included Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Don Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Lindsay Lohan. But his reboot was temporary. His next seven films, released from 2010 to 2016, were all once again direct-to-video productions.

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'Sniper Special Ops' (2016) was released theatrically but failed to hit the target. His nine films since then, up to 2019's 'Beyond the Law,' have in fact seen him take more of a supporting role.

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Besides acting, Steven Seagal is a singer and guitarist. His songs have been featured in several of his movies, and he has cut two albums, 'Songs from the Crystal Cave,' released in 2005, and 2006's 'Mojo Priest.' He has his own band, Thunderbox.

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Seagal still tours sporadically, though not for several years. He's pictured with Chicago blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin at the 2006 Les Paul Birthday Celebration in Universal City, California.

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Steven Seagal has long embraced Buddhism. In 1997, he was "recognized" as the reincarnation of a 17th-century Tibetan lama, allegedly after a large donation to a Buddhist monastery in India, according to media reports. He's pictured meeting youngsters in a Taipei hospital.

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Seagal is also a committed environmentalist, and is vocal in his support for animal rights. He's pictured visiting a private shelter for stray dogs outside Taipei, Taiwan, in May 1998. The following year he was awarded a PETA Humanitarian Award.

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As outlined earlier, Seagal married his first wife, Miyako Fujitani, in Japan in 1975. They had a son, Kentaro, and a daughter, Ayako Fujitani (pictured), who is a writer and actress. Seagal and Fujitani divorced in 1986.

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While still waiting to finalize his divorce from Miyako Fujitani, Seagal met and married actress Adrienne La Russa in 1984. The union was annulled the same year. Seagal later began dating and eventually married actress Kelly LeBrock (pictured with the actor) in 1987. The couple had three children before parting company in 1996.

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Seagal is presently married to Mongolian citizen Erdenetuya Batsukh. They have one son together, Kunzang. The pair are pictured at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final match between France and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

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Allegations of inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct have plagued Steven Seagal's career since the early 1990s.

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Several women have accused the actor of sexual harassment, one of whom, Regina Simons, claimed Seagal seriously assaulted her in 1994.

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When confronted with a wave of #MeToo allegations on an edition of the BBC 'Newsnight' program in 2018, the actor stormed out of the interview. Seagal has always denied the accusations leveled against him.

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In 2021, 'ER' and 'The Good Wife' actress Julianna Margulies claimed that in the early days of her career, she had a late-night audition with Seagal in his hotel room. Margulies said she felt threatened after the actor took out a gun from underneath a cushion, describing the situation as "very dangerous." She left soon afterwards, writing later in her memoir, 'Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life,' that she was "one of the lucky few who got out of there unscathed."

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Over and above accusations of sexual misconduct and assault by multiple women, Steven Seagal has courted further controversy by expressing support for the annexation of Crimea by Russia. He did so during a 2014 interview with The Moscow Times.

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The actor is well known for his support of Russian president Vladimir Putin, even describing him as "one of the great living world leaders." Seagal was granted both Russian and Serbian citizenship in 2016.

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Seagal attended the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in Moscow on May 9, 2015, despite a Western boycott of the festivities over the Ukraine crisis.

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On February 27, 2023, Steven Seagal received the Russian Order of Friendship from Vladimir Putin in recognition of his work supporting the nation.

Sources: (The Globe and Mail) (PETA) (TheWrap) (The Independent) (CBC)