As a well-known Hollywood star, Siegel has made no secret of his admiration for Russia and Putin, not only becoming Russian nationals, but now also endorsing the party that supports Putin.
| Author: Tao Xiaotao Wang Zhening
| Editor: Ah Ye
| Editor: Laurenger
It is said that heroes cherish heroes, and it seems that tough guys also cherish tough guys. According to the New York Post, Hollywood action superstar Steven Siegel recently has a new role: the spokesman of a Russian political party that supports Putin.
If you want to talk about Siegel, it's not small. Born in 1952, the tough guy actor, after starring in films such as "Above the Law", "Seven Years of Storm", "Hidden Dragon" and other films in the 1980s and 1990s, was considered by American film critics to be the most powerful action movie star after Charles Bronson, Roeley and Bruce Lee, and with the success of subsequent films, Siegel was once on a par with Stallone, Schwarzenegger and other Hollywood celebrities.
Siegel's ambitions, though, go far beyond that. He has long shown interest in the political field, not only publicly expressing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and successfully obtaining Russian citizenship, but also becoming the "special representative of Russian-American humanitarian relations.".
Joining the pro-Putin Russian party is another big step on Siegel's political path. At the same time, as a well-known actor in Hollywood, his attitude towards Russia has inevitably attracted controversy in the United States.
An indissoluble relationship with Russia
According to public information, Siegel joined a party called "Just Russia – Patriots – For Truth Party." Just by looking at the name, the party was formed by a merger of three smaller parties that support Putin. A video released by the party shows Siegel officially joining the party at a ceremony last Saturday.
Siegel's political activities related to Russia are inseparable from Putin's approval, so how did they meet? It all starts with Bob van Ronkel.
Ronkel is a well-known American producer and an important mediator in the relationship between the United States and Russia, running a company called "Hollywood Gate", which is responsible for introducing American celebrities into the Russian upper class, such as helping an actor or musician associate with wealthy Russian politicians.
In an interview with NPR, Ronkel said: "I was invited to take Siegel to an event with President Putin. After my introduction, he and Putin became best friends. ”
Siegel shakes hands with Putin.
Siegel and Putin have the same hobby - martial arts, Siegel is good at Aikido, Putin is good at judo. Together, they have appeared at many martial arts performances and official events, such as the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in 2015.
Perhaps because of the conversation, the two have maintained a good friendship. One of the few public messages about Putin's private residence came from Siegel. In an interview, Siegel revealed that there was a life-size golden statue of Judo founder Kano Kigoro in Putin's residence.
In addition to this, Siegel has been a loyal supporter of Putin's government. He has said Russia's current president is likely to be "the greatest living world leader today." In a British television interview, he added: "Anyone who thinks Putin has anything to do with the rigging of elections, or even that the Russians have that technology, is stupid." ”
In November 2016, a message was published on the Kremlin website: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order accepting Steven Siegel's russian citizenship.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented: "This is Siegel's wish, he really applied [for Russian citizenship]. He persisted for a long time, kept asking for his citizenship, and his enthusiasm for our country was notorious. However, Siegel also retained his U.S. citizenship.
According to media reports, Putin said after giving Siegel a Russian passport that although the move was small, he hoped it would symbolize the beginning of an improvement in the historically disputed relationship between Moscow and Washington.
On August 5, 2018, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had appointed Siegel as "Special Representative for Humanitarian Relations between Russia and the United States," adding that the post was created to deepen humanitarian ties and cultural, artistic and youth relations between the two countries.
This time, "Just Russia - Patriots - for Truth", which invited Siegel as its spokesman, occupies 23 of the 450 seats in the Lower House of the Russian Parliament in the Duma, making it the fourth largest party after Putin's United Russia Party (335 seats), the Russian Communist Party (42 seats) and the Liberal Democratic Party (40 seats). The next round of elections to the State Duma is scheduled for September, but OTS said it would not be a candidate for congress because Siegel retained his U.S. citizenship.
Although highly recognized by the Russian authorities, Siegel's pro-Russian remarks have also caused dissatisfaction in other countries. In 2014, he publicly stated that Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine was "very reasonable," leading the Ukrainian government to blacklist it.
Martial arts talent paves the Avenue of Stars
Siegel's support for Russia and Putin has been summed up by some foreign media as having "a lot to do with tough guyism." This stems from his many years of martial arts experience.
Born in Michigan, Sigel was frail as a child and suffered from asthma. When he was 5 years old, the family moved to California, where Siegel attended school and grew up.
At about the age of 7, Siegel became exposed to martial arts, first under a karate teacher and later trained in Aikido. As a teenager, Siegel showed a talent for martial arts, learning Aikido, Karate, Judo, and Kendo, joining a karate performance team to perform in the Japanese community in Southern California, and later finding a Japanese girlfriend.
After completing high school, 17-year-old Siegel moved to Japan with his girlfriend Miyako Fujitani. The girlfriend's parents were from the Kaihe Airway Training School, with whom Siegel lived.
During his time in Japan, Siegel not only practiced martial arts, but also studied Zen Buddhism, taught English by the way, and finally received a black belt in Aikido, karate, judo, and kendo. He also opened his own Aikido dojo in Osaka, named "Tenshin Dojo".
After 15 years of working and living in Asia, Siegel returned to the United States and founded a new martial arts academy. He began to work with Hollywood crews, initially as a martial arts instructor for films, contributing to the work of Toshiro Mifune and Sean Connery, and later as a personal bodyguard for celebrities, one of whom was the famous Hollywood agent Ovitz. The latter admired Siegel's martial arts prowess and dragged him to an audition at Warner Bros. After making a good impression on the other side, Siegel signed a contract for his first film.
In 1988, Siegel starred in his screen debut "Above the Law", which became a hit and quickly became an action star. Since then, he has taken over films such as "Death Mark" and "Seven Years of Storm" and gained a foothold in Hollywood.
In the eyes of film industry insiders, Siegel's early action films have a strong practical color, especially Aikido kung fu, fast shots, sharp style, and fists. Although the visuals are somewhat violent, they are very realistic.
The 1990s were the golden age of Siegel's acting career. In 1991, he wrote and starred in "For Justice"; in 1992, "Hidden Dragons" made him famous in Hollywood, which he considered his best work; and in 1994, he directed "Polar Wind".
With these works, Siegel quickly rushed from the second and third lines of Hollywood to the ranks of first-line actors, and was selected as the ninth place in the "Top Ten Highest-Grossing Stars in the United States" in 1992; was selected as the "Hollywood Top 25" twice in 1994 and 1995, ranking more than Bruce Willis; in 1995, he was named an action star by Time Magazine to be tied with Stallone and Clint Eastwood.
In addition to acting, Siegel also tried to enter the music scene, signing a 7-year contract with an entertainment company for a large price, recording 5 albums, and holding a solo concert.
At his peak, Siegel paid more than $10 million and had his own independent production company, large ranches, mansion villas, and many pets. He was married three or four times (including one invalid), divorced, and had several children.
After entering the new century, Siegel gradually turned his energy to other fields and gradually moved away from the production of mainstream commercial films, but it is generally believed that he, along with Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Shanger Winton and others, ushered in the golden age of Hollywood action movies.
He has come to China many times for exchanges
Because of his love of Oriental culture, Siegel also has a lot of ties with China.
In 2002, Siegel came to China to select actors and inspect the location of the film "Genghis Khan" under preparation, and said: "China's unique martial arts and magnificent and magical mountains and rivers are an important guarantee for the filming of "Genghis Khan". ”
On that trip to China, Siegel first went to Tibet and Sichuan for an investigation, and then to Beijing, and fulfilled his long-cherished wish and climbed the Great Wall. Siegel, who was smiling and cold and resolute on the screen, said with great enthusiasm: "When I get to the Great Wall, I am a real good man." ”
According to the Chinese staff who received him, Siegel was a Buddhist, and during his time in China, he not only wore Tang costumes, but also wore four or five strings of Buddhist beads on his wrists, and he got up every morning to meditate first before going to breakfast.
In addition to Buddhism, Siegel was also fascinated by Chinese martial arts, and is said to have studied tai chi with Chinese masters. In 2017, he was invited to participate in the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival, and was introduced by a friend to his first Chinese disciple, Hou Yousheng.
Hou Yousheng has starred in several Hollywood action movies. Siegel said that Hou Yousheng has a good foundation in kung fu, and he will teach him the experience of practicing martial arts, and will also help him win more performance opportunities.
With the rise of China's economy and culture, Siegel has come to China more and more times to communicate, and he is also very familiar with famous Chinese filmmakers.
At a Chinese film conference, Siegel came to the scene as a special guest, and when asked if there were any Chinese actors he admired, Siegel used a fairly standard Chinese to report a string of names such as Zhou Runfa, Liang Chaowei, Andy Lau, Hong Jinbao, etc., and also shouted to the producer on the spot that he hoped to cooperate with the above actors.
From an obscure martial arts instructor, to a Hollywood A-list actor, to cross-border politics, Siegel used his own experience to tell a story of struggle with "developed limbs and a simple mind". The story is still not over, and the protagonist of the story may have a new identity.