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In the sizable wake created by Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme, Hollywood studios are racing to pump up their own martial arts superstars. But with such interchangeable vehicles as Seagal's Marked for Death and Van Damme's Death Warrant, it's easy to get confused about what's what and who's who. That's why we separated the he-men from the clean-and-jerks. Below, our pick of the pecs. STEVEN SEAGAL
STUDIO: Warner Bros. LATEST MOVIE: Out for Justice * HT./WT./CHEST: 6'3''/200 lbs./48'' MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING: Studied aikido from age 17, registered sixth-degree aikido master in Japan BIRTH ACCENT: Husky, David Carradine whisper FAMILY STATUS: Married to model-actress Kelly LeBrock; two children FASHION STATEMENT: Eurotrash hairdo and clothes landed him on the cover of GQ ROLE MODEL: Chuck Norris GIMMICK: Snaps arms and legs of opponents with a flick of the wrist
JEFF SPEAKMAN
STUDIO: Paramount. LATEST MOVIE: The Perfect Weapon HT./WT./CHEST: 6'/185 lbs./46'' MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING: Fourt-degree black belt in kenpo (American karate variant) BIRTH ACCENT: Generic Middle-American FAMILY STATUS: Single FASHION STATEMENT: Serious beard stubble appears to be at least a week old ROLE MODEL: Steven Seagal GIMMICK: Lots of tiny, whiplike moves; big whomp-'em sound effects
JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME
STUDIO: Columbia LATEST MOVIE: Double Impact (due this summer) HT./WT./CHEST: 5'8''/185 lbs./40'' MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING: Kickboxing black belt BIRTH ACCENT: Belgian FAMILY STATUS: Married to champ bodybuilder Gladys Portugues; two children FASHION STATEMENT: Blue jeans in Lionheart modeled after French sailors' pants ROLE MODEL: Arnold Schwarzenegger GIMMICK: Balletic, brain-shattering round-house kick
DOLPH LUNDGREN
STUDIO: Unaffiliated. LATEST MOVIE: I Come in Peace HT./WT./CHEST: 6'5''/235 lbs./54'' MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING: European kick-boxing champ in 1980-81; won Fulbright Scholarship to M.I.T. BIRTH ACCENT: Husky, Swedish, but after ca=oaching is more like Big 10 jock with a head cold FAMILY STATUS: Single; used to go out with Grace Jones FASHION STATEMENT: Regular-guy T-shirt and jeans ROLE MODEL: Stallone (his opponent in Rocky IV) GIMMICK: Despite decent high-kick and head-butting skills, prefers semiautomatics
MARK SALZMAN
STUDIO: Miramax LATEST MOVIE: Iron & Silk HT./WT./CHEST: 5'8''/140 lbs./38'' MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING: Studied under wushu master who hits a steel plate with fists 1,000 times a day BIRTH ACCENT: Yale (B.A. in Chinese language and literatrue, 1982) FAMILY STATUS: Married to Chinese-American documentary film-maker Jessica Yu FASHION STATEMENT: Sensible prep-wear befitting image as beefcake for intellectuals ROLE MODEL: George Plimpton GIMMICK: Doesn't fight; plays himself-an English instructor/matrial arts student in China
