Before They Were Stars: Steven Seagal Performs Aikido

Yesterday, I gave Steven Seagal the “Robin’s Underrated Gems” treatment, so I suppose he should get his own “Before They Were Stars” spotlight as well. Of course, that might have proved difficult since Seagal’s very first film, Above the Law, was a starring role. However, the reason Seagal became such a star so quickly is because he had built up a stellar reputation in the martial arts world, garnering a 7th-dan black belt in Aikido and becoming the first foreigner to ever operate an Aikido dojo in Japan. Here’s some home-movie footage of a young Seagal, sporting sideburns instead of a ponytail, practicing Aikido, and it’s weird to see him in a fight scene where he’s not snapping people’s wrists.