Steven Frederic Seagal is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan, becoming the first foreigner to operate an aikido dojo in the country. He later moved to Los Angeles where he had the same profession. In 1988, Seagal made his acting debut in
Above the Law. By 1991, he had starred in four films. In 1992, he played Navy SEAL counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback in
Under Siege. During the latter half of the 1990s, Seagal starred in three more feature films and the direct-to-video film
The Patriot. Subsequently, his career shifted to mostly direct-to-video productions. He has since appeared in films and reality shows, including
Steven Seagal: Lawman, which depicted Seagal performing his duties as a reserve deputy sheriff.