Steven Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist, and a reserve deputy sheriff.

A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, he began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan. He became the first foreigner to operate an Aikido Dojo in Japan. He later moved to the Los Angeles, California, area where he made his film debut in 1988 in Above the Law. By 1991, he had starred in three successful films, and would go on to achieve greater fame in Under Siege (1992), where he played Navy SEALs counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback.