Olivier Gruner

Olivier Gruner
Born	August 2, 1960 (1960-08-02) Paris, France

Olivier Gruner (born 2 August 1960 in Paris, France) is a former Commando Marine and World Kickboxing Champion. He became an actor specializing in the field of physical fitness.

Early life

Gruner was born into a family where both his father and brother became noted surgeons and his younger brother became an engineer.

After seeing a Bruce Lee movie at age 11, Gruner became captivated with martial arts and began studying Shotokan Karate, and then boxing and kickboxing.

Military

At age 18, rather than pursuing the academic life many expected of him, he joined the Marine Nationale, volunteering for their Commando Marine unit. As a part of his military training he learned to scuba dive, sky dive and climb.

Kickboxing career

In 1981 Gruner left the French military to train full time to compete professionally as a kickboxer.

He traveled to the French Alps and began training to fight professionally. In order to pay for his training expenses, he had to hold down four jobs, as a bouncer, a ski patrol member, a trainer and a ski lift operator. In 1984, he began fighting professionally as a kickboxer in France. After 10 professional fights, he became the French middleweight champion.

By 1985, his successes in the ring allowed him to train and fight full time and, in 1986, he became World Middleweight Kickboxing Champion. Having achieved his dream of becoming World Champion, in 1987, he retired to pursue a career as an actor and model.

Kickboxing Titles

• 1986 Middleweight Kickboxing world champion
• 1985 W.A.K.O. World Championships in Budapest -75 kg (Full-Contact)

Acting career

Discovered at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, he began a film career. Gruner joined Imperial Entertainment and began acting in action movie in 1990 with the urban action movie Angel Town and Albert Pyun’s cyberpunk 1992 science fiction thriller Nemesis.

Gruner has stayed with Imperial Entertainment and gone on to perform in Automatic (1994), Savate (1997), Mercenary (1997), Mars (1998), Interceptors (1999), T.N.T. (1998), and Interceptor Force 2 (2002). Ultimately he appeared in 27 films and three television series, and develop a reputation as a hard working, disciplined Hollywood actor.

Throughout his career after leaving the ring, Gruner maintained his passion for fitness, continuing the brutally demanding physical regimen he had developed and maintained through his military and kickboxing career and adding to it the skills needed to pursue his other demanding physical hobbies.

His most recently role was in an episode of Martial Law entitled "Wildlife" and Code Name: Eternity.

Personal life

Over the years, Gruner has maintained his demanding physical regimen and learned new skills including surfing and becoming a commercial helicopter pilot. He continues to ski and sky dive.

Film

• Angel Town 1990
• Nemesis 1992
• Automatic 1994
• Savate aka The Fighter 1995
• Savage 1995
• Mercenary 1996
• Mars 1996
• T.N.T. 1997
• Velocity Trap 1997
• Mercenary 2:Thick & Thin 1998
• Interceptors 1999
• The White Pony 1999
• Crackerjack 3 2000
• G.O.D. 2001
• Extreme Honor 2001
• The Circuit 2002
• Power Elite 2002
• Interceptors Force 2 2002
• Deadly Engagement 2003
• The Circuit 2:The Final Punch 2003
• SWAT: Warhead One 2005
• Crooked (Soft Target) 2006
• The Circuit 3: Street Monk 2006
• Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter 2007
• Lost Warrior: Left Behind 2008
• Skorumpowani 2008
• Brother's War 2009
• Tales of an Ancient Empire 2010
• One Night 2010

Director

• One Night 2010

External links

• Olivier Gruner at the Internet Movie Database