Advertisement

Steven Seagal turns 60! Five reasons we love him

With his trademark ponytail and squinty eyes, Seagal has been kicking ass on the big screen (but, let's face it, mainly on video) for decades.

But Seagal is not just an overweight '80s action star who makes straight-to-DVD movies. We mean, he is… but that doesn't tell the whole story of this incredible man.

[Read more: The manliest movies of all time]

Now that the podgy 'Under Siege' actor has turned 60 this week, we thought we'd celebrate with just a few of the things we love about Steven Seagal. Happy Birthday Steve.

He's a real life cop

Our favourite headline from last year was undoubtedly: 'Steven Seagal killed my puppy'. The star was taking part in 'Steven Seagal Lawman', which followed his duties as a real life reserve deputy sheriff in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. During a raid on a cockfighting farm, the farm owner claimed in a lawsuit that someone in Seagal's heavily-armed SWAT team (a tank was used) shot his 11-month-old "beloved family pet".

Apparently, Seagal had secretly been a cop for 20 years before spilling the beans by, uh, making a TV show about it.

He's a reincarnated lama

No, not a llama. He's the reincarnation of a great Buddhist master (or 'Tulku'). The honour was bestowed on the devoutly Buddhist Seagal by high-ranking lama His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, who reckons Seagal carries with him the spirit of spirit of a 17th-century Buddhist master named Chungdrag Dorje.

Some might say it's a contradiction that the peace-loving Buddhists recognise a man who's made a career in films with titles like 'Half Past Dead' and 'Today You Die', but Penor Rinpoche said: "Such movies are for temporary entertainment and do not relate to what is real and important… It is possible to be both a popular movie star and a tulku."

He's released two albums

Another string in Seagal's bow is his musical talent. You might not know that he's released two albums: 'Songs from the Crystal Cave' and the brilliantly titled 'Mojo Priest'. Both feature "outsider country-meets-world music-meets-Aikido" and feature song titles like 'Jealousy', 'Aligator Ass' and 'Gunfire in a Juke Joint'.

He destroys nuclear devices

Fans of Seagal's work might wonder why in films such as 'On Deadly Ground', 'Fire Down Below' and 'The Patriot' his characters were environmentally conscious… as well as trained killers. For example, 'Patriot' features numerous bizarre homeopathy scenes, while in 'Deadly Ground' his ex-CIA assassin now works putting out forest fires.

It's because Seagal loves the environment in real life, and has campaigned for (amongst many things), baby elephants in South Africa, dogs in Taiwan and cows in India.

Even more amazingly, his official website claims he has been "Honoured as the first private citizen to destroy a Nuclear Device".

He sells energy drinks

All that humanitarian work won't pay for itself though. Luckily, our Steve has some business side-projects as part of 'Steven Seagal Enterprises'. The first is 'Lighting Bolt', an all natural 100 per cent juice herbal energy drink that is the first bottle of fizz to feature Tibetan Goji Berries. They sound delicious.

Another is apparently an aftershave called 'Scent of Action', though sadly we couldn't find it on sale anywhere yet. Presumably because it makes fellas too attractive to the opposite sex.

Share your love for Steven Seagal in the comments section below.