Hollywood action star: FBI accusations destroyed my career
By David Randall
Published: 19 August 2007

Steven Seagal, whose action movies were once major box-office attractions, has claimed that false accusations by FBI agents ruined his career.

Speaking about an FBI investigation into accusations that he intimidated a reporter and had ties to organised crime, Seagal told the Los Angeles Times: "False FBI accusations fuelled thousands of articles saying that I terrorise journalists and associate with the Mafia. These kinds of inflammatory allegations scare studio heads and independent producers and kill careers." He is now demanding an apology from the bureau.

Seagal was once a major star of action movies such as Under Siege (1992), which earned $156m at box offices worldwide, but his film career now consists of straight-to-DVD releases such as Flight of Fury and Attack Force.

The FBI investigation stemmed from Seagal's ties to a former private detective, Anthony Pellicano, who was once employed by many Hollywood stars, directors and producers, but is now in a federal prison awaiting trial on wire-tapping and other charges.

The Pellicano investigation dates to 2002, when a freelance reporter working on a story found a dead fish, a red rose and a note saying "Stop!" on her car. At the time, the reporter was researching Seagal and a former business partner.

Seagal said that he and Pellicano had not been on speaking terms since the 1990s. The actor said that in October 2004, an FBI official told him they knew he had nothing to do with the Pellicano investigation.

Still, Seagal claims they have not publicly exonerated him. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment "because of the ongoing nature of the investigation".

Seagal is unlikely to get a grovelling "sorry" from the feds. Their investigation began five years ago, 10 years after he made the hit Under Siege and well after he ceased to be a major Hollywood actor. But although the pony-tailed one-time star has long been the butt of internet humourists for his one-dimensional, preposterously invincible action-heroes, Seagal himself is a more complex and interesting character than any he plays on screen.

The son of a teacher and a health worker, he learnt martial arts at an early age and is a high-ranking aikido master, having taught the art in Japan. He is probably one of the few action-movie heroes who could actually give villains a pasting in real life. His first contact with the film world was acting as martial arts co-ordinator for movies such as Never Say Never Again with Sean Connery. After a spell as a bodyguard, to, among others, big-time agent Michael Ovitz, he did a screen test for Warner Brothers and his acting career began.

The 56-year-old Seagal is one of Hollywood's Buddhists. He is also a keen animal rights activist, campaigning for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and has adopted many cats and dogs from shelters.
Fortunately, he's got a new career as a blues man.