Olivier Gruner mini-bio: Olivier Gruner is one of the world's most versatile experts in the field of physical
fitness. Born into a family where both his father and
brother became noted surgeons and his younger brother became an engineer. However,
from an early age, Olivier followed a different path in life.
After seeing a Bruce Lee movie at age 11, Olivier became captivated with martial
arts and began studying Shotokan Karate, and then boxing and kickboxing. At age 18,
he joined the French
Military, volunteering for their Commando Marine unit. After leaving the
military in 1981, Olivier left the French military to train full time to compete
professionally as a kickboxer.
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. Discovered at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, he began a film career that
allowed him ultimately to appear in 27 films and 3 television series, and develop a
reputation as one of the hardest-working, most disciplined actors in Hollywood.
