I moved to Southern California and, through friends I met on my first trip, got jobs working as an extra in movies and television. At the same time, I put some mats down in my garage and every person I met was invited for a free introductory class. If they brought a friend along, they got another free class. Ten friends, ten free classes, and so on.

I am the oldest son of Helio Gracie,Rorion.I put on a gi before I could walk. At 2 years old,was already doing public demonstrations with my father. At an early age, I grasped the concepts and learned to teach under the tutelage of my father. I have embraced the principles and techniques established by my Father and his responsible for the tremendous explosion of Jiu-Jitsu around the world.
Around Christmas 1969, I came to the United States for a 3 month vacation. After visiting relatives in New York and Washington, DC, I moved on to California and stayed at the Hollywood YMCA. Eventually, by late 1970, I made my way back to Brazil.
In 1972, I returned to America for the summer, then I went back to Brazil where I attended the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro for 5 years and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Law. At that point, following a brief marriage and two children, I made the most important decision of his life: In 1978, he landed in New York with a little over $2,000 in his pocket and a dream: to make his family's jiu-jitsu popular worldwide.

I am one of the few people in the world to hold a 9th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I received that promotion on October 27, 2003 from my father Helio Gracie.

By 1989, I had remarried and had five more children, and 120 students coming to take classes in his garage, with an additional 80 people on a growing waiting list. By then, Royce had come to the U.S. and was living with and teaching with me to help strengthen the establishment of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu here.
Through my contacts in Hollywood, I started choreographing fight scenes for movies including those in "Lethal Weapon" and "Lethal Weapon 3" where I worked with Mel Gibson and Rene Russo. Playboy Magazine and leading martial arts publications all over the world were helping to spread the word through articles profiling me and my Brazilian jiu-jitsu style.

I am a visionary, I produced several videotapes, both instructional and documentary, as well as the first interactive instructional CD-ROM, "Gracie Total Defense". I also developed the concept of combining jiu-jitsu instruction with fun in the sun on official Gracie Cruises. My G.R.A.P.L.E.® program (Gracie Resisting Attack Procedures for Law Enforcement) has reached every major federal law enforcement agency and military organization, as well as most state and local police departments. The demand is overwhelming. My RAPESAFE® instructional course and video are the most realistic and complete form of self-defense for women available today. G.A.R.D. (Gracie Air Rage Defense) is the latest in my line of specialized self-defense programs, empowering flight attendants with the ability to subdue and control unruly passengers. For more Info go to www.gracieacademy.com

The video, "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu In ActionTM" had been released in 1988 and quickly gained international popularity. Some of the most prominent martial artists in the country were coming to Torrance to take classes as they began to recognize the importance of incorporating the benefits of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu into their own styles. By 1989, having long outgrown the boundaries of my garage, the Gracie Academy opened its doors.
After opening the Academy, releasing the first instructional video series, "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu BasicsTM", was a natural consequence. Other videos followed, and by 1993, I developed the concept of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Royce stepped into the octagon and showed everyone, once and for all, what Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was all about. The world of martial arts would never be the same.