Seagal and Putin apparently met in 2003, when Seagal attended the Moscow film festival. Seagal has vigorously proclaimed his admiration of and respect for the Russian president, while Putin has been keen to associate himself with martial-arts figures as part of his hard-man image. Here they are in 2013, visiting Sambo-70, a Russian martial art and combat sport school in Moscow.

Photograph: Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images