Jason Statham
| Also known as: | Jason Michael Statham, Jay, The Stath |
| Occupation: | Actor • Voice Cast • Producer • Executive Producer |
| Born: | July 26, 1967 |
| Birthplace: | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Spouse: | Rosie Huntington-Whiteley |
About
Originally a competitive diver, Jason Statham is an English actor best known for his roles in action movies. The actor often plays the role of an antihero and performs all of his stunts himself.
Early LifeJason Statham was born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England on 26 July, 1967, although some sources say he`s born in 1972. His father Barry Statham was a street seller and singer, and his mother Eileen was a dancer. The Englishman soon moved to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and began learning martial arts and football. During his schooling, he also practiced diving and became a part of his country`s national diving squad. In 1990, Statham represented England at the Commonwealth Games in three different diving categories. Two years later, he was ranked number 12 in the world as a platform diver. Statham was soon noticed by a sports promotion agency who signed him on as a model for French Connection. During this time, he appeared in numerous music videos whilst simultaneously selling fake perfumes and jewelry in the street`s black market in order to make ends meet.
Personal LifeJason Statham dated English model and TV presenter Kelly Brooks from 1997 to 2004. In 2010, he began seeing English model-turned-actor Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The two got engaged in January 2016.
Movie CareerDuring his modeling days with French Connection, Jason Statham met British film director Guy Ritchie who felt that Statham would be perfect to play the role of a street-smart con artist in the crime comedy thriller Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). The movie was a great success both critically and commercially and the director roped Statham in for the film Snatch (2000), which also starred Brad Pitt. The film was by and large well-received and Hollywood began taking notice of the actor.
After appearing in the sci-fi films Ghost of Mars (2001) and The One (2001), Jason Statham was cast in the lead role in the action film The Transporter (2002), which was reasonably well-received. The actor then played a supporting role in The Italian Job (2003) and the role of the antagonist in Cellular (2004). Post that, Statham starred in Transporter 2 (2005), which earned over USD 80 million at the box office and was widely considered to be a better film than its prequel. The actor then played the lead role in the dark action comedy Crank (2006) and its sequel Crank: High Voltage (2009), before starring in Transporter 3 (2008). All of these films established Jason Statham as one of Hollywood`s top action stars.
Over the next few years, he played prominent roles in The Expendables film franchise, which also featured an array of iconic action stars like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, and Harrison Ford. In 2013, he joined the Fast & Furious franchise, making a cameo at the end of Fast & Furious 6. He played the role of the lead antagonist in Furious 7 (2015), battling against the antagonists played by Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and the late Paul Walker. In an unexpected twist, Jason Statham appeared in a refreshingly different role; that of a clumsy, delusional, overconfident agent in the Melissa McCarthy-starrer Spy (2015). The actor was even nominated for a Best Actor in a Comedy role at the Critics Choice Awards. The year 2016, saw Jason Statham return to his conventional anti-hero role, with the action thriller Mechanic: Resurrection, a sequel to The Mechanic (2011). His 2019 release includes Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw.
Early LifeJason Statham was born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England on 26 July, 1967, although some sources say he`s born in 1972. His father Barry Statham was a street seller and singer, and his mother Eileen was a dancer. The Englishman soon moved to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and began learning martial arts and football. During his schooling, he also practiced diving and became a part of his country`s national diving squad. In 1990, Statham represented England at the Commonwealth Games in three different diving categories. Two years later, he was ranked number 12 in the world as a platform diver. Statham was soon noticed by a sports promotion agency who signed him on as a model for French Connection. During this time, he appeared in numerous music videos whilst simultaneously selling fake perfumes and jewelry in the street`s black market in order to make ends meet.
Personal LifeJason Statham dated English model and TV presenter Kelly Brooks from 1997 to 2004. In 2010, he began seeing English model-turned-actor Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The two got engaged in January 2016.
Movie CareerDuring his modeling days with French Connection, Jason Statham met British film director Guy Ritchie who felt that Statham would be perfect to play the role of a street-smart con artist in the crime comedy thriller Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). The movie was a great success both critically and commercially and the director roped Statham in for the film Snatch (2000), which also starred Brad Pitt. The film was by and large well-received and Hollywood began taking notice of the actor.
After appearing in the sci-fi films Ghost of Mars (2001) and The One (2001), Jason Statham was cast in the lead role in the action film The Transporter (2002), which was reasonably well-received. The actor then played a supporting role in The Italian Job (2003) and the role of the antagonist in Cellular (2004). Post that, Statham starred in Transporter 2 (2005), which earned over USD 80 million at the box office and was widely considered to be a better film than its prequel. The actor then played the lead role in the dark action comedy Crank (2006) and its sequel Crank: High Voltage (2009), before starring in Transporter 3 (2008). All of these films established Jason Statham as one of Hollywood`s top action stars.
Over the next few years, he played prominent roles in The Expendables film franchise, which also featured an array of iconic action stars like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, and Harrison Ford. In 2013, he joined the Fast & Furious franchise, making a cameo at the end of Fast & Furious 6. He played the role of the lead antagonist in Furious 7 (2015), battling against the antagonists played by Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and the late Paul Walker. In an unexpected twist, Jason Statham appeared in a refreshingly different role; that of a clumsy, delusional, overconfident agent in the Melissa McCarthy-starrer Spy (2015). The actor was even nominated for a Best Actor in a Comedy role at the Critics Choice Awards. The year 2016, saw Jason Statham return to his conventional anti-hero role, with the action thriller Mechanic: Resurrection, a sequel to The Mechanic (2011). His 2019 release includes Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw.
Filmography