Jason Statham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jason Statham | |
|---|---|
 This content has an uncertain copyright status and is pending deletion. You can comment on its removal. |
|
| Born | September 12, 1972 Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England |
| Occupation | actor |
| Years active | 1998—present |
Jason Statham (pronounced /ˈdʒeɪsən ˈsteɪθəm/[citation needed]; born 12 September 1972) is an English actor, known for his definitive masculine roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Revolver; and Snatch. Statham also appeared in supporting roles in several American films, such as The Italian Job, as well as playing the lead role in The Transporter, Crank, The Bank Job, and War alongside martial arts star Jet Li.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life and diving career
Statham was born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire and later moved to London. He was the second son of a lounge singer and dressmaker-turned-dancer who ran a black market operation.[1] He grew up, initially, following his parents' trail to master the art of street theatre. Statham developed an interest in sports, diving in particular, which led him to become an excellent athlete in the sport; he finished 12th in the World Championships in 1992[2] and he was also a member of Britain's National Diving Squad for twelve years.[2]He is also a martial arts expert in mixed martial arts, especially Kick Boxing.
[edit] Modeling and acting career
Statham's life in media began when he was spotted by a talent agent specializing in athletes while training at London's Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.[3] Afterwards, he became a model for the clothing brand French Connection where he was introduced to then-fledgling British director Guy Ritchie.[4]
Ritchie was working on a film project and needed to fill the role of a street-wise con artist. After learning about Statham's past, Ritchie cast him to play the role of Bacon in Ritchie's breakout 1998 hit, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.[3] The movie was well received by both critics and audiences, which helped catapult the unknown actor into the public eye. Statham's second collaboration with Ritchie came in the 2000 film Snatch.[5] Cast alongside popular actors Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio del Toro, and with the movie earning more than $80 million in box-office revenues, Statham was able to break into Hollywood and appeared in two movies in 2001: Ghosts of Mars and The One.
Statham was offered more film roles, and in 2002 was cast as the lead role of driver Frank Martin in the action movie The Transporter, in which his backround in martial arts enabled him to do most of his own stunts.[5] A sequel, Transporter 2, followed in 2005.[5] He also appeared in supporting roles in The Italian Job (2003) (in which he also played a driver)[5] and Cellular (2004),[5] and had a cameo in Collateral before taking the lead role in Crank (2006).[5] Statham compares his role in Crank to his real life in the September 2006 issue of Maxim Magazine In 2005, Statham was once again cast by Ritchie to star in his new project, Revolver, and also starred in In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, which was released in the U.S. in 2008. His most recent release was the crime thriller The Bank Job.
[edit] Personal life
Statham dated English model and actress Kelly Brook for seven years but the couple split when she met actor Billy Zane on the set of Survival Island. In 2005, Statham dated former Bardot singer Sophie Monk[6] but they are no longer together.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | Bacon | |
| 2000 | Snatch | Turkish | |
| Turn It Up | Mr. B | ||
| 2001 | Ghosts of Mars | Sgt. Jericho Butler | |
| The One | MVA Agent Evan Funsch | ||
| Mean Machine | Monk | ||
| 2002 | Thai Boxing: A Fighting Chance | Narrator | |
| The Transporter | Frank Martin | ||
| 2003 | The Italian Job | Handsome Rob | |
| 2004 | Collateral | Airport Man | Cameo appearance |
| Cellular | Ethan Greer | ||
| 2005 | Transporter 2 | Frank Martin | |
| Revolver | Jake Green | ||
| London | Bateman | ||
| 2006 | Chaos | Detective Quentin Conners | |
| The Pink Panther | Yves Gluant | Uncredited role | |
| Crank | Chev Chelios | ||
| 2007 | War | FBI Agent John Crawford | |
| In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale | Farmer Daimon | ||
| 2008 | The Bank Job | Terry Leather | |
| Death Race | Frankenstein | awaiting release | |
| 2009 | Crank 2: High Voltage | Chev Chelios | filming |
| Transporter 3 | Frank Martin | Post Production |
Artemis Fowl|| Butler|| awaiting realeasa
[edit] Video game voice-overs
- Red Faction II (2002) – Shrike
- Call of Duty (2003) – Sgt. Waters
[edit] References
- ^ Dawson, Angela. "Jason Statham: Hooked on 'Crank'", Arizona Republic, 2006-08-29. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
- ^ a b An interview with Jason Statham at IGN.com
- ^ a b Jason Statham at Filmbug
- ^ Jason Statham at askmen.com
- ^ a b c d e f Jason Statham at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Jason Statham Is Dating Again. Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
[edit] External links
