Jason Statham Biography

Jason Michael Statham (born 12 September 1972) is an English actor, known for his 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.

Biography

Early life and diving career

Statham was born in 1972 in London,England, Jason played football for the local Grammar school (1978-83) but his real passion was diving. He was the second son of a lounge singer and dressmaker-turned-dancer who ran a black market operation. 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. and he was also a member of Britain's National Diving Squad for twelve years.

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. Afterwards, he became a model for the clothing brand French Connection where he was introduced to then-fledgling British director Guy Ritchie.

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. 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. 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 background in martial arts enabled him to do most of his own stunts. A sequel, Transporter 2, followed in 2005. He also appeared in supporting roles in The Italian Job (2003) (in which he also played a driver) and Cellular (2004), and had a cameo in Collateral before taking the lead role in Crank (2006). 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.

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 but they are no longer together.

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     Det. 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     Jensen "Frankenstein" Ames     Release date:
August 22, 2008
Transporter 3     Frank Martin     Post Production
2009     Crank 2: High Voltage     Chev Chelios     Post Production
The Brazilian Job     Handsome Rob     Announced
Video game voice-overs Video game     Year     Character
Red Faction II     2002     Shrike
Call of Duty     2003     Sgt. Waters

Jason Statham Pictures ( 21 Pictures)