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 | Jason Statham biography |
Name: Jason Statham
Natinality: English actors
Date born: 12 September 1972
One of very few English actors to find success in American action films, Jason Statham was an untrained unknown when director Guy Ritchie cast him in a close-to-home role as a con artist in his directorial debut “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” (1998). Praised for it’s fresh visual style and quick wit, the film defined a new era of action caper and helped establish Statham as the go-to-guy for handsome, cockney outlaws. His background as a professional athlete and his proficiency in martial arts and gutsy physical stunts were not so unusual for a crime film star, but his accent and unique persona as a streetwise Londoner added an extra layer of appeal and enabled him to break through to U.S. audiences. Statham enjoyed a growing international fan base as the title character in “The Transporter” film series and stuck close to capers and heists with the well-received titles “The Italian Job” (2003) and “The Bank Job” (2008).
Statham was born in Sydenham, London, the son of a lounge singer and dressmaker-turned-dancer. He later moved to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk and grew up initially following in his parents' footsteps to master the art of street theatre. He also played football for the local grammar school (1978–83), but his real passion was diving - in particular, he finished 12th in the World Championships in 1992. He was also a member of Britain's National Diving Squad for twelve years.
Statham's life in media began when he was spotted by a talent agent specialising in athletes while training at London's Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. Afterwards, he became a model for the clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger. Statham is an expert of martial artkickboxing.
Born on September 12, 1972, Jason Statham has done quite a lot in a short time. He has also been a fashion model, black market salesman and finally of course, actor. He got the audition for his debut role as Bacon in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) through French Connection, for whom he was modeling. They became a major investor in the film and introduced Jason to Guy Ritchie, who invited him to audition for a part in the film by challenging him to impersonate an illegal street vendor and convince him to purchase fake jewelery. Jason must have been doing something right because after the success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) he teamed up again with Guy Ritchie for Snatch. (2000), with co-stars including Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio Del Toro. After Snatch. (2000) came Turn It Up (2000) with US music star Ja Rule, followed by a supporting actor role in the Sci-Fi film Ghosts of Mars (2001), Jet Li's The One (2001) and another screen partnership with Vinnie Jones in Mean Machine (2001) under Guy Ritchie's and Matthew Vaughn's SKA Films. Finally in 2002 he was cast as the lead role of Frank Martin in The Transporter (2002). Jason is also in the summer 2003 blockbuster remake of The Italian Job (1969), The Italian Job (2003), playing Handsome Rob.
Jason Statham grew up in southeast London where he was the second son of a singing father and a dancing mother. He was a streetwise kid but avoided getting into too much trouble, thanks to a keen interest and talent in sports. As a youth, he trained in gymnastics and martial arts, idolizing Bruce Lee before displaying real potential for diving. Statham became an amateur high diver, touring the world and competing for a decade as a member of Britain’s National Diving Squad. At the 1992 World Championships, he ranked 12th. But while Statham was exceedingly competitive and hard-working, his sporting talent failed to pay the bills, so he spent his downtime hawking knock-off designer goods on London’s busy shopping streets. It was his first successful acting job of sorts, as he quickly learned to engage and charm passersby with his sales pitches. He fell into a more lucrative line of work when a talent scout spotted Statham at a training gym and landed him a modeling contract with both the French Connection clothing line and Levi Strauss & Co.
Statham’s big acting break came with an audition for fledgling film director Guy Ritchie. During his call-in for the role of a con artist named Bacon in Ritchie’s first feature “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” (1998), Ritchie asked the untrained actor to impersonate an illegal street vendor and to convince him to buy imitation jewelry. It was a brilliant stroke of luck for Statham, who sold Ritchie four sets of the jewelry and refused to return his money at the end of the audition. “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” went on to make a sizeable splash in the U.K. as well as U.S. theaters, with critics praising the stylish and quick-witted heist film for its breakout ensemble cast – of which Statham was a standout. Instant friends now, Ritchie cast Statham in his follow-up “Snatch” (2000), where the newbie actor played a small-time boxing promoter caught up in a twisting and unpredictable plot involving the mob and a stolen diamond. The director again delivered the fast-paced laughs, unpredictable turns and loads of colorful characters, in addition to augmenting his ensemble with known stars Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro, which only helped bring in more American audiences to this distinctly British film.
Hot off his “Snatch” success, Statham was recruited by U.S. filmmakers – first for a supporting role in the uninspired hip hop “rise to fame” movie “Turn It Up” (2000) alongside Pras and JaRule. His particular spark was similarly underutilized in John Carpenter’s career low point “Ghosts of Mars” (2001) and the moderate sci-fi success “The One” (2001) starring martial arts legend Jet Li. Statham finally took center stage with 2002’s “The Transporter” an internationally produced actioner starring Statham as a no-questions-asked delivery man. The film showcased Statham’s wily street tough charm and his proficiency with hand-to-hand combat, stunt-driving and even some stunt-diving. “The Transporter” (2002) received mixed reviews but established Statham as a new (and handsome) face in the world of international action films. He followed up with a co-starring role in the successful remake of “The Italian Job” (2003). The stylish, high-profile heist film was an international blockbuster, receiving considerably better critical response than “The Transporter” and boosting Statham’s profile with his placement alongside established stars Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron.
The tough guy went full-on villainous to play a kidnapper in the unsuccessful thriller “Cellular” (2004) before reversing his position in “The Transporter 2” (2005) where his deliveryman Frank Martin has to protect a young boy and his family from kidnappers. He re-teamed with Ritchie, this time taking the lead in the director’s confusing and poorly reviewed con game “Revolver” (2005), as well as took a stab at straight drama in the likewise panned indie film “London” (2005). He followed up with a pair of starring roles in big budget American films, playing a New York City cop in the crime drama “Chaos” (2006) and helming the entertaining thriller “Crank” (2006) as a man who must keep his heart rate up to prevent a poison injected in his body from killing him. Statham showcased his martial arts skills in “War” (2007), going head-to-head with Jet Li in a box office flop that enjoyed a considerably larger audience on DVD, before starring in the video game-based fantasy “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” (2008) which unfortunately failed to find an audience in any format.
In 2008, Statham enjoyed one his biggest film successes in years with “The Bank Job,” a British production loosely based on an historic London bank caper from the 1970s. The film proved what the actor was capable of when well-directed in a fresh and fun adventure, and gave audiences high hopes for his summer starring role in “Death Race,” a remake of Paul Bartel’s cult classic “Death Race 2000” in which Statham plays a top racer in a futuristic car racing circuit for prison inmates. Later in the year Statham hit theaters in “Transporter 3,” which found his package deliverer relocating to Paris.
In 2008, American film critic Armond White hailed Statham's ascension as the leading international action film star. On the occasion of Death Race, White championed Statham's "best track record of any contemporary movie star." Later in 2008, White praised Statham's Transporter 3as a great example of kinetic pop art.
Statham is currently developing The Grabbers, written by David Peoples and Janet Peoples (Twelve Monkeys). Statham stated “We’ve got a movie we’re trying to do, written by David Peoples and Janet Peoples, in the vein of an old film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. It’s not a remake or anything, but it’s a little bit like that, about relationships and how greed contaminates the relationships these three people have. The working title is The Grabbers."
Ritchie and Statham will reunite to work in a new musical, described as a cross between "Wurzel Gummidge and Bullitt", The Sunreports.
He will also star in the action film, The Killer Elite. According to Variety the film will be based on real events, which were the subject of Ranulph Fiennes' book The Feathermen. Statham will play a former Navy SEAL who comes out of retirement in order to save an old friend.
Statham is unmarried, but was in a relationship with model Kelly Brook for several years.
Several sources, including The New York Times, have incorrectly reported his birthday to be September 10, 1968,which is in fact the birthday of Guy Ritchie.
Statham is 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, a euphemism for hustling tourists on London's Oxford Street.
Was in a relationship with English model and actress Kelly Brook for several years.
Paid $10,625,000 to purchase a 3,355-square-foot oceanfront house in the Malibu Colony in Malibu, California. In addition, since mid-2005 has owned a 2,281-square-foot house in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills, which he purchased for $2.4 million.
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