Born on September 12, 1972 in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, Jason Statham is an English actor known for playing definitively masculine roles. He is also an athlete, specializing in the sport of diving, which led him to finish 12th in the 1992 World Championships. For 12 years, he has been a member of Britain’s National Diving Squad.
Jason Statham began his career in front of the camera when he was spotted by a talent agent. He became a model for the clothing brand French Connection and was introduced to the then-young director Guy Ritchie. Ritchie was working on a film then, and was looking for someone to play the role of a streetwise con artist. Jason Statham was cast as Bacon in Ritchie’s breakthrough hit, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998. It was well-received critically and commercially, giving more recognition to the actor. Statham once again collaborated with Ritchie in the 2000 film Snatch, where he was cast alongside Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio del Toro. This led to Statham’s Hollywood career, being given roles in other blockbusters like Ghosts of Mars and Jet Li’s The One in 2001.
In 2002, Jason Statham was given the lead role of Frank Martin in the action movie The Transporter, where he did most of his own stunts. He returned to film the sequel in 2005, Transporter 2. He also had supporting roles such as Handsome Rob in 2003’s The Italian Job, which starred Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. He also voiced characters in videogames, such as Sgt. Waters in Call of Duty and Shrike in Red Faction II. He had a minor role in 2004’s Collateral, and was given the role of Ethan in Cellular, also starring Kim Basinger.
He was also in 2005’s London and Revolver, and was cast as the lead character Chev Chelios in 2006’s action thriller Crank. The next year, he played a farmer in In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale and Crawford in War. In 2008, he played Terry Leather in the crime thriller The Bank Job.