Quick facts
Jason Statham is an English actor, producer and martial artist. Jason did not want to follow his father’s footsteps. He was a member of the British National Diving Squad for twelve years. He finished 12th in platform diving in the World Championships. He came into the limelight when the agency Sports Promotions signed to model for the clothing brand French Connection. He then appeared in the music videos of bands including The Shamen, Erasure and The Beautiful South. His first movie break came when Guy Ritchie signed him for “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” since the character related with Statham’s background. More movie roles soon followed. He became famous for his roles in “Snatch” alongside actors Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio del Toro, and “The Expendables” alongside action stars Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li and Mickey Rourke. In “The Transporter” he plays the lead role of Frank Martin. He reprised his role in “Transporter 2” and “Transporter 3”. Known to perform his stunts himself, Statham has advocated for stunt performers to be given their own category at the Oscars.
Contacts
Career
- Statham came into the limelight when the agency Sports Promotions spotted him while training at London’s Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. Later, he became a model for the clothing brand French Connection.
- In order to make ends meet, he was forced to follow his father’s footsteps, and took to selling fake perfume and jewellery on street corners - something he never wanted to do.
- From 1993 to 1995, he made appearances in music videos including “Comin’ On Strong” by The Shamen, “Run to the Sun” by Erasure and “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by The Beautiful South.
- He collaborated with Guy Ritchie in the 2000 movie “Snatch” in which he played the role of “Turkish” alongside popular actors such as Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio del Toro.
- With “Snatch”, he was able to break into Hollywood. In 2001, he appeared in two movies - “Ghosts of Mars” and “The One”. His impressive performance helped him in getting more roles.
- From 2002 to 2004, he played supporting roles in a number of movies including “Mean Machine”, “The Italian Job” in which he played Handsome Rob, and “Cellular” in which he played the lead villain.
- In 2006, he played a dramatic role in the film “London”. He played Chev Chelios in the action film “Crank”, and in its sequel “Crank: High Voltage”.
- In 2008, he appeared in the crime thriller “The Bank Job”, and “Death Race”, a remake of “Death Race 2000”. He was hailed as the leading action film star.
- In 2010, he appeared in “The Expendables” alongside action stars Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li and Mickey Rourke. Statham played Lee Christmas, a former SAS soldier and expert at close quarters combat.
- In 2011, he starred in the remake of the Charles Bronson film, “The Mechanic”. He returned to act in the British film, “Blitz”, a police drama.
- He played the assassin Danny in “Killer Elite” who comes out of retirement to save his friend played by Robert De Niro. It was based on real events from Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ fictional novel “The Feather Men”.
- His 2012 releases were “The Expendables 2”, in which he reprised his character Lee Christmas, and “Safe”. He also had a cameo role in “Fast & Furious 6”.
- He starred as the antihero in “Parker” directed by Taylor Hackford, released in 2013.
Filmography
- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) (Crime, Comedy)
- Snatch (2000) (Crime, Comedy)
- The Italian Job (2003) (Crime, Action, Thriller)
- Collateral (2004) (Thriller, Crime, Drama)
- The Expendables (2010) (Thriller, Action, Adventure)
- The Expendables 2 (2012) (Action, Adventure, Thriller)
- Furious 6 (2013) (Thriller, Crime, Action)
- Furious Seven (2015) (Action, Thriller, Crime)