Jason Statham

Jason Statham

Jason Statham (/ˈsteɪθəm/; born 26 July 1967) is an English actor and film producer. Typecast as the antihero, he is known for his action-thriller roles and portraying tough, irredeemable, and machiavellian characters. Throughout his film career, Statham has regularly performed his own stage combat and stunts.

Born in Derbyshire, England, he began practicing kung fu, kickboxing and karate recreationally in his youth while working at local market stalls. An avid footballer and diver, he was selected[1] by Britain's national diving team to compete in the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Shortly after, he was asked to model for French Connection, Tommy Hilfiger, and Levi's in various advertising campaigns. Statham's past professional history working in market stalls inspired his casting in the Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000).

The commercial success of these films led him to star as Frank Martin in The Transporter trilogy (2002–08). After starring in a variety of heist and action thriller films such as The Italian Job (2003), Crank (2006), War (2007), The Bank Job (2008), The Mechanic (2011), Spy (2015), and Mechanic: Resurrection (2016), he established himself as a leading actor in Hollywood. He found further commercial success in the action series The Expendables (2010–14) and the Fast and the Furious franchise. In the latter, he has played his character, Deckard Shaw, in Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017) and in the spin-off Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019).

His career as an actor and producer has been criticized for lacking depth and variety; however, he has also been praised for leading the 2000s and 2010s action movie resurgences.[2] According to a BBC News report, his film career from 2002 to 2017 generated an estimated US$1.5 billion (£1.1 billion) in ticket-sales,[3] making him one of the movie industry's most bankable stars

Early life

Jason Statham was born on 26 July 1967 in Shirebrook, Derbyshire,[5][6] the son of Eileen (née Yates), a dancer, and Barry Statham, a street seller.[7] His father also worked odd jobs as a house painter, coal miner, and singer in the Canary Islands.[8] He moved to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, where he initially chose not to follow his father's career working the local market stalls, instead practising martial arts. He grew up with football player Vinnie Jones, alongside whom he would later act. Jones introduced him to football, and Statham went on to play for the local grammar school (1978–1983), which he had attended since the age of 11, a passion that he shared with diving.[9] He practiced daily in perfecting his diving techniques, and was a member of Britain's National Swimming Squad for twelve years.[10][11] Statham competed for England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the 10 meter, 3 meter, and 1 meter competitions.[12] He said in a 2003 IGN interview that his time with the national squad was "a great experience" and one that "teaches you discipline, focus, and certainly keeps you out of trouble".[13]

Statham's life in the media began when he was spotted by the agency Sports Promotions specialising in sports modelling while he was training at London's Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. He was also signed by Tommy Hilfiger, Griffin, and Levis for various modeling contracts during their 1996 spring/summer collections.[14] In 1997, he became a model for the clothing brand French Connection. A spokesperson for the high street clothing chain said: "we chose Jason because we wanted our model to look like a normal guy. His look is just right for now: very masculine and not too male-modelly."[6] However, he was still forced to follow in his father's footsteps as a street seller to make ends meet, selling "fake perfume and jewellery on street corners" according to Statham.[15][8] He made small appearances in a few music videos, including "Comin' On" by The Shamen in 1993, "Run to the Sun" by Erasure in 1994,[16] and "Dream a Little Dream of Me" by The Beautiful South in 1995