More Jason Statham Bios & Profiles
The most recent Jason Statham biography is published on the main page.
Biography #2 (for Cellular)
Actor Jason Statham joins the new generation of young action heroes in the Twentieth Century Fox feature The Transporter, written specially for him by Luc Besson. Directed by Hong Cong born Cory Yuen, one of the world's foremost action directors. The Transporter is about Frank Martin a man who lives a quiet life on the French Mediterranean, who is a transporter, someone who moves goods (human or otherwise) no questions asked. He follows three rules: 1. Never change the deal 2. No names 3. Never look in the package. When he breaks the third rule, he is faced with a new companion, shocking secrets and deadly complications.Statham was born in Sydenham, England and came into the acting profession in a most unconventional manner. His parents' first love was entertaining, they moved around England finding a better way to make a living. They ran mock auctions, a major street con. By the time he was nine, he was surrounded by an unsavory group of characters, gangsters and con artists, and found he was very good at the con game. Selling counterfeit goods and products that didn't make the grade proved to be the initial training grounds for Statham's street theater.
As a teenager he became interested in sports and became a high diving competitor, traveling abroad and making the cut for the Great Britain diving team. He placed third in the Olympic trials on three different occasions, eventually placing 12th in the world. While training at the famed Crystal Palace National Sport Center in London, film crews and photographers pursued him as new talent for commercials and print campaigns. One of those jobs was a French Connection print ad where he met the owner of the company. The owner showed an interest and it turned out he was the executive producer of an upcoming film who introduced him to director, Guy Ritchie. The film was Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. Ritchie found in Statham, not just an actor, but more importantly someone who could play a role that he lived, a street-con. He was encouraged by Ritchie to improvise, as the director wanted honesty.
Shortly after Statham's film debut, Ritchie cast him again in the gangster film Snatch as a boxing promoter starring opposite Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro. After the shoot, executive producer Matthew Vaughn brought Statham to Los Angeles and introduced him to an American agent and he was well on his way. He also co-starred in the sci-fi action thriller The One opposite Jet Li for Sony/Revolution as well as the Paramount Classic's film The Mean Machine. The role was not a stretch for Statham, who was a natural born athlete and who studied boxing and martial arts.
Most recently he was seen co-starring with Mark Wahlberg and Edward Norton in The Italian Job for Paramount Pictures and directed by F. Gary Gray. The film is about a gang of robbers who create the largest traffic jam in Los Angeles history, giving them time to pull off a theft of gold bullion.
Statham recently completed filming the feature Chaos opposite Ryan Philliippe and Wesley Snipes. He is currently shooting the sequel Transporter 2, and then will star in Guy Ritchie's upcoming film Revolver.
Bio courtesy New Line Cinema for "Cellular" (16-Sep-2004)
Biography #3 (for The Italian Job)
Jason Statham joins a new generation of action heroes with his recent starring role in The Transporter. The British-born actor got his big break when director Guy Ritchie cast him as the street con artist in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which he then followed with Snatch. Statham has since appeared in The One and Mean Machine. Prior to his acting career, Statham was on Great Britain's diving team where he competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and placed twelfth in the world for diving off the high board. While training at the famed Crystal Palace National Sport Center in London, film crews and photographers pursued him as a new talent for commercial and print campaigns. One of the owners of the French Connection clothing line who saw his picture, turned out to be an executive producer on Guy Ritchie's first film and made the introduction.
Bio courtesy Paramount for "The Italian Job" (01-Jan-2000)
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