Jason Statham

26 Jul, 1967 |

Actor/Producer

Biography

Jason Statham is an English actor, producer, martial artist, and former diver. He is known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000), and Revolver (2005). He has also appeared in films such as the action thriller The Transporter trilogy (2002-08), the heist film The Italian Job (2003), the black comedy/action film Crank (2006), the action film War (2007), which co-starred Jet Li. He starred in the science fiction action thriller Death Race (2008), the crime film The Bank Job (2008), and the action-comedy Expendables film series (2010-14). He usually performs his own stage combat and stunts, and is noted for being typecast as an antihero. Early Life Jason Statham was born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England, the son of Eileen (née Yates), a dancer, and Barry Statham, a street seller and lounge singer. He moved to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, where he initially chose not to follow his father's career working the local market stalls and decided to pursue martial arts. He grew up with football player Vinnie Jones, alongside whom he would later go on to 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. He practiced daily in perfecting his diving techniques, and was a member of Britain's National Diving Squad for twelve years. Statham competed for England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Personal Life Statham was in a seven-year relationship with model Kelly Brook, until 2004. Since 2010, he has been dating model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. They announced their engagement on 10 January 2016. In February 2017, they announced that they were expecting their first child. They welcomed their son, Jack Oscar Statham, on 24 June 2017.