Actor who started from modeling and diving and transitioned to Hollywood: Who is Jason Statham?

Jason Statham was born on July 26, 1967 in Shirebrook, Derbyshire. He was born to his mother, dancer Eileen, and his father, street vendor Barry Statham. He chose to practice martial arts instead of working with his father at the local grocery store and settled in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. He later grew up with football player Vinnie Jones so that he could step into the arts. Jones introduced him to football, and Statham continued playing at the local grammar school he had attended since he was 11, a passion he shared with diving. He practiced every day to perfect his diving techniques and was a member of England's National Swimming Team for 12 years.

Statham's career in the media began when he was spotted by an agency specializing in sports modeling while he was training at a sports center in London. In 1997, he became a model for the French Connection clothing brand. However, Statham had to make a living by selling counterfeit goods for a while.

He met British director Guy Ritchie at French Connection. Ritchie was working on a movie project. He urgently needed an actor and was looking for an actor to fill the role of a wise swindler on the street. When Ritchie learns of Statham's black market history, he has found his new player. Statham landed the role of Bacon in the 1998 hit movie "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

The film was well received by critics and audiences alike, helping Statham gain a foothold in the public eye. Statham's second collaboration with Ritchie was in the 2000 movie "Snatch." Thus, Statham managed to break into Hollywood, and in 2001 he appeared in two films. These are: the sci-fi action horror movie "Ghosts of Mars" and the sci-fi martial arts action movie "The One".

Statham was offered more movie roles. In 2002, he got the lead role as driver Frank Martin in the action movie "The Transporter" written by Luc Besson. He took training in Wing Chun, karate and kickboxing. The film spawned two sequels: "The Transporter 2" (2005) and "The Transporter 3" (2008). He also played supporting roles in "Mean Machine" (2002), "The Italian Job" (2003), and "Cellular" (2004), where he played the main villain.

Statham played the lead role in the action movie Crank (2006). In 2008, Statham starred in "Death Race", a remake of the British detective thriller "The Bank Job" and "Death Race 2000" (1975). Film critics hailed Statham's rise as an action movie star. He reprized the role of Chev Chelios in the 2009 sequel "Crank: High Voltage".

In 2010, Statham starred in the ensemble action movie The Expendables, along with several action stars. Statham played Lee Christmas, a former SAS soldier and knife-wielding melee expert. The film was commercially successful.

In the first film of 2011, Statham starred as Arthur Bishop in "The Mechanic", a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film The Mechanic. His role in The Mechanic was positively received by many critics. He returned to British film, starring as Detective Sergeant Tom Brant in the police drama Blitz(2011). The movie received mixed reviews.

In 2013, Statham had a role at the end of Fast & Furious 6 as the brother of the film's nemesis, Owen Shaw. He revived the character, this time as the main antagonist, in Furious 7, which was released in April 2015. He also starred in the thriller "Homefront" written by Sylvester Stallone.

In 2015, he starred in the action comedy Spy with Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law and Rose Byrne. A commercial success, the film was particularly praised for showcasing Statham's comedic side as opposed to his more serious roles. The sequel to 2011's The Mechanic was scheduled to be produced in late 2016 and was announced to open as "Mechanic: Resurrection". The film became quite commercially successful in international film markets. According to Forbes, the film was Statham's "seventh highest-paid" film and the most commercially successful solo film venture of his career.

Statham was asked to join the Fast & Furious franchise once again in 2016. The next movie, "The Fate of the Furious", was a commercial success, releasing in April 2017. While the film received generally mixed reviews, Statham was praised for his comedy timing and screen chemistry with his contemporaries.

Statham played ex-Navy captain Jonas Taylor in the 2018 action-horror movie "The Meg," which hits theaters August 10. Statham swam with bull sharks in Fiji to prepare for scenes where he swam with the sharks. The film became the highest grossing US-Chinese co-production of all time.

In 2019, Statham reprized the role of Deckard Shaw in "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," a spin-off of the Fast & Furious franchise that focused on the characters of him and Dwayne Johnson. The film grossed hugely worldwide, making it the tenth highest-grossing film of 2019. Critics gave generally positive reviews, praising Statham's performance.

Private life

Statham has been in a relationship with model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley since 2010. The couple announced their engagement in January 2016. Their son, Jack Oscar, was born in June 2017. Their daughter Isabella James Statham was born on February 2, 2022. They live in Beverly Hills, California.

Statham enjoys water skiing, jet skiing, windsurfing and rock climbing. Statham does not prefer to use stunts even in the most dangerous scenes in his movies. Statham doesn't like his own smile at all, so he never laughed while modeling. Also, he plays football and chess very well.

When Jason Statham was still a new face on the acting scene, he appeared in a series of TV commercials for the famous chocolate company KitKat.