Jason Statham

Born in 1972 in Sydenham, Lewisham, London, the second son of a lounge singer and dressmaker-turned-dancer, Jason Statham has done quite a lot in a short time. He grew up, initially, following his parents' trail to master the art of street theatre. Statham developed an interest in sports, diving in particular, which led him to become an excellent athlete in the sport. He has been an Olympic Diver on the British National Diving Team for twelve years and finished 12th in the World Championships in 1992.

He has also been a fashion model, black market salesman and finally of course, actor. He was discovered by a talent agent specialising in athletes while training at London's Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. From there he became a model for the clothing brand French Connection. He got the audition for his debut role as Bacon in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels through French Connection. They became a major investor in the film and introduced Jason to Guy Ritchie, who invited him to audition for a part after learning about Statham's past. Jason got the part.

The movie was well received by both critics and audiences, which helped catapult the unknown actor into the public eye. From there he got to work Guy Ritchie yet again and other great people in the business such as Brad Pitt and Jet Li, just to name a few. Jason's definative breakout role was as the lead role of driver Frank Martin in the action movie The Transporter which made you take notice of this brilliant actor. ~ j-statham.net/biography.php