Jason Statham

Jason Statham is a British actor who appeared in the Guy Ritchie film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He followed that acting project with roles in the movies The Transporter, The Italian Job and Crank.

In 2010, he will appear with Sylvester Stallone and Jet Li in the action film The Expendables.

Career

Before becoming an actor Statham was an accomplished diver, placing 12th in the World Championships in 1992. He was also a member of the National Diving Squad in Britain.

Statham's big break came when a talent agent saw him training at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London. From there he became a model for the clothing brand French Connection, and met fledgling director Guy Ritchie. Ritchie cast him as "Bacon" in the 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Statham recently appeared in the Uwe Boll movie In the Name of the King, which included other well-known actors such as Claire Forlani, Burt Reynolds, Ron Pearlman, Matthew Lillard, Ray Liotta and John Rhys-Davies.

Statham is set to star in Transporter 3, The Brazilian Job, Crank 2: High Voltage, Death Race, The Bank Job and The Expendables.

Jason Statham Quote

"Guy Ritchie was looking for someone that had experience selling street corner merchandise—you know, jewelry and perfume—and I was the one that he was looking for, the authentic man for the job. So it was just being in the right place that Guy Ritchie was fortunate enough to give me my first ever acting gig. Then, again, he gave me another part in his next movie and then all of a sudden you’ve got a career kind of thing."Movie Tome: Jason Statham