Jason Statham

Jason Statham ( ; born 26 July 1967) is an English actor. He is known for portraying tough, gritty, or violent characters in various action thriller films, and has been credited for leading the resurgence of action films during the 2000s and 2010s. By 2017, his films had grossed over £1.1 billion ($1.5 billion), making him one of the industry's most bankable stars. Films in which he has appeared in have grossed over $8.4 billion worldwide.

Statham began practising Chinese martial arts, kickboxing, and karate recreationally in his youth while working at local market stalls. An avid footballer and diver, he was a member of Britain's national diving team and competed for England in the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Shortly after, he was asked to model for French Connection, Tommy Hilfiger, and Levi's in various advertising campaigns.

Statham's history of working at market stalls inspired his casting in the Guy Ritchie crime films ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998) and ''Snatch'' (2000). Both films were commercial hits, and they helped catapult Statham to stardom. He went on to play supporting roles in the American action films ''Turn It Up'' (2000), ''Ghosts of Mars'' and ''The One'' (both 2001). From 2002 to 2008, he played the title role in the first three films in the ''Transporter'' film series (2002–2008), which solidified his status as an action star. In 2003, he appeared in the ensemble heist action film ''The Italian Job''. He went on to play leading roles in commercially successful films such as ''Crank'' (2006), ''The Bank Job'' (2008), ''The Mechanic'' (2011), ''Homefront'' (2013), ''Mechanic: Resurrection'' (2016), ''The Meg'' (2018), ''Wrath of Man'' (2021), ''Meg 2: The Trench'' (2023), and ''The Beekeeper'' (2024).

Statham has also starred as Lee Christmas in the ensemble action film series ''The Expendables'' (2010–2023) and as Deckard Shaw in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise (2013–2023), including the spin-off ''Hobbs & Shaw'' (2019), which he co-produced. His voice acting work includes the documentaries ''Thai Boxing: A Fighting Chance'' (2002), ''Truth in 24'' (2008) and its 2012 sequel, and the animated film ''Gnomeo & Juliet'' (2011). Provided by Wikipedia