Born on Sept. 12, 1972, Jason shares birthday with Paul Walker, Benjamin McKenzie, H. L. Mencken, Irène Joliot-Curie, Gunther Gebel-Williams, Terry Bradshaw, and Maurice Chevalier. Mr. Statham was born in Sydenham, or, according to Wikipedia, in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England. He grew up in the borough of Lewisham, located southeast of London. He's the second son in the family. Growing up, he even learned and eventually mastered the art of “street theater,” more commonly known as hustling tourists in London’s Oxford Street district.

Statham turned a different leaf during his teens, as a high diver. He was a member of Britain’s National Diving Squad for 10 years (12 years - other sources). During this time, Statham joined the British Olympic Diving Team for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea and finished in 12th place for the 1992 World Championships.

Because of his athletic build and leading man good looks, a talent agent discovered Statham in the late nineties. He was training at London’s Crystal Palace National Sports Centre at the time. Soon after, he landed a modeling gig in an advertising campaign for the clothing retail brand French Connection. He also appeared in a commercial for denim brand giant, Levi’s. As luck would have it, French Connection was an investor in an independent movie titled “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” (1998), directed by a pre-Madonna Guy Ritchie. The owner of French Connection introduced Statham to Ritchie, who immediately recognized the role of con artist Bacon seemed a perfect fit for the athlete-turned-actor.

Statham’s audition for “Lock, Stock” was far from traditional. Ritchie asked his actor to impersonate an illegal street vendor and to convince him to buy imitation jewelry. Ritchie was so impressed with Statham’s selling skills, that he bought four sets of the jewelry. When Ritchie tried to return the wares to Statham, the actor would not budge, making him keep his purchases like any good street vendor. Ritchie had no choice but to cast him in the crime film immediately.

Instant friends, Statham and Ritchie worked together again in 2000 for another crime movie set in England, “Snatch.” A follow up film for both Statham and Ritchie, the cult classic also cast American superstar Brad Pitt and Academy Award-winner Benicio Del Toro. This time, Statham took on the role of Turkish, the film’s narrator. “Snatch” eventually earned more than $80 million in the box office, and made Statham a familiar face in the big screen. Hot off of his “Snatch” success, he co-starred in the movie “Turn It Up” (2000) alongside hip-hop stars Pras and JaRule. He was equally busy in 2001, appearing in smaller roles in two movies – as a futuristic policeman in “John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars” and “The One” with martial arts legend Jet Li.

In 2002, Statham was cast as driver and tough guy Frank Martin in “The Transporter.” The action and crime feature became Statham’s breakthrough role, making him an audience favorite for his action-packed fight scenes, as well as his good looks and everyday-guy charm. Fans wanted a working class James Bond – someone with street smarts and bigger muscles than Agent 007. Statham was just the package moviegoers longed for at that time, with another extraordinary skill. He did his own stunts for “The Transporter,” including car chases, scuba diving, and bare-knuckle fighting sequences.

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