ACTOR · BORN 1967
Jason Statham
- Born
- 26 July 1967, Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England, UK
- Known for
- Furious 7 (2015), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), The Fate of the Furious (2017), Snatch (2000)
63 archived facts 5 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Sep 2026
16 Facts From Jason Statham's Career
- #004
A capable martial artist with a background in kickboxing, Wing Chun and karate, Statham often performs his own stunts and had toyed with the idea of becoming a stuntman himself before his acting career. Throughout his career Statham has repeatedly called for an Oscar to celebrate the work of male and female stunt performers, and was quoted as saying: "I think it's an overlooked category, especially considering how much responsibility these coordinators have for some of the greatest entertainment in action movies. I mean, the stunt guys - they're all unnamed heroes. They really are. Nobody gives them any credibility. They risk their necks. And then you've got the poppy actors who are doing the acting. It's like they're doing [the stunts]."
- #007
Jason Statham spent 12 years in Great Britain's National Swimming Squad and competed for England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the 10 metre, 3 metre and 1 metre events, finishing tenth, eleventh and eighth. In a 2003 interview he described the squad as a "great experience" that taught him "discipline, focus, and certainly [kept him] out of trouble".
- #008
In 2014 he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.
- #009
Jason Statham was discovered by the sports modelling agency Sports Promotions while he was training at London's Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
- #010
He became a father for the first time at 49 when his fiancée Rosie Huntington-Whiteley gave birth to their son Jack Oscar Statham on 24 June 2017.
- #011
Jason Statham held modelling contracts with Tommy Hilfiger, Griffin and Levi's for their 1996 spring and summer collections, and in 1997 he modelled for the clothing brand French Connection.
- #013
A spokesperson for the high street chain said Jason Statham was chosen because the brand wanted a model who looked like a normal guy, describing his look as very masculine and not too male-modelly.
- #017
Jason Statham was working as a model for French Connection when he was introduced to filmmaker Guy Ritchie, who was developing a film and needed someone to play a streetwise con artist.
- #018
Although he never won a medal during his 12-year diving career, Statham competed at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and came close three times to competing for Great Britain at the Olympics: 1988, 1992 and 1996. He finished third at each Olympic trial; each time only two of his countrymen made the competition. Saying he did not see it as a waste of time, he stated: "Not winning a medal despite all the hard work made me more disciplined, taught me to focus on hard work and enabled me to achieve success in my future endeavours."
- #020
Jason Statham was paid £5,000 for his role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), a film that was well received by critics and audiences and helped bring him into the public eye.
- #022
Jason Statham's second collaboration with Guy Ritchie was Snatch (2000), which earned more than $80 million at the box office and for which Statham was paid £15,000.
- #024
In 2002, Jason Statham narrated the martial arts documentary Thai Boxing: A Fighting Chance. The film follows three people from very different backgrounds who are all training Muay Thai as they prepare for their next fight.
- #036
American film critic Armond White praised Jason Statham's rise as an action star, calling his record the best of any contemporary movie star and highlighting Transporter 3 as kinetic pop art.
- #049
Jason Statham began filming Parker, directed by Taylor Hackford, in August 2011; the film was released in January 2013.
- #053
A 2012 BBC News report estimated that Jason Statham's ten-year film career from 2002 to 2012 produced over one billion dollars at the box office, making him one of the industry's most bankable stars.
- #062
Jason Statham received a Critic's Choice Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy for his role in Spy.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Jason Statham — Wikipedia
- IMDb IMDb
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