Personal details
- Birth Date: 1967-07-26
- Height: 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- Birth Location: Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England, UK
- Children: (2 children) Jack Oscar Statham
- Parents: Eileen Yates
- Professions: Actor, Producer, Stunts
Jason Statham’s story? It’s wild, honestly. Born out in Shirebrook, Derbyshire—his mom Eileen danced, his dad Barry hustled as a street merchant and crooned tunes in lounges. Jason didn’t jump straight into action films. Nope, first he dove headfirst (literally) as a diver for the British National Team, landing twelfth in the 1992 World Championships. Not exactly Olympic gold, but hey, still pretty impressive. After that, he dabbled as a fashion model, even did some shady street sales on the side. (He’s got that “I could sell you a fake Rolex and you’d thank me” vibe, right?) French Connection, the fashion brand, tossed him a bone—an audition for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). Guy Ritchie had him try to hustle fake jewelry at the audition, which, let’s be real, probably wasn’t much of a stretch. Clearly, Jason nailed it, because the movie blew up, and he was back with Ritchie for Snatch (2000)—this time rubbing elbows with Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro. Things just snowballed: Turn It Up, Ghosts of Mars, The One with Jet Li, Mean Machine. Then, in 2002, he scored the lead in The Transporter—finally, a role that let him punch, kick, and drive like a maniac. From there? Crank, The Bank Job, Death Race—the guy became the king of adrenaline-junkie action flicks. Then came The Expendables, the Fast & Furious series, even a spot in the comedy Spy. Plus, somewhere in the chaos, he and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley had a son in 2017. The man just does not slow down.
So, here’s a wild bit of movie trivia for you—before Jason Statham was out there headbutting bad guys and driving cars off skyscrapers, the dude was actually a legit athlete. Not just, like, a gym rat either. He spent over a decade—yeah, twelve whole years—on the British national diving team. We’re talking Olympic-level stuff here, flipping off the 10-meter platform and launching himself from the 3-meter springboard. And get this: back in ‘92, he wasn’t just some random guy in a Speedo. He was actually ranked twelfth in the world as a platform diver. Twelfth! That’s not just good, that’s insane. Most folks have no idea he was killing it in diving before he ever started drop-kicking people on screen. Makes you wonder if all those slick stunts in his action movies are just him reliving his glory days, but, you know, with more explosions and way more angry villains.
Crank (2006) is basically Jason Statham running around LA with a constant look of “oh crap” on his face because, get this, someone replaced his blood with some wild synthetic poison. If his heart rate drops, he’s toast. So he goes on this manic, bonkers rampage, chasing down the bad guys, getting into fights, stealing cars, all while desperately trying to keep his adrenaline up. There’s no time for subtlety or deep Oscar-worthy performances, just pure chaos and nonstop action. It’s loud, messy, and completely over-the-top, like someone mashed up a video game and a fever dream. Honestly, the movie doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a wild ride, and it totally leans into the madness. If you’re into high-energy insanity with zero patience for seriousness, Crank is your jam. Don’t expect art—expect a jolt to the system, pure and simple.
July 26, 1967
5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England, UK
Yes, Jack Oscar Statham
Eileen Yates and Surekha
58 years old