At 5ft 8 1/2 inches tall Jason Statham might not tower over his counterparts, but chances are he could take them down before they even knew what hit them. In a world where Hollywood seems to prefer more delicate actors like Orlando Bloom, Jason Statham is the man's actor. He first rose to fame in the high octane action move The Transporter and it's sequel. Don't expect to see any fluffy romantic comedies on his filmography; just about every film he's done has fast cars, explosions and taking down the bad the guys.

The 35 year old English actor actually got his start as a model when he was spotted by an agent while training at the Crystal Palace National Sports Center in London. His first film role, in the Guy Richie's indie classic "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", was the result of a connection he made while working for clothing label French Connection. In addition to the Transporter films, Stantham had a leading role in the action movie Crank where he played a hit man who can only stay alive by keeping up his adrenaline.

As for his personal life, Statham manages to keep most of it out of the public eye. He has however dated babes like bikini model Kelly Brook and singer Sophie Monk.

It's almost hard to believe that any actor has done over twenty films in under ten years and made a name for himself in such a short time, but Jason Statham can proudly say he has. His most current flick is the movie War, co-starring another actor who will drop kick you into next Wednesday, Jet Li. And you can bet Jason is doing all of his own stunts in these movies; he has a background in martial arts. Up next, you can see him in The Bank Job and Death Race, hitting theaters next year, and the sequel to The Italian Job, which will be released in 2009. Despite what the critics may say about about his flashy action flicks, Jason stays true to his own brand of art, saying "You ain't ever gonna get an Academy Award for doing Crank and you certainly won't for doing all the other movies I've done." Gotta love the guy for keeping it real!

By K. Lawson

Labels: Jason Stratham