Jason Lee (actor)
Jason Lee | |
|---|---|
 Jason Lee in 2006 | |
| Born | Jason Michael Lee |
| Occupation(s) | actor, professional skateboarder |
Jason Michael Lee (born April 25, 1970) is an American actor and professional skateboarder.
Biography
Early life
Lee was born in Orange, California, the son of Carol (née Weaver), a homemaker, and Greg Lee.[1] He was raised in Huntington Beach and attended Ocean View High School.
Skateboarding
Lee was a prominent professional skateboarder in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Notable tricks performed by Lee included: 360 flips, kickflip backside tailslides, and curb cut launched Japan airs. He was co-founder of Stereo Skateboards with Chris Pastras in 1992; the pair revived the company in 2003 after it had been defunct for several years. Chris Pastras' first Stereo Skateboard was famously thrown into a sulfur pit as part of the company's edgy advertisement campaign.[2]
Lee and Tony Hawk were the first two skateboarders to receive a pro model shoe with Airwalk.[3][4] He had a part in the 1991 Blind skateboards video Video Days, shot by Spike Jonze. He also lent his voice and likeness to the skateboarding video-game Tony Hawk's Project 8.
Acting career
After taking some minor acting roles, including the Jonze-directed Sonic Youth music video for "100%," in 1992 and a small part in Allison Anders' 1993 film Mi Vida Loca, Lee left professional skating for a full-time acting career. His first major movie role was in Kevin Smith's Mallrats which became a cult hit. He remained a close friend of Smith and has appeared in most of the director's works, including Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl and Clerks II. Lee won an Independent Spirit Award for his role in Chasing Amy as a comic book inker.
Lee graduated to leading man roles in Heartbreakers (alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Stealing Harvard (alongside Tom Green) as well as A Guy Thing (alongside Julia Stiles). He has had supporting roles in Vanilla Sky, Almost Famous as an egotistical rock star, Dreamcatcher, Big Trouble, The Ballad of Jack and Rose and Mumford, as well as a minor role in Enemy of the State. Lee also voiced the supervillain Syndrome in the animated movie The Incredibles and its DVD bonus video Jack-Jack Attack. Lee reprised the role as a "robot copy" of Syndrome in the 2006 Disney on Ice play Disney Presents Pixar's The Incredibles in a Magic Kingdom Adventure. He is also the voice of Underdog in Underdog, and plays David Seville in the film Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Television success
Lee was offered the lead role in the 2005 NBC sitcom, My Name Is Earl. According to interviews on the first season DVD, he passed on the series twice before finally agreeing to read the pilot. In the series, Lee stars as Earl Hickey, a petty thief who finds karma and sets out to put right all his past wrongs. The series received critical acclaim and strong ratings on its debut (September 20, 2005). A hit for NBC, the show was quickly ordered for a full season — the first sitcom of the season to do so. Several months later, it was renewed for a second season. Lee received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy as well as a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. My Name is Earl is currently in its third season, once again receiving high ratings from viewers. The third season is also seeing appearances from past cast members as well as celebrities such as comedian Howie Mandel and actress Alyssa Milano.
Earl's brother Randy is played by Ethan Suplee, with whom Lee previously appeared in the movies Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Clerks II.
On January 28, 2008, Jason Lee guest appeared as Kevin Bacon on internet rock comedy show Yacht Rock, Episode 11: Footloose.
Personal life
Lee married actress and photographer Carmen Llywelyn in 1995, but they divorced in 2001. Lee and his fiancée Beth Riesgraf (who appeared on an episode on My Name Is Earl called "Faked His Own Death") have a son named Pilot Inspektor Riesgraf Lee (b. September 28, 2003).[5] Lee is also the godfather of Kevin Smith's daughter, Harley.[5] Lee is a member of the Church of Scientology.[6][7]
Filmography
- "Video Days" (1991)
- My Crazy Life (1993)
- Mallrats (1995)
- Drawing Flies (1996)
- Chasing Amy (1997)
- A Better Place (1997)
- Kissing a Fool (1998)
- American Cuisine (1998)
- Enemy of the State (1998)
- Dogma (1999)
- Mumford (1999)
- Almost Famous (2000)
- Heartbreakers (2001)
- Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
- Vanilla Sky (2001)
- Big Trouble (2002)
- Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator (2002) (documentary)
- Stealing Harvard (2002)
- A Guy Thing (2003)
- Dreamcatcher (2003)
- I Love Your Work (2003)
- Oh, What a Lovely Tea Party (2004) (documentary)
- Jersey Girl (2004)
- Ninth November Night (2004) (short subject)
- The Incredibles (2004) (voice)
- The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)
- Drop Dead Sexy (2005)
- Clerks II (2006)
- Rising Son: The Legend of Christian Hosoi (2006) (documentary)
- Monster House (2006) (voice)
- Underdog (2007) (voice)
- The Man Who Souled the World (2007) (documentary)
- Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)
Upcoming:
Television work
- Hiatus (1996) (unsold pilot)
- Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997)
- My Name Is Earl (2005 - present)
References
- ^ Jason Lee Biography | TVGuide.com
- ^ History
- ^ Powerful Pro Shoes- What are some of the top-selling skate shoes of all time?
- ^ My First Paycheck - Jason Lee
- ^ a b "Biography for Jason Lee (I)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
- ^ "Dianetics and Scientology Center Opens on Melrose in Los Angeles". Church of Scientology International. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
- ^ "ABC News: Celebrity Scientologists". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
External links
- Jason Lee at IMDb
- Stereo Skateboards
- Interview conducted Nov 2006
- Template:Dmoz
- Pictures of Jason at the View Askew Pixel Pound
- LA Weekly interview May 9, 2007