JASON STATHAM (Farmer) rocketed to leading-man status after wowing audiences in the title role of The Transporter (2002), a character written specifically for him. Statham earned even more fans with his role as the unstoppable assassin Chev Chelios in Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine’s heart-pumping 2006 action thrill ride, Crank. Since then, the British actor’s lethal good looks, athletic build and menacing onscreen presence have catapulted him to the forefront of the younger generation of action heroes.

One of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors, Statham will star in upcoming films including The Bank Job, with Saffron Burrows; Death Race, opposite Ian McShane; The Brazilian Job (sequel to the blockbuster heist film The Italian Job, in which he also starred), opposite Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron; and Crank 2, reprising his iconic role as Chev Chelios.

Born and raised in Sydenham, London, Statham made a name for himself as one of the best high divers on the British national team. But after 12 years of competition, he found himself struggling to make ends meet as a street salesman for stolen and counterfeit goods. When a talent agent helped him find work as a fashion model, Statham came to the attention of writer-director Guy Ritchie, who cast him in his art house action films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000). Statham soon made his American film debut as a British drug dealer in Turn It Up. He went on to land roles in features including The One with Jet Li, John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars and the indie drama London, opposite Jessica Biel and Dane Cook. He recently starred opposite Jet Li in War and his hit sequel Transporter 2 (2005) opened #1 at the U.S. box office en route to earning more than $85 million worldwide.