- Jason Lee (actor)
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Jason Lee 
Jason Lee in 2006Born Jason Michael Lee
April 25, 1970
Orange, CaliforniaOccupation Actor, professional skateboarder Years active 1989–present Religion Scientology Spouse Carmen Llywelyn (1995–2001)
Ceren Alkaç (2008–present)Partner Beth Riesgraf (2001–2007) Jason Michael Lee (born April 25, 1970) is an American actor and skateboarder known for his role as the title character on the NBC television series My Name is Earl, his portrayal of Syndrome in the film The Incredibles, his role as Dave Seville in the Alvin and the Chipmunks films, and his work with director Kevin Smith.[1]
Contents
Early life
Lee was born in Orange County, California, the son of Carol and Greg Lee.[2] He was raised in Huntington Beach, and attended Ocean View High School.[citation needed]
Career
Skateboarding
Lee was a prominent professional skateboarder in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He co-founded Stereo Skateboards with Chris Pastras in 1992, and the pair revived the company in 2003 after it had been defunct for several years.[3] Lee and Tony Hawk were the first two skateboarders to receive a signature shoe with Airwalk.[4][5] Lee later worked with Hawk when he lent his voice and likeness to the skateboarding video-game Tony Hawk's Project 8. Lee later appeared in another skateboarding video game in 2010 with Skate 3 as 'Coach Frank', a character created during development for Stereo.[6]
He had a part in the 1991 Blind Skateboards video Video Days, shot by director Spike Jonze. In 2004, Lee's skateboarding was featured in the film Way Out East!, a film produced by Stereo Skateboards that he co-wrote and directed.[citation needed]
Acting career
After taking some minor acting roles in 1992, including the Jonze-directed Sonic Youth music video for "100%," and a small part in Allison Anders' 1993 film Mi Vida Loca, Lee left professional skating for a full-time acting career.[7] His first major movie role was in Kevin Smith's Mallrats, which became a cult hit.[7][8] This started a friendship that subsequently led to appearances in many of Smith's films, including Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks 2, and Cop Out.[9][10] Lee won an Independent Spirit Award for his role in Chasing Amy as Banky Edwards, a comic book inker.
Lee graduated to leading man roles in Heartbreakers (with Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Stealing Harvard (with Tom Green), as well as A Guy Thing (with Julia Stiles).[11][12][13] He has had supporting roles in Vanilla Sky, Almost Famous as a rock star, Dreamcatcher, Big Trouble, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, and Mumford, as well as a minor role in Enemy of the State.[9] Lee also voiced the supervillain Syndrome in the animated movie The Incredibles and its DVD bonus video Jack-Jack Attack.[9] 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.[citation needed] He is also the voice of Underdog in Underdog and plays David "Dave" Seville in the films Alvin and the Chipmunks and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.[9][10]
In 2005, Lee was offered the lead role in the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl.[14] According to interviews on the first-season DVD, he passed on the series twice before finally agreeing to read for the pilot. In the series, Lee stars as Earl Hickey, a petty thief who discovers karma and sets out to put right all his past wrongs. Lee received two Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2006 and 2007, as well as a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.[15][16][17] After four seasons of My Name is Earl NBC cancelled the series.
On June 22, 2010, the new TNT series Memphis Beat premiered. Lee stars with Alfre Woodard[18] and plays Dwight Hendricks, a character who works as a police officer and moonlights as a blues singer.[18] In October 2011, it was announced the series was not renewed for a third season.
Lee also guest-starred on an episode of Fox's Raising Hope, a show created by My Name is Earl producer and creator Greg Garcia.[19][20]
Beginning in October 2011, Lee became a recurring guest star in the new NBC comedy Up All Night.
Personal life
Lee married actress and photographer Carmen Llywelyn in 1995, but they divorced in 2001. Lee was engaged to actress Beth Riesgraf, and together have a son named Pilot Inspektor. The couple came up with the unusual name after listening to the song "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot" by the indie rock band Grandaddy.[21] Lee and Riesgraf separated in 2007. On August 10, 2008, Lee's partner Ceren Alkaç gave birth to a daughter.[21] On November 24, 2008, Lee's publicist announced that the couple had secretly wed in California in July 2008.[22]
Lee is a member of the Church of Scientology.[23]
Filmography
Acting
Year Film Role Notes 1989 Rubbish Heap 1991 Video Days 1993 Mi Vida Loca Teenage Drug Customer 1994 Chance and Things Dance instructor on the television 1995 Mallrats Brodie Bruce 1996 Drawing Flies Donner 1997 Chasing Amy Banky Edwards A Better Place Dennis Pepper Weapons of Mass Distraction Phillip Messenger TV 1998 Kissing a Fool Jay Murphy American Cuisine Loren Collins Enemy of the State Daniel Zavitz 1999 Dogma Azrael Mumford Skip Skipperton 2000 Almost Famous Jeff Bebe 2001 Heartbreakers Jack Withrowe Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Brodie Bruce / Banky Edwards Vanilla Sky Brian Shelby 2002 Big Trouble Puggy Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator Documentary Stealing Harvard John Plummer 2003 A Guy Thing Paul Dreamcatcher Beaver I Love Your Work Larry Hortense 2004 Oh, What a Lovely Tea Party Documentary Jersey Girl PR Exec #1 The Incredibles Syndrome / Buddy Pine ("IncrediBoy") (voice) 2005 The Ballad of Jack and Rose Gray Drop Dead Sexy Frank 2005–2009 My Name Is Earl Earl Hickey TV Series: 96 Episodes
Also Producer for 50 Episodes2006 Clerks II Lance Dowds Rising Son: The Legend of Christian Hosoi Documentary Monster House Bones Voice 2007 Underdog Underdog (Shoeshine) Voice The Man Who Souled the World Documentary Alvin and the Chipmunks David "Dave" Seville 2008 Celebrity Family Feud 2009 Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel David "Dave" Seville 2010 Cop Out Roy Raising Hope Smokey Floyd TV, Guest Star 2011 Noah's Ark: The New Beginning Japheth The Other Side Mortimer Flybait Voice Columbus Circle Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked David "Dave" Seville 2012 Back in Time Henry Foster Video games
Year Game Role Notes 2004 The Incredibles Syndrome 2006 Tony Hawk's Project 8 2007 Alvin and the Chipmunks David Seville Cutscenes Only 2010 Skate 3 Coach Frank [6] References
- ^ Episode list for "Memphis Beat" IMDb
- ^ Jason Lee Biography | TVGuide.com
- ^ History
- ^ "Powerful Pro Shoes- What are some of the top-selling skate shoes of all time?", TransWorld Skateboarding, January 27, 2004
- ^ "My First Paycheck – Jason Lee", TransWorld Skateboarding, February 24, 2004
- ^ a b "Skate 3 Coming May 11". Gamespy. http://uk.xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/skate-3/1078165p1.html.
- ^ a b Paatsch, Leigh (March 21, 2002). "Reel Deal". Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia): p. 38.
- ^ Howe, Desson (October 20, 1995). "Overcrowded Mallrats". Washington Post: p. N44.
- ^ a b c d "Filmography by year for Jason Lee". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005134/filmoyear. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
- ^ a b Koltnow, Barry (January 3, 2008). "Chasing chipmunks". The Courier Mail (Brisbane, Australia): p. 34.
- ^ Crawford, Jeff (July 11, 2001). "Hot Heartbreakers Only Mildly Amusing". Messenger (Adelaide, Australia): p. 11.
- ^ Dowell, Gary (September 13, 2002). "Getting into Harvard lawless school – Ivy League requires some stolen green in likeable comedy". The Dallas Morning News: p. 1J.
- ^ Burr, Ty (March 21, 2003). "Bleedful Things – 'Dreamcatcher' a Jumble of Classic Stephen King Gore". The Boston Globe: p. D1.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (January 8, 2006). "Trust Me, I'm Funnier With the Moustache". The New York Times: p. 33.
- ^ Nepales, Ruben V. (December 16, 2005). "Brokeback Mountain tops Golden Globe nominations". Philippine Daily Inquirer: p. 2.
- ^ "Golden Globes Ballot". San Francisco Chronicle: p. 24. January 14, 2007.
- ^ Longino, Bob (January 5, 2007). "SAG nominees have Oscar feel, diversified look". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: p. E14.
- ^ a b Stanley, Alessandra (June 22, 2010). "Take Your Time, Crime Will Wait". The New York Times: p. 1.
- ^ "'Raising Hope' creator Greg Garcia is not talking white trash". USA Today.com. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2010-11-23-hope23_ST_N.htm=. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
- ^ "Jason Lee to Guest Star on Raising Hope". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Jason-Lee-Raising-1024473.aspx=. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
- ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE: My Name Is Earl Star Jason Lee Has Baby Girl". http://www.usmagazine.com/news/actor-jason-lee-welcomes-baby-girl.
- ^ "Jason Lee secretly marries". people magazine. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20242393,00.html.
- ^ Cheney, Jen (July 21, 2006). "Jason Lee by any other name". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/20/AR2006072000460_pf.html. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
Staff (April 30, 2006). "My name is not Earl, Actor says". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2006/04/30/2006-04-30_my_name_is_not_earl__actor_s.html. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
Oppenheimer, Mark (July 15, 2007). "Something happened". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/magazine/15Katselas-t.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
External links
Categories:- 1970 births
- Actors from California
- American film actors
- American Scientologists
- American skateboarders
- American television actors
- American voice actors
- Independent Spirit Award winners
- Living people
- People from Orange County, California
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