Jason Lee
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Not to be confused with actor Jason Scott Lee.
"I'm a person that skateboards, right? I'm not a skateboarder. I do movies, but I'm not an actor. It's just cool to have the opportunity. And if you play the roles you want, the money will come eventually."---Jason Lee in PREMIERE, October 1995.
Biography
Though he started his career as a professional skateboarder, Jason Lee managed to accomplish that rare feat of transitioning from successful athlete to successful actor. But unlike most sports stars making the jump, he was armed with strong acting chops and an easy-going charm. After making a few music videos with director and fellow skateboarding enthusiast Spike Jonze, Lee broke into features by starring in indie-filmmaker Kevin Smith's "Mallrats" (1995). He quickly graduated to more prominent features, earning critical kudos and Internet fandom while maintaining a relatively low-key mainstream profile. Over the next several years, he was a regular Smith player, appearing in "Chasing Amy" (1997), "Dogma" (1999) and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001), while branching out to studio fare like "Enemy of the State" (1998) and "Vanilla Sky" (2001). Lee went from prominent supporting actor to television star when he landed his first series, "My Name Is Earl" (NBC, 2005-09), a blunt and irreverent comedy in which he effortlessly portrayed a dimwitted petty thief trying to right the wrongs of his life. "Earl" was a critical and fan favorite that offered Lee an opportunity to demonstrate his versatility as an actor.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1994
Appeared on an episode of "MANTIS" (Fox)
1995
Appeared on an episode of "Melrose Place" (Fox)
1995
Feature film debut, Kevin Smith directed comedy "Mallrats"
1997
Made first TV film, "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (HBO)
1997
Worked for director Kevin Smith again in "Chasing Amy"
1999
Played a skateboarding millionnaire in Lawrence Kasdan's "Mumford"
1999
Appeared as the demon Azreal in Smith's "Dogma"
2000
Featured as a touring rock musician in Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical feature "Almost Famous"
2001
Reunited with director Cameron Crowe as co-star of "Vanilla Sky," playing the novelist best friend of a wealthy playboy (Tom Cruise)
2001
Played a bartender targeted by a young con woman (Jennifer Love Hewitt) in "Heartbreakers"
2001
Acted in Kevin Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"
2002
Acted in "Stealing Harvard" with Tom Green
2003
Starred in the comedy "A Guy Thing"
2004
Voiced Buddy Pine/Syndrome in the Pixar animated feature "The Incredibles"
2004
Had a small role as a PR executive in Kevin Smith's "Jersey Girl"
2005
Made series regular debut as the star and producer of "My Name Is Earl" (NBC), earned Golden Globe (2006, 2007) and SAG (2006, 2007) nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy series; nominated for TV - Choice Actor: Comedy at the Teen Choice Awards (2006), nominated at the Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Television Actor (2007, 2009)
2007
Co-starred in Richard Kelly's ensemble film "Southland Tales"
2007
Voiced the title character in the live-action version of the classic cartoon "Underdog"
2007
Starred in the family film "Alvin and the Chipmunks"
2009
Reprised role of Dave in "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel"
2010
Cast in a supporting role opposite Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in "Cop Out"
2010
Starred as a police detective who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator on TNT's "Memphis Beat"
2011
Reprised role of Dave in "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked"
Videos
Movie Clip
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Not to be confused with actor Jason Scott Lee.
"I'm a person that skateboards, right? I'm not a skateboarder. I do movies, but I'm not an actor. It's just cool to have the opportunity. And if you play the roles you want, the money will come eventually."---Jason Lee in PREMIERE, October 1995.
"I've always been certain about how I want to do things, but at the same time the approach has always been very light. I don't think a lot about it. I don't ponder, I don't sit and wonder. For some people, acting is their passion. They study it. They go to school. They read plays. I've never read a play. I don't know who Chekhov is. You know what I mean? That's fine."---Jason Lee to Los Angeles Magazine, November 2002.
