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Roots -

Jason Statham was born on July 26, 1967, in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England.

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He played in a family band -

When he was younger, Statham played the drums in a band with his brother (pictured in the middle) on guitar and his father on vocals.

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He was a pro diver -

Jason Statham was a diver for 12 years and a member of Britain's national diving team.

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He was a pro diver -

Statham went on to compete in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand. At his peak, Statham ranked as 12th in the world for platform diving.

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He failed his driving test... -

...three times. Yes, the man who's made a career out of playing a very skilled driver apparently picked up some bad habits from driving illegally for some time. When it came the time to take the proper driving test, he failed!

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He was a model -

Jason Statham worked as a model for various brands, including Tommy Hilfiger, Levi's, and French Connection.

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He was a model -

"We chose Jason because we wanted our model to look like a normal guy. His look is just right for now—very masculine and not too male-modelly," said French Connection spokesperson Lilly Anderson back in 1995.

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He films his own stunts -

Jason Statham is a real action hero—he actually films his own stunts! So if you see him hanging from a building, jumping after an explosion, and everything in between, that's actually him doing the stunt.

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He almost died filming 'The Expendables 3' (2014) -

The brakes of the truck Statham was driving failed, sending it off a cliff into the sea! Luckily the doors had been removed beforehand so the actor managed to escape alive from the sinking truck. "It's the closest I've ever been to drowning,” Statham said.

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He almost died filming 'The Expendables 3' (2014) -

"We would have drowned. But because Jason is an Olympic-quality diver he got out of it,” recalled Sylvester Stallone.

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He made appearances in music videos -

Yes, this is the actor, covered in oil and wearing leopard-print hot pants in the video for 'Comin' On' by The Shamen. Statham also appears in the video for 'Run to the Sun' by Erasure.

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He's a legit martial artist -

Jason Statham didn't just learn fight sequences. He really has experience in several martial arts, including karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing.

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He swam with sharks -

To prepare for his role in 'The Meg' (2018), Jason Statham went to Fiji and swam with bull sharks. “All the fear goes away once you are down there,” said the actor about the experience.

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He covered himself in syrup -

The iconic fight scene in 'The Transporter' (2002), where Statham's character Frank Martin is covered in oil, was actually done by covering him with chocolate syrup.

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He visited a prison to prepare for a role -

To prepare for 'Death Race' (2008), the actor actually spent some time strolling around the yard in California State Prison, Corcoran.

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He was a street seller -

Before becoming an action movie star, Statham used to sell knockoff perfumes and jewelry on the black market. His shady past helped him get cast in Guy Ritchie's 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' (1998).

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He was involved in a (sort of) hot pursuit -

In 2010, the actor and reality TV star Kristin Cavallari, whom he is rumored to have dated, were stopped by Palm Springs police for stealing a golf cart. They were reportedly taking the cart off-roading, but had to return to their hotel instead.

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He was once kicked out of the Playboy Mansion -

In 2008, the British actor was invited by Hugh Hefner to attend a party at the Playboy Mansion. A few hours later, he was escorted out. The reason has not been confirmed, but perhaps having one too many had something to do with it...

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He was the subject of an academic study -

The Manchester University Press commissioned a study to analyze the actor's impact on British and American film industries from 1998 to 2018. The result was the 2019 book called 'Crank it up Jason Statham: Star!'

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He likes to date models -

Jason Statham dated British model Kelly Brook for seven years. Brook was 18 when they started the relationship.

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He likes to date models -

Currently, Statham is in a relationship with model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The couple have been together since 2010.

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He has two kids -

The actor and the model have two children together: Isabella James Statham and Jack Oscar Statham (pictured with his dad).

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He loves to play pranks -

Movie producer Matthew Vaughan arrived on set with a brand new sportscar, and after hearing the sound of metal grinding, he headed straight to the mechanic. It turns out it was all Statham's fault, as he had placed dozens of horseshoes in the car's trunk!

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His movies bring in a lot of money -

The actor has starred in several box-office hits, which have amassed over US$5 billion!

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He grew up with Vinnie Jones -

The two British stars met when they were teenagers, and continue to be good friends to this day. They have co-starred in a number of movies over the years, too.

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He grew up with Vinnie Jones -

Vinnie Jones, who used to be a professional soccer player, introduced Jason Statham to the sport and they even played together in a grammar school team (not to mention in the 2001 movie 'Mean Machine').

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Fish and chip shop? -

A few years ago, there were rumors that the two Brits were planning to open a fish & chip shop in LA. We still wish this comes true! 

Sources: (IMDb 1, 2, 3) (Eighties Kids) (Mental Floss) (Men's Journal 1 and 2) (Manchester University Press) (Independent)

See also: Celebrities with side businesses

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