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 Smiths 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. While never a ratings winner, Earl nonetheless offered Lee an opportunity to demonstrate his versatility as an actor.
Born on April 25, 1970 in Huntington Beach, CA, Lee knew from the time he was five years old that he would be a skateboarder. He began skating at 13, dropped out of high school his senior year and became a professional boarder by the time he was 18. Lee quickly rose in fame and glory, thanks in part to his signature move, the 360 flip, where he would flip and catch his board under his feet mid-jump a modest, but tricky move. In 1992, he formed his own company, Stereo Skateboards, with friend Chris Pastras, only to leave the skateboarding world behind soon after. Fearing that he might become another washed up boarder glomming on to his fast-fading youth, Lee decided to pursue an acting career. After becoming one of the first skateboarders to be officially sponsored by Airwalk, a top footwear company for boarders, he began appearing in music videos and commercials directed by Spike Jonze, including 100% by Sonic Youth. Lee made his film debut with a cameo alongside Jonze in the indie-made gang drama, Mi Vida Loca (1993).
But it was his collaboration with filmmaker Kevin Smith that marked the true start of Lees onscreen career. He had his first major film role in Smiths second film effort, Mallrats (1995), playing Brodie, a videogame-addicted slacker who is dumped by his girlfriend and goes to the mall with his best friend (Jeremy London), where they hatch a plot to sabotage a television game show filming there. Not as vitriolic or daring as Smiths debut, Clerks (1994), Mallrats suffered from being rather ordinary and pointless. After the ultra-low budget comedy Drawing Flies (1996), Lee had a meatier role in Smiths next feature, Chasing Amy (1997), playing Banky, the creator of a cult comic book who is enjoying its success with his best friend and illustrator, Holden (Ben Affleck). But when Holden chases after Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), another comic book artist who is also a lesbian, their friendship is put to the test Holden decides to pursue Alyssa despite her sexuality, while Banky becomes increasingly jealous of their relationship. In Kissing A Fool (1998), Lee played a novelist spurned by his girlfriend (Vanessa Angel) who sets up his best friend, Max (David Schwimmer), with his book editor (Mili Avital) only to learn in hindsight it was a mistake.
After an appearance as a doomed computer hacker in Enemy of the State (1998), Lee played Loren, a Navy chef thrown out of the service for assaulting a superior unappreciative of his cooking in American Cuisine (1998). In the snappy, but ultimately superficial romantic comedy, Mumford (1999), he was a successful Internet mogul looking to be loved for more than his money. Joining forces with Smith once again, Lee had a supporting role for the directors overbearing religious satire, Dogma (1999), playing Azrael, a muse cast to hell who tries to wipe out human existence by trying to get two fallen angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) back into heaven. He next had a turn as the egotistical lead singer of the fictional Stillwater Band in Cameron Crowes semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama, Almost Famous (2000). Lee reunited with Crowe for the directors next film, Vanilla Sky (2001), playing the best friend and loyal doormat of a wealthy publisher (Tom Cruise), to whom he loses his soul mate (Penelope Cruz) after bringing her to a party. In Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back (2001), Lee revived Banky from Chasing Amy in what many deemed to be one of Kevin Smiths worst films.
By this time, Lee was well-established as a character actor of note; one who could even turn in solid performances in movies not directed by Kevin Smith. In Heartbreakers (2001), he was a beachfront bartender who falls prey to a mother-daughter con artist team (Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt), while in Stealing Harvard (2002) he was an affable nice guy convinced by his best friend (Tom Green) and life-long bad influence to engage in petty crime to make a down payment on his dream house. Lee followed by making appearances in more supporting roles, including in the ensemble caper comedy Big Trouble (2002) and the obscure vanity indie, I Love Your Work (2003). In the romantic comedy of errors A Guy Thing (2003), Lee was a bridegroom determined not to do anything bad at his bachelor party, only to wake up next to a nude Becky, the strange girl (Julia Stiles) he met the night before. One lie begets another as he gets trapped in a never-ending web of fibs with his fianc
Copyright © Baseline 2009.