Jason Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jason Lee
Lee at the Away and Back premiere in 2015
Born	Jason Michael Lee (1970-04-25) April 25, 1970 (age 55) Santa Ana, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor filmmaker photographer professional skateboarder
Years active	1980s–present
Spouse(s)	Carmen Llywelyn ​ ​ (m. 1995; div. 2001)​ Ceren Alkaç ​ (m. 2008)​
Partner(s)	Beth Riesgraf (2001–2007)
Children	5
Jason Lee Sport Country United States Sport Skateboarding Turned pro 1988 Retired 1996

Jason Michael Lee (born April 25, 1970) is an American actor, filmmaker, photographer, and former professional skateboarder. He is famous for playing Earl Hickey in the TV show My Name Is Earl. For this role, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2005 and 2006.

Jason Lee is also well-known for his parts in Kevin Smith's movies like Mallrats (1995) and Chasing Amy (1997). He won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his acting in Chasing Amy. You might also recognize his voice as Syndrome in The Incredibles (2004) and as the main character in Underdog (2007). He also played Dave Seville in the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies (2007–2015).

Before becoming a famous actor, Jason Lee was a professional skateboarder. In 1992, he co-founded Stereo Skateboards with his friend Chris "Dune" Pastras. This company makes skateboards and skateboarding gear.

Early Life and Skateboarding Beginnings

Jason Lee was born in Santa Ana, California, on April 25, 1970. His dad, Greg Lee, managed a car dealership, and his mom, Carol Lee, was a homemaker. He grew up in Huntington Beach and went to Ocean View High School.

As a child, Jason was very energetic. His mom bought him a skateboard hoping he would use it to burn off some energy. He quickly fell in love with skateboarding and spent most of his time practicing. This passion led him to leave school early to become a professional skateboarder.

Jason Lee's Career Journey

Skateboarding Achievements

Jason Lee was a professional skateboarder in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1992, he started Stereo Skateboards with fellow skater Chris "Dune" Pastras. After a break, they brought the company back in 2003. As of 2013, both Lee and Pastras were still part of the professional team.

Lee appeared in famous skateboarding videos like Video Days (1991) for Blind Skateboards. In 2004, his skateboarding was shown in Way Out East!, a film from Stereo Skateboards. He also appeared in a short video on the skateboard website The Berrics in 2012.

Jason Lee has also worked with other famous skateboarders. He helped Tony Hawk with the Stand-Up for Skateparks Event, which helps create free public skateparks for kids in communities that need them. Lee also lent his voice and look to the video game Tony Hawk's Project 8 as a playable character. Later, he voiced Coach Frank in the video game Skate 3. Many skateboarders, including Mike Carroll, look up to Jason Lee for his skateboarding style. He is especially known for his `360 flip` trick, which even the trick's inventor, Rodney Mullen, says Lee helped make popular.

Becoming an Actor

After taking a few small acting roles between 1992 and 1994, Jason Lee decided to focus on acting full-time. His first big movie role was in Kevin Smith's Mallrats. This movie became a "cult hit," meaning it gained a strong following over time. This led to a friendship with Kevin Smith and many more movie roles together.

Lee at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2006

Jason Lee starred in several of Kevin Smith's films, including Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. He won an Independent Spirit Award for his role as Banky Edwards in Chasing Amy.

He also took on leading roles in movies like Heartbreakers and Stealing Harvard. You might have seen him in supporting roles in films such as Almost Famous and Dreamcatcher.

Jason Lee is also known for his voice acting. He was the voice of Syndrome in the popular animated movie The Incredibles and the short film Jack-Jack Attack. He also voiced Underdog in the movie Underdog. Many kids know him as Dave Seville from the live-action/CGI Alvin and the Chipmunks movies.

In 2005, Lee was offered the main role in the TV series My Name Is Earl. He played Earl Hickey and received two Golden Globe nominations for his performance in 2006 and 2007. The show was very popular and ran for four seasons.

Later, he starred in the TV show Memphis Beat from 2010 to 2011. He also appeared in Up All Night and made guest appearances in Raising Hope. In 2015, he starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film Away & Back.

Photography Work

Jason Lee started taking photos regularly in the early 2000s. He became very interested in instant photography, which uses cameras that print photos right away. He has released several photo books, including his first one through Refueled Magazine, which featured Polaroid and Fuji Instant Film photos.

Lee on the roof of the Beverly Laurel Hotel on June 28, 2005

In 2018, he published A Plain View, a book with color photos from his travels across rural and urban America. His photographs of Oklahoma were shown in an exhibit called OK: Jason Lee Photographs at the Philbrook Museum of Art in 2019. He is inspired by a photography style called New Topographics, especially the work of Henry Wessell. He prefers to use film cameras for his photography.

Personal Life

Jason Lee married actress and photographer Carmen Llywelyn in 1995, but they divorced in 2001.

After his divorce, he became engaged to actress Beth Riesgraf. They have a son named Pilot Inspektor, who was born in 2003. Lee shared that his son's unique name was inspired by a song called "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot." by the band Grandaddy.

In 2008, Jason Lee married Turkish model Ceren Alkaç in California. They have three children together: a daughter named Casper (born 2008), a son named Sonny (born 2012), and another daughter named Alberta 'Birdy' Lee (born 2017).

In 2016, Jason Lee shared that he is no longer a Scientologist. He explained that people often look for answers or ways to feel better, but for him, Scientology "was just not for me."

Jason Lee currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his family. He also co-owns a restaurant called Barley and Board.

Selected Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Video Game Roles