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Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones circa 2013.jpg
Jones in 2013
Born
Vincent Peter Jones

(1965-01-05) 5 January 1965 (age 60)
Occupation
  • Actor
  • presenter
  • footballer
Spouse(s)
Tanya Terry
(m. 1994; her death 2019)
Children 2

Association football career
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1975–1977 Bedmond
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1986 Wealdstone 38 (2)
1986 IFK Holmsund (loan) 22 (1)
1986–1989 Wimbledon 77 (9)
1989–1990 Leeds United 46 (5)
1990–1991 Sheffield United 35 (2)
1991–1992 Chelsea 42 (4)
1992–1998 Wimbledon 177 (12)
1998–1999 Queens Park Rangers 9 (1)
Total 446 (36)
International career
1994–1997 Wales 9 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is a famous British actor and former professional footballer. He was also a TV presenter.

Vinnie Jones played as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999. He played for well-known clubs like Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelsea, and Queens Park Rangers. He also played for and captained the Welsh national team. He was part of the famous "Crazy Gang" at Wimbledon. With them, he won the 1988 FA Cup final. He played over 200 games for Wimbledon in two periods between 1986 and 1998. He played 184 games in the Premier League, scoring 13 goals.

Vinnie Jones was known for his tough and physical style of play. This earned him a "hard man" image. After football, he started acting. His first film was Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). He won an Empire Award for Best Newcomer for this role. He then won the Empire Award for Best British Actor for Snatch (2000). He often plays strong characters in movies.

Early Life and Beginnings

Vincent Peter Jones was born on 5 January 1965 in Watford, Hertfordshire. His parents were Glenda and Peter Jones. He went to schools in Bedmond and Abbots Langley. He was the captain of his school's football team. He has some Welsh and Irish family background.

Football Career Highlights

Playing for Clubs

Starting at Wealdstone

Vinnie Jones started playing football as a teenager. In 1984, at 19, he joined Wealdstone as a semi-professional player. This team was in the Alliance Premier League. Wealdstone won the non-league "double" in the 1984–85 season. Jones was part of the squad that won the FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium in 1985. While playing, he also worked as a builder.

Playing in Sweden

In 1986, he played one season on loan in Sweden. He joined IFK Holmsund and helped them win the Division 3 Mellersta Norrland title.

Joining Wimbledon's "Crazy Gang"

In late 1986, Vinnie Jones became a full-time professional footballer. He was 21 when Wimbledon signed him for £10,000. He scored in his second game for Wimbledon on 29 November 1986. This was a 1–0 win against Manchester United.

He was a key player in the Wimbledon team that won the FA Cup in 1988. They beat league champions Liverpool 1–0 in the final. Wimbledon became a strong team in the First Division. Jones became known as a tough and energetic midfielder. He was a main member of Wimbledon's famous Crazy Gang.

Moving to Leeds United

In June 1989, Jones moved from Wimbledon to Leeds United for £650,000. He played almost every league game. Leeds won the Second Division title and were promoted to the First Division in 1990. Under manager Howard Wilkinson, Jones showed he could play well. He received only three yellow cards that season.

Time at Sheffield United

Jones left Leeds United early in the 1990–91 season. He joined Sheffield United in September 1990 for £700,000. His former Wimbledon manager, Dave Bassett, signed him. He played 35 matches for Sheffield United, scoring two goals.

Playing for Chelsea

A year later, on 30 August 1991, Jones was sold to Chelsea for £575,000. He played his first game for Chelsea the next day. He scored his first goal for Chelsea on 18 September 1991. He played 52 games for Chelsea, scoring 7 goals. He received only 3 yellow cards during his time there.

Returning to Wimbledon

After one season at Stamford Bridge, he returned to Wimbledon. This was in the early part of the 1992–93 season, when the Premier League had just started. He helped Wimbledon achieve their best league finish in 1993–94, finishing sixth in the Premier League. In another strong season, the club reached the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup. They finished eighth in the Premier League. That season, he scored the winning goal against Arsenal at Highbury.

Finishing at Queens Park Rangers

He left Wimbledon for the second time in early 1998. He became a player/coach for QPR. He scored in his first game against Huddersfield Town. Vinnie Jones announced his retirement from football in late 1998 at age 34.

International Career for Wales

In December 1994, Vinnie Jones was chosen for the Welsh national squad. He qualified because his maternal grandfather was born in Ruthin, Wales. He played his first international game for Wales on 14 December 1994. This was a Euro 96 qualifier against Bulgaria. He played nine times for Wales. His last game was on 29 March 1997 against Belgium.

Playing Style and Records

Vinnie Jones was known for his "hard man" image on the football field. He was sent off 12 times during his career. He also holds the record for the quickest booking in a football match. He received a yellow card after just three seconds. This happened in an FA Cup game between Chelsea and Sheffield United in 1992.

Acting Career Journey

Vinnie Jones ComicCon
Jones with Keith David in 2010

In 1998, Vinnie Jones started his film career. He appeared in Guy Ritchie's crime comedy Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He played a character called Big Chris. For this role, he won the Empire Award for Best Newcomer in 1999.

Since then, he has often played similar roles. These include criminals or villains. He played "Bullet-Tooth Tony" in Guy Ritchie's 2000 film Snatch. For this, Jones won the Empire Award for Best British Actor in 2001. American audiences got to know him in the 2000 movie Gone in 60 Seconds. He played Sphinx, a tough character who had only one line of dialogue. He worked with director Dominic Sena again in Swordfish.

Jones played Danny Meehan in Mean Machine (2001). This was a British version of the film The Longest Yard. He played a former captain of the England national football team. His character goes to prison and leads a team of inmates against the prison guards. In the 2004 Japanese film Survive Style 5+, he played a hitman. He also played Mad Maynard in the 2004 film EuroTrip.

In 2006, he was in the film X-Men: The Last Stand. He played the comic book villain Juggernaut. He also appeared in another football film, She's the Man, as a coach. In 2007, he played McStarley in The Condemned. This film was about prisoners forced to fight on an island.

Jones was a housemate on the TV show Celebrity Big Brother 7 in 2010. He finished in third place. In 2011, he was in the Kazakhstani film Liquidator. His character was mute, so he didn't speak. He also voiced Freddie the Dog in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted in 2012. He acted alongside Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in Escape Plan (2013). In 2021, Jones was on the Australian version of The Masked Singer as "Volcano".

Personal Life Overview

Vinnie Jones met Tanya Terry when they were 12 years old. They were next-door neighbours. They got married in 1994. Tanya had a daughter from her first marriage. Vinnie Jones has a son, Aaron, born in 1991.

In November 2013, Jones received treatment for skin cancer. His wife had also been diagnosed with skin cancer many years before. Tanya passed away from cancer on 6 July 2019. Jones has said he does not plan to remarry.

Jones wrote an autobiography called Vinnie: The Autobiography. He now lives in both Los Angeles and Petworth, West Sussex.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Wealdstone 1984–85 Alliance Premier League 12 0 0 0 0 0 12 0
1985–86 Alliance Premier League 26 2 1 0 0 0 27 2
Total 38 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 39 2
IFK Holmsund (loan) 1986 Division 3 Mellersta Norrland 22 1 0 0 0 0 22 1
Wimbledon 1986–87 First Division 22 4 4 1 2 0 0 0 28 5
1987–88 First Division 24 2 6 0 4 0 0 0 34 2
1988–89 First Division 31 3 4 0 5 0 1 0 41 3
Total 77 9 14 1 11 0 1 0 103 10
Leeds United 1989–90 Second Division 45 5 1 0 2 0 4 0 52 5
1990–91 First Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 46 5 1 0 2 0 4 0 53 5
Sheffield United 1990–91 First Division 31 2 1 0 4 0 1 0 37 2
1991–92 First Division 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Total 35 2 1 0 4 0 1 0 41 2
Chelsea 1991–92 First Division 35 3 4 1 1 0 5 2 45 6
1992–93 Premier League 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
Total 42 4 4 1 1 0 5 2 52 7
Wimbledon 1992–93 Premier League 27 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 1
1993–94 Premier League 33 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 35 2
1994–95 Premier League 33 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 37 3
1995–96 Premier League 31 3 3 0 2 0 0 0 36 3
1996–97 Premier League 29 3 7 0 2 0 0 0 38 3
1997–98 Premier League 24 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 28 1
Total 177 12 15 1 9 0 0 0 201 13
Queens Park Rangers 1997–98 First Division 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
1998–99 First Division 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Total 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1
Career total 446 36 36 3 27 0 11 2 520 41

Football Honours and Awards

Wealdstone

  • Alliance Premier League: 1984–85

IFK Holmsund

  • Division 3 Mellersta Norrland: 1986

Wimbledon

Leeds United

Filmography

Film Roles

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Big Chris Won - Empire Award for Best Newcomer
2000 Gone in 60 Seconds Sphinx
Snatch Bullet Tooth Tony
2001 Swordfish Marco
Night at the Golden Eagle Rodan
Mean Machine Danny Meehan
2004 The Big Bounce Lou Harris
Tooth The Extractor
EuroTrip 'Mad' Maynard
Survive Style 5+ Killer
Blast Michael Kittredge
2005 Slipstream Winston Briggs
Submerged Henry
Hollywood Flies Sean
Mysterious Island Bob TV film
2006 The Number One Girl Dragos Molnar
Johnny Was Johnny Doyle
She's the Man Coach Dinklage
The Other Half Trainer
Played Detective Brice
X-Men: The Last Stand Cain Marko / Juggernaut
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Rommel Voice role
2007 The Condemned Ewan McStarley
7–10 Split Roddy Nightengale
The Riddle Mike Sullivan
Strength and Honour 'Smasher' O'Driscoll AoFIFF - Best Supporting Actor (see awards)
Tooth & Nail Mongrel
2008 Hell Ride Billy 'Wings'
Loaded Mr. Black
The Midnight Meat Train Mahogany 2 Noms - Best Supporting Actor (see awards)
2009 (Untitled) Ray Barko
Year One Sargon
Assault of Darkness Mr. Hunter
The Heavy Edgar Dunn
The Ballad of G.I. Joe Destro
The Bleeding Cain
2010 Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball Finbar 'The Surgeon' McTeague
Locked Down Anton Vargas
Inversion Doug
2011 Kill the Irishman Keith Ritson
Age of the Dragons Stubbs
You May Not Kiss the Bride Brick
The Liquidator Killer
Blood Out Zed
Cross Gunnar
Not Another Not Another Movie Nancy Longbottom
2012 Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted Freddie 'The Dog' Voice role
Hijacked Joe Ballard
Freelancers Sully
The Diamond Heist Jack Varga
Fire with Fire Boyd
2013 Company of Heroes Brent Willoughby
Fractured Quincy
Armed Response Tillinghast
Escape Plan Drake
Extraction Ivan Rudovsky
Ambushed Vincent Camastra
Blood of Redemption Campbell
2014 Redirected Golden Pole
A Certain Justice Bennett
Way of the Wicked John Eliott
Beyond Justice Vincent De La Cruz
Reaper Rob
Gutshot Straight Carl
The Calculator Yust Van Borg
2015 The Enforcer Renner
Left to Die Sarge
Mercenary: Absolution The Boss
Rivers 9 Ray Kaplan
Checkmate Lu
6 Ways to Die John Doe
Gridlocked Ryker
Bite John 'Big John'
2016 Kill Kane Ray Brookes
Decommissioned Michael Price
The Midnight Man Pearl
2017 Cross Wars Gunnar
2019 The Gandhi Murder Sir Norman Smith
Madness in the Method Vinnie
Cross: Rise of the Villains Gunnar
2020 Ron Hopper's Misfortune Ron Hopper
I Am Vengeance: Retaliation Sean Teague
The Big Ugly Neelyn
2021 Rise of the Footsoldier Origins Bernard O'Mahoney
The Bezonians Willard Greb
2022 Bullet Proof Temple
TBA Overtown Cutty Delayed
Hypnotized Completed
Cross 4 Gunnar Filming
Reckless Trent Filming

Television Appearances

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Gladiators Himself Episode: "Battle of the Gladiators"
Sean's Show Himself Episode: "Great Socks"
2003 Top Gear Himself Series 2, Episode 1, "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment
2005 Extras Himself Episode: "Ross Kemp & Vinnie Jones"
2010 Chuck Karl Stromberg Episode: "Chuck Versus the Three Words"
2011 The Cape Dominic Raoul / Scales 6 episodes
2013 Elementary Colonel Sebastian Moran 2 episodes
2014 Psych Ronnie Ives Episode: "Lock, Stock, Some Smoking Barrels and Burton Guster's Goblet of Fire"
The Musketeers Martin Labarge Episode: "The Challenge"
Mind Games Isaac Vincent 2 episodes
2015 Police Interceptors Himself
2015–2016 Galavant Gareth All 18 episodes
2015–2018 Arrow Danny 'Brick' Brickwell 9 episodes
2016 MacGyver John Kendrick The Rising (MacGyver)
2018 Deception Gunter Gastafsen All 13 episodes
2019 NCIS: Los Angeles Rick Dorsey Episode: "A Bloody Brilliant Plan"
2020 Harry's Heroes Himself 1 episode
2021 Law & Order: Organized Crime Albi Briscu 8 episodes
2023 Tracked Himself
2023—present Vinnie Jones in the Country Himself All 6 episodes. Second series commissioned.
2024—present The Gentlemen Geoff Seacombe 8 episodes. Second series commissioned

Stage Performances

Year Title Role Notes
2024–2025 Only Fools and Horses The Musical Danny Driscoll At Hammersmith Apollo from 17 December 2024 to 5 January 2025

Music Videos

  • Westlife - "Bop Bop Baby" (2002)
    • As Duke Vincent, a villain who imprisons the band members.
  • Steve Aoki & LOOPERS - "Pika Pika" (2018)
    • Footage was reused from an unreleased video.

Discography

Studio Albums

  • 2002: Respect

Singles

  • "Wooly Bully" (1993)

Awards and Nominations

Year Awards Category Nominated work Result Ref.
1999 Empire Awards Empire Award for Best Newcomer Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Won
2001 Empire Awards Empire Award for Best British Actor Snatch Won
2008 Action on Film International Film Festival, USA Best Supporting Actor Strength and Honour Won
Fright Meter Awards The Midnight Meat Train Nominated
2009 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Nominated
2020 UK Film Festival Best Actor The Big Ugly Won
British Film Festival Best Stunt Performing Actors (shared) I Am Vengeance: Retaliation Won
2021 Lonely Wolf: London International Film Festival Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role The Big Ugly Nominated
Best Supporting Actor of the Year The Bezonians Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Vinnie Jones para niños

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