- Born
- Birth nameJason Kent Bateman
- Height5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- Jason Bateman is an American film and television actor, known for his role as Michael Bluth on the television sitcom Arrested Development (2003), as well as his role on Valerie (1986).
He was born in Rye, New York. His father, Kent Bateman, from a Utah-based family, is a film and television director and producer, and founder of a Hollywood repertory stage company. His mother, Victoria Bateman, was born in Shropshire, England, and worked as a flight attendant. His sister is actress Justine Bateman. In 1981, at the age of 12, young Bateman made his debut on television as James Cooper Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974): Uncle Jed, appearing in 18 more episodes in one season. Jason also appeared in the original Knight Rider with David Hasselhoff for the season three episode "Lost Knight" (aired Dec 1984) playing the character "Doug" who befriends Kitt when he loses his memory. In the mid-1980s, he became the DGA's youngest-ever director when he directed three episodes of Valerie (1986) at age 18. During the 2000s, Bateman's film career has been on soaring trajectory. In 2005, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy, for Arrested Development (2003), and received other awards and nominations.
Bateman has been enjoying a happy family life with his wife, actress Amanda Anka (daughter of singer Paul Anka), with whom he has two children. The Batemans reside in Los Angeles, California.- IMDb mini biography by: Steve Shelokhonov
- SpouseAmanda Anka(July 3, 2001 - present) (2 children)
- ChildrenFrancesca Nora BatemanMaple Sylvie Bateman
- ParentsVictoria Bateman
- RelativesJustine Bateman(Sibling)
- A unique accent that helps with his dry comedic style
- Deadpan comic delivery and dry self-effacing wit
- Playing the straight man in a comedy duo
- Often plays a put-upon everyman
- As of July 2011, had not had an alcoholic drink in about 10 years.
- Got into acting when, at age 10, he followed a friend to an audition for a role in an educational film and the director asked him to read for the lead.
- He's cycling enthusiast and an avid runner that averages five miles a day. "It's my meditation time," he says. "I clear my mind and think about the day." He leaves the iPod at home, preferring his own thoughts for company.
- Good friends with Jennifer Aniston since 1995. They have worked together in five movies: The Break-Up (2006), The Switch (2010), Horrible Bosses (2011), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) and Office Christmas Party (2016).
- Became the DGA's youngest-ever director when he directed three episodes of Valerie (1986) at the age of 18 years.
- By definition, gay is smart. I see plenty of macho heterosexual idiots, but nine times out of 10 you can have a great conversation if you find a gay guy.
- I have a tendency to evolve into William Shatner, with my big fat face.
- I've been offered a couple of leads in some movies that really suck. I mean, you know, if they're offering me the lead, the script ain't that great. The stuff that's good, I'm a little further down the cast list.
- This is a tough town to live in if you're not relevant. I'm not making my decisions based on the fear of that. But there's a reason people have a long career. And it's because they're doing respectful work. I really want to be in that group.
- I would rather do three or four small parts every year as opposed to some of the lower-hanging fruit that might get my name above the title. If you take that big paycheck for that, it's going to be real high-profile, you're going to be famous for a couple of weeks, and then your career is over and you've got to make sure you don't spend all your money before you die.
- Ozark (2017) - $300,000 per episode
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content