Jason Statham (born 12 September 1972) is an English actor, known for his hard man roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Revolver and Snatch. Statham also appeared in supporting roles in several American films, such as The One, The Italian Job, and Collateral, as well as playing the lead role in The Transporter, Transporter 2, Crank, and War. Statham is currently working on The Bank Job, The Brazilian Job (a sequel to The Italian Job), and Death Race (a remake of Roger Gorman's Death Race 2000).

• 1 Biography
  • 1.1 Early life & diving career
  • 1.2 Modeling & acting career
  • 1.3 Personal life
• 2 Filmography
  • 2.1 Video game voice-overs
• 3 References
• 4 External links

Statham was born in Sydenham, Lewisham, London, the second son of a lounge singer and dressmaker-turned-dancer who ran a black market operation. He grew up, initially, following his parents' trail to master the art of street theatre. Statham developed an interest in sports, diving in particular, which led him to become an excellent athlete in the sport; he finished 12th in the World Championships in 1992[1] and he was also a member of Britain's National Diving Squad for twelve years.[2]

Statham's life in media began when he was spotted by a talent agent specialising in athletes while training at London's Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.[3] Afterwards, he became a model for the clothing brand French Connection where he was introduced to then-fledgling British director Guy Ritchie.[4]

Ritchie was working on a film project and needed to fill the role of a street-wise con artist. After learning about Statham's past, Ritchie cast him to play the role of Bacon in Ritchie's breakout 1998 hit, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.[5] The movie was well received by both critics and audiences, which helped catapult the unknown actor into the public eye. Statham's second collaboration with Ritchie came in the 2000 film Snatch.[6] Cast alongside popular actors Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio del Toro, and with the movie earning more than $80 million in box-office revenues, Statham was able to break into Hollywood and appeared in two movies in 2001: John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars and the Jet Li vehicle, The One.

Statham was offered more film roles, and in 2002 was cast as the lead role of driver Frank Martin in the action movie The Transporter.[7] A sequel, Transporter 2, followed in 2005.[8] He also appeared in supporting roles in The Italian Job (2003) (in which he also played a driver),[9] Cellular (2004)[10] before taking the lead role in Crank (2006).[11] Statham compares his role in Crank to his real life in the September 2006 issue of Maxim Magazine In 2005, Statham was once again cast by Ritchie to star in his new project, Revolver and has been billed to appear in three film projects in 2007/8: In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale and The Italian Job sequel The Brazilian Job. He has also been tipped to play Domovoi Butler in the upcoming Artemis Fowl movie.

In numerous American films Statham can be heard speaking with a slight American accent.

Statham dated English model and actress Kelly Brook for seven years but the couple split when Kelly met actor Billy Zane on the set of Survival Island. They got back together temporarily after Kelly Brook broke up her engagement with Billy Zane. In 2005, Statham dated former Bardot singer Sophie Monk but they are no longer together.[12]

• Red Faction II (2002) â€" Shrike
• Call of Duty (2003) â€" Sgt. Waters

• Jason Statham at the Internet Movie Database
• Jason Statham in War 2007
• Jason Statham does Gumball 2007
• Jason Statham fan site

Saffron Dominique Burrows (born October 22, 1972[1]) is an English actress.

• 1 Biography
• 2 Acting career
• 3 Personal life
• 4 Selected filmography
• 5 See also
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Burrows was born in London, England to a politically active family; both of her parents are Socialists. At age 15 she was discovered by a modeling talent scout (she stands about 6 foot tall), and she began a successful modeling career.

She debuted in the film Welcome to the Terra Dome as Jodie, then had a role in the movie In the Name of the Father (1993). Her first significant acting role was as an ambitious Irish lass in Circle of Friends (1995), which included Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver. Subsequently she appeared in Hotel de Love.

In 1999 she appeared in the sci-fi Wing Commander (1999), the thriller Deep Blue Sea, and The Loss of Sexual Innocence. The following year she appeared in Miss Julie and Timecode.

In 2001 she had roles in Enigma, and Tempted with Burt Reynolds, Peter Facinelli and Michael Arata. In 2004 she played the part of Andromache in the big-budget movie Troy.

On 30 October 2005 she appeared on stage at the Old Vic theatre in London in a play Night Sky alongside Christopher Eccleston, Bruno Langley, David Warner, Navin Chowdhry and David Baddiel.

In 2005 British Harpers and Queen she listed number 33 in their 100 Most Beautiful Women of the Year and in 2006 she was ranked number 6 in Good Housekeeping Magazines Top 10 Sexy Thirtysomethings [citation needed].

It was announced that on July 2007 Burrows will join the cast of ABC's Boston Legal as an attorney who had a past fling with the show's lead Alan Shore. She will be listed as a series regular.

In a 1999 interview with Film Unlimited, Burrows revealed that she is bisexual.[2] For a number of years, she was involved with film director Mike Figgis, and she starred in some of his films, including Miss Julie - one of the first films to experiment with multi-camera views, and Figgis' quad-screen film, Timecode. Since the ending of that relationship, she has been romantically linked with actress Fiona Shaw. [3][4][5] Neither actress has publicly confirmed or denied the relationship. The two appeared together in the National Theatre's production of The PowerBook, [6], a play based on the novel of the same name by Jeanette Winterson in which they played lovers.

• In the Name of the Father (1993)
• Circle of Friends (1995)
• Cold Lazarus (1996) (miniseries)
• Lovelife (1996)
• Loss of Sexual Innocence (1999)
• Wing Commander (1999)
• Deep Blue Sea (1999)
• Miss Julie (1999)
• Timecode (2000)
• Gangster No. 1 (2000)
• Tempted (2001)
• Enigma (2001)
• Frida (2002)
• Peter Pan (2003) (voice)
• Troy (2004)
• Klimt (2005)
• Perfect Creature (2006)
• Reign Over Me (2007)
• Dangerous Parking (2007)

• List of famous tall women

• Saffron Burrows at the Internet Movie Database
• Saffron Burrows biography and filmography at the BFI's Screenonline
• "Saffron Burrows CV at PFD"

Roger Donaldson (born November 15, 1945) is an Australian-born New Zealand film producer, director and writer who has made numerous successful movies. He was one of several co-founders of the New Zealand Film Commission.

• 1 Career and life
• 2 Filmography
  • 2.1 Director
  • 2.2 Producer
  • 2.3 Writer
  • 2.4 Art Director
• 3 External links

Roger Donaldson was born in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia and in 1965 he emigrated to New Zealand to establish a small still photography business. He first entered the film industry when he made the drama series Winners and Losers for New Zealand television, then later directed and produced his first film Sleeping Dogs in 1977. As this was the first film to come out of New Zealand in nearly 15 years, he lobbied the New Zealand Government to found the New Zealand Film Commission in 1978. Donaldson's first films were made in close collaboration with his friend and leading man, actor and musician Bruno Lawrence, with whom Donaldson worked extensively in the 1970s, but the partnership and their long friendship effectively ended after Smash Palace.

Donaldson's first American break was his remake of the film Mutiny of the Bounty, which was released as The Bounty and featured Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins. He was nominated for a Golden Palm from the Cannes Film Festival for this film. Since then Donaldson has been involved with many popular and successful movies, among them being the thriller No Way Out (starring Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman), Cocktail (starring Bryan Brown and Tom Cruise), Dante's Peak (starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton), Thirteen Days (starring Kevin Costner and Steven Culp) and the popular yet oft-maligned Species.

• Sleeping Dogs (1977)
• Nutcase (1980)
• Smash Palace (1981)
• The Bounty (1984)
• Marie (1985) also known as Marie: A True Story (1985)
• No Way Out (1987)
• Cocktail (1988)
• Cadillac Man (1990)
• White Sands (1992)
• The Getaway (1994)
• Species (1995)
• Dante's Peak (1997)
• Thirteen Days (2000), also known as Thirteen Days Which Shocked the World (2000)
• The Recruit (2003)
• The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

• Sleeping Dogs (1977)
• Smash Palace (1981)
• Cadillac Man (1990)
• Fearless (1999) (TV) (executive producer)

• Smash Palace (1981)
• The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

• Sleeping Dogs (1977)

• Roger Donaldson at the Internet Movie Database

David Suchet OBE (born May 2, 1946) is an English actor best known for his television portrayal of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot in the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot.[1][2][3]

• 1 Biography
  • 1.1 Early life
  • 1.2 Career
  • 1.3 Personal life
  • 1.4 Trivia
• 2 Film and television roles
• 3 References
• 4 External links

Suchet was born in London to Jack and Joan Suchet. Suchet's father was Jewish and his mother was Anglican, and Suchet converted to the Anglican religion.[4] His paternal grandfather was a Latvian, whose surname was shortened from Suchedowitz to Suchet.[5] He also has some French blood on his mother's side. He took an interest in acting and joined the National Youth Theatre at 18. He studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, where he now serves as a council member. He began his acting career at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Berkshire and retains a great affection for the place saying it "fulfils my vision of a perfect theatre".

In 1973, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1980, he made his first appearance on screen in the 1980 film version of A Tale of Two Cities. In 1985, he played Blott in the television series Blott on the Landscape. He was also awarded the Royal Television Society's award for best male actor for A Song for Europe in 1985.

Suchet's performance as Agatha Christie's famous detective Hercule Poirot in the television series Poirot earned him a 1991 British Academy Television Award (BAFTA) nomination. In preperation for the role he says that he has read every novel and short story, and complied and extensive file on Poirot.[1][2][3] He was given a Variety Club Award in 1994 for best actor for portraying John in David Mamet's play Oleanna at the Royal Court Theatre, London. Suchet later won another Variety Club Award for his portrayal of Antonio Salieri in Amadeus.

Suchet was nominated for another Royal Television Society award in 2002 for his performance as Augustus Melmotte in The Way We Live Now, which also earned him a BAFTA nomination. The same year he was appointed an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2003, he played ambitious 16th-century English primate, Cardinal Wolsey, in the 2-part ITV drama Henry VIII opposite Ray Winstone as Henry VIII and Helena Bonham Carter as Anne Boleyn.

Suchet is vice-president of the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Trust, whose most challenging achievement to date has been securing funding (both via an appeal, and from influencing government decisions) concerning the building of the new M6 Toll motorway where it cuts the lines of the Lichfield Canal and the Hatherton Canal, both of which the Trust wishes to see reopened. He has also been officially voted in as chairman of the River Thames Alliance in November 2005.[6] At the July 2006 Annual General Meeting of the River Thames Alliance, he agreed to continue being chairman for another year. Suchet also does a number of small appearances and voiceovers for religious dramatic works in accord with his own Christian faith.[7] He also provided the voice of Aslan in Focus on the Family's radio version of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.

In May 2006, he played the role of the fallen press baron, Robert Maxwell, in Maxwell, a BBC2 dramatisation of the final 18 months of Maxwell's life.[2][3] During the same year, he voiced Poirot in the adventure game Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express.

In December 2006, he appeared on the ITV programme Extinct, presented by Sir Trevor McDonald and Zoe Ball, which saw David and 7 other well known celebrites visit critically endangered species of animals and try and plead their case for the viewers so that they would pick up the phone and vote for the animal. The animal with the most votes would receive a large sum of money which would be used to try and save them. David's animal was the Giant Panda. David and his panda did not win, however, they finished in the top three. The winners were Pauline Collins and the Bengal Tiger.

At Christmas 2006, he played the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing in a BBC adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

From 27 April-19 May 2007, David Suchet performed at The Chichester Festival Theatre, in the play The Last Confession.[8]

He appears in the disaster film Flood, to be released in August 2007, as the deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at a time when London is devastated by flooding.

He is the brother of John Suchet, a national News presenter.

He married Sheila Ferris in 1976, and their son, Robert, graduated from the University of Birmingham in July 2002. They also have a daughter together, Katherine.

Suchet plays the clarinet, taught by Maurice Cowlin.

Suchet resides in London.

• He affectionately calls his fat suit for Hercule Poirot his "armadillo padding".
• He appeared as Inspector Japp in the 1985 film adaptation of Lord Edgware Dies, screen-name Thirteen at Dinner with Peter Ustinov portraying Poirot.
• One of his hobbies is photography. His maternal grandfather, James Jarché, was a famous Fleet Street photographer. Suchet first got into photography when his grandfather gave him a Kodak camera as a present.

• Flood (2007)

Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun (video game) (2007)

• Maxwell (2007) as Robert Maxwell
• Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989-2008) as Hercule Poirot
• Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express (video game) (2006)
• Dracula (2006)
• Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets (2004)
• Henry VIII (2003)
• Foolproof (2003)
• The In-Laws (2003)
• Live From Baghdad (2002)
• The Way We Live Now (2001)
• Wing Commander (1999)
• RKO 281 (1999)
• A Perfect Murder (1998)
• The Phoenix and the Carpet (1997)
• Executive Decision (1996)
• When the Whales Came (1989)
• Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
• Iron Eagle (1986)
• Thirteen at Dinner (1985)
• The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
• Blott on the Landscape (1985)
• The Little Drummer Girl (1984)
• Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
• Master of the Game (1984)
• Trenchcoat (1983)
• The Missionary (1982)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982)
• The Professionals: Where the jungle ends (1978)

David Suchet at the Internet Movie Database

Fansite