My Name Is Earl Wiki
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Jason Lee
Jason Lee
Date of Birth
April 25, 1970
Birthplace
Orange, California, USA
Role
External Links:


Jason Lee plays the role of Earl Hickey on My Name is Earl. He has also served as a Producer on the show for 47 episodes and played Sandy the male hooker in the alternative pilot Bad Karma.

Biography[]

Skateboarding[]

Born and raised in Southern California, Jason Lee took up skateboarding at age 13. By 18, he was on the professional skateboarding circuit, where he wowed legions of young fans and popularized a move called the "360 flip". Inspired to tap into the commercial aspect of the sport, Lee and a friend started the twin companies "Stereo Skateboards" and "Stereo Sounds Clothing". In the early 1990s, Lee took his tricks in front of the camera, appearing in several music videos - including one for the Sonic Youth song "100%", directed by Spike Jonze. Lee got his first taste of straight acting the next year, when he turned up alongside Jonze as a teenage drug customer in Allison Anders's Mi Vida Loca (1993).

On the show My Name Is Earl you are able to see Lee's athletic abilities. In the episode Sticks & Stones, Lee's character Earl Hickey, is taught by Tommy the Lobsterboy how to ride a skateboard without falling off and scraping his knees. Also, in the episode Our 'Cops' Is On!, Earl jumps a bike off a ramp and over a fence to outrun the police. 

Acting[]

Lee's movie career began in earnest when he landed a lead role in Kevin Smith's Mallrats (1995) (at his very first audition, according to Smith). While the film was almost universally panned, Lee received high marks from critics and audiences for his turn as "cynical sidekick" Brodie Bruce. Smith was so pleased with Brodie that he wrote a part for Lee in his next film, Chasing Amy (1997): Ben Affleck's cranky roommate and comic book partner, "Banky". Lee won an Independent Spirit Award for his performance.

After appearing in several indies and a made-for-TV movie, Lee crossed over into mainstream circles with Kissing a Fool (1998). Starring opposite David Schwimmer and Mili Avital, he played a writer who works through his last breakup by writing a book. In 1999, Lee landed two significant acting gigs: one as the demon "Azrael" in Kevin Smith's Dogma (1999), and another as the eccentric young billionaire "Skip Skipperton" in Mumford (1999). He then went to work on Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000), in which he plays a member of the fictional '70s band "Stillwater".

Lee maintains a relatively low profile, but cohorts Smith and Affleck insist that he's one of the funniest and most gentlemanly actors in the business.

Personal life[]

Lee married actress and photographer Carmen Llywelyn in 1995, but they divorced in 2001. Lee and his ex-fiancée Beth Riesgraf (who appeared on the episode of My Name Is Earl entitled "Faked My Own Death") have a son named Pilot Inspektor Riesgraf Lee (born September 28, 2003). He is expecting a baby girl in late 2008 with his girlfriend Ceren Alkac.

Lee has a substantial collection of rare motorcycles which he rides daily. He owns a rare post-war custom Falcon Motorcycle which he unveiled on May 3 2007, with its builder at this year's Legend Of The Motorcycle.

Lee is a member of the Church of Scientology and is on the Board of Advisors for the CCHR.

Television appearances[]

  • My Name is Earl (2005-2009)
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