Jason Lee
Born: 25th April 1970
Where: Orange, California
Lee's movie career - and his starring role in My Name Is Earl - was launched thanks to his skills on a skateboard.
His first movie - 360 flip - was dedicated to the sport and an advert for his own sports clothing company was directed by Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich).
He worked again briefly with Jonze but his movie career really began with a role in Kevin Smith's Mallrats in 1995.
Although the Clerks sequel was a resounding flop, it picked up a cult following on home video, leading to a surge in popularity for Lee.
Next up was director Kevin Smith's follow-up to Mallrats, the Ben Affleck-starrer Chasing Amy - for which Lee won an Independent Spirit Award - and then came Kissing A Fool with David Schwimmer.
Lee also shone as Azrael, in Kevin Smith's controversial Dogma in 1999 before working on Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, opposite Kate Hudson.
His profile rose further oppposite Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky and the Barry Sonnenfeld comedy thriller Big Trouble.
Lee was also seen in the underpowered comedy Stealing Harvard but was back on form in the likeable rom-com A Guy Thing.
After Stephen King's thriller Dreamcatcher he appeared in the lacklustre Jersey Girl with Affleck but was more successful voicing Buddy Pine in the Pixar smash The Incredibles.
The following year he landed the starring role in the TV series My Name Is Earl, a comedy-drama about a lottery winner who decides to right all the wrongs of his life.
Voice work continued with Bones in Monster House and Dave in Alvin and the Chipmunks.
