Jason Bateman

Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Michael Bluth in the Fox / Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development'' (2003–2019) and Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama series '' Ozark'' (2017–2022), as well as for his work in numerous comedy films. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Bateman began his career as a child actor, appearing on television in the early 1980s on shows such as the NBC drama series ''Little House on the Prairie'' from 1981 to 1982 and '' The Hogan Family'' from 1986 to 1991. Bateman's early film roles include '' Teen Wolf Too'' (1987) and '' Necessary Roughness'' (1991) before taking supporting roles in '' The Break-Up'' (2006), '' Juno'' (2007), '' Hancock'' (2008), and '' Up in the Air'' (2009). Bateman took starring roles in the comedies '' The Switch'' (2010), '' The Change-Up'' (2011), '' Horrible Bosses'' (2011), '' Identity Thief'' (2013), '' This Is Where I Leave You'' (2014), ''Horrible Bosses 2'' (2014), '' Office Christmas Party'' (2016), '' Zootopia'' (2016), and '' Game Night'' (2018). He also played dramatic roles in '' The Gift'' (2015), '' The Outsider'' (2020), ''Air'' (2023), and '' Carry-On'' (2024).

Bateman made his directorial debut with an episode of ''The Hogan Family'', at the time setting the record for the youngest director in the Directors Guild of America. He has since directed and starred in '' The Family Fang'' (2015) and '' Ozark''. Bateman was awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2019 for his direction on '' Ozark''.

Early life

Bateman was born in Rye, New York, and was four years old when his family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and later to California. His mother, Victoria Elizabeth, was a flight attendant for Pan Am who was originally from Shrewsbury in the United Kingdom. His father, Kent Bateman, is an American actor, writer, and director of film and television.Stated during Bateman's appearance on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (September 7, 2009) His older sister is actress Justine Bateman.

Bateman, like many child actors, attended Brighton Hall School, without graduating. In an interview with ''Wired Magazine'', Bateman admitted that he never received his diploma due to not finishing his finals while filming '' Teen Wolf Too''.

Bateman and Justine's earnings from their television shows were a significant income source for their parents, allowing the family to afford their home and other essentials. The reliance on a portion of Bateman's earnings from acting caused him to feel anxious and under pressure to keep roles and in the acting industry as a whole. As an actor, Bateman was managed by his father until he was 20, when the business relationship was dissolved.

Career

Television

Bateman first appeared in a cereal commercial for Golden Grahams in 1980 and began his television career on ''Little House on the Prairie'' as James Cooper, an orphaned boy who, along with his sister, is adopted by the Ingalls family. From 1982 to 1984 he was a supporting character on the television show ''Silver Spoons'' as Ricky Schroder's "bad boy" best friend Derek Taylor. He appeared in the '' Knight Rider'' third-season episode "Lost Knight" in 1984, and a number of other small television roles. In 1984, in response to his popularity on ''Silver Spoons'', the show's producers gave Bateman his own starring role as Matthew Burton on the NBC sitcom ''It's Your Move'', from September 1984 to February 1985. In 1987 he appeared with Burt Reynolds on the men's team in the inaugural week of game show ''Win, Lose or Draw''.

Bateman earned the status of teen idol in the mid-1980s for his television work, most notably as David Hogan on '' The Hogan Family'' (originally titled ''Valerie'' and later, ''Valerie's Family'', after Valerie Harper left the series). He became the Directors Guild of America's youngest-ever director when, at age 18, he helmed three episodes of ''The Hogan Family''. In 1987 he gained international recognition in the motion picture sequel '' Teen Wolf Too'', which was a box office failure. In 1994 he played opposite Katharine Hepburn and Anthony Quinn in the television film '' This Can't Be Love''. During this period, he had roles on four series'' Simon'', '' Chicago Sons'', '' George & Leo'', and '' Some of My Best Friends''none of which lasted longer than one season. He also directed an episode of '' Two of a Kind'' in 1999. In 2002 he played the frisky sibling of Thomas Jane's character in the feature film '' The Sweetest Thing''.

In 2003, Bateman was cast as Michael Bluth in the comedy series ''Arrested Development''. Although critically acclaimed, the series never achieved high ratings and ended on February 10, 2006. The show was revived in spring 2013. Bateman won several awards for his work on the series, including a Golden Globe for '' Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy''. He was also nominated in 2005 for the ''Emmy Award'' for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. New episodes of Arrested Development have been released on Netflix with the original cast, including Bateman. Bateman performed commentary on the 2004 Democratic National Convention for '' The Majority Report'' with ''Arrested Development'' co-star David Cross, and hosted NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' on February 12, 2005. In 2006 he appeared as a guest star on the '' Scrubs'' episode " My Big Bird" as Mr. Sutton, a garbage man with a flock of vicious ostriches as pets. In 2009 Bateman became a regular voice actor for the short-lived Fox comedy series '' Sit Down, Shut Up''. He voiced Larry Littlejunk, the gym teacher and only staff member who can teach.

In 2010, Bateman and ''Arrested Development'' co-star Will Arnett created "DumbDumb Productions", a production company focusing on digital content. Their first video was "Prom Date", the first in a series of "Dirty Shorts" for Orbit. In 2012, Bateman returned to his role of Michael Bluth for the revival of ''Arrested Development'' along with the rest of the original cast. The now-Netflix-sponsored series released season4 on its Instant Watch website on May 26, 2013. The series was expected to continue its run as well as a potential feature film. For the new fourth season, Bateman was once again nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Netflix confirmed that the entire cast of the show would be returning for a fifth season, which premiered on May 29, 2018 and concluded on March 15, 2019.

In 2017, Bateman returned to television as both actor and director in the Netflix drama '' Ozark'', in which he plays a financial advisor who must relocate his family to Missouri in order to launder money for a Mexican drug cartel. Bateman's performance as Marty Byrde has drawn positive comparisons to Bryan Cranston's portrayal of Walter White in AMC's ''Breaking Bad''.

Bateman received praise for his acceptance speech after winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for '' Ozark''. In it he states, "So I just want to say to the people that are at home and not working as frequently as they want, you're just one job away. You're plenty talented. Hang in there".

In 2021, Bateman played '' The Facts of Life''s Tim Holifield in a reenactment of the third-season episode "Kids Can Be Cruel" for the third edition of '' Live in Front of a Studio Audience''.

Film

In 2004, Bateman appeared in '' Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story'' as ESPN8 ("The Ocho") commentator Pepper Brooks, and in ''Starsky & Hutch'' as Kevin, Vince Vaughn's business partner. He reunited with Vaughn in 2006's '' The Break-Up''. In 2007 he played former lawyer Rupert "Rip" Reed alongside Ben Affleck in '' Smokin' Aces'', and also starred in '' The Kingdom'', '' Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium'', and '' Juno''. In 2008 he co-starred with Will Smith and Charlize Theron in the superhero film '' Hancock''. Bateman's 2009 films included ''Extract'', written and directed by Mike Judge, and '' Couples Retreat'', reuniting with Vaughn in a comedy chronicling four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort (Kristen Bell played his wife). In 2010 he starred in '' The Switch'', a romantic comedy, with Jennifer Aniston. In 2011 he played the role of Special Agent Lorenzo Zoil in the comedy ''Paul'', and starred in '' Horrible Bosses'' and '' The Change-Up''.

In March 2012, '' Mansome'', Bateman's first executive producer credit with Will Arnett, was announced as a Spotlight selection for the Tribeca Film Festival. The documentary, directed by Morgan Spurlock, is a comedic look at male identity as it is defined through men's grooming habits, featuring celebrity and expert commentary. He made a dramatic turn in 2012 with the thriller film '' Disconnect'', and starred in the 2013 comedy film '' Identity Thief'' and the 2014 comedies '' This Is Where I Leave You'' and ''Horrible Bosses 2''. He also narrated the 2014 documentary ''Pump''. In 2015 Bateman headlined Joel Edgerton's thriller film '' The Gift'', opposite Rebecca Hall and Edgerton. His production company Aggregate Films extended its deal with Universal.

In 2013, Bateman made his feature film directorial debut with '' Bad Words'', in which he also starred. He also directed and starred in an adaptation of '' The Family Fang''. Bateman voiced Nick Wilde, the con artist fox in '' Zootopia''. In 2018 he starred in and produced the action comedy film '' Game Night''. His performance was widely praised and he received nominations for best performance by a comedic actor at the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards.

Bateman is in the video for the Mumford and Sons song "Hopeless Wanderer".

In 2020, Bateman was originally set to co-star and direct ''Clue'' with Ryan Reynolds. He has since had to back out, reportedly due to schedule conflicts with ''Ozark''. In March 2022, Bateman signed on to direct the film '' Project Artemis'', starring Scarlett Johansson, for Apple Studios, but departed the project in June due to creative differences; he was eventually replaced as director by Greg Berlanti. Announced in September 2022, Bateman is tapped to direct Netflix's ''Dark Wire'', a film based on Joseph Cox's novel of the same name. In January 2023, Bateman signed on to direct ''The Pinkerton'' for Warner Bros. Pictures and Bad Robot, and will also serve as executive producer.

Bateman was an executive producer for ''Outlast'', which premiered in 2023.

Podcast

In July 2020, Bateman, along with Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, created a comedy and talk podcast called '' SmartLess''. In 2022, Bateman created a media company SmartLess Media in order to create four additional podcasts. In 2023, Apple revealed that SmartLess was #4 of the year's Top Shows.

Personal life

In 1987, Bateman won the celebrity portion of the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Bateman married actress Amanda Anka, daughter of Anne de Zogheb (1942–2017) and singer Paul Anka, on July 3, 2001. They have two daughters who were born in 2006 and 2012.

Throughout the 1990s, Bateman struggled with an addiction to alcohol and drugs; he stated in a 2009 interview: "I'd worked so hard that by the time I was 20, I wanted to play hard. And I did that really well... it was like '' Risky Business'' for ten years."

Bateman, along with ''Arrested Development'' co-stars David Cross and Tony Hale, was criticized for seemingly defending Jeffrey Tambor's volatile behavior on the set of ''Arrested Development''. During a May 2018 cast interview for ''The New York Times'' Bateman attempted to defuse the controversy. Within days after the interview, all three men issued apologies to Jessica Walter. Bateman retrospectively stated he had overreached in his attempt to analyze the cause of Tambor's behavior.

Bateman is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

*Dye, David. ''Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914–1985''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, p.13.
*Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995''. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p.373.

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bateman, Jason
1969 births
Jason Bateman
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Film producers from New York (state)
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Film directors from New York (state)
American television directors
Annie Award winners
Audiobook narrators
Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
Male actors from New York (state)
People from Rye, New York
Actors from Westchester County, New York
Male actors from Salt Lake City
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Brighton Hall School alumni