Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

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

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (4)

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



Trivia (28)



Younger brother of actress Justine Bateman



Son of Kent Bateman and his wife Victoria, a British flight attendant.



Became the DGA's youngest-ever director when he directed three episodes of Valerie (1986) at the age of 18 years.

He won the celebrity portion of the Long Beach Grand Prix (1987).



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.





Uncle of Justine Bateman 's children, Duke and Olivia.

Had a surgery to remove a benign polyp from his throat on January 11, 2005.





His wife Amanda Anka gave birth to their daughter Francesca Nora on October 28, 2006 in Los Angeles.

Attended Pacific Hills School in West Hollywood, California, but never graduated.





A huge fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers and even wears Dodgers clothing in the comedy film Hancock (2008).

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.



Bateman's film company is called - F+A Productions - after his daughter Francesca and wife Amanda.



As of July 2011, had not had an alcoholic drink in about 10 years.





Described his Saturday Night Live (1975) hosting experience as "one of the best weeks of my life" (2005).



Started production company with Jonathan Short called DumbDumb, which creates short, comedic filmed advertising (2010).



Jason and wife Amanda Anka welcomed their second daughter, Maple Sylvie Bateman, on Friday February 10, 2012.



Favorite film is the drama film There Will Be Blood (2007).

His father, who is American-born, has English, Scottish, Swiss-German, Swedish and Danish ancestry. His mother is British, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and also has Maltese ancestry.



Born on the same day as Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters vocalist Dave Grohl.



He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6533 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on July 26, 2017.





Nominated for the 2018 Emmy Award in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category for his role as Marty Byrde in Ozark (2017), but lost to Matthew Rhys from The Americans (2013).

Personal Quotes (16)

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.



My goal is to get another 30 years out of this business. So I need to figure out the fuel to do that. And so far, I think it's respect and quality and company, not celebrity or box office or stardom. It's not a sprinter's approach. It's more like a long-distance thing. You can stick around a lot longer if you kind of slow-play it.



[on his past drinking] As disciplined as I am. I'm also a huge hedonist. If my fun level is like a 6 when I'm out, why not take it to a 10? That's how I was with drinking. If I'm buzzed, let's get drunk. And if I'm drunk, let's black out. I mean, why not? I didn't understand why you'd stop.



[on his career - Details Magazine, 2010] This isn't a way to make a living that you can have any control over. You can't kiss the boss's ass and work extra hard to get that promotion. Things are going better now than ever, but in 24 months? I could be hearing crickets.



[on quitting drinking] I was never at a place where rehab would have been appropriate. Booze was what would make me want to stay out all night and do some blow or smoke a joint or whatever, so shutting that off was key. It's like ketchup and French fries - I don't want one without the other. So that's the moment: Do you want to continue being great at being in your twenties, or do you want to step up and graduate into adulthood?



Vince Vaughn,

I don't look for Jason Bateman vehicles. I played a ton of team sport growing up, and team wins are just incredibly gratifying. Guys like Will Ferrell Sacha Baron Cohen , they do things you love to watch. I like to do the other half.

I don't blame the industry for asking me to continue to play parts that they've seen me play before, and since Arrested Development, it's been a very similar role, so it's kind of the chicken or the egg. I'm not going to be asked to do something different until they see me do it, but they're not going to let me do it until they see me do it.



I try to perform my characters inside my skill set. Which means I try to keep them close to me. Michael Bluth is very much an exaggerated version of one of my sides. It's very easy for me to be him. I know my abilities. I'm not Daniel Day-Lewis, who's able to fully morph into different people.



I feel sympathy for anybody that is living a very high-profile life right now. The media is ten times the size it was when I was a little guy, you know. Plus everybody's got a camera. If you make a mistake, people are going to know about it really fast - and I was making a ton of them when I was a kid.





[on Arrested Development (2003)] I mean, my career was not vibrant, not robust, to say the least. And then that show came along and gave me a second chance. If it hadn't appeared, you know, I may have turned to something else ... It was the most important thing I've ever done.

There are less films being made today... since there's no longer a bias against television, it's no longer a detriment to your film career to, you know, 'get your hands dirty with television'. It's extremely prestigious to do TV nowadays; it's no longer a second-rate medium.





[on playing Derek Taylor in Silver Spoons (1982)] I was still just a little kid, kind of a wise ass in my normal life and kind of troubled around school, and there was a natural mischievousness to me, and I remember that character sort of lent itself to that part of me. I enjoyed that role, because I could be that kind of kid and not get in trouble for it. I could actually get compensated for it, which was kind of nice.

Salary (1)