Jason Lee

Though he started his career as a professional skateboarder, Jason Lee managed to accomplish that rare feat of transitioning from successful athlete to successful actor. But unlike most sports stars making the jump, he was armed with strong acting chops and an easy-going charm. After making a few music videos with director and fellow skateboarding enthusiast Spike Jonze, Lee broke into features by starring in indie-filmmaker Kevin Smith's "Mallrats" (1995). He quickly graduated to more prominent features, earning critical kudos and Internet fandom while maintaining a relatively low-key mainstream profile. Over the next several years, he was a regular Smith player, appearing in "Chasing Amy" (1997), "Dogma" (1999) and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001), while branching out to studio fare like "Enemy of the State" (1998) and "Vanilla Sky" (2001). Lee went from prominent supporting actor to television star when he landed his first series, "My Name Is Earl" (NBC, 2005-09), a blunt and irreverent comedy in which he effortlessly portrayed a dimwitted petty thief trying to right the wrongs of his life. "Earl" was a critical and fan favorite that offered Lee an opportunity to demonstrate his versatility as an actor.