Vinnie Jones Biography

VINNIE JONES

Date of Birth: January 5, 1965

Many English actors have dreamed of becoming a football player before going the acting route. Vinnie Jones has lived that dream.

Born in Watford, England, Jones first came to public notice as a professional football player (soccer), playing in the English Football League. Noted as one of soccer's hard men, he leapt to fame when a photographer at a match snapped him "marking" Newcastle United's Paul Gascoigne by grabbing his groin. He has played for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers, where he is currently assistant manager. Internationally, he plays for Wales, qualifying for that nationality through his grandparents.

He has been sent off 12 times in his sporting career, and has been fined several times by the Football Association for various offences, including narrating a video glorifying football violence and dirty tricks.

He made his first acting appearance in the British comedy/thriller Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1998) at the age of 33, although he had previous presented a video on football's hard men and had made a commercial for Walker's Crisps. Playing enforcer and debt collector Big Chris, the low-budget film received the approval of audiences and critics alike, winning awards and nominations from BAFTA, MTV Movie Award, and the British Independent film Awards, to name a few.

Suitably impressed with his hyper-violent acting debut in the film, producer Jerry Bruckheimer signed Jones up to play one of Nicolas Cage's gang members in Gone In 60 Seconds (2000). This was followed closely by Swordfish (2001) and Snatch (2001), in which he played the part of the supposedly indestructible Bullet Tooth Tony.

More recently, he's been seen on the big screen in major motion pictures such as She's the Man (2006), playing a tough soccer coach, and as Cain Marko/Juggernaut, a new addition to the X-Men films in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).

His hard character roles, along with his style of play on the field, have at times been mirrored in his private life. After assaulting a neighbor and his mobile home, Jones faced heavy fines and 100 hours of community service. He is also banned from flying on Virgin Atlantic after causing a fight on a flight to Tokyo.

Now retired from soccer and pursuing a Hollywood acting career, Jones has moved with his wife and two children to Los Angeles.

Filmography:

Year One (2009)
The Heavy (2008)
Untitled (2008)
The Bleeding (2009)
Bog Bodies (2008)
The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
Loaded (2008)
Hell Ride (2008)
Tooth & Nail (2007)
Strength and Honor (2007)
The Condemned (2007)
The Riddle (2007)
7-10 Split (2006)
Played (2007)
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) (voice)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
She's the Man (2006)
The Other Half (2005)
Submerged (2005)
Johnny Was (2005)
Slipstream (2004)
Hollywood Flies (2004)
Blast! (2004)
Survive Style 5+ (2004)
Eurotrip (2004)
The Big Bounce (2004)
Mean Machine (2002)
Night at the Golden Eagle (2001)
Swordfish (2001)
Snatch (2001)
Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)