Famous Faces of Orange County: Jason Lee

Jason Lee is one of those people that everybody has heard of and seen, but nobody really knows his real story. With a story like his, it's easy to believe that his presence hasn't really been acknowledged as an Orange County superstar having starred in multiple television series that are subsequently cancelled after only a couple seasons (NBC's My Name is Earl and Up All Night, and TNT's Memphis Beat). What most people don't know is that he was nominated for two golden globes his performance in My Name is Earl and won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor in Chasing Amy where he met soon-to-be long time friend and collaborator Kevin Smith who is known for films such as Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob, Dogma, and Cop Out (Jason Lee also appeared in all of them).

Born in Huntington Beach, Jason grew up around skateboarding and surfing throughout high school and eventually became a professional skateboarder even co-founded the skateboard company Stereo with Chris "Dune" Pastras in 1992 and revived it in 2003 after it had been defunct for a couple of years. This is where Lee got his start in film, through skating movies and videos directed by eventual Hollywood directors such as Spike Jonze. Lee and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk were the first two skaters to receive a signature shoe with the Airwalk Company. "Video Days," the Blind Company skateboard video directed by Spike Jonze staring Lee and others such as Guy Mariano, who was named Transworld Magazine's Most Influential Skateboarder of All-Time, was released in 1991 and received critical acclaim for the new style of street skating. Lee has been considered one of the pioneers of street skating and remains on the "Classic Skaters" list of the 1990's. Check out the classic Blind video here.

In 1994, after taking some minor roles in films such as Spike Jonze's "100%" for Sonic Youth, and a small part in Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca, Lee left professional skateboarding to pursue a full-time career in acting. After getting started in the Kevin Smith films that led him into the cult and underground film spotlight, Lee graduated to films such as Heartbreakers, starring alongside Billy Crystal, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, and John Cusack, Stealing Harvard, alongside Tom Green, and A Guy Thing with Julia Stiles. These films upgraded Lee's star status and gave his name a little more weight in Hollywood which helped him land lead roles in the NBC and TNT television series.

Just goes to show that you don't always have to start in one part of the entertainment industry if that's the one you want to be in. Lee went from skateboarding to branding to acting within a decade and things turned out alright for this North County boy.