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About: The quintessential Southern California boy, Jason Lee -- born April 25, 1970, in Orange, Calif. -- dropped out of high school to become a professional skateboarder, later co-founding two skate-related companies before taking up acting in his 20s. Although the first major movie Lee appeared in (1995's Mallrats) was widely panned, Lee's role as a cynical, video game-addicted slacker was widely praised. The film's director, Kevin Smith, cast Lee in 1997's Chasing Amy, winning the athlete-turned-actor an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.Lee continued to act in such critically acclaimed films as Almost Famous and Vanilla Sky, both directed by Cameron Crowe, before signing on as the star and producer of the NBC sitcom "My Name Is Earl." Lee's portrayal of a petty criminal trying to right past wrongs earned the actor multiple Golden Globe nods.
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