Jason Bateman

Jason Kent Bateman is an American actor, director, and producer born on January 14, 1969. He is best known for his roles as Michael Bluth in the sitcom Arrested Development, Nick Wilde in Disney's Zootopia franchise, and Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama series Ozark. His career accolades include a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Bateman was born in Rye, New York, before his family relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah, and later California. His mother was a Pan Am flight attendant originally from the United Kingdom, and his father was an actor, writer, and director. His older sister is actress Justine Bateman. Bateman attended Brighton Hall School but did not graduate due to missing his final exams while filming Teen Wolf Too. In his youth, earnings from his and his sister's acting supported their family.

Bateman began his career as a child actor in commercials and landed his first TV series role on Little House on the Prairie in 1981. He followed with roles on Silver Spoons, It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family. At age 18, he set a record as the Directors Guild of America's youngest director after directing episodes of The Hogan Family. His early film roles included Teen Wolf Too and Necessary Roughness.

After appearing in several short-lived sitcoms through the 1990s, Bateman achieved a major career breakthrough in 2003 when he was cast as Michael Bluth in Arrested Development. The role earned him critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy. He later reprised the role in subsequent revivals released on Netflix.

Bateman subsequently established a prominent film career, appearing in comedies and dramas such as The Break-Up, Juno, Hancock, Up in the Air, Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief, and Game Night. He also transitioned into feature directing, starring in and directing Bad Words and The Family Fang, while providing the voice for Nick Wilde in the animated film Zootopia and its sequel Zootopia 2.

In 2017, Bateman starred as Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama Ozark. He served as a director and executive producer on the series, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2019. He went on to direct and executive produce the HBO miniseries The Outsider, alongside serving as executive producer on series such as Under the Banner of Heaven and Lessons in Chemistry.

Beyond television and film, Bateman launched the comedy podcast SmartLess in 2020 alongside Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, later founding SmartLess Media in 2022. On a personal level, Bateman married Amanda Anka in July 2001, and they have two daughters.