With a background in pro skateboarding, Jason Lee made an unexpected mark in Hollywood when
he starred as the comedic antihero Brodie Bruce in 1995's Kevin Smith-directed cult
hit, Mallrats.
"Alright guys you have your mission.
Go forth, wreak havoc"
Lee then quickly rose through the ranks, appearing in Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob
Strike Back.
Then, from the indxie film world to mainstream TV, Lee's most prominent role came with NBC's
comedy hit My Name is Earl which garnered him multiple award nominations.
A multi-faceted artist, Lee maintained an actively creative lifestyle after the show
went off the air.
Here's a closer look at what he's been up to since he shaved off Earl's mustache.
Behind the camera
In 2003, Lee directed Beck's "Lonesome Tears" music video.
And it appears the project gave him the freedom to pursue a career behind the camera.
According to Lee, the Beck video led to the creation of his 2006 short film The White
Door.
And his partnership with Beck led to his helming multiple music videos for American folk rock
band, Midlake.
Religion gets personal
Lee married his first wife, actress-photographer Carmen Llywelyn, in 1995.
Throughout their relationship Lee did his best to keep his wife involved with him in
the Church of Scientology, but the couple divorced six years later.
According to a Gawker op-ed from Llywelyn, the final straw was Lee's Scientology practice.
Then in 2001, Lee was linked to actress Beth Riesgraf.
In 2003, their son Pilot Inspektor was born, and soon the couple became engaged.
Ultimately, the two never tied the knot, and it was speculated that Scientology may have
been the culprit behind their breakup in 2007.
The Chipmunks dynasty
In 2007, Lee gave a live-action human face to Dave Seville, the adoptive father to the
three rodent heroes in Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Lee reprised the role in the accompanying video game as well.
According to Box Office Mojo the film earned roughly $361 million worldwide and prompted
three sequels: 2009's Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, 2011's Alvin and the Chipmunks:
Chipwrecked, and 2015's Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.
"Alviiiiiin…"
Jason Lee, voice actor
A year before he started filming My Name is Earl, Lee appeared as the villainous Syndrome
in Disney's The Incredibles.
It was the first time the actor flexed his voiceover chops and it was a slam dunk.
"I'm a new superhero.
I'm Syndrome!"
Lee has since reprised his role in The Incredibles video game, the short film Jack-Jack Attack,
and the Disney Infinity video game franchise.
His voice has also been regularly featured in the animated series We Bare Bears, where
he plays a Bigfoot named Charlie.
"Golly, would you just look at this place?
Rustic, charming...slick headband by the way"
A less-than triumphant return
Lee had made a name for himself, playing offbeat characters, but in 2010, the actor delved
into procedurals with TNT's short-lived cop drama, Memphis Beat.
The show, however, wouldn't live to see a third season.
Lee then quickly moved back to NBC, for a recurring role on Up All Night in 2011.
He appeared in only seven episodes of the show, which went on hiatus halfway into season
2 before being officially canceled by the network.
Then in 2015, Mallrats director Kevin Smith announced that a sequel to his cult hit would
finally see the light of day, tweeting:
"20 years in the making.
113 pages fulla old friends and new jokes."
Lee was set to reprise his role in Smith's new Mallbrats movie, but getting the rights
from Universal proved to be an epic challenge.
Instead, Smith retooled the project for television and while it seemed that Brodie would finally
get his comeback, CinemaBlend reported no networks showed interested in the project.
Staying true to his roots
Lee retired from pro skateboarding in '95, but back in '92, he and fellow pro skateboarder,
Chris Pastras, had created their own skate brand, Stereo Skateboards.
After over a decade off the rails, Lee returned to skating and relaunched the company with
Pastras in 2003.
Combining their love for record collecting, improvisational jazz, and movie-making, Stereo
has since stood out from the pack with its unique brand aesthetic and quality boards.
Moving out of Hollywood
Lee practiced Scientology for more than two decades.
But in 2016, he revealed that he and his second wife, Ceren Lee, had left Scientology altogether.
The break occurred around the same time the couple moved to Denton, Texas with their three
children.
Lee told The Dentonite,
"We're not here to buy up or change or take over Denton, put some kind of personal stamp
on it.
We're just here like anyone else who wants to be a part of Denton's very cool creative
community, and to be involved and perhaps help where we can."
Ever since, Lee has taken on a variety of off-screen endeavors.
And it seems the skateboarder/actor/director/photographer has found fulfillment in shifting his focus
from Hollywood's glitz and glam, to doing what he really loves.