Jason Bateman's Real Name: Jason Kent Bateman

Quick answer: Jason Bateman's full name is Jason Kent Bateman. He was born on January 14, 1969, in Rye, New York. A child actor in the 1980s, he had a big comeback as Michael Bluth on Arrested Development and later starred in and directed Netflix's Ozark. He co-hosts the podcast SmartLess and works under his birth name (Golden Globes; Biography.com).

Real name and early life

The Golden Globes' official profile opens with "Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969 in Rye, New York)." Biography.com gives the same name, date, and birthplace in its text and quick facts. The Library of Congress files his film credits under "Bateman, Jason."

His middle name, Kent, is also his father's first name. Biography.com says he comes from a show-business family. His father, Kent Bateman, is a producer, and his sister, Justine Bateman, is an actress. He began acting professionally around age 10, starting in commercials.

Career highlights

Bateman made his TV debut in 1981 in a recurring role on Little House on the Prairie, as an adopted son of the Ingalls family. He then played Rick Schroder's scheming friend on Silver Spoons (1982). After It's Your Move, he joined the Valerie Harper family sitcom that became The Hogan Family (1986–91). He directed three episodes, and Biography.com says that at 18 he became the youngest person admitted to the Directors Guild of America. His feature debut, Teen Wolf Too (1987), was a commercial failure, and several 1990s sitcoms were short-lived.

Arrested Development (2003) relaunched his career. As Michael Bluth he won the 2005 Golden Globe for best actor in a TV musical or comedy and earned an Emmy nomination. Fox canceled the show in 2006, and Netflix revived it in 2013 and 2018. Film roles followed in Dodgeball, The Break-Up, The Kingdom, Juno, Hancock, State of Play, Up in the Air, The Switch, Horrible Bosses, and Identity Thief. He made his feature directing debut with Bad Words (2013), then directed The Family Fang (2015), and voiced Nick Wilde in Zootopia (2016).

On Ozark (2017–22) he starred with Laura Linney as a family man caught up with a drug cartel. The role earned repeated Golden Globe nominations, and Biography.com notes that he won the 2019 Emmy for outstanding directing for a drama series. He married Amanda Anka, daughter of singer Paul Anka, in 2003, and they have two daughters.

Name notes for searchers

Bateman is his family surname, shared with his sister Justine and father Kent. There is no stage name. Searches for "Jason Kent" are looking for the same person and his middle name.