Jason Bateman
Biography
Jason Kent Bateman is an American actor, director, and producer born on January 14, 1969, in Rye, New York. With a career spanning over four decades, he is recognized for his versatility in both comedic and dramatic roles. Bateman is widely known for his portrayal of Michael Bluth in the television sitcom Arrested Development and Marty Byrde in the crime drama series Ozark. Throughout his professional life, he has earned various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. He is noted for his deadpan delivery and his ability to portray cool, analytical characters across a wide range of film and television projects.
Career overview
Jason Bateman began his career as a child actor in the early 1980s. His first television role came at age eleven when he played James Cooper on the NBC drama series Little House on the Prairie, appearing on the show from 1981 to 1982. He continued his television work throughout the decade, notably starring in The Hogan Family from 1986 to 1991. During this period, he also began appearing in feature films, including roles in Teen Wolf Too in 1987 and Necessary Roughness in 1991. These early experiences helped him transition from a child star into a respected adult performer.
In the following decades, Bateman established himself as a prominent figure in Hollywood. He gained significant acclaim for his role as Michael Bluth in Arrested Development, which aired from 2003 to 2019. This role solidified his reputation for playing sensible, even-keeled characters within dysfunctional settings. Later, he showcased his range in the Netflix crime drama Ozark, where he starred as Marty Byrde from 2017 to 2022. Beyond his acting work, Bateman has expanded his professional portfolio to include directing and producing. His body of work includes 159 known credits, reflecting his long-standing presence in the entertainment industry as both a comedic and dramatic talent.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Outcome (2026) Thanks
- DTF St. Louis (2026) as Clark Forrest
- DTF St. Louis (2026) Executive Producer
- Skip Intro (2026) as Self - Guest
- Zootopia 2 (2025) as Nick Wilde (voice)
- Black Rabbit (2025) as Vince Friedken
- Black Rabbit (2025) Executive Producer
- Black Rabbit (2025) Director
- Hell of a Summer (2025) Producer
- Carry-On (2024) as Traveler
- Hit Man (2024) Producer
- Lessons in Chemistry (2023) Executive Producer
- Once Upon a Studio (2023) as Nick Wilde (voice)
- Based on a True Story (2023) Executive Producer
- Air (2023) as Rob Strasser
- Your Place or Mine (2023) Producer
- Outlast (2023) Executive Producer
- Florida Man (2023) Executive Producer
- SmartLess: On the Road (2023) as Self
- SmartLess: On the Road (2023) Executive Producer
- SmartLess: On the Road (2023) Creator
- Fool's Paradise (2023) as SPFX Tech
- Zootopia+ (2022) as Nick Wilde (voice)
- Under the Banner of Heaven (2022) Executive Producer
- A Farewell to Ozark (2022) as Self
- Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery (2022) as Jason Bateman
- Directors on Directors (2021) as Self
- Thunder Force (2021) as The Crab
- Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes (2021) as Tim Holifield
- A Teacher (2020) Executive Producer
- The Outsider (2020) as Terry Maitland
- The Outsider (2020) Executive Producer
- The Outsider (2020) Director
- Question & Answer (2020) as Self
- Game Night (2018) as Max
- Game Night (2018) Producer
- Kidding (2018) Executive Producer
- GQ Presents: Iconic Characters (2018) as Self
- My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman (2018) as Self
- Ozark (2017) as Marty Byrde
- Ozark (2017) Executive Producer
- Ozark (2017) Director
- Zootopia (2016) as Nick Wilde (voice)
- Central Intelligence (2016) as Trevor
- Disneyland 60: The Wonderful World of Disney (2016) as Self
- Office Christmas Party (2016) as Josh Parker
- The Family Fang (2016) as Baxter Fang
- The Family Fang (2016) Director
- The Family Fang (2016) Producer
- Must See TV: An All Star Tribute to James Burrows (2016) as Self
- Hot Ones (2015) as Self
- Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter (2015) as Self
- The Muppets (2015) as Self
- The Gift (2015) as Simon Callem
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self - Guest
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors (2014) as Self
- Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) as Nick Hendricks
- This Is Where I Leave You (2014) as Judd Altman
- The Longest Week (2014) as Conrad Valmont
- Lennon or McCartney (2014) as Self
- Pump (2014) as Self - Narrator (Voice)
- A LEGO Brickumentary (2014) as Narrator (voice)
- Little House on the Prairie: A Merry Ingalls Christmas (2014) as James Cooper Ingalls
- Identity Thief (2013) as Sandy Patterson
- Identity Thief (2013) Producer
- Disconnect (2013) as Rich Boyd
- Bad Words (2013) as Guy Trilby
- Bad Words (2013) Director
- Bad Words (2013) Producer
- The Arrested Development Documentary Project (2013) as Self
- Disconnect (2012) as Rich Boyd
- Hit & Run (2012) as Keith Yert
- Mansome (2012) as Self
- Mansome (2012) Executive Producer
- Paul (2011) as Agent Zoil
- Horrible Bosses (2011) as Nick Hendricks
- The Change-Up (2011) as Dave Lockwood
- Conan (2010) as Self
- The Switch (2010) as Wally Mars
- This Side of the Truth, A Truly 'Honest' Making of The Invention of Lying (2010) as Self
- Up in the Air (2009) as Craig Gregory
- Couples Retreat (2009) as Jason
- The Invention of Lying (2009) as Doctor
- Sit Down Shut Up (2009) as Larry Littlejunk
- State of Play (2009) as Dominic Foy
- Extract (2009) as Joel
- Extract: Mike Judge's Secret Recipe (2009) as Self
- Tropic Thunder (2008) as Jason Bateman
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) as Animal Instincts Detective
- Hancock (2008) as Ray
- Stand Up to Cancer (2008) as Self
- Do Not Disturb (2008) Director
- The Promotion (2008) as Retreat Leader
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self
- Yo Gabba Gabba! (2007)
- The Kingdom (2007) as Adam Leavitt
- Juno (2007) as Mark Loring
- Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007) as Henry Weston
- Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) as Darkos (voice)
- The Break-Up (2006) as Riggleman
- Smokin' Aces (2006) as Rupert 'Rip' Reed
- The Jake Effect (2006) as Jake Galvin
- The Ex (2006) as Chip Sanders
- Justice League Unlimited (2004) as Hermes (voice)
- On Air with Ryan Seacrest (2004) as Self
- DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004) as Pepper Brooks
- Starsky & Hutch (2004) as Kevin
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Guest
- Arrested Development (2003) as Michael Bluth
- Arrested Development (2003) Director
- Punk'd (2003) as Self
- Cold Pizza (2003)
- Sol Goode (2003) as Spider
- The Twilight Zone (2002) as Scott Crane
- The Sweetest Thing (2002) as Roger Donahue
- One Way Out (2002) as John Farrow
- Scrubs (2001) as Mr. Sutton
- The Fairly OddParents (2001) as Tommy Turner (voice)
- Some of My Best Friends (2001) as Warren Fairbanks
- Love Stinks (1999) as Jesse Travis
- Teen Choice Awards (1999) as Self - Presenter
- Rude Awakening (1998) as Ryan
- For Your Love (1998) as Tom
- For Your Love (1998) Director
- Brother's Keeper (1998) Director
- Two of a Kind (1998) Director
- King of the Hill (1997) as Dr. Leslie (voice)
- The View (1997) as Self
- George & Leo (1997) as Ted Stoody
- Chicago Sons (1997) as Harry Kulchak
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self - Guest
- Ned & Stacey (1995) as Bobby Van Lowe
- Simon (1995) as Carl Himple
- Hart to Hart: Secrets of the Hart (1995) as Stuart Morris
- Burke's Law (1994) as Jason Ripley
- This Can't Be Love (1994) as Grant
- Confessions: Two Faces of Evil (1994) as William Mothershed
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) as Self - Guest
- MTV Movie & TV Awards (1992) as Self - Presenter
- A Taste for Killing (1992) as Blaine Stockard
- Breaking the Rules (1992) as Phil Stepler
- Necessary Roughness (1991) as Jarvis Edison
- The Simpsons (1989) as Jason Bateman (voice)
- The Simpsons (1989) as Max Davis (voice)
- Family Matters (1989) Director
- The Ice Capades with Jason Bateman and Alyssa Milano (1989) as Host
- This Morning (1988) as Self
- Moving Target (1988) as Toby Kellogg
- Crossing the Mob (1988) as Philly
- Bates Motel (1987) as Tony Scotti
- Teen Wolf Too (1987) as Todd Howard
- How Can I Tell If I'm Really in Love? (1987)
- Matlock (1986) as Jason Bateman
- The Hogan Family (1986) as David Hogan
- The Hogan Family (1986) Director
- The Thanksgiving Promise (1986) as Steve Tilby
- Can You Feel Me Dancing? (1986) as Larry Nichols
- Robert Kennedy & His Times (1985) as Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.
- It's Your Move (1984) as Matthew Burton
- The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984) as Addison Cromwell
- Knight Rider (1982) as Doug Wainwright
- St. Elsewhere (1982) as Tim Moynihan
- Silver Spoons (1982) as Derek Taylor
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Self - Host
- Little House on the Prairie (1974) as James Cooper
- Little House on the Prairie (1974) as James Cooper Ingalls
- The Wonderful World of Disney (1954) as Steve Tilby
- The Emmy Awards (1949) as Self
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Nominee / Presenter
- Alexander Executive Producer
- Amy and the Orphans Producer
- Evil Genius Producer
- The Marriage Plot Executive Producer
- Significant Other
- Significant Other Producer
- The Girls I’ve Been Producer
- The Cackling of the Dodos Director
- The Cackling of the Dodos Producer
- Superfans: Screaming. Crying. Throwing Up. Producer
- The Partner Director
- The Partner Executive Producer
- Untitled Michael Werwie Project Producer