Bateman, like many child actors, attendedBrighton Hall School,[12] without graduating. In an interview withWired Magazine, Bateman admitted that he never received his diploma due to not finishing his finals while filmingTeen Wolf Too.[13]
Bateman's and Justine's earnings from their television shows were a significant income source for their parents, allowing the family to afford their home and other essentials. The reliance on a portion of Bateman's earnings from acting caused him to feel anxious and under pressure to keep roles and remain in the acting industry as a whole.[14] As an actor, Bateman was managed by his father until he was 20, when the business relationship was dissolved.[11]
Bateman first appeared in a cereal commercial forGolden Grahams in 1980 and began his television career onLittle House on the Prairie as James Cooper, an orphaned boy who, along with his sister, is adopted by the Ingalls family. From 1982 to 1984, he was a supporting character on the television showSilver Spoons asRicky Schroder's "bad boy" best friend Derek Taylor. He appeared in theKnight Rider third-season episode "Lost Knight" in 1984, and a number of other small television roles. In 1984, in response to his popularity onSilver Spoons, the show's producers gave Bateman his own starring role as Matthew Burton on theNBC sitcomIt's Your Move, from September 1984 to February 1985. In 1987, he appeared withBurt Reynolds on the men's team in the inaugural week of game showWin, Lose or Draw.
Bateman earned the status ofteen idol in the mid-1980s for his television work, most notably as David Hogan onThe Hogan Family (originally titledValerie and later,Valerie's Family, afterValerie Harper left the series). He became theDirectors Guild of America's youngest-ever director when, at age 18, he directed three episodes ofThe Hogan Family. In 1987, he gained international recognition in the motion picture sequelTeen Wolf Too, which was a box office failure. In 1994 he played oppositeKatharine Hepburn andAnthony Quinn in the television filmThis Can't Be Love. During this period, he had roles on four series – Simon,Chicago Sons,George & Leo, andSome of My Best Friends – none of which lasted longer than one season. He also directed an episode ofTwo of a Kind in 1999. In 2002, he played the frisky sibling ofThomas Jane's character in the feature filmThe Sweetest Thing.
In 2003, Bateman was cast asMichael Bluth in the comedy seriesArrested Development. Although critically acclaimed, the series never achieved high ratings[7] and ended on February 10, 2006. The show was revived in spring 2013. Bateman won several awards for his work on the series, including aGolden Globe forBest Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy. He was also nominated in 2005 for theEmmy Award[15] for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. New episodes of Arrested Development have been released on Netflix with the original cast, including Bateman.[16] Bateman performed commentary on the2004 Democratic National Convention forThe Majority Report withArrested Development co-starDavid Cross, and hostedNBC'sSaturday Night Live on February 12, 2005.[17] In 2006, he appeared as a guest star on theScrubs episode "My Big Bird" as Mr. Sutton, a garbage man with a flock of viciousostriches as pets. In 2009, Bateman became a regular voice actor for the short-lived Fox comedy seriesSit Down, Shut Up. He voiced Larry Littlejunk, the gym teacher and only staff member who can teach.[18]
In 2010, Bateman andArrested Development co-starWill Arnett created "DumbDumb Productions", a production company focusing on digital content. Their first video was "Prom Date", the first in a series of "Dirty Shorts" forOrbit.[19] In 2012, Bateman returned to his role of Michael Bluth for the revival ofArrested Development along with the rest of the original cast. The now-Netflix-sponsored series released season4 on its Instant Watch website on May 26, 2013. The series was expected to continue its run as well as a potential feature film. For the new fourth season, Bateman was once again nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Netflix confirmed that the entire cast of the show would be returning for a fifth season, which premiered on May 29, 2018[20] and concluded on March 15, 2019.
In 2017, Bateman returned to television as both actor and director in the Netflix dramaOzark, in which he plays a financial advisor who must relocate his family to Missouri in order to launder money for a Mexican drug cartel. Bateman's performance asMarty Byrde has drawn positive comparisons toBryan Cranston's portrayal of Walter White inAMC'sBreaking Bad.[21] The series ran for four seasons till 2022, and Bateman directed seven episodes over the course of its run (including the series finale). He won aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2019 for his work on the second-season premiere.[22]
In March 2012,Mansome, Bateman's first executive producer credit withWill Arnett, was announced as a Spotlight selection for theTribeca Film Festival.[27] The documentary, directed byMorgan Spurlock, is a comedic look at male identity as it is defined through men's grooming habits, featuring celebrity and expert commentary. He made a dramatic turn in 2012 with the thriller filmDisconnect, and starred in the 2013 comedy filmIdentity Thief and the 2014 comediesThis Is Where I Leave You andHorrible Bosses 2. He also narrated the 2014 documentaryPump.[28] In 2015 Bateman headlinedJoel Edgerton's thriller filmThe Gift, oppositeRebecca Hall and Edgerton.[29] His production company Aggregate Films extended its deal with Universal.[30]
Bateman is in the video for theMumford & Sons song "Hopeless Wanderer".[34]
In 2020, Bateman was set to co-star and direct theClue remake with Ryan Reynolds. He later had to back out, reportedly due to schedule conflicts withOzark.[35] In March 2022, Bateman signed on to direct the filmProject Artemis, starringScarlett Johansson, forApple Studios, but departed the project in June due to creative differences; he was eventually replaced as director byGreg Berlanti.[36][37][38] Announced in September 2022, Bateman is tapped to direct Netflix'sDark Wire, a film based on Joseph Cox's novel of the same name.[39] In January 2023, Bateman signed on to directThe Pinkerton forWarner Bros. Pictures andBad Robot, and will also serve as executive producer.[40] Bateman was an executive producer forOutlast, which premiered in 2023.[41]
Bateman played supporting roles inBen Affleck's docudramaAir (2023) asNike marketing VPRob Strasser, and theNetflix thrillerCarry-On (2024), where he received praise for hisagainst-type performance as the antagonist.[42][43] He reprised his role as Nick Wilde inZootopia 2, which was released on November 26, 2025.[44]
Podcast
In July 2020, Bateman, along withWill Arnett andSean Hayes, created a comedy and talk podcast calledSmartLess.[45] In 2022, Bateman created a media company SmartLess Media in order to create four additional podcasts.[46] In 2023, Apple revealed that SmartLess was #4 of the year's Top Shows.[47]
Bateman married actress Amanda Anka, daughter ofAnne de Zogheb (1942–2017)[49] and singerPaul Anka, on July 3, 2001. They have two daughters who were born in 2006 and 2012.[50]
Throughout the 1990s, Bateman struggled with an addiction to alcohol and drugs; he stated in a 2009 interview, “I'd worked so hard that by the time I was 20, I wanted to play hard. And I did that really well... it was likeRisky Business for ten years."[51]
Bateman, along withArrested Development co-starsDavid Cross andTony Hale, was criticized for seemingly defendingJeffrey Tambor's volatile behavior on the set ofArrested Development. During a May 2018 cast interview forThe New York Times Bateman attempted to defuse the controversy.[52] Within days after the interview, all three men issued apologies toJessica Walter.[53][54] Bateman retrospectively stated he had overreached in his attempt to analyze the cause of Tambor's behavior.[55]
^Vaughan, Brendan (April 2013) [March 21, 2013 (publication)]."Jason Bateman Cover Story".GQ.Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. RetrievedNovember 2, 2017.
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