Vinnie Jones is an English footballer who suddenly traded sports for big cinema. On the field, he was cruel and unyielding towards other players and referees. His nickname - "Ax" will tell more eloquently about the style of Jones' playing. In the cinema he plays villains, in whose images he does not even have to get used to - it is enough to remain himself.
Biography: childhood and adolescence
Vincent Peter Jones was born on January 5, 1965 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. Has Welsh roots through his mother. Like many British boys, football was present in his life from an early age. First, he chased the ball in the yard with friends, and then his parents enrolled Winnie in a children's sports school.
Jones learned the basics of football under the guidance of the best professionals in England. So, his first trainers were George Graham and Bertie Mee. Both specialists coached Arsenal London. Bertie Mee also led this club to the championship and the FA Cup. Under the guidance of venerable specialists, Vinnie perfectly worked out his technique, passing accuracy and "reading" the game.
Jones loved to play the ball with the older guys, playing with them on an equal footing. When he was nine years old, he was included in the team of the school. Typically, boys are only honored with this honor during adolescence. Jones has become an exception, and this age record at his school has not yet been broken. Moreover, he was soon made captain of the national team.
At the age of 12, Vinnie began to play in the children's team at the local Watford club. Then Dave Bassett noticed him. At that time he was a novice coach, and later headed such famous clubs in England as Wimbledon, Crystal Palace, Leicester City. Vinnie soon moved from Watford to Bedmond, with which he spent two seasons.
At first, Jones showed good results on the field, but then he lost interest in the game and his former form. Soon, the coaches decided to expel him from the club, not seeing prospects in him. Vinnie completely excluded football from his life for a while.
Sports career
In 1984, Vinnie returned to football. Of course, after a break of several years, the path to the professional league was closed to him. He began playing as an amateur at the Veldstone Club. He was a member of the Premier League of England. As part of this club, Jones became the champion and won the FA Cup.
In 1986, Vinnie moved to Sweden, where he began to play for the local club Holmsund. With him, he won the third division of the Swedish championship.
On the pitch, Jones was a troublemaker: he dashingly pushed other players apart and was not shy in expressions. Vinnie played as a midfielder. His audacity helped him to "extinguish" the opponent's attacks. This ability has been noticed by many coaches in professional clubs. And in 1986 Jones returned from Sweden to England and started playing at Wimbledon. Two years later, with his squad, he won the FA Cup. Winnie played for Wimbledon for three years.
In 1992, Jones joined his ranks again, but before that he managed to play in three English clubs:
- Leeds United;
- Sheffield United;
- Chelsea.
Returning to Wimbledon, he became its captain. He defended the colors of this club until 1998. He then moved to Queens Park Rangers but retired shortly thereafter. In parallel, Vinnie played for the Wales national team. He has 384 official matches and 33 goals.
He was one of the record holders for the number of red cards. Jones has become a kind of legend in English football, an example of how not to behave on the field.
Actor career
Vinnie got into the cinema unexpectedly, and above all for himself. Publicity attracted him little. However, he could not refuse Guy Ricci's offer. In 1998, Vinnie starred in his film Lock, Stock and Two Barrels. Then he was still playing football. The famous director invited Jones to play the role of a bandit. By that time, he already had a scandalous reputation, and the choice of Guy Ricci was not accidental. And he did not lose: high growth and impressive physical data, together with the rough features of Winnie's face organically fit into the image of the "bad guy".
After the end of his football career, Jones did not even think to associate life with cinema, until one day he read an article about himself in the newspaper. In it, the journalist noted that "after football, Jones is nobody." These words touched the former athlete. And in 2000, he again accepts an invitation from Guy Ricci to star in his next film. Winnie received several awards and a considerable number of positive reviews from critics for the painting "Big Jackpot".
In the same year, an invitation from Hollywood followed and Jones starred in Gone in 60 Seconds. In 2001, he was voted Best British Actor.
Vinnie began to receive invitations to auditions. On account of his roles in such high-budget films as:
- "Bonebreaker";
- "Password" Swordfish ";
- "Big Theft";
- Eurotour;
- "She is a man";
- Midnight Express.
Many critics agree that his most notable film work was the role of Juggernaut in the third part of the fantastic action movie X-Men - X-Men: The Last Stand.
On account of Jones more than a hundred movie roles. He was also invited to voice acting for cartoons. So, the villain Rommel speaks in his voice in the second part of "Garfield".
Personal life
Vinnie Jones is married to Tatiana Lamont, the ex-wife of football player Steve Terry. Prior to that, he met with Milena Elliston. The relationship was short-lived, and the result was the birth of a son, Aaron. The child lived with his mother, Jones helped financially. He also raised Kylie, the daughter of Tatiana's wife from her first marriage.
It is known that Vinnie cheated on his wife with Lama Safonova. The romance with the Russian-speaking singer was short, but joint photographs of the lovers were then replicated by both the British and Russian media.
Jones often becomes the protagonist of scandalous publications for other reasons. Newspapers with enviable regularity write about attacks on neighbors, then about drunk driving and a fight on the plane with his participation.
In 2013, it became known that Vinnie was fighting skin cancer, like his wife. They have undergone several successful surgeries to remove tumors.
