Football career Jones started his football career at non-league Wealdstone in 1984, before moving to Wimbledon in 1986. He was part of the ‘Crazy Gang’ team that won the FA Cup in 1988, arguably the club’s greatest achievement. He subsequently played for Leeds United, Sheffield United and Chelsea, before moving back to Wimbledon again in 1992. He played over 250 games for the Dons, before briefly becoming player/coach of QPR in 1998. When overlooked for the vacant post of manager of QPR, he announced his retirement from the game. While a footballer, he became quickly infamous for his brutal “hard man” image, which frequently brought much criticism of his style of play. He was sent off 12 times in his career, and once was booked after only 3 seconds of play. In one notorious incident he distracted Paul Gascoigne by grabbing his ‘goolies’, ie:testicles (see [1]). During another match, he ended the career of Tottenham defender Gary Stevens with a vicious tackle. However, during his season at Leeds United, he proved that he could prosper and play well without the illegal side of his game, and under the stewardship of Howard Wilkinson only received 3 yellow cards in the whole season. He also was the presenter of the infamous Soccer’s Hard Men video released in 1992, which featured archived footage of himself and many other “hard men” of the game, and included advice for budding “hard men”. After the release of the video, Jones received a £20,000 fine from The FA for “bringing the game into disrepute.” Despite this, Jones was gradually accepted into a league of his own for being notorious and controversial, dominating the “crazy gang” atmosphere that he had sparked within the Wimbledon club side during its rise to the top and Premiership years. Whilst frequently derided by experts for his clumsy level of skill, he was hugely popular with his team-mates and well regarded as an inspirational leader on the pitch. A high point in his football career was when he was chosen to play international football for Wales. Despite his Welsh surname, the qualifying relationship was his grandfather on his mother’s side, who came from Ruthin, north Wales. He earned eight caps and even captained the side. Although the selection was considered ironic, he was accepted enthusiastically by many Welsh supporters, at least until his conduct on the pitch in an international match got him into further trouble. Vinnie has stated that he would eventually like to return to football, with it possibly being Leeds United he returns to football with. Jones told Yorkshire Radio “I will come back without a doubt, Leeds fans gave me so much and it’s a club very close to my heart.”[1] Acting career Vinnie Jones as ‘Bullet Tooth’ Tony in 2000 film,’Snatch’ Jones retired from football in 1999, and despite a lack of formal training in acting has since found success as an actor. He has particularly profited from both his ‘hard man’ image (appearing in crime and action films) and his football experience. He has appeared in films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Mean Machine, Swordfish, EuroTrip, A Night at the Golden Eagle, She’s the Man, Slipstream, and the Japanese movie Survive Style 5+. In Mean Machine, Jones played a famous footballer. He also had a part in episode 2, season 1 of the BBC show, Extras. In 2005 Vinnie played Illyaria’s soccer team coach in the movie She’s the Man, co-starring Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, and Robert Hoffman. In 2006, Jones portrayed Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand. In an interview he stated that he is signed for more movies: “I’ve signed for X-Men 3, 4 and 5…that’s my contract…yes.” There is also a possibility that he may revive his Juggernaut role in the X-Men spin-off film Wolverine [2]. Vinnie Jones shares top billing with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the new WWE Films 2007 production The Condemned. Vinnie Jones’ first “sensitive” - hard-man role was in Johnny Was which came out in the US in September 2006 and in the UK in October 2006. The film was featured at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July 2006. He acted alongside another sportsman-actor, Undisputed Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World Lennox Lewis. Other leads include Eriq La Salle (ER), Roger Daltrey of The Who, Samantha Mumba and Patrick Bergin. Fellow “Crazy Gang” member John Fashanu has a cameo. The film premiered in America at the American Black Film Festival in 2006 with La Salle and Lewis in attendance with producer Ben Katz in tow. Jones made his musical theatre debut in October 2006 performing in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the Royal Albert Hall along side Anita Dobson. Other works On 6 December 1998 Jones appeared at the World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view Capital Carnage, where he played up his ‘hard man’ image, acting as a special guest enforcer for the main event. Before the match he had a (staged) fight with fellow enforcer The Big Bossman and was “red carded” and kicked out. He came back at the end of the show to drink beer with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and referee Earl Hebner. Jones returned to the promotion, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, on 18 February 2007 at No Way Out, where he claimed he had “kicked Stone Cold’s arse” on the set of The Condemned. In November 2002 Jones released an album of blues and soul songs on Telstar called Respect in the UK, as his musical debut under the tuition of Phil Edwards. He also appeared in a series of UK TV advertisements for Bacardi. In 2000, Jones caused controversy when he appeared in an advert for a drink called “Red Devil”. In the ad, Jones is pruning flowers in his garden when he sees a robin crying because its bird feeder is empty. Vinnie fills the feeder, and places it on the windowsill of his kitchen. Seeing the feeder, the robin flies at it, collides with the kitchen window, and slides down the pane while Vinnie bursts out laughing. Many parents said the ad (which drew about 390 complaints) was tasteless, and upsetting for children. Later, the ad was shown only after the nine o’clock watershed. The ad was eventually axed. Jones was the first ever guest host for The Friday Night Project when it first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005. As of September 2006, Jones’ image and voice are being used in a campaign by UK bookmakers Ladbrokes to promote greyhound racing, a sport Jones has been connected with in the past, as a racing dog owner and an enthusiast. [edit] Personal life In December 2003 Jones was convicted of air rage offences committed on a flight the previous May. Following his conviction Bacardi withdrew the ads in which Jones appeared. He was convicted of assaulting a neighbour in 1998. [2] He used to live in Dronfield, near Sheffield. In 2005, he became president of Hertfordshire Agricultural Society.[3] Vinnie is also President of NOBS (the National Organisation of Beaters and Pickers-up.) and is a keen countrysports enthusiast.[3] Jones has two children with his wife, Tanya. |
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