Vinnie Jones

Vinnie Jones, born Vincent Peter Jones on 5 January 1965 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is a multifaceted English celebrity known for his tough‑as‑nails reputation on the football pitch and his later success as a film and television actor. Growing up as the son of Glenda (née Harris) and gamekeeper Peter Jones, he displayed leadership early, captaining his school team and playing for the local Bedmond side, while also spending time in construction before his football breakthrough. At 19 he signed for non‑league Wealdstone, helping the club achieve the first ever non‑league double in 1984‑85, and after a brief loan in Sweden he was snapped up by Wimbledon for £10,000, where his aggressive midfield style earned him a place in the legendary “Crazy Gang” that lifted the 1988 FA Cup against Liverpool. His subsequent spells at Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelsea and a return to Wimbledon saw him amass 184 Premier League appearances, 13 goals, and a reputation as one of the sport’s most feared “hard men”, a label reinforced by twelve career send‑offs and a record‑quick booking after only five seconds of play. Internationally, Jones qualified for Wales through his maternal grandfather and earned nine caps between 1994 and 1997, adding the novelty of a Welsh international to his already colourful résumé. Transitioning to entertainment, he made an explosive debut in Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), winning the Empire Award for Best Newcomer, and quickly became type‑cast as a menacing enforcer in films such as Snatch (2000), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), X‑Men: The Last Stand (2006) where he portrayed Juggernaut, and The Gentlemen (2024). Beyond the big screen he has appeared on reality programmes like Celebrity Big Brother and The Masked Singer, presented television specials, and even dabbled in professional wrestling as a special guest enforcer for the WWF. His personal life has seen both triumph and tragedy; he married childhood neighbour Tanya Terry in 1994, fathered a son Aaron in 1991, and endured the loss of his wife to cancer in 2019. Today he splits his time between Los Angeles and Petworth, West Sussex, while remaining a vocal supporter of the Conservative Party and a proud British patriot.