Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor. After starring in several 1980s sitcoms, Bateman played the role of Michael Bluth on the television sitcom Arrested Development. Since the show's end in 2006, he has appeared in several Hollywood films including The Kingdom, Juno, Hancock, and Extract.

Bateman was born in Rye, New York, the son of Victoria, a flight attendant of Maltese heritage, and Kent Bateman, a film and television writer/director and founder of a repertory stage in Hollywood. His older sister is Justine Bateman of Family Ties fame.

Bateman began acting in 1981, playing James Cooper Ingalls in the television drama, Little House on the Prairie. He appeared in the Knight Rider third-season episode "Lost Knight" in 1984. He earned the status of teen idol in the mid-1980s in shows such as Silver Spoons, It's Your Move, and most notably Valerie (later renamed Valerie's Family and then The Hogan Family after Valerie Harper left the series), and became the Directors Guild of America's youngest-ever director when he helmed three episodes of The Hogan Family at the age of 18. After the series ended its run, his career slowed down for nearly a decade. During this period, he had major roles on four series — Simon, Chicago Sons, George & Leo, and Some of My Best Friends — none of which lasted for longer than one season. In 2002, he landed the role as the frisky sibling of Thomas Jane's character in the feature film The Sweetest Thing.