Here's a guide to the many actors who've played Jason Voorhees throughout the Friday The 13th franchise. Jason was never supposed to be the face of a franchise since in the original movie he died years before after drowning in Crystal Lake. The grief of his death drove his mother Pamela insane, and she started murdering camp counselors in revenge. Pamela ended the first movie minus a head, so a new killer was needed for the sequel.
That's when Jason was resurrected as a murderous adult for Friday The 13th Part 2, who survived his drowning and spent years in the woods waiting for Pamela to find him. He witnessed her death at the end of the original and has spent the entire series hacking up anybody who crossed his path. Alongside Halloween's Michael Myers or A Nightmare On Elm Street's Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees is one of the most beloved of the 80s horror villains. Sadly, the franchise has been on hold for years due to a messy rights issue that may not be resolved for some time to come.
Here's a guide to every actor who's played Jason Voorhees throughout the Friday The 13th series.
Ari Lehman - Friday The 13th
Ari Lehmann played young Jason in the original Friday The 13th. Jason's drowning is briefly viewed via flashback but Lehman's big moment is the film's memorable shock ending, where Alice dreams of Jason's rotting body grabbing her from her boat.
Warrington Gillette / Steve Daskewisz - Friday The 13th Part 2
Warrington Gillette and stuntman Steve Daskewisz shared the role of Jason in Friday The 13 Part 2, which featured the character wearing a sack on his head instead of the iconic hockey mask. Gilette played Jason unmasked while Daskewisz played most of his other scenes.
Richard Brooker - Friday The 13th Part III
British stuntman Richard Brooker played Jason Voorhees in Friday The 13th Part III, where he finally acquires his hockey mask from luckless victim Shelly. Despite taking place shortly after the events of Part II, Brooker's Jason bears little resemblance to the previous movie.
Ted White - Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter
Stuntman Ted White took over for 1984's Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, which was intended as the end of the series. White has admitted to being reluctant to take the role and went uncredited, but despite this, his version is considered one of the best.
Tom Morga - Friday The 13th: A New Beginning
The low cost, high return of The Final Chapter convinced Paramount to continue the series, resulting in Friday The 13th: A New Beginning. Jason is "dead" in this one and copycat villain Roy Burns does the slashing, though Jason appears in the form of Tommy Jarvis' nightmares and visions played by Tom Morga (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides).
C.J. Graham - Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives brought the character back to life, played by C.J. Graham. The resulting film is regarded as one of the best sequels and a precursor to the meta-humor of Scream.
Kane Hodder - Friday The 13th Part VII / VIII / Jason Goes To Hell / Jason X
Stuntman Kane Hodder (Hatchet) first took the part of Jason Voorhees in Friday The 13th: Part VII: The New Blood and would return for the next three sequels. Hodder is the performer most associated with the role, with his Jason's heavy breathing and aggressive body language becoming a trademark.
Ken Kirzinger - Freddy Vs Jason
Freddy Vs Jason was teased at the end of 1993's Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, but it took a decade to happen. Kane Hodder was also controversially replaced as Jason with stuntman Ken Kirzinger, who previously doubled as Jason in the eighth movie. Kirzinger's more sympathetic Jason was well-received, however.
Derek Mears - Friday The 13th (2009)
The last big-screen Jason Voorhees - to date - was played by Derek Mears (Swamp Thing) in 2009's Friday The 13th remake. The movie played like a mixtape of the original four movies and Mears' take on the character is one of its highlights.