Nationality American Years active 1949–present | Name Ted White Role Stuntman | |
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Born January 25, 1927 (age 97) ( 1927-01-25 ) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Books Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producing Movies Friday the 13th: The Final Cha, Starman, Tron, Quiet Cool, Major League Similar People Joseph Zito, Victor Miller, Harry Manfredini, Glynn Turman, Robert Phalen | ||
Jason vorhees actor ted white talks playing masked killer
Ted White (born January 25, 1926) is an American stuntman and actor who is best known for having doubled for John Wayne, Fess Parker, Clark Gable, Lee Marvin, and Richard Boone.
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Career
White played football for the University of Oklahoma. He then pursued a stuntman/acting career. In Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), White was approached because of his Marine Corps background when they needed a consultant for the layout of the island. That was when White met John Wayne and began doubling for him in 1952.
White has had minor roles in several western films and in such television series as Daniel Boone, Hunter, Magnum, P.I. and The Rockford Files, usually in tough-guy roles such as police officers or hired thugs. He has also worked in Gone in 60 Seconds, Silverado, Major League, Starman, and Tron.
In 1984, White played hockey masked serial killer Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, after the director needed a large man for the part. White reluctantly accepted because he needed the money. Uneasy about playing one of the most infamous murderers in screen history, White asked not to be credited on screen for his part. He was later credited for the archive footage of him as Jason that was used in the seventh Friday film.
White became infuriated with director Joseph Zito for being insensitive to the pain actress Judie Aronson was experiencing when she was out on the raft filming her nude death scene, where she developed hypothermia and started crying from the pain brought on by the cold. This angered White to the point that he threatened to quit. Zito complied because he did not have the time or resources to find another stuntman White's size. Despite his initial distaste for the role, he is considered by many fans to have been one of the best Jasons.
White was offered the role of Jason for Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, but turned them down. The roles ultimately went to stuntmen Tom Morga and C. J. Graham, respectively.