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Ari Lehman

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Ari Lehman (born May 2, 1965)[1] is an American performing artist, composer, and actor. He is known for playing the child Jason Voorhees in the Paramount horror film Friday the 13th, becoming the first actor to portray the horror icon. Lehman currently performs in a punk rock/heavy metal band, First Jason.[2][3]

Biography[]

A native New Yorker, Ari Lehman grew up in Westport, Connecticut,[1][4] where he trained in Classical Music and Jazz Piano. Lehman was presented with an All-State Award for Excellence in Jazz Piano and a scholarship to Berklee School of Music by jazz educator, Dr. Billy Taylor.[1][2]

Lehman heard about an audition being held in Westport for the movie, Manny's Orphans,[5] about a group of inner-city orphans who play soccer, directed by Sean S. Cunningham. Lehman snuck into the audition and landed the role of "Roger".[6] This role led to Lehman getting the call to play Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th from Sean S. Cunningham.[7][8] "For his audition Lehman was asked one key question by the director, 'Can you swim?'"[1][3][6]

After the release of Friday the 13th, Lehman returned to New York City, where he enrolled at New York University and concentrated on Big Band Orchestration and Jazz Piano, "where he studied with the likes of Vladimir Shafranov".[1] Lehman's career led him to become a keyboardist for artists of Reggae and African music of the time, with whom he toured throughout the US, Europe and West Africa, and recorded with at Tuff Gong Records and Interscope Records.[9]

Lehman went on to form his own world rock and reggae band Ari Ben Moses Band,[10][5] and gained acclaim[1] when, upon moving to Chicago in late 2002, he was contacted by horror fans who invited him to attend an East Coast horror convention.[3][10] Lehman then created First Jason, a punk metal band specifically for horror fans, especially the fans of Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th.[1][3][11]

Film career[]

Lehman made his film debut in Sean S. Cunningham's film Manny's Orphans. He then played the role of a child Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th, appearing in Pamela Voorhees's flashback[12] and Alice Hardy's dream – the final scene of the film.[12][13][14]

Lehman also appears in archive footage, uncredited, in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984).[15][16]

Since Friday the 13th, Lehman has appeared in a number of independent films and short films.

Music career[]

In 2004, Lehman formed his punk metal band whose name, First Jason, is based upon his role as Jason Voorhees.[17] First Jason has independently released two albums: Jason is Watching! (2009), with Chuck Lescewicz "Nefarious" from Chicago death metal band Macabre playing bass, and Amit Shamir "Cleaver" from New York hardcore punk band Cro-Mags on drums;[3][18][19] and "Heed My Warning" (2013), described by Uber Rock (UK) as "a brand of thinking man's horror-themed rock."[20] In 2019, he performed vocals for the acoustic version of the song "Thank God It's Friday" from Ice Nine Kills album The Silver Scream Final Cut.

Lehman has also composed, performed and recorded a number of soundtracks for independent films, including Alexia Anastasio's critically acclaimed all-female "Salome",[21][22] and Vamp Films "Vampire the Movie", "which won the 2007 Rondo Award for Best Independent Feature."[23][24][25][26]

Filmography[]

Year Title Role Notes
1978 Manny's Orphans Roger Also distributed under the name Kick
1980 Friday the 13th Jason Voorhees Possibly Alice's imagination as Jason was still a child in the scene.
2006 ThanXgiving[27][28] Delbert Eaton
2008 Three Thug Mice[29] Voiceover Animated short film
Hell-ephone[30] Professor Goldman / The Circuit Maker
2009 Terror Overload[28][31] Ray Rae
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th[1][32] Himself Documentary
2010 Night on Has Been Mountain[33] Invisible Man
2011 The Girl[28] The Man
2013 House of Forbidden Secrets[34][35] Building Crewman
2014 Easter Sunday[36][37] Postman
The Wicked One[28] Count Creepy
2016 Pi Day Die Day[38] Principal Hayward
The Barn[38] Dr. Rock
Camp Killer[39] Joe
2017 Rock Paper Dead Jason
2019 The Lurker Doctor Stratton

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "F13 Hall of Fame: Ari Lehman – Friday the 13th: The Website". Fridaythe13thFilms.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved on January 17, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "FIRSTJASON. – Monster Metal from Ari Lehman, the First Jason Voorhees". FirstJason.com.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Gaz E. "Ari Lehman – FIRSTJASON". Über Röck-Kick Ass Rock N Roll.
  4. ↑ "Exit 18 – Westport CT 06880 :: Staples High School Class of 1980". Exit18.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kat (May 20, 2004). "Interview with Ari Lehman (Young Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th)". Camp Blood. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bracke, Peter (October 20, 2006). "Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of "Friday the 13th"". Titan Books Ltd..
  7. ↑ Norman, Jason (November 11, 2014). "Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene with Today's Horror Actors". McFarland Books.
  8. ↑ "The Men Who Were Jason Voorhees". FreddyinSpace.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ Fashek, Majek (1991). "Majek Fashek & The Prisoners of Conscience: Spirit of Love CD". Interscope Records.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Oy!Chicago – 8 Questions for Ari Lehman, a Slash from the Past". OyChicago.com.
  11. ↑ "Interview: Ari Lehman (Jason Voorhees, Friday The 13th 1980)". Friday The 13th: The Film Franchise.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Kawin, Bruce (June 25, 2012). "Horror and the Horror Film". Anthem Press.
  13. ↑ Hanisch, Julian (April 23, 2012). "Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers: The Aesthetic Paradox of Pleasurable Fear". Routledge.
  14. ↑ "Friday the 13th—Frightful Facts". House of Horrors.
  15. ↑ Reuben, Michael. "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com.
  16. ↑ "Friday the 13th Part 4 :The Final Chapter – Main Cast & Crew". Realm of Horror.
  17. ↑ "Interview with Ari Lehman". MediaMikes.com (January 26, 2011).
  18. ↑ "The Original Jason Voorhees and Friends Ready to Hit the Road". TheSOP.org.
  19. ↑ "Walter Garces: Los Angeles Drum Guru". Drum-Guru.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  20. ↑ Gaz E. "First Jason – 'Heed My Warning' (Self Released)". Über Röck-Kick Ass Rock N Roll.
  21. ↑ "2009 WIFF". Angaelica.
  22. ↑ "Underground Comes to VOD". Underground Film Journal (March 2, 2019).
  23. ↑ Barton, Steve (December 11, 2010). "Today (12/11/10) is Vampira's Birthday; Watch an Exclusive Music Video Premiere". Dread Central.
  24. ↑ "Vampira: The Movie news archive". Vampira the Movie.
  25. ↑ Johnson, Scott (March 14, 2008). "2007 Rondo Hatton Award Winners Announced-Best Independent Production: Vampira the Movie". Dread Central.
  26. ↑ "Ari Lehman accepts Rondo Award at WonderFest". Vampire the Movie: A Film By Kevin Sean Michaels (July 19, 2008).
  27. ↑ Barton, Steve (May 7, 2010). "Coming This Fall...More Holiday Terror on ThanXgiving". Dread Central.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 "First Jason actor Ari Lehman cast as lead in new flick The Wicked One". Friday The 13th: The Film Franchise.
  29. ↑ "Year of the Rat". HEEB Magazine (April 15, 2008).
  30. ↑ Harlequin, David (October 8, 2014). "'Hell-ephone' (2008) Review". CinemaSlasher. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved on February 3, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Horror Spotlight: Jason Stephenson and NFTS Productions". AnythingHorror Central.
  32. ↑ aaron (February 18, 2009). "Review: 'His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th'". Backwoods Horror. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Night on Has Been Mountain". Rotten Tomatoes.
  34. ↑ "House of Forbidden Secrets". BD Productions LLC. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved on February 3, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Twisted Central: The House of Forbidden Secrets Begins Premiere Tour Across America". Twisted Central.
  36. ↑ "First Jason Ari Lehman Stars In 'Easter Sunday'". Friday The 13th: The Film Franchise.
  37. ↑ "A New Killer Arrives on Easter Sunday". Dread Central (April 9, 2014).
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Pi Day Die Day Stalking Soon!". Dread Central (January 6, 2016).
  39. ↑ "Original Jason Ari Lehman Cast in Slasher Throwback Camp Killer". Dread Central (June 26, 2015).

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