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Ari Lehman

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Ari Lehman (born May 2, 1965 in New York, New York) is an American performing artist and actor. He is best known for having played a less-than 10 second role of the first Jason Voorhees as a child in the Paramount horror film Friday the 13th. Lehman currently records and tours the US and Europe with his punk metal band, First Jason.[1][2]

Biography

A native New Yorker, Ari Lehman grew up in Westport, CT, 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 the famous jazz educator, Dr. Billy Taylor. [3][4]

Lehman heard about an audition being held in Westport for the movie, "Manny's Orphans", about a group of inner-city orphans who play soccer, directed by Sean S. Cunningham. Lehman snuck into the audition and landed the 80-line role of "Roger".[5][6] by 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?’"[9][10][11][12]

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 Vladmir Shafranov".[13] Lehman's career led him to become a prominent touring keyboardist for some of the top names in 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.[14]

Lehman went on to form his own world rock and reggae band Ari Ben Moses Band,[15] and gained acclaim [16] when, upon moving to Chicago in late 2002, he was contacted by horror fans who invited him to attend an East Coast horror convention.[17][18] In response to their enthusiasm, Lehman became a regular on the horror convention circuit, and saw an opportunity to give Jason Voorhees a musical voice on the Punk and Metal scene. Lehman created First Jason, a punk metal band specifically for horror fans, especially the fans of Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th.[19] [20][21]

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 the iconic final scene where he suddenly emerges from the icy waters of Crystal Lake,[22] giving rise to the indestructible monster in the infamous hockey mask.[23][24] [25] Lehman would later reflect that working with special effects master Tom Savini at an early age gave him a deep appreciation for the Horror Greats including Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price.[26][27]

While Lehman has made occasional appearances in independent short films, his primary focus is in music. In an interview with Tony Vilgotsky of Gore Noir magazine (West Hollywood), Lehman explained that he wasn't interested in building an acting career even after the huge success of Friday the 13th. Instead, he was much more interested in music. "It's all because of music. I was already very interested in music before I was in Friday the 13th, studying jazz piano with some of the top teachers around," he said.[28][29]

Music career

In 2004, Lehman formed his punk metal band whose name, First Jason, is based upon his role as Jason Voorhees.[30] 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;[31] [32][33] and "Heed My Warning,"(2013), described by Uber Rock (UK) as "a brand of thinking man's horror-themed rock."[34]

Lehman has also composed, performed and recorded a number of soundtracks for independent films, including Alexia Anastasio's critically acclaimed all-female "Salome",[35][36] and Vamp Films "Vampire the Movie"[37].

Filmography

Title Year Role Notes Source
Manny's Orphans 1978 Roger Also distributed under the name Kick
Friday the 13th 1980 Jason Voorhees
ThanXgiving 2006 Delbert Eaton
Three Thug Mice 2008 short film
Hell-ephone 2008 Professor Goldman/The Circuit Maker
Terror Overload 2009 Ray Rae
Night on Has Been Mountain 2010 Invisible Man
The Girl 2011 The Man
House of Forbidden Secrets 2013 Building Crewman
Deathwoods 2014

References

  1. ^ http://www.firstjason.com
  2. ^ http://www.uberrock.co.uk/interviews/61-october-interviews/263-ari-lehman-firstjason.html
  3. ^ http://www.firstjason.com
  4. ^ http://fridaythe13thfilms.com/f13-hall-of-fame-ari-lehman/
  5. ^ "Manny's Orphan's IMBD http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0207597/
  6. ^ Sean S. Cunningham (Foreword), Peter M. Bracke(Author),"Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of "Friday the 13th" Hardcover" Titan Books Ltd; 1st Titan Ed edition (20 Oct. 2006), ISBN-10: 1845763432
  7. ^ Norman,Jason, "Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene with Today's Horror Actors",2015 ISBN 978-0-7864-7986-3
  8. ^ http://www.freddyinspace.com/2008/08/men-who-were-jason-voorhees.html
  9. ^ http://fridaythe13thfilms.com/f13-hall-of-fame-ari-lehman/
  10. ^ http://www.uberrock.co.uk/interviews/61-october-interviews/263-ari-lehman-firstjason.html
  11. ^ The Wikepedians, "Friday the 13th: The Complete Guide", PediaPress
  12. ^ Sean S. Cunningham (Foreword), Peter M. Bracke(Author),"Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of "Friday the 13th" Hardcover" Titan Books Ltd; 1st Titan Ed edition (20 Oct. 2006), ISBN-10: 1845763432
  13. ^ http://fridaythe13thfilms.com/f13-hall-of-fame-ari-lehman/
  14. ^ Majek Fashek & The Prisoners of Conscience- Spirit of Love CD (Interscope Records, 1991) and "Rainmaker" (Tuff Gong, 1997)
  15. ^ http://www.oychicago.com/article.aspx?id=652&blogid=132&=-1
  16. ^ http://fridaythe13thfilms.com/f13-hall-of-fame-ari-lehman/
  17. ^ http://www.oychicago.com/article.aspx?id=652&blogid=132&=-1
  18. ^ http://www.uberrock.co.uk/interviews/61-october-interviews/263-ari-lehman-firstjason.html
  19. ^ http://fridaythe13thfilms.com/f13-hall-of-fame-ari-lehman/
  20. ^ http://www.fridaythe13thfranchise.com/2012/10/interview-ari-lehman-jason-voorhees.html
  21. ^ http://www.uberrock.co.uk/interviews/61-october-interviews/263-ari-lehman-firstjason.html
  22. ^ http://www.houseofhorrors.com/vault/friday/pages/frightful.htm
  23. ^ Friday the 13th Films.com Hall of Fame Ari Lehman [1]
  24. ^ Hanisch, Julian, "Disrupted Relief" (p. 139) "Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers: The Aesthetic Paradox of Pleasurable Fear"
  25. ^ Bruce F. Kawin Horror and the Horror Film 2012 (Page 145) "It was Savini who suggested to director-producer Sean S. Cunningham, after Savini had seen Carrie, that they should have a shock ending too and that the boy Jason (Ari Lehman) could jump out of the lake."
  26. ^ The Indie Horror Film Fest, February 13, 2013
  27. ^ http://www.uberrock.co.uk/interviews/61-october-interviews/263-ari-lehman-firstjason.html
  28. ^ http://www.magzter.com/US/Gore-Noir-Magazine/Gore-Noir-Magazine/Entertainment/33369
  29. ^ http://www.ibtimes.com/friday-13th-what-original-jason-voorhees-ari-lehman-doing-now-video-1405460
  30. ^ Interview with Ari Lehman
  31. ^ http://www.uberrock.co.uk/interviews/61-october-interviews/263-ari-lehman-firstjason.html
  32. ^ The original Jason Voorhees and friends ready to hit the road
  33. ^ Drum Guru
  34. ^ First Jason Heed My Warning self released
  35. ^ Angaelica
  36. ^ Film Journal
  37. ^ Vampira the Movie
Preceded by
N/A
 Actors portraying Jason Voorhees
1980–1984 		Succeeded by
Warrington Gillette,
Steve Daskawisz (1981–1984
Richard Brooker
(1982-1984)

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