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Ted Prior (actor)

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This article is about the American actor. For the Australian children's writer, see Ted Prior (writer).
Ted Prior
Born (1959-08-09) August 9, 1959 (age 65)
Newark, New Jersey, United States
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • bodybuilder
  • model
Years active1983–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1990⁠–⁠1992)​
Children4
Relatives

Ted Prior (born August 9, 1959) is an American actor, film producer, and bodybuilder. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Prior moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s to pursue a career as a bodybuilder. With his brother David A. Prior directing, he acted in the horror film Sledgehammer (1983), and starred in Killzone (1985). Eventually the brothers were hired to make films Action International Pictures, which specialized in making low budget genre films. In their first effort with them, Prior had a supporting role in the horror film Killer Workout (1987) and the lead in the action film Deadly Prey (1987).

Moving forward, Prior became an action film leading man for Action International Pictures until the 1990s. Separately from them, Prior acted in Hardcase and Fist (1989), Possessed by the Night (1994), Day of the Warrior (1996), etc.

Until his brother's death in 2015, together they consistently made action oriented films including Future Zone (1990), The Final Sanction (1990), Raw Nerve (1991), Night Claws (2012), etc. Their last collaboration where he was the lead was Deadliest Prey (2013), a sequel to Deadly Prey. After the pair noticed that their film gained a cult status, they decided to make a sequel.

Early life and bodybuilding

Ted Prior was born on August 9, 1959.[citation needed] Prior said "I got into bodybuilding when I was 15 years old. I won the Teenage Mr. Maryland contest along with 10 other titles by the time I was 19. The reason I moved to California was to go to “gold’s gym” and become a pro bodybuilder."[1]

Career

1983-1985: Early works

In 1983, Prior acted in the horror film Sledgehammer with his brother David directing. Katie Rife of The A.V. Club said the film "has the distinction of being the first shot-on-video slasher movie. That film established patterns that would persist throughout Prior’s (David) career, namely, extremely low budgets, hammy dialogue, outrageous action, and, most importantly, the presence of his brother Ted".[2]

In 1984, was the centerfold model for the magazine Playgirl for their March edition.[citation needed] Prior said of the experience "I never really wanted to model. That was just something that fell into my lap. I did it because I was dancing for Chippendales at the time and it helped to promote us and make money."[1]

In 1985, Prior starred in a lead role in Killzone.[3]

1987-1999: Action film leading man

In 1987, Prior acted in two Action International Pictures releases. The first was a supporting role in the horror film Killer Workout.[4][additional citation(s) needed] Prior's second Action International Pictures film was in the leading role in action film Deadly Prey, co-starring Cameron Mitchell.[5][additional citation(s) needed]

In 1988, he acted in Hell on the Battleground, and The lost platoon.[6][7]

In 1989, Prior was a lead in Hardcase and Fist, Jungle Assault, Hell on the Battleground, and Born Killer.[8][9][10][11] That year he also acted in Heaven can help.[12]

In 1990, Prior was a lead in two films directed by his brother: Future Zone, and The Final Sanction.[13][14]

In 1991, Prior acted in Raw Nerve and Maximum Breakout.[15][16]

In 1992, Prior acted in Center of the web.[17]

In 1993, he acted in Double Threat and Possessed by the Night.[18][19]

In 1994, Prior acted in Raw Justice.[20]

In 1996, Prior acted in Day of the warrior.[21]

In 1998, Prior acted in Dead by dawn.[22]

In 2000, Prior started managing Next Level Acting Studios in California and became a partner of the production company All American Pictures.[needs update] Prior said of the experience: "I taught acting in Hollywood for a number of years. There’s many ways to approach developing a character. For me it starts with the role. Who am I , What do I want , why do I want , and how do I get it. There’s all kinds of silly answers to these questions but at the end of the day you get out there and do it."[1]

In 2003, Prior acted in Mutant Species.[23]

In 2012, Prior acted in Night Claws.[24]

In 2013, Prior acted in Deadliest Prey.[25] On making a sequel to Deadly Prey, Prior said that he and his brother "decided to do a sequel based on fan mail, screenings, and all that stuff. I’ve talked to lot of fans of the movie, and after having all kinds of ideas thrown at us, Dave and I have decided to stick to the basic formula as the original. Fast pace and hard hitting."[1]

In 2015, Prior acted in The Last House.[26]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Interview with cult B-action film actor Ted Prior". 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  2. ^ "R.I.P. David A. Prior, direct-to-video legend and director of Deadly Prey". 18 August 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Kill Zone". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  4. ^ "Killer Workout". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  5. ^ "Deadly Prey". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  6. ^ "Hell on the Battleground". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  7. ^ "The Lost Platoon". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  8. ^ "Hardcase and Fist". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  9. ^ "Jungle Assault". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  10. ^ "Hell on the Battleground". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  11. ^ "Born Killer". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  12. ^ "Heaven Can Help". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  13. ^ "Future Zone". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  14. ^ "The Final Sanction". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  15. ^ "Raw Nerve". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  16. ^ "Maximum Breakout". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  17. ^ "Center of the Web". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  18. ^ "Double Threat | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  19. ^ "Possessed by the Night". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  20. ^ "Raw Justice". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  21. ^ "Day of the Warrior". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  22. ^ "Dead by Dawn". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  23. ^ "Mutant Species". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  24. ^ "Night Claws". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  25. ^ "Deadliest Prey". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  26. ^ "The Last House". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
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