Ari Lehman Explained

Ari Lehman
Birth Date:2 May 1965
Birth Place:Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Notable Works:Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th (1980)
Years Active:1978–present

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 film icon. As of 2018, Lehman 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] [11] 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] [12]

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[13] and Alice Hardy's dream – the final scene of the horror film.[13] [14] [15] [16]

Lehman also appears in archive footage, uncredited, in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and (1984).[17] [18] [19]

Music career

In 2004, Lehman formed his punk metal band whose name, First Jason, is based upon his role as Jason Voorhees.[20] 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] [21] [22] and "Heed My Warning,"(2013), described by Uber Rock (UK) as "a brand of thinking man's horror-themed rock."[23] 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",[24] [25] and Vamp Films "Vampire the Movie", "which won the 2007 Rondo Award for Best Independent Feature."[26] [27] [28] [29]

Filmography

TitleYearRoleNotes/ref
Manny's Orphans1978RogerAlso distributed under the name Kick
Friday the 13th1980Jason Voorhees
ThanXgiving[30] 2006Delbert Eaton[31]
Three Thug Mice2008voiceoverAnimated short [32]
Hell-ephone2008Professor/Circuit Maker[33]
Terror Overload2009Ray Rae [34]
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th2009HimselfDocumentary[35]
Night On Has Been Mountain2010Invisible Man[36]
The Girl2011The Man
House of Forbidden Secrets2013Building Crewman[37] [38]
Easter Sunday2014Postman[39] [40]
The Wicked One2014Count Creepy
Pi Day Die Day2016Principal Hayward[41]
The Barn2016Rock
Camp Killer2016Joe[42]
Rock Paper Dead2017Jason
The Lurker2019Dr. Stratton

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: F13 Hall of Fame: Ari Lehman – Friday the 13th: The Website. fridaythe13thfilms.com. January 17, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20180918234630/http://fridaythe13thfilms.com/f13-hall-of-fame-ari-lehman/. September 18, 2018. dead.
  2. Web site: FIRSTJASON. – Monster Metal from Ari Lehman, the First Jason Voorhees. firstjason.com.
  3. Web site: Ari Lehman – FIRSTJASON. Gaz E. Über Röck-Kick Ass Rock N Roll. January 27, 2015. September 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180918234158/http://www.uberrock.co.uk/interviews/61-october-interviews/263-ari-lehman-firstjason.html. dead.
  4. Web site: Exit 18 – Westport CT 06880 :: Staples High School Class of 1980. exit18.com. January 31, 2015. August 31, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210831130943/http://www.exit18.com/index.php/schools/staples-high-school/staples-high-school-class-1980/. dead.
  5. Kat,"Interview with Ari Lehman (Young Jason Voorhees, Friday The 13th)", Camp Blood, May 20, 2004, http://www.campblood.net/Interviews/ariinterview.htm
  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 (Oct 20, 2006),
  7. Norman, Jason, "Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene with Today's Horror Actors", 2015
  8. Web site: The Men Who Were Jason Voorhees . freddyinspace.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150208191250/http://www.freddyinspace.com/2008/08/men-who-were-jason-voorhees.html . February 8, 2015 .
  9. Majek Fashek & The Prisoners of Conscience- Spirit of Love CD (Interscope Records, 1991) and "Rainmaker" (Tuff Gong, 1997)
  10. Web site: Oy!Chicago – 8 Questions for Ari Lehman, a Slash from the Past. oychicago.com.
  11. Kat, "Interview with Ari Lehman (Young Jason Voorhees, Friday The 13th)", Camp Blood, May 20, 2004, http://www.campblood.net/Interviews/ariinterview.htm
  12. Web site: Interview: Ari Lehman (Jason Voorhees, Friday The 13th 1980). Friday The 13th: The Film Franchise.
  13. Kawin, Bruce F., Horror and the Horror Film 2012,(Page 145) Anthem Press
  14. Hanisch, Julian, "Disrupted Relief" (p. 139) "Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers: The Aesthetic Paradox of Pleasurable Fear (Routledge Advances in Film Studies)" Routledge; Reprint edition (April 23, 2012),
  15. Web site: Friday the 13th—Frightful Facts. houseofhorrors.com.
  16. News: Haidet . Ryan . Actor Ari Lehman, who was first to portray Jason Voorhees in original 'Friday the 13th,' to meet with fans in Northeast Ohio . wkyc.com . October 25, 2023.
  17. Web site: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter Blu-ray. Michael Reuben. Blu-ray.com.
  18. Web site: Friday the 13th Part 4 :The Final Chapter – Main Cast & Crew. realmofhorror.co.uk.
  19. News: Jackson . Sierra . Friday the 13th: Why Can't Jason Voorhees Be Killed? . . 13 October 2023 . en.
  20. Web site: Interview with Ari Lehman. mediamikes.com. January 26, 2011 .
  21. Web site: The Original Jason Voorhees and Friends Ready to Hit the Road. thesop.org.
  22. Web site: Walter Garces :: Los Angeles Drum Guru. drum-guru.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083347/http://www.drum-guru.com/drum-guru2010/students.html. March 4, 2016.
  23. Web site: First Jason – 'Heed My Warning' (Self Released). Gaz E. Über Röck-Kick Ass Rock N Roll.
  24. Web site: 2009 WIFF. angaelica.com.
  25. Web site: Underground Comes to VOD. undergroundfilmjournal.com. March 2, 2019 .
  26. Steve Barton."Today (12/11/10) is Vampira’s Birthday; Watch an Exclusive Music Video Premiere,"Dread Central, December 2010, http://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/21207/today-12-11-10-is-vampira-s-birthday-watch-an-exclusive-music-video-premiere/
  27. Web site: Vampira: The Movie news archive. vampirathemovie.com.
  28. Sifu, Scott "2007 Rondo Hatton Award Winners Announced-Best Independent Production: Vampira the Movie", March 14, 2008, Dread Central, http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/6537/2007-rondo-hatton-award-winners-announced/
  29. "Ari Lehman accepts Rondo Award at WonderFest, July 19, 2008", Vampire the Movie: A Film By Kevin Sean Michaels website, http://www.vampirathemovie.com/gallery.php
  30. Web site: First Jason actor Ari Lehman cast as lead in new flick The Wicked One. Friday The 13th: The Film Franchise.
  31. Barton, Steve."Coming This Fall...More Holiday Terror on ThanXgiving", Dread Central, May 7, 2010, http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/17235/coming-this-fall-more-holiday-terror-on-thanxgiving/
  32. "Year of the Rat", HEEB Magazine, April 15, 2008, http://heebmagazine.com/year-of-the-rat-2/1138
  33. Harlequin, David."'Hell-ephone' (2008) Review", October 8, 2014, CinemaSlasher, Web site: "Hell-ephone" (2008) Review | . February 3, 2015 . dead . https://archive.today/20150203075619/http://cinemaslasher.com/2014/10/08/hell-ephone-2008-review/ . February 3, 2015 .
  34. Web site: Horror Spotlight: Jason Stephenson and NFTS Productions. AnythingHorror Central.
  35. Web site: » Search Results » his name was jason. backwoodshorror.com.
  36. Web site: Night on Has Been Mountain. rottentomatoes.com.
  37. Web site: House of Forbidden Secrets. bdproductionsllc.com. February 3, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150203094854/http://www.bdproductionsllc.com/houseofforbiddensecrets/. February 3, 2015. dead.
  38. Web site: Twisted Central: The House of Forbidden Secrets Begins Premiere Tour Across America. twistedcentral.com.
  39. Web site: First Jason Ari Lehman Stars In 'Easter Sunday'. Friday The 13th: The Film Franchise.
  40. Web site: A New Killer Arrives on Easter Sunday. Dread Central. April 9, 2014.
  41. Web site: Pi Day Die Day Stalking Soon!. Dread Central. January 6, 2016.
  42. Web site: Original Jason Ari Lehman Cast in Slasher Throwback Camp Killer. Dread Central. June 26, 2015.

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