Richard Brooker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Brooker
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Richard Brooker at the 2013 Full Moon Tattoo & Horror Festival in Nashville, Tennessee
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| Born | 20 November 1954 |
| Died | 8 April 2013 (aged 58) Los Angeles, California
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| Occupation | Stuntman, trapeze artist, actor, director, producer, businessman |
| Years active | 1957–2013 |
Richard Brooker (born November 20, 1954 – died April 8, 2013) was an actor and stuntman from Britain. He is most famous for playing the scary character Jason Voorhees in the movie Friday the 13th Part III.
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Richard Brooker's Acting Career
Richard Brooker started his career as a trapeze artist. He found an acting job advertisement in a magazine called "Dramalogue." The ad was looking for a big person to act in a new movie. Richard tried out for the part.
He later found out the role was for Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th: Part III. To play Jason, Richard spent many hours getting special makeup applied. Pictures online show how much work this was. Fans say he was the fittest actor to play Jason in the series.
Wearing the Hockey Mask
Richard Brooker was the first actor to wear the famous hockey mask as Jason. This mask later became a well-known symbol of the Friday the 13th movies. He did all his own stunts in the film. He wore blue jeans and a sweatshirt for the entire movie. He also wore soft foam padding under his shirt. This made him look bigger and stronger, as he was naturally slim.
Life After Jason Voorhees
After his famous role as Jason, Richard Brooker appeared in smaller movies. These included Deathstalker and Deep Sea Conspiracy. He also acted in the TV show Trapper John, M.D..
Later, Brooker became a director for popular TV shows like Bill Nye the Science Guy. He also worked as a producer for sports channels and programs, including Fox and 20th Century FOX. He then moved away from filmmaking and acting. He started his own company called Production Access Network, which designed websites.
Richard Brooker also invented a special device. This device is used in mobile phones and in the movie industry. For this invention, he won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2006. This award was for his amazing work in engineering development.
Richard Brooker's Personal Life
Richard Brooker was in a relationship with Shannon McMurray from 1995 to 2000. They had two daughters together, named Madison and Cameron. They separated in a friendly way in 2000.
He loved riding horses and playing the sport of Polo. He also had a great passion for sailing. For some time, he even lived on his sailboat with his daughters.
Meeting Fans and Friends
Richard Brooker was very popular with his fans. He often attended horror conventions across the country in the 2000s and 2010s. He was always happy to sign autographs and take photos with visitors.
At these events, he became friends with other actors who played Jason. These included Warrington Gillette, Ted White, C.J. Graham, Dick Wieand, and Kane Hodder. He also met many other actors from different Friday the 13th movies. His last convention appearance was in March 2013. It was at the Full Moon Tattoo and Horror Festival in Nashville, TN.
Richard Brooker's Death
Richard Brooker passed away on April 8, 2013. He was 58 years old. He died at a hospital in Los Angeles, California. It was less than a month after his last convention appearance. The cause of death was thought to be a heart attack, but it was later found to be undetermined.
His name was mentioned in an episode of Hell's Kitchen (season 11). This episode, which aired on April 18, 2013, honored him at the end.
Tributes and Legacy
On May 26, 2017, the video game Friday the 13th: The Game was released. Even though another actor did the movements for Jason from Part III in the game, the face of Jason behind the mask was made to look like Richard Brooker. This was a way to honor his important contribution to the movie series.
On January 13, 2018, a fan-made documentary was released on YouTube. It was called Friday the 13th Part III: The Memoriam Documentary. In this film, people who worked with Richard on Friday the 13th Part III remembered him. Friends and a cousin also shared memories of him. They described him as a kind man who loved his fans and the people he worked with.
Dick Wieand, who played Roy Burns in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, ended his tribute to Brooker by saying: "He was one of the good guys, and I am glad to have known him. And if I ever saw him again I’d say: ‘Hey Richard, I know this little bar down in Santa Monica. Let’s go have a drink."
The documentary included interviews with stars from Friday the 13th Part III. These included David Katims, Larry Zerner, and Paul Kratka. Also interviewed were actresses Adrienne King, Eileen Dietz, Tracie Savage, and Caroline Williams. C.J. Graham and Dick Wieand, who played Jason in Part VI and Part V, were also interviewed. The documentary was made to remember Richard Brooker.
Richard Brooker's Filmography
- 1982: Friday the 13th Part III as Jason Voorhees
- 1983: Deathstalker as Oghris
- 1984: Trapper John, M.D. (TV Series) as Vic
- 1987: Deep Sea Conspiracy as Leon (his last film role)
See also
In Spanish: Richard Brooker para niños
