Ted White (stuntman)

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Ted White
White at a horror Convention in 2012
Born
Alex Bayouth

(1926-01-25)January 25, 1926
DiedOctober 14, 2022(2022-10-14) (aged 96)
Occupation(s)Actor, stuntman
Years active1949–2022

Alex Bayouth (January 25, 1926 – October 14, 2022), known professionally as Ted White, was an American stuntman and actor who was best known for playing Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. He was also notable for having doubled for John Wayne, Fess Parker, Clark Gable, and Richard Boone.

Life and career[edit]

Born as Alex Bayouth in Krebs, Oklahoma,[1][2] White grew up in Snyder, Texas. He played football for the University of Oklahoma, then pursued a stuntman/acting career. In Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), White was approached because of his Marine Corps background when they needed a consultant for the layout of the island. That was when White met John Wayne and began doubling for him in 1952.

White had minor roles in several western films and in such television series as Daniel Boone; The Andy Griffith Show; Hunter; Magnum, P.I.; and The Rockford Files, usually in tough-guy roles such as police officers or hired thugs. He has also worked in Gone in 60 Seconds, Silverado, Major League, Starman, and Tron.

In 1984, White played hockey masked murderer Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, after the director needed a large man for the part. White reluctantly accepted because he needed the money.[3] White asked not to be credited on screen for his part, partly because he did not appreciate how the young actors and actresses had been treated during production. He was later credited for the archive footage of him as Jason that was used in the seventh Friday film. White was offered the role of Jason for Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, but turned them down. The roles ultimately went to stuntmen Tom Morga and C. J. Graham, respectively.

White died at his home on October 14, 2022, at the age of 96.[4][5][6]

Partial filmography[edit]

Actor[edit]

Year Film Role Notes
1949 Sands of Iwo Jima Marine Uncredited
1958 The Perfect Furlough Soldier Uncredited
1958 Born Reckless Cowboy Uncredited
1960 The Alamo Tennessean Uncredited
1965 Cat Ballou Gunslinger Uncredited
1967 Point Blank Football player Uncredited
1974 Dirty Mary Crazy Larry Trooper
1980 Going Ape! Goon 1
1980 Oh, God! Book II Motorcycle Policeman
1980 Used Cars Police Deputy
1982 Tron Guard
1984 Starman Deer Hunter
1984 Romancing the Stone Grogan
1984 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter Jason Voorhees Uncredited
1984 Against All Odds Security guard with dog
1984 The Wild Life Redneck Drunk #2
1985 Silverado Hoyt
1986 Quiet Cool Ellis
1987 Hot Pursuit Tommy Ray
1987 The Hidden Agent Fowler
1988 Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood Jason Voorhees Archive footage
1990 Downtown Goon
2001 Double Take Trooper
2009 His Name was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th Himself
2013 Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th Himself
2018 To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Himself

Stuntman[edit]

Year Film Notes
1955 Revenge of the Creature Gill man stunt double
Uncredited
1962 Hatari! John Wayne's stunt double
Uncredited
1968 Planet of the Apes Uncredited
1972 Prime Cut Uncredited
1973 Soylent Green
1979 1941 Uncredited
1980 Bronco Billy Uncredited
1981 Escape from New York
1984 Cloak & Dagger
1986 Short Circuit
1989 Major League
1989 Road House
1999 Wild Wild West
2000 Gone in 60 Seconds

References[edit]

  1. ^ Freese, Gene Scott (April 10, 2014). Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary, 2d ed. ISBN 9780786476435.
  2. ^ "Community News".
  3. ^ A Photo Journey Through Creation's Weekend of Horrors
  4. ^ Squires, John (October 14, 2022). "Ted White – Jason Voorhees Actor from 'Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter' Has Passed Away". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ted White, Stuntman and Jason Voorhees Actor, Dies at 96". October 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "Ted White, Jason Voorhees stuntman in 'Friday the 13th' horror films, dead at 96". Fox News. October 16, 2022.

External links[edit]