Richard Brooker was a British actor and stuntman who played the iconic role of Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th Part III, the first film in the series to feature the hockey mask that would become the character’s trademark. He was also a trapeze artist, a director, a producer, and a businessman who won an Emmy Award for his engineering development. He died on April 8, 2013 at the age of 58 from a heart attack.
A Versatile Career
Richard Brooker was born on November 20, 1954 in Münster, West Germany to British parents. He grew up in England and became interested in circus arts at a young age. He joined a traveling circus as a trapeze performer and toured around Europe and Africa. He also learned martial arts and horse riding, which would help him in his later career as a stuntman.
He moved to the United States in the early 1980s and started his acting career by answering a casting call for a big man to play a role in a horror movie. He did not know that the role was for Jason Voorhees, the masked killer in Friday the 13th Part III. He got the part and became the first actor to wear the hockey mask that would define the character. He also did all his own stunts and wore foam padding under his clothes to make him look more muscular.
After his role as Jason, he appeared in other films and TV shows, such as Deathstalker, Deep Sea Conspiracy, and Trapper John, M.D. He also worked behind the camera as a director, producer, and businessman. He directed episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy and other educational programs. He also founded his own website design company, Production Access Network, and patented a device that is used in mobile phones and in the movie industry. He won an Emmy Award in 2006 for his engineering development.
A Sudden Death
Richard Brooker died on April 8, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. The cause of death was a heart attack, according to his friend and fellow actor Larry Zerner, who played Shelly in Friday the 13th Part III. Zerner announced Brooker’s death on Twitter and said that he was shocked and saddened by the news. He also said that Brooker was a great guy and a good friend.
Brooker’s death was mourned by his fans, his colleagues, and his family. He was survived by his mother, his sisters, his nieces, and his nephews. He was also remembered by his fellow Jason actors, such as Warrington Gillette, Ted White, C.J. Graham, Dick Wieand, and Kane Hodder, who paid tribute to him at horror conventions and in documentaries. He was also honored by the fan-made documentary, Friday the 13th Part III: The Memoriam Documentary, which was released in 2017 and featured interviews with the cast and crew of the film.
A Lasting Legacy
Richard Brooker left a lasting legacy as the first hockey mask Jason, the most iconic and recognizable version of the character. He also left a mark as a versatile and talented performer, who excelled in various fields and genres. He was a trapeze artist, a stuntman, an actor, a director, a producer, and a businessman. He was also a kind, generous, and humorous person, who was loved and respected by his friends and fans. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him.
