Courtney Balcombe – Sports Editor

clb6264@psu.edu

Many might not know the name Ted White, however, “Friday the 13th” fans know him best as the man behind the mask of Jason Voorhees in “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.” 

According to a Facebook post made by producer and director Sean Clark, White “passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home.” Following his post, the White family provided statements to Fox News sharing that the actor had passed away on October 14, at 8:30 a.m. in his Southern California home at the age of 96 years old.

For many horror fans, “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” is seen as the quintessential film from the franchise. While certainly not the last film in the Voorhees saga with eight more installments being released since “The Final Chapter” was when the series hit its stride. After introducing the hockey mask with its iconic axe crack in the third film, “Part IV” was the first real instance of Jason in his recognizable garb. Gone were the days of overalls and a sack, Jason Voorhees was the unstoppable killer with the green work shirt, gray khakis, and the mask to cover his distorted mug. 

While Jason, the character, was now fully fleshed out, he just needed someone to embody the character. Therein lies Ted White. Since “Friday the 13th” was created long before CGI was normal practice, White acted as the masked killer in all scenes. Whether he was popping out from underwater or grabbing someone through a second-story window, White brought the body to Jason the character severely needed. Even though Ted White only played Jason Voorhees for one film, his impact on the character as a whole is felt to this day. 

In addition to “Friday the 13th,” White also did stunt work for countless films including “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” “Giant, Rio Bravo,” “Planet of the Apes,” “King Kong,” “The Manitou,” “Escape from New York,” “Road House,” and “Gone in 60 Seconds.” He even appeared as an actor in “TRON,” “Romancing the Stone,” “Starman,” “The Hidden,” and “The X-Files.”

While Ted White may have passed, his impact on one of the most iconic horror movie slashers will live on forever.