Word has reached the World Wide Web regarding the passing of long-time character actor Peter Jason.
There isn't any doubt that readers have seen Jason in something. With over five decades in the entertainment business, he's shown up in well over two hundred and fifty different projects on the silver screen or television; and -- according to IMDB.com -- he continued working well into his Golden Years. The guy was a dynamo, and I've no doubt that his presence will be missed.
But where oh where has he turned up in the realms of the Fantastic?
Hoo boy. Buckle up.
One of his first genre appearances was in a 1968 Science Fiction telefilm -- Shadow On The Land -- produced by Screen Gems. Though I've never seen this one, I have read that it was a thought provoking Alternate History tale about the development of a fascisistic United States. Such cautionary tales never go out of style, and maybe this one deserves to be rediscovered by people on both sides of the political aisle today.
From there, it was a bevy of roles big and small, a good deal of which put the man very close to the reach of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. He put in his stripes and earned some attention in such projects as Land Of The Giants, The Return Of Captain Nemo (1978), The Incredible Hulk, Beyond The Universe (1981), Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land (1983), Dreamscape (1984), Impulse (1984), Amazing Stories, Hyper Sapien: People From Another Star (1986), Alien Nation (1988), They Live (1988), Arachnophobia (1990), Quantum Leap, Batman: The Animated Series, Mortal Kombat (1995), Escape From L.A. (1996), Perversions Of Science, Batman Beyond, Ghosts Of Mars (2001), Carnivale, Raptor Island (2004), Planet Raptor (2007), Gemini Division, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018). There are more citations -- a helluva lot more -- but I tried to mention those which I think genre fans might appreciate most.
Furthermore, I found a great little interview quote attributed to the actor on IMDB.com. I wanted to share this with readers because I think it demonstrates just how much he was a world class fellow, a real stand-up guy. I don't know where it's from (IMDB.com doesn't say), but it's still noteworthy:
Our warmest prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of Peter Jason.
May he rest in peace.
-- EZ
There isn't any doubt that readers have seen Jason in something. With over five decades in the entertainment business, he's shown up in well over two hundred and fifty different projects on the silver screen or television; and -- according to IMDB.com -- he continued working well into his Golden Years. The guy was a dynamo, and I've no doubt that his presence will be missed.
But where oh where has he turned up in the realms of the Fantastic?
Hoo boy. Buckle up.
One of his first genre appearances was in a 1968 Science Fiction telefilm -- Shadow On The Land -- produced by Screen Gems. Though I've never seen this one, I have read that it was a thought provoking Alternate History tale about the development of a fascisistic United States. Such cautionary tales never go out of style, and maybe this one deserves to be rediscovered by people on both sides of the political aisle today.
From there, it was a bevy of roles big and small, a good deal of which put the man very close to the reach of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. He put in his stripes and earned some attention in such projects as Land Of The Giants, The Return Of Captain Nemo (1978), The Incredible Hulk, Beyond The Universe (1981), Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land (1983), Dreamscape (1984), Impulse (1984), Amazing Stories, Hyper Sapien: People From Another Star (1986), Alien Nation (1988), They Live (1988), Arachnophobia (1990), Quantum Leap, Batman: The Animated Series, Mortal Kombat (1995), Escape From L.A. (1996), Perversions Of Science, Batman Beyond, Ghosts Of Mars (2001), Carnivale, Raptor Island (2004), Planet Raptor (2007), Gemini Division, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018). There are more citations -- a helluva lot more -- but I tried to mention those which I think genre fans might appreciate most.
Furthermore, I found a great little interview quote attributed to the actor on IMDB.com. I wanted to share this with readers because I think it demonstrates just how much he was a world class fellow, a real stand-up guy. I don't know where it's from (IMDB.com doesn't say), but it's still noteworthy:
- "It's funny, but on a set there's a pecking order. There's a caste system, you know? It goes from the star down to the extra. That includes the crew as well. I've never liked that. I've always felt that in America we're all equal. I don't care what you make, or what kind of car you drive. You're not better than me. That's the way I was raised, and that's kind of the way I am on a set. We'll be in a line and I'll have some A.D. or second-unit director saying, "No, no, Mr. Jason, you go to the front of the line for lunch." And I'll say, "Why? We all have to eat." So I just usually stand in the place wherever I'm at -- unless there's some reason for it, like they want me to finish first so I can go into make-up and get finished because I'm in the first shot. But I don't like that, "You're special." I've never liked that, and I don't like to see people being treated as though they're special. I don't think we are special. I think everybody's the same. I think we're all entitled to our space, and I like to treat everybody like that. Some people get it, and some don't."
Our warmest prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of Peter Jason.
May he rest in peace.
-- EZ
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