Ari Lehman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (October 2007)

Ari Lehman

Born	May 2, 1965 (1965-05-02) (age 43) New York City

Ari Lehman (born May 2, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known as the first person to portray Jason Voorhees in the film Friday the 13th. He was not the killer in the film and only appeared for a brief moment at the end.

A native New Yorker, Lehman grew up in Westport, CT, where he trained in classical music and jazz piano. Recognized at an early age for his musical abilities, Lehman was presented with an award for excellence in piano, and a scholarship to Berklee School of Music by jazz great, Dr. Billy Taylor. Also actively engaged in performance and theatre, Lehman sneaked into an audition for a new movie, Manny's Orphans, directed by Sean S. Cunningham. This role led to Lehman getting the call for Friday the 13th.

Lehman returned to New York City where he studied jazz piano in its breeding ground with Joanne Brackeen and enrolled in NYU studying big band orchestration and jazz piano with Jim McNeely and Vladmir Shafranov.

In response to their enthusiasm, Lehman created FIRSTJASON, a punk project inspired by the Dead Kennedys and The Misfits. In 2007, he teamed up with members of the Chicago horror rock outfit Sinister Fate.

Lehman has appeared in E!, Entertainment Weekly, Blender Magazine, Chicago Reader, Illinois Entertainer, and signings nationwide. In November 2005, he was the first Jason Voorhees to visit Hamburg, Germany. In 2006, he appeared at Collectormania G-Mex in Manchester, England.

He plays Dilbert in the independent horror film Thanxgiving.

In December 2006, Lehman completed an original score for Vampira: The Movie, directed by Kevin Sean Michaels.