| Austin St. John | |
|---|---|
St. John at the Power Morphicon in June 2007. |
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| Born | Jason Geiger September 17, 1975 Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
Austin St. John (born Jason Geiger;[1] on September 17, 1975) is a former American actor and martial artist known for his role in the popular Power Rangers children's television series as Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger and first leader of the Power Rangers.[2] He is an emergency medical technician and firefighter.[3]
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St. John has been practicing martial arts since he was five and holds a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do,[2] a first-degree black belt in Judo, and he also practices Shenkito and Kenpo.
St. John's first major role in acting was in 1993, when he starred as Jason Lee Scott, the Red Power Ranger, in Saban Entertainment's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. At the age of 17 when the series premiered on the Fox Network, he was the youngest member of the original cast, but was also the most experienced at martial arts, which was integrated into his character on the show. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was an instant success and quickly became one of the highest-rated children's television programs ever. However, Austin left the series mid-way through the second season, due to a contract and pay dispute, and was replaced as the Red Ranger on the show by Steve Cardenas, who also played the role of the Red Ranger in the first Power Rangers movie instead of St. John.
St. John later returned to the franchise as the Gold Ranger in Power Rangers: Zeo and as a guest star in the second Power Rangers movie, along with his former castmate Amy Jo Johnson (Kimberly Hart, the original Pink Ranger). He also co-hosted the 1999 Power Rangers special titled "The Lost Episode," with his former castmate and close friend Walter Emanuel Jones (Zack Taylor, the original Black Ranger), in which they both discussed the history of Power Rangers up to that point and also presented the original, never-before-seen pilot of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
St. John's last Power Rangers appearance was in the tenth anniversary special "Forever Red," where he joined nine other Red Ranger actors. He once again played the original Red Ranger and was reunited with his former castmate Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver, the franchise's longest-serving Power Ranger). St. John was also one of the guest speakers who appeared at the 2007 Power Morphicon convention held in Los Angeles, which celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise.
| Year | Television program | Portraying | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | Jason Lee Scott / Red Power Ranger | Starring role (80 episodes) |
| 1996 | Power Rangers: Zeo | Jason Lee Scott / Gold Zeo Ranger | Starring role (17 episodes) |
| 1998 | Footsteps | Police Investigator | TV film |
| 1999 | Power Rangers: The Lost Episode | Himself / Jason Lee Scott / Red Power Ranger | Co-host / Co-star (original pilot) |
| 2002 | Power Rangers: Wild Force | Jason Lee Scott / Red Power Ranger | Guest star ("Forever Red") |
| Film | Year | Portraying |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities | Himself |
| 1997 | Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie | Jason Lee Scott |