| Ken Kirzinger | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 4, 1959 Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Occupation | Actor/Stuntman |
| Years active | 1983–present |
Ken Kirzinger (born November 4, 1959) is a Canadian stuntman and actor best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and of Pa in Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007). He also played "Mason" Jason Voorhees character spoof in the horror film parody, Stan Helsing.
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At 6 ft 5 1⁄2 in (1.97 m) he is one of the tallest men to have played Jason Voorhees. Freddy vs. Jason director Ronny Yu tried to limit Kirzinger's stunts on the film as much as possible. Stuntman Glenn Ennis was called in to perform a series of stunts, including a stunt showing Jason walking through a field killing teenagers while on fire.
Long before Kirzinger took over the role of Jason Voorhees from Kane Hodder, he had ties to Friday the 13th. He appeared in 1989's Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan as a New York cook who gets in Jason's way while pursuing Rennie Wickham (Jensen Daggett) and Sean Robertson (Scott Reeves). Jason, played by Kane Hodder, threw Kirzinger over the counter. In addition to his role as the cook, Kirzinger also served as a stunt coordinator for the film. Interestingly enough, Kirzinger is the only second person besides Hodder to play Jason more than once as he doubled for the latter in the same movie in a few short scences.
According to Kirzinger, the hardest thing he went through for performing as Jason in Freddy vs. Jason (2003), was sinking into the lake. They shot the scene in a tank which was highly chlorinated and had debris to make it look like lake water. Director Ronny Yu wanted the close-up of Ken's eye and wanted him to sink into the water keeping his eye open. Then also he cannot breathe because it would be visible on film. He was lying on top of the water and had to let himself sink down to the bottom of the tank without breathing keeping his eye open. Kirzinger really held his breath, and the chlorine in the water burned his eyes.
He did stunts, and or work in following:
Till Dad Do Us Part, Boy Meets Girl, Room Mates, Sirens, Sea Hunt, MacGyver, Border Town (Co-Coordinator), Danger Bay (Co-Coordinator), Cadillac, Neon Rider (Co-Coordinator), Passing Through Veils, Fly by Night (Co-Coordinator), Day Glow Warrior, Rescue 911 ~ Radio Rescue, Max Gleck, Shame, The X-Files, Supernatural
The Santa Claus 2, Insomnia, Cats & Dogs, 13 Ghosts, Camouflage, 13th Warrior, Fire Storm, Bad Moon, The Ayatollahs Widow/Canada, Friday the 13th Part VIII "Jason Takes Manhattan", Stay Tuned (Re-shoots), White Fang II (Co-Coordinator), Sea Wolf. Hot Rod
Still Not Quite Human, Omen IV: The Awakening, My Son Johnny, Blindmans Bluff, Brotherly Love, Going for the Gold, Betrayal of Trust, General Alarm, Sirens, The Indestructible Man, Perry Mason, Force III, IT, Deadly Intention II, Barrington, Christmas Comes to Willow, Gunssmoke, Return to Dodge, Return of the Shaggy Dog, Davey Crockett TV Pilot, Wiseguy TV Pilot, Stranger in my Bed, Glory Days TV Pilot, Deadly Intentions, Season of Fear, A Mother's Justice, Jumpin Joe, I Still Dream of Jeanie, Diagnosis of Murder, Love Binds.
Ken Kirzinger is a member of Stunts Canada.[1]
His brother Dave Kirzinger played for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League from 1978 to 1986. His known friends are Robert Englund, who co-starred with him in Freddy vs Jason as Freddy Krueger, and Kane Hodder, the actor who played Jason Voorhees before him. Even though Hodder will sometimes state his disappointment at not being chosen to play Jason for the fifth time in Freddy vs. Jason, he and Kirzinger are very good friends and Kirzinger stated they enjoy seeing each other at conventions.
| Preceded by Kane Hodder |
Actors portraying Jason Voorhees 2003 |
Succeeded by Derek Mears |
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