Douglas Tait
Encyclopedia
Douglas Tait is an American
actor
, stuntman
and independent filmmaker. His first notable role was as "Jason Voorhees
" in the climax of the 2003 horror film Freddy Vs. Jason
. He has also worked extensively in motion capture
and in the creation of many of Hollywood’s most recent and memorable “monster” and creature characters for some of the film industry’s biggest blockbusters.
" in the live stage shows at Universal Studios Hollywood
. Shortly thereafter, he obtained a manager, and because of his 6’5” height and experience as an All-Star
on his high school’s basketball
team, he began auditioning for and appearing in television commercials as a teen basketball player. From there, he performed for years in numerous television, film and independent projects variously as an actor, stunt man, motion capture performer and character performer, creating “monster” and creature characters behind prosthetic makeup
, elaborate wardrobe, and distinctive, individual and often demanding physical mannerisms.
As an on-camera actor, he also counts appearances on such television shows as All My Children
, CSI: Miami
, Sons of Anarchy
, The Young & The Restless, Heroes
, The Season
, MADtv
, 7th Heaven
, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
, One on One
, Drake & Josh
and Pair of Kings
among his many credits.
He also served as an executive producer on the independent films “In the Name of Freedom” and "One by One: Death's Door", now titled "Jack The Reaper".
, and as he once said in an interview, “the "Long Face Bar Alien" in J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek. This character was created by my good friend Barney Burman, who won this year’s Academy Award for Best Makeup (for the film). I have built a good following in the horror and Sci-Fi film world and have been given such great opportunities because of my face being covered up, so I am grateful for that. Besides, I love playing these characters that are different from myself.”
He has also created the role of "Zorgon" in Jon Favreau
’s Zathura
and has completed major roles in two upcoming films, "Abominog" in The Knights of Badassdom
and a "Frost Giant" in Thor
, directed by Kenneth Branagh
.
Like many of his fellow creature performers, he also regularly attends monster, horror and creature performer conventions, where he makes personal appearances. Within the genre, he is notably recognized for his work in the role of Jason.
On a list that includes other well known creature performers, like Andy Serkis
, Doug Jones
, Brian Steele
, Kane Hodder
and Derek Mears
, he has also been recognized as 5th on a Top Ten list of "Best Creature Performers" working in film.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, stuntman
Stuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
and independent filmmaker. His first notable role was as "Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
" in the climax of the 2003 horror film Freddy Vs. Jason
Freddy vs. Jason
Freddy vs. Jason is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu. The film is a crossover between the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises...
. He has also worked extensively in motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
and in the creation of many of Hollywood’s most recent and memorable “monster” and creature characters for some of the film industry’s biggest blockbusters.
Career
Born in Tarzana, California, Tait’s career as an actor began at 16 while still in high school, when he was hired to perform the role of "FrankensteinFrankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
" in the live stage shows at Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
. Shortly thereafter, he obtained a manager, and because of his 6’5” height and experience as an All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
on his high school’s basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team, he began auditioning for and appearing in television commercials as a teen basketball player. From there, he performed for years in numerous television, film and independent projects variously as an actor, stunt man, motion capture performer and character performer, creating “monster” and creature characters behind prosthetic makeup
Prosthetic makeup
Prosthetic makeup is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects...
, elaborate wardrobe, and distinctive, individual and often demanding physical mannerisms.
As an on-camera actor, he also counts appearances on such television shows as All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
, Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
, The Young & The Restless, Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
, The Season
The Season
The Season may refer to:*Season *The Season *The Seasons - A set of 12 compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for solo piano, one for each month of the year....
, MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
, 7th Heaven
7th Heaven
7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
, One on One
One on One
- Film and television :* One on One , a 2000s American sitcom* One on One , a 1977 movie starring Robby Benson and Annette O'Toole** One on One , the soundtrack album from the film...
, Drake & Josh
Drake & Josh
Drake & Josh is an American sitcom that premiered on the Nickelodeon television network on January 11, 2004, which follows the lives of two stepbrothers. It stars Drake Bell and Josh Peck as stepbrothers Drake Parker and Josh Nichols, respectively. Both actors had played roles in The Amanda Show,...
and Pair of Kings
Pair of Kings
Pair of Kings is an American television sitcom shown on the Disney XD cable channel. It was created by Dan Cross and David Hoge and stars Mitchel Musso and Doc Shaw. The sitcom's target audience are teenagers...
among his many credits.
He also served as an executive producer on the independent films “In the Name of Freedom” and "One by One: Death's Door", now titled "Jack The Reaper".
Notable Creature Characters
Among his more notable stunt and creature characters, he has played “Jason Voorhees” in the climactic finale of “Freddy vs. Jason”, “The Werewolf” in an AT&T commercial campaign, "Head Sleestak" in Land of the LostLand of the Lost (film)
Land of the Lost is a 2009 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Brad Silberling and starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel, based on the 1974 Sid and Marty Krofft TV series of the same name.-Plot:...
, and as he once said in an interview, “the "Long Face Bar Alien" in J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek. This character was created by my good friend Barney Burman, who won this year’s Academy Award for Best Makeup (for the film). I have built a good following in the horror and Sci-Fi film world and have been given such great opportunities because of my face being covered up, so I am grateful for that. Besides, I love playing these characters that are different from myself.”
He has also created the role of "Zorgon" in Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
’s Zathura
Zathura (film)
Zathura: A Space Adventure is a 2005 fantasy science fiction film directed by Jon Favreau, and is loosely based on the illustrated book Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg, author of Jumanji. It stars Jonah Bobo as Danny and Josh Hutcherson as Walter. Tim Robbins also had a small role as the boys'...
and has completed major roles in two upcoming films, "Abominog" in The Knights of Badassdom
The Knights of Badassdom
Knights of Badassdom is an upcoming American horror comedy film, directed by Joe Lynch, written by Kevin Dreyfuss and Matt Wall.-Story:A group of live action roleplayers accidentally summon a succubus demon from the underworld.-Cast:...
and a "Frost Giant" in Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, directed by Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
.
Like many of his fellow creature performers, he also regularly attends monster, horror and creature performer conventions, where he makes personal appearances. Within the genre, he is notably recognized for his work in the role of Jason.
On a list that includes other well known creature performers, like Andy Serkis
Andy Serkis
Andrew Clement G. "Andy" Serkis is an English actor, director and author. He is popularly known for playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he earned several award nominations, including the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Two Towers...
, Doug Jones
Doug Jones
Doug Jones is the name of:* Doug Jones , American film actor* Doug Jones , American heavyweight boxer* Doug Jones , American MLB relief pitcher...
, Brian Steele
Brian Steele
Brian Steele is an American actor best known for playing many of Hollywood's favorite monsters and creatures.-Roles:On television, he played the Bigfoot called Harry in the series Harry and the Hendersons before moving on to play creatures in theatrical motion pictures, with roles like Mr. Wink in...
, Kane Hodder
Kane Hodder
Kane Warren Hodder is an American actor and stuntman. Standing , he is best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in four films from the Friday the 13th film series . He is also known for his role as Victor Crowley in Hatchet. -Career:Hodder is the only actor to portray Jason Voorhees more...
and Derek Mears
Derek Mears
Derek Mears is an American actor and stuntman, best known for his role as Jason Voorhees in the reboot of Friday the 13th.-Early life:...
, he has also been recognized as 5th on a Top Ten list of "Best Creature Performers" working in film.