Ken Kirzinger
Encyclopedia
Ken Kirzinger 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
.
. 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.
, 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.
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
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
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.
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.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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 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...
best known for his portrayal of 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 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...
(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
Stan Helsing
Stan Helsing is a 2009 parody film, known in some parts of Asia as Scary Movie 5. Not unlike past movies, such as Scary Movie, it directs parodies at horror films...
.
Role as Jason Voorhees
At 6 foot he is one of the tallest men to have played Jason VoorheesJason 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...
. 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...
director Ronny Yu
Ronny Yu
Ronny Yu Yan-Tai is a Hong Kong director, producer, and movie writer. Yu was born in Hong Kong and graduated from Ohio University. He has worked on both Hong Kong and American films.- Career :...
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.
Early career
Long before Kirzinger took over the role of Jason Voorhees from Kane HodderKane 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...
, he had ties to Friday the 13th. He appeared in 1989's Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan is a slasher film released on July 28, 1989. It is the eighth film in the Friday the 13th film series, and deals with Jason Voorhees stalking a group of high school graduates on a ship en route to New York City, and was the last film in the series...
as a New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
cook who gets in Jason's way while pursuing Rennie Wickham (Jensen Daggett
Jensen Daggett
Jensen Daggett is an American film and television actress. Standing 5' 6", she performed as a comedic and dramatic actress.-Biography:After studying theater at Agoura High School in in Agoura Hills, California, Daggett moved to Los Angeles after her 18th birthday to study at the Stella Adler...
) and Sean Robertson (Scott Reeves
Scott Reeves
Gregory Scott Reeves is an American actor and country music singer. He is known for his role as Ryan McNeil on The Young and the Restless and for his role as Dr...
). 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.
Stunt scenes
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.TV shows
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
Movies
The Santa Claus 2,Insomnia
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
,
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
Movies for television with stunt performance credits
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.
Personal life
His brother Dave Kirzinger played for the Calgary StampedersCalgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
from 1978 to 1986.
His known friends are Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
, who co-starred with him in Freddy vs Jason as Freddy Krueger
Freddy Krueger
Frederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
, and 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...
, 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.