Peter Jason's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Deadwood Con Stapleton Mike Hammer, Private Eye Capt. Skip … For Love and Honor Jim Pamerance

Main Movie Roles 2010 - How to Make Love to a Woman 2008 - Milk 2008 - The Man Who Came Back 2007 - Moving McAllister 2006 - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 2005 - Kicking & Screaming 2004 - Surviving Christmas 2004 - Employee of the Month 2004 - Hair High 2003 - Detonator 2003 - Seabiscuit 2002 - Run for the Money 2002 - Undisputed 2002 - Adaptation. 2002 - 13th Child 2001 - Ghosts of Mars 1997 - Dante's Peak 1996 - Escape from L.A. 1996 - The Glimmer Man 1995 - Mortal Kombat 1995 - Wild Bill 1995 - Congo 1994 - In the Mouth of Madness 1990 - Arachnophobia 1990 - Marked for Death 1990 - The Hunt for Red October 1989 - Johnny Handsome 1988 - Sunset 1988 - They Live 1988 - Red Heat 1988 - Alien Nation 1987 - Prince of Darkness 1986 - Heartbreak Ridge 1985 - Brewster's Millions 1984 - The Karate Kid 1984 - Angel 1984 - Oxford Blues 1984 - Streets of Fire 1984 - Impulse 1984 - Dreamscape 1982 - Butterfly 1982 - 48 Hrs. 1981 - Mommie Dearest 1980 - The Long Riders 1978 - The Driver 1970 - Rio Lobo

BIOGRAPHY:

Excellent, prolific and versatile character actor Peter Jason was born on July 22, 1944, in Hollywood, CA, and grew up in Balboa. He attended Newport Beach Elementary School, Horace Ensign Junior High and Newport Harbor High School. He originally planned on being a football player, but fell in love with acting after playing the lead in a high school production of "The Man Who Came to Dinner." Following his high school graduation he attended Orange Coast Junior College and did a season of summer stock at the Peterborough Playhouse in New Hampshire. He then studied as a drama major at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, PA. More stage work followed with the acting group the South Coast Repertory Company. He made his film debut in Howard Hawks' final film, Rio Lobo (1970) (which Jason says is one of his favorites). He worked with Orson Welles on the uncompleted The Other Side of the Wind (1972) as an actor, boom operator, prop man and even cook for the cast and crew. Jason has appeared in many films for director Walter Hill (I); he's especially memorable as the racist redneck bartender in 48 Hrs. (1982). He has also appeared in many films for director John Carpenter (I): he's very engaging as the jolly Dr. Paul Leahy in Prince of Darkness (1987) and was terrific as underground guerrilla army leader Gilbert in They Live (1988). Other notable roles include a sinister government agent in Dreamscape (1984), rugged Maj. G.F. Devin in Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge (1986), jerky detective Fedorchuk in Alien Nation (1988), a newspaper reporter in Seabiscuit (2003) and the U.S. president in Alien Apocalypse (2005) (TV). Jason recently had a recurring role as dissolute gambler Con Stapleton in the superbly gritty cable Western TV series "Deadwood" (2004). He also had a regular part as Capt. Skip Gleason on "Mike Hammer, Private Eye" (1997). Among the many TV shows Peter has done guest spots on are "Desperate Housewives" (2004), "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (1996), "Nash Bridges" (1996), "Coach" (1989), "The Golden Girls" (1985), "Murder, She Wrote" (1984), "Married with Children" (1987), "Roseanne" (1988), "Dear John" (1988), "Quantum Leap" (1989), "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" (1993), "B.J. and the Bear" (1979), "The Incredible Hulk" (1978), "Gunsmoke" (1955) and "Hawaii Five-O" (1968). In addition to his substantial film and TV show credits, Jason has acted in over 150 plays and hundreds of TV commercials. An accomplished baritone vocalist, Jason has sung in such musical stage productions as "The Music Man" (this is one of his favorite plays), "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off," "The Roar of the Greasepaint" and "Threepenny Opera" (as Mack the Knife). He's been married to his wife Eileen for 33 years. In his spare time he makes his own furniture with found, recycled wood.


TRIVIA:

• He has appeared in 12 'Walter Hill (I)' (qv) films.
• Is frequently cast by director 'John Carpenter (I)' (qv). Some of his more notable appearances in Carpenter films are _Prince of Darkness (1987)_ (qv), _They Live (1988)_ (qv), _In the Mouth of Madness (1994)_ (qv), _Village of the Damned (1995)_ (qv), _Escape from L.A. (1996)_ (qv) and _Ghosts of Mars (2001)_ (qv).