Derek Mears (born April 29, 1972) is an American actor and stuntman. Often appearing in horror and science-fiction titles, he came to prominence for portraying Jason Voorhees in the 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th. His film roles also include The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007), Predators (2010), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013), and Alita: Battle Angel (2019). On television, he played the title character on the DC Universe series Swamp Thing (2019).
Derek Mears | |
|---|---|
 Mears in 2024 | |
| Born | April 29, 1972 Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse | Jennifer Flack (2008-2012) |
Life and career
editMears was born on April 29, 1972, in Bakersfield, California. He performed improv comedy at ComedySportz in Bakersfield. He graduated from Highland High School in Bakersfield in 1990.[1] Early on in life, Mears had a severe case of the auto-immune disease alopecia, causing him to lose almost all his body hair.[2]
Mears has numerous credits both as a stuntman and as an actor. He had minor roles in The Tick, ER, Alias, Nash Bridges, Men in Black II, The Shield, CSI: NY, My Name Is Earl, Mr. & Mrs Smith, CSI: Miami, Community, and The Hills Have Eyes 2. His stunt credits include the films Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Blades of Glory, and TV series such as Angel and Bones.
Mears had his breakthrough lead role in the 2009 Friday the 13th film. He was recommended to the producers, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form of Platinum Dunes, by make-up and special effects guru Scott Stoddard, who created the new look for Mears' character, Jason Voorhees. Due to Mears' height at 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) he is one of the tallest actors who have portrayed Jason, beside Ken Kirzinger, who stands at a similar height to Mears. He was nominated for an MTV Movie Award in the category for Best Villain for his portrayal of Voorhees, but lost to Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Mears did a lot of research on child development to flesh out the role of Camp Crystal Lake's notorious resident serial killer:
In the script, Jason watches his mother die in front of him. So I did research on, when you're that age how do your cognitive processes happen? How is the child supposed to be developing? I found out that at that age you're starting to be integrating into society, whether it's through group sports or group activities so that you find out you're not alone. I discovered that he missed that aspect. He was already an outcast from society for looking different and being disfigured, and his only connection to love and reality is his mother.[3]
He is contracted to return for either another Friday the 13th sequel or another film by Platinum Dunes.[4] If Mears reprises his role as Jason, he will be only the second person to portray the character more than once, next to Kane Hodder.[5][6] He portrayed a Predator[7] in the 2010 science fiction horror film sequel Predators.[8]
Mears appeared in Ultraforce 2 on the Superego podcast. He also appeared in the American sitcom Community in the episode "Romantic Expressionism". He appeared as a zombie, credited as "Master-at-Arms", in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.[9][10]
Mears appeared with other horror actor Tyler Mane of Rob Zombie's Halloween in Compound Fracture.[11]
On June 5, 2013, it was reported that Warner Bros. had relinquished their film rights to the Friday the 13th series to Paramount as part of a deal that allowed Warner Bros. to co-produce Interstellar.[12] One week later, Mears revealed that Paramount was working with Platinum Dunes to make a new installment "as fast as possible".[13]
In a series of adverts for the insurance company Direct Line shown in 2021, Mears portrayed the character RoboCop.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Demolitionist | Chuck 'Chuck X' | |
| 1999 | Wild Wild West | 'Metal Head' / Stunts | |
| 2003 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Cursed crew member | |
| 2004 | The Shield | Crazyhouse | TV series (one episode) |
| E.R. | Joseph | TV series (one episode) | |
| 2005 | Cursed | Werewolf | Minor role |
| Zathura: A Space Adventure | Lead Zorgon | ||
| 2006 | The Hills Have Eyes | Larry | |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Assistant of Davy Jones | ||
| Pro-Life | The Father | ||
| 2007 | Blades of Glory | Josh | Cameo |
| The Hills Have Eyes 2 | Chameleon | Minor role | |
| 2008 | Semi-Pro | Himself | |
| Resident Evil: Degeneration | Curtis Miller/G | ||
| 2009 | Friday the 13th | Jason Voorhees | Lead role |
| His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2010 | Predators | Classic Predator | Lead role |
| 2010–2011 | Community | Kickpuncher | Episodes: "Intro to Political Science" "Romantic Expressionism" |
| 2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Master-at-Arms | |
| Arena | Brutus Jackson | ||
| 2013 | Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters | Edward | |
| Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters | Cyclops | ||
| Truth In Journalism | Bullseye | ||
| Hatchet III | Tyler Hawes | ||
| 2013 | Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th | Himself | Documentary film |
| 2013–2014 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Irate Fan / Executioner / Mr. Hellman | Episodes: "Pee Wee Herman Wears a Halloween Costume" "Patton Oswalt Wears a Black Blazer & Dress Shoes" "Lizzy Caplan Wears All Black & Powder Blue Espadrilles" |
| 2013 | Grimm | Krampus | Episode: Twelve Days of Krampus |
| 2014 | Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead | Stavarin | |
| Mighty Med | Catastrophe | Episode: There's a Storm Coming | |
| Lost Time | Mr. Elliot | PsyTerror / Aliens | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dojo Ninja | ||
| 2015 | Freaks of Nature | Wolf | |
| 2016 | Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping | Limo Driver | |
| Live by Night | Donnie Gishler | ||
| Red vs. Blue | Ruben Lozano | Voice (web series); Episodes: "Call" "Consequences" | |
| RWBY | Corsac Albain | Voice; Web series Episode: "Menagerie" | |
| Phantasm: Ravager | Tall Dwarf | Deleted Scene | |
| 2017 | From Jennifer | Butch Valentine | |
| Twin Peaks | Renzo | TV series | |
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Kree Captain | Episode: "Orientation: Part 1" | |
| 2018 | The Flash | Sylbert Rundine / Dwarfstar | Episodes: "Honey I Shrunk Team Flash" "True Colors" |
| 2019 | Alita: Battle Angel | Romo | |
| Swamp Thing[14] | Swamp Thing | Main role | |
| 2020 | Legends of Tomorrow | Cameo, "Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 5" | |
| 2022 | The Guardians of Justice | Awesome Man | TV series |
| 2024 | 'Salem's Lot | Hubert Marsten | [15] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Villain | Friday the 13th | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture ((shared with the stunt cast) | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Herb Benham: Local actor plays lead role in new "Friday the 13th"". The Bakersfield Californian. February 12, 2009. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- ^ Price, Jason (May 1, 2009). "David Mears: Beyond The Mask". Icon vs. Icon. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Friday the 13th: Derek Mears". SuicideGirls.com. February 13, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- ^ "Reflecting back on a killer weekend, can you say sequel?". Archived from the original on November 16, 2011.
- ^ "Date Set for Sequel to Friday the 13th Remake". May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Derek Mears talks FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 status". Fangoria. Archived from the original on October 21, 2009.
- ^ "Nimrod Antal's Predators Identified". July 17, 2012.
- ^ "More Official Stills of Derek Mears as the Classic Predator in Predators". September 25, 2012.
- ^ Chainsaw, Mr. "Exclusive Interview: Derek Mears". www.FromDuskTillCon.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
- ^ "See Derek Mears as a Zombie in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' Trailer!". Bloody-Disgusting.com. December 14, 2010.
- ^ "Official Poster For 'Compound Fracture', Starring Derek Mears and Tyler Mane - Bloody Disgusting". Bloody-Disgusting.com. March 20, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
- ^ Warner Bros. Gives Up 'Friday the 13th' Rights to Board Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar', The Hollywood Reporter
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Platinum Dunes Partnering With Paramount For 'Friday The 13th' Sequel!!!". June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
- ^ Squires, John (September 11, 2018). "Derek Mears Has Been Cast as the Creature in DC's "Swamp Thing" Series!". Bloody Disgusting.
- ^ Navarro, Meagan (October 4, 2024). "MoviesGary Dauberman's Initial 'Salem's Lot' Cut Was 3 Hours Long and Included Marsten House Opening". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 5, 2024.