Karate Kid and Deadwood star Peter Jason dies aged 80 as tributes pour in: ‘One of the greats’
Actor Peter Jason has died at the age of 80, with his colleagues confirming his death today.
A cause of death has not yet been revealed for the NCIS star, with Halloween director, John Carpenter, describing him as “one of the great character actors in cinema”.
“Peter Jason, one of the great character actors in cinema, has died,” wrote Carpenter on X.
“His first movie was Howard Hawks’ RIO LOBO. He was a dear friend, and I’ll miss him terribly.”
Carpenter and Jones collaborated on a wide variety of films, including Prince of Darkness, They Live, Body Bags, In the Mouth of Madness, Village of the Damned, Escape from L.A., and Ghosts of Mars.
As well as Deadwood, Jason’s starring roles included The Karate Kid, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Congo, and Mortal Kombat.
With tributes flooding in for the actor, Billy Zane, who starred alongside Jason in the 2008 film The Man Who Came Back, shared a heartfelt tribute paying homage to Jason.
“If there are no words then there certainly is no music. My dear, dear friend, the brightest light, most generous soul and gregarious of men, the supremely talented and kind Peter Jason has left the set.
“Survived by his lovely wife Eileen and his children, the vacuum felt by his passing gut punched me as I saw it coming. It had me spending the last two hours deciding between pieces of music to underscore this tribute that would either confuse, tickle or bore 1/2 of the viewers.
“They ranged from Spike Jones to Morricone. I couldn’t pick one so I chose none.
“All I know is his wake will be widely attended by and teeter somewhere between a Friar’s Roast to a burial at sea befitting an admiral, See you on the back 9 my friend!” he concluded.
Matthew Asner, son of the late actor Ed Asner, took to Facebook to write that he was “heartbroken” over the news.
“My dear friend and my father’s best friend, Peter Jason, passed away today. What a loss He was truly one of the sweetest people on the planet. My heart goes out to his wife and daughter. Peter, I hope you and my dad are up there laughing your a**es off.”
The actor’s other celebrity pals, including Jason Charles Miller, paid tribute as the American singer penned: “You know his face. He’s been in hundreds of movies and shows you’ve seen. Peter Jason. A true working man’s actor if there ever was one.
“A hero of mine, and once, he was even in one of my music videos! They don’t make ‘em like him anymore. Rest easy, my friend.”
Jason was born into the world of Hollywood on July 22, 1944, and was raised in Newport Beach with his family.
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After graduating, the actor attended Orange Coast College and studied drama at Carnegie Mellon University before marking his first TV appearance in 1967.
His first acting role was a humble unnamed duty officer on the TV movie A Bell for Adano, which was an adaptation of the 1944 novel by John Hersey.