Ari Lehman

---

title: "Ari Lehman" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["living-people", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "musicians-from-brooklyn", "male-actors-from-brooklyn", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "1963-births", "american-founders", "jewish-american-film-people", "jewish-american-male-actors", "jewish-heavy-metal-musicians", "jewish-punk-rock-musicians"] description: "American actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_Lehman" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actor ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Ari Lehman
image	Ari Lehman Photo Op Nightmare Weekend Cleveland 2025.jpg
caption	Lehman in 2025
birth_date
birth_place	Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
notable_works	Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th (1980)
occupation
years_active	1978–present
::

| name = Ari Lehman | image = Ari Lehman Photo Op Nightmare Weekend Cleveland 2025.jpg | image_size = | caption = Lehman in 2025 | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States | notable_works = Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th (1980) | other_names = | occupation = | years_active = 1978–present Ari Lehman (born May 2, 1965) is an American performing artist, composer and actor. He is known for playing the child Jason Voorhees in the Paramount horror film Friday the 13th, becoming the first actor to portray the horror film icon. As of 2018, Lehman performs in a punk rock/heavy metal band, First Jason.

Biography

A native New Yorker, Ari Lehman grew up in Westport, Connecticut, where he trained in Classical Music and Jazz Piano. Lehman was presented with an All-State Award for Excellence in Jazz Piano and a scholarship to Berklee School of Music by jazz educator, Dr. Billy Taylor.

Lehman heard about an audition being held in Westport for the movie, "Manny's Orphans", about a group of inner-city orphans who play soccer, directed by Sean S. Cunningham. Lehman snuck into the audition and landed the role of "Roger". This role led to Lehman getting the call to play Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th from Sean S. Cunningham. "For his audition Lehman was asked one key question by the director, ‘Can you swim?’"

After the release of Friday the 13th, Lehman returned to New York City, where he enrolled at New York University and concentrated on Big Band Orchestration and Jazz Piano, "where he studied with the likes of Vladimir Shafranov". Lehman's career led him to become a keyboardist for artists of Reggae and African music of the time, with whom he toured throughout the US, Europe and West Africa, and recorded with at Tuff Gong Records and Interscope Records.

Lehman went on to form his own world rock and reggae band Ari Ben Moses Band, and gained acclaim when, upon moving to Chicago in late 2002, he was contacted by horror fans who invited him to attend an East Coast horror convention. Lehman then created First Jason, a punk metal band specifically for horror fans, especially the fans of Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th.

Film career

Lehman made his film debut in Sean S. Cunningham's film Manny's Orphans. He then played the role of a child Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th, appearing in Pamela Voorhees's flashback and Alice Hardy's dream – the final scene of the horror film.

Lehman also appears in archive footage, uncredited, in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984).

Music career

In 2004, Lehman formed his punk metal band whose name, First Jason, is based upon his role as Jason Voorhees. First Jason has independently released two albums: Jason is Watching! (2009), with Chuck Lescewicz "Nefarious" from Chicago death metal band Macabre playing bass, and Amit Shamir "Cleaver" from New York hardcore punk band Cro-Mags on drums; and "Heed My Warning,"(2013), described by Uber Rock (UK) as "a brand of thinking man's horror-themed rock." In 2019, he performed vocals for the acoustic version of the song Thank God It's Friday from Ice Nine Kills album The Silver Scream Final Cut.

Lehman has also composed, performed and recorded a number of soundtracks for independent films, including Alexia Anastasio's critically acclaimed all-female "Salome", and Vamp Films "Vampire the Movie", "which won the 2007 Rondo Award for Best Independent Feature."

Filmography

::data[format=table]

Title	Year	Role	Notes/ref	Manny's Orphans	Friday the 13th	ThanXgiving	Three Thug Mice	Hell-ephone	Terror Overload	His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th	Night On Has Been Mountain	The Girl	House of Forbidden Secrets	Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th	Easter Sunday	The Wicked One	Pi Day Die Day	The Barn	Camp Killer	Rock Paper Dead	The Lurker
1978	Roger	last1=Vosseller	first1=Bob	title=Jason Voorhees Visits Ocean County	url=https://www.jerseyshoreonline.com/southern-ocean/jason-voorhees-visits-ocean-county/	work=Jersey Shore Online	date=7 April 2023}}Also distributed under the name Kick
1980	Jason Voorhees	Horror feature film
2006	Delbert Eaton
2008	voiceover	Animated short
2008	Professor/Circuit Maker
2009	Ray Rae	url=http://anythinghorror.com/2010/03/26/horror-spotlight-jason-stephenson-and-nfts-productions/	title=Horror Spotlight: Jason Stephenson and NFTS Productions	work=AnythingHorror Central}}
2009	Himself	url=http://backwoodshorror.com/?s=his+name+was+jason	title=» Search Results » his name was jason	work=backwoodshorror.com}}
2010	Invisible Man
2011	The Man
2013	Building Crewman
2013	Himself	Documentary film
2014	Postman
2014	Count Creepy
2016	Principal Hayward	url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/145273/pi-day-die-day/	title=Pi Day Die Day Stalking Soon!	work=Dread Central	date=January 6, 2016}}
2016	Rock	Horror feature film
2016	Joe	url= http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/109253/original-jason-ari-lehman-cast-in-slasher-throwback-camp-killer/	work=Dread Central	date=June 26, 2015	title=Original Jason Ari Lehman Cast in Slasher Throwback Camp Killer}}
2017	Jason	Horror feature film
2019	Dr. Stratton	Horror feature film
::

References

References

1. "F13 Hall of Fame: Ari Lehman – Friday the 13th: The Website". fridaythe13thfilms.com.
2. "FIRSTJASON. – Monster Metal from Ari Lehman, the First Jason Voorhees". firstjason.com.
3. Gaz E. "Ari Lehman – FIRSTJASON". Über Röck-Kick Ass Rock N Roll.
4. "Exit 18 – Westport CT 06880 :: Staples High School Class of 1980". exit18.com.
5. Kat,"Interview with Ari Lehman (Young Jason Voorhees, Friday The 13th)", Camp Blood, May 20, 2004, http://www.campblood.net/Interviews/ariinterview.htm
6. Sean S. Cunningham (Foreword), Peter M. Bracke(Author),"Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of "Friday the 13th" Hardcover" Titan Books Ltd; 1st Titan Ed edition (Oct 20, 2006), {{ISBN. 1845763432
7. Norman, Jason, "Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene with Today's Horror Actors", 2015 {{ISBN. 978-0-7864-7986-3
8. "The Men Who Were Jason Voorhees". freddyinspace.com.
9. Majek Fashek & The Prisoners of Conscience- Spirit of Love CD (Interscope Records, 1991) and "Rainmaker" (Tuff Gong, 1997)
10. "Oy!Chicago – 8 Questions for Ari Lehman, a Slash from the Past". oychicago.com.
11. Kat, "Interview with Ari Lehman (Young Jason Voorhees, Friday The 13th)", Camp Blood, May 20, 2004, http://www.campblood.net/Interviews/ariinterview.htm
12. "Interview: Ari Lehman (Jason Voorhees, Friday The 13th 1980)". Friday The 13th: The Film Franchise.
13. Kawin, Bruce F., Horror and the Horror Film 2012,(Page 145) Anthem Press {{ISBN. 9780857284501
14. Hanisch, Julian, "Disrupted Relief" (p. 139) "Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers: The Aesthetic Paradox of Pleasurable Fear (Routledge Advances in Film Studies)" Routledge; Reprint edition (April 23, 2012), {{ISBN. 978-0415516570
15. "Friday the 13th—Frightful Facts". houseofhorrors.com.
16. (October 25, 2023). "Actor Ari Lehman, who was first to portray Jason Voorhees in original 'Friday the 13th,' to meet with fans in Northeast Ohio". wkyc.com.
17. Michael Reuben. "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com.
18. "Friday the 13th Part 4 :The Final Chapter – Main Cast & Crew". realmofhorror.co.uk.
19. (13 October 2023). "Friday the 13th: Why Can't Jason Voorhees Be Killed?". [[Comic Book Resources.
20. (January 26, 2011). "Interview with Ari Lehman". mediamikes.com.
21. "The Original Jason Voorhees and Friends Ready to Hit the Road". thesop.org.
22. "Walter Garces :: Los Angeles Drum Guru". drum-guru.com.
23. Gaz E. "First Jason – 'Heed My Warning' (Self Released)". Über Röck-Kick Ass Rock N Roll.
24. "2009 WIFF". angaelica.com.
25. (March 2, 2019). "Underground Comes to VOD". undergroundfilmjournal.com.
26. Steve Barton."Today (12/11/10) is Vampira’s Birthday; Watch an Exclusive Music Video Premiere,"Dread Central, December 2010, http://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/21207/today-12-11-10-is-vampira-s-birthday-watch-an-exclusive-music-video-premiere/
27. "Vampira: The Movie news archive". vampirathemovie.com.
28. Sifu, Scott "2007 Rondo Hatton Award Winners Announced-Best Independent Production: Vampira the Movie", March 14, 2008, Dread Central, http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/6537/2007-rondo-hatton-award-winners-announced/
29. "Ari Lehman accepts Rondo Award at WonderFest, July 19, 2008", Vampire the Movie: A Film By Kevin Sean Michaels website, http://www.vampirathemovie.com/gallery.php
30. (7 April 2023). "Jason Voorhees Visits Ocean County". Jersey Shore Online.
31. "First Jason actor Ari Lehman cast as lead in new flick The Wicked One". Friday The 13th: The Film Franchise.
32. Barton, Steve."Coming This Fall...More Holiday Terror on ThanXgiving", Dread Central, May 7, 2010, http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/17235/coming-this-fall-more-holiday-terror-on-thanxgiving/
33. "Year of the Rat", HEEB Magazine, April 15, 2008, http://heebmagazine.com/year-of-the-rat-2/1138
34. ""Hell-ephone" (2008) Review |".
35. "Horror Spotlight: Jason Stephenson and NFTS Productions". AnythingHorror Central.
36. "» Search Results » his name was jason". backwoodshorror.com.
37. "Ari Lehman".
38. "Night on Has Been Mountain". rottentomatoes.com.
39. "House of Forbidden Secrets". bdproductionsllc.com.
40. "Twisted Central: The House of Forbidden Secrets Begins Premiere Tour Across America". twistedcentral.com.
41. "Ari Lehman".
42. "First Jason Ari Lehman Stars In 'Easter Sunday'". Friday The 13th: The Film Franchise.
43. (April 9, 2014). "A New Killer Arrives on Easter Sunday". Dread Central.
44. (January 6, 2016). "Pi Day Die Day Stalking Soon!". Dread Central.
45. (June 26, 2015). "Original Jason Ari Lehman Cast in Slasher Throwback Camp Killer". Dread Central.
46. (4 March 2017). "First Trailer for Tom Holland’s Rock, Paper, Dead". The Horror Entertainment Magazine.
47. (29 November 2021). "What Jason Voorhees From The Original Friday The 13th Looks Like Today". Looper.
48. (18 March 2020). "The Lurker Trailer Brings a New Slasher to Digital This April". MovieWeb.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::