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Derek Mears
Mears in 2024
Born	(1972-04-29) April 29, 1972 (age 52) Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actor stuntman
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Jennifer Flack (2008-2012)

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).

Life and career

Mears 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. Early on in life, Mears had a severe case of the auto-immune disease alopecia, causing him to lose almost all his body hair.

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.

He is contracted to return for either another Friday the 13th sequel or another film by Platinum Dunes. 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. He portrayed a Predator in the 2010 science fiction horror film sequel Predators.

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.

Mears appeared with other horror actor Tyler Mane of Rob Zombie's Halloween in Compound Fracture.

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. One week later, Mears revealed that Paramount was working with Platinum Dunes to make a new installment "as fast as possible".

In a series of adverts for the insurance company Direct Line shown in 2021, Mears portrayed the character RoboCop.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

1. "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.
2. Price, Jason (May 1, 2009). "David Mears: Beyond The Mask". Icon vs. Icon. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
3. "Friday the 13th: Derek Mears". SuicideGirls.com. February 13, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
4. "Reflecting back on a killer weekend, can you say sequel?". Archived from the original on November 16, 2011.
5. "Date Set for Sequel to Friday the 13th Remake". May 17, 2012.
6. "Derek Mears talks FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 status". Fangoria. Archived from the original on October 21, 2009.
7. "Nimrod Antal's Predators Identified". July 17, 2012.
8. "More Official Stills of Derek Mears as the Classic Predator in Predators". September 25, 2012.
9. Chainsaw, Mr. "Exclusive Interview: Derek Mears". www.FromDuskTillCon.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
10. "See Derek Mears as a Zombie in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' Trailer!". Bloody-Disgusting.com. December 14, 2010.
11. "Official Poster For 'Compound Fracture', Starring Derek Mears and Tyler Mane - Bloody Disgusting". Bloody-Disgusting.com. March 20, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
12. Warner Bros. Gives Up 'Friday the 13th' Rights to Board Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar', The Hollywood Reporter
13. "EXCLUSIVE: Platinum Dunes Partnering With Paramount For 'Friday The 13th' Sequel!!!". June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
14. Squires, John (September 11, 2018). "Derek Mears Has Been Cast as the Creature in DC's "Swamp Thing" Series!". Bloody Disgusting.
15. 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.

External links

• Derek Mears at IMDb
• Interview with Derek Mears at SuicideGirls.com
• FEARnet Interview with Derek Mears

• 1972 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American comedians
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American comedians
• 21st-century American male actors
• American male comedians
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• American stunt performers
• Comedians from California
• Male actors from Bakersfield, California
• People with alopecia universalis