C. J. Graham is an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who became known for playing

Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a character (arts), character from the Friday the 13th (franchise), ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in ''Friday the 13th (1980 film), Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Pamel ...

in the sixth installment of the ''Friday the 13th'' film series, '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives''.

Career

A 6'3" former

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

owner, he was spotted as a potential Jason Voorhees for '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' when he was playing Jason in a night club act, impressing the casting people who were in search of a new Jason since the current Jason actor

Dan Bradley Dan Bradley is an American stunt coordinator and second unit film director. He has worked on '' Independence Day'', ''Spider-Man 2'', ''Spider-Man 3'', ''The Bourne Supremacy'', '' The Bourne Ultimatum'', ''Superman Returns'', ''Indiana Jones and ...

was not coming across as imposing or powerful as they had hoped for. He played Jason in all scenes and stunts except for the Paintball scene which they had already filmed with Bradley which marks the third instance of two actors portraying Jason in the same film. Graham reprised this role in the video for

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

's " He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)", which was written for and featured in the film which blends footage from the film with some new footage. As of 2017, Graham has only played one other role – he appeared in the horror film ''

Highway to Hell ''Highway to Hell'' is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979. It was the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who would die early the following year on 19 February 1980. Background By 1978 ...

'' as the main antagonist, a heavily made-up, silent monster called the Hell Cop. As of 2010, Graham is the VP of casino operations at Thunder Valley Casino in

Lincoln, California Lincoln is a city in Placer County, California, United States, part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. Located in an area of rapid suburban development, it grew 282.1 percent between 2000 and 2010, making it the fastest-growing city over 10,000 ...

. This is similar to

Heather Langenkamp Heather Elizabeth Langenkamp (born July 17, 1964) is an American actress. She is considered an influential figure in horror films and in popular culture, noted for her acting in several works of the genre and her behind-the-scenes work coordinat ...

(of ''

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp ...

'' fame) and

Richard Brooker Richard Brooker (20 November 1954 – 8 April 2013) was a British actor and stuntman, perhaps best known for his role in ''Friday the 13th Part III'' as Jason Voorhees. Career Brooker, a former trapeze artist, started his career in acting in a c ...

(of ''

Friday the 13th Part III ''Friday the 13th Part III'' is a 1982 American slasher film directed by Steve Miner, produced by Frank Mancuso Jr., and starring Dana Kimmell, Paul Kratka, and Richard Brooker. It is the third installment in the ''Friday the 13th'' franchise. S ...

'' fame), who are both full-time business owners and part-time actors. He has been known to speak highly of his time as Jason, even claiming that he would reprise the role in another film if asked. Graham is currently the COO of the Ague Caliente Spa Resort and Casino in Rancho Mirage, California. According to an online interview with

Kane Hodder Kane Warren Hodder (born April 8, 1955)According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905–1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com is an Americ ...

, the actor who played Jason directly after Graham had, Graham actually had a chance to reprise the role of Jason years later in 2003 when the long-awaited film ''

Freddy vs. Jason ''Freddy vs. Jason'' is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu and written by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. It is a Crossover (fiction), crossover between the A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), ''A ...

'' went into production and the producers of that film were searching for a new actor to play Jason; having decided to exclude Hodder after the four movies he had done as the iconic hockey-mask killer with supposed reasons ranging from his height compared to

Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. Class ...

, the actor who portrayed

Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit ...

in that film, to the producers simply wanting to try something different with Jason. Graham's agent wanted him to audition for the role again but Graham, both being a good friend of Hodder and feeling like the New Line producers were treating him unfairly with the re-casting decision, wanted no part in it. Ultimately, the role went to Canadian stuntman

Ken Kirzinger Kenneth Kirzinger (born November 4, 1959) is a Canadian actor and stuntman best known for his portrayals of Jason Voorhees in ''Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003), Pa in '' Wrong Turn 2: Dead End'' (2007) and Rusty Nail in '' Joy Ride 3: Roadkill'' (2014) ...

. Graham commonly visits horror conventions and loves to meet his fans and sign autographs.

Filmography

* '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986) as

(All scenes except the "Paintball Scene") * '' He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)'' (1986) as

(Archive footage from "Jason Lives" and some new footage) * ''

'' (1992) as Sergeant Bedlam, Hellcop * ''

13 Fanboy ''13 Fanboy'' is a 2021 American meta-slasher film directed by Deborah Voorhees and written and produced by her and Joel Paul Reisig. The film focuses on numerous actors that starred in a popular slasher film franchise who find themselves as the ...

'' (2021) as

himself A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers to another noun or pronoun (its antecedent) within the same sentence. In the English language specifically, a reflexive pronoun will end in ''-self'' or ''-selves'', and refer to a previously n ...

References

External links

The Home of CJ Graham
(official site) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, C.J. American male film actors Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)