Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 9, 2010

Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980), as the son of cook-turned-murderer Mrs. Voorhees, and was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S. Cunningham, and Tom Savini, Jason has primarily been an antagonist in the films, whether by stalking and killing the characters, or acting as a psychological threat to the lead character. Since Lehman's portrayal, the character has been represented by numerous actors and stuntmen, sometimes by more than one at a time. Kane Hodder is the most well known of the stuntmen to portray Jason Voorhees, having played the character in four consecutive films. The character's physical appearance has gone through many transformations, with various special makeup effects artists making their mark on the character's design. Filmmakers have given Jason superhuman strength, regenerative powers, and near invulnerability. He has been seen as a sympathetic character, whose motivation for killing has been cited as driven by the immoral actions of his victims. Jason Voorhees is a highly referenced character in popular culture and his signature hockey mask is a widely recognized image. (more...)

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