Peter Jason was a prolific character actor best known for playing Con Stapleton in “Deadwood,” and for his many appearances in the films of director John Carpenter.
- Died: February 20, 2025 (Who else died on February 20?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 80.
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Peter Jason’s legacy
In a career spanning seven decades, Jason racked up more than 250 credits on television and in movies. Rarely the star, he nevertheless became highly recognizable as he appeared over and over again in our favorite shows and in classic movies.
One of his most notable roles was as Con Stapleton, the card dealer at the No. 1 saloon on “Deadwood.” His character later briefly became the sheriff. Jason appeared in 26 episodes of the acclaimed HBO hit.
Jason was also a regular player in John Carpenter’s movies, beginning with “Prince of Darkness” in 1987. He went on to play a member of the human resistance in Carpenter’s sci-fi cult classic “They Live,” then an ill-fated dad in the director’s “Village of the Damned” remake. His other films for Carpenter included “Body Bags,” “In the Mouth of Madness,” “Escape from L.A.,” and “Ghosts of Mars.”
With a solid start in Carpenter’s films, Jason became a staple of genre movies. He can be seen in “Arachnophobia,” “Alien Nation,” “Congo,” “Dante’s Peak,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” and many other horror and sci-fi films. But his work wasn’t confined to genre films. He played the racist bartender in “48 Hrs.,” a soccer coach in “The Karate Kid,” and a naval commander in “The Hunt for Red October,” among his many movie roles.
On TV, Jason had multi-episode arcs on “Nash Bridges,” “Titus,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Arrested Development,” and “Baskets.” His dozens of other guest appearances included on “Here Come the Brides,” “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “Silver Spoons,” “Remington Steele,” “The Golden Girls,” “Quantum Leap,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Mad Men,” and “NCIS.” He also did voice work, including a memorable role as Sergeant Arch Dornan in the video game “Fallout 2.”
Notable quote
“I like the feedback from somebody who’s watching me, slow it down, speed it up, I like taking direction and I take direction very well. I think that’s one of the reasons they keep calling me back to play with them some more, and I’m a team player. I was a team player in all the sports I played in, I never tried to be the star, the play is the thing, I like to be a worker among workers. I like supporting my fellow actors, both on and off the stage because really, we’re all in this together.” — from a 2019 interview for Geek Chic Elite
Tributes to Peter Jason
Full obituary: Bloody Disgusting
