Actor spotlight - John D LeMay

 Actor spotlight - John D LeMay

I decided to set up a new post I'll do every once in a while which spotlights certain actors and actresses on why exactly I love them so much and love watching whatever they appeared in over the years.

This time around I decided to pick an actor who is very near and dear to my heart. This is actor John D LeMay.

I'm sure I speak for many when I saw I first saw John in Jason Goes To Hell The Final Friday, which had that iconic VHS cover of the steel Jason mask in front of flames with a worm monster slithering out of. This was a sequel so many fans love to hate, and is still often augured among horror fans on the topic if this sequel was the right or wrong direction being the first out of the film series to be released in the 1990's. For me, along with others, this is a guilty pleasure we can't help but love. A film that was much better than Jason Takes Manhattan, and a million times better than Jason X, Freddy Vs. Jason, and the hated remake released in 2009. I still remember renting this movie and somehow loving it dispite how different it was than the pervious films. In fact I down right screamed as a child when I watched the ending shot of the movie, which in my eyes after Evil Dead II is one of the greatest endings to a horror movie ever. If it wasn't for Jason Goes To Hell...there would never be a Freddy Vs. Jason. John D LeMay played Steven, the likeable lead who wore glasses and a high school letterman jacket even though he clearly was in his late 20's/early 30's. Unlike any other Friday the 13th movie. Jason Goes To Hell had adults fighting Jason, not teenagers. Steven was a flawed character, with a huge backstory with the female lead, and was goofy, yet likeable. In fact, he's the only one who seriously went head to head with Jason in a fist fight and won! 

Yet, but I know John from, along with so many fans is playing Ryan Dallion from Friday the 13th the series. Yep, that's right, there was a TV series called Friday the 13th the series that fan from 1987 to 1990 and had NOTHING to do with Camp Crystal Lake or Jason. In fact the show told the story of two distant cousins who take over their uncle's antique store after his sudden death, only to learn that every single object in the store has been cursed by the devil. Here the two cousins, Micki Foster, and Ryan Dallion must track down every single object before more people get killed.

I think it's pretty clear how much I adore this show, John D LeMay played Ryan Dallion for the first two seasons before leaving the show in 1990 right when the third season started off. Sadly due to D LeMay's character leaving, along with a new time slot the show got low rattings and was cancled. Friday the 13th the series has a strong following from fans who love the show dispite the fact it has the Friday the 13th name, and has zero to do with the hockey masked wearing killer. Ahead of it's time, the show featured demons, witches, werewolfs, ghouls, killer dolls, and ghosts. The series had some truly amazing episodes, and featured a very talented cast in which D LeMay was the key element on why the show worked. The character of Ryan Dallion was a young art school drop out who comes to the store in hopes of starting a new life. Between his odd fashion sense, adorable smile, and endless love for his cousin Micki, Ryan proved to not only be the hero of the show, but pretty much the most perfect man ever.

Sadly wanting to move on, D LeMay left the show which only lasted half another season before ending. Ryan's character was replaced with a love intrest for Micki named Johnny, but the charm never felt the same. In fact, in the later episodes of season 2 I still believe the writers were learning towards a relationship between Ryan and Micki (they were second cousins remember!) With a very powerful ending to his character, D LeMay went on to appear on several televsion shows, before appearing in Jason Goes To Hell. One of the few actors who appeared on the show and in a film based off the Friday the 13th series. D LeMay moved on working in theather, and is a very talented actor, artist, and family man. Besides two small convention appearances, John has YET to appear at any more shows. I've said it once, and I'll say it again...the day I meet that man I'm going to be beyond star struck. In fact, I might even throw up.

= Not kidding.

John appeared in a few episodes of the Twlight Zone back in the 1980's, along with The Facts Of Life. John also is rumored to be in The New Kids, which I'm sorry I've seen that movie ten million times...I've never seen him once in it.

Why is John so speical to me?

I guess it's simple, he played one of my favorite characters even on Friday the 13th the series, which in my eyes, the first two seasons were uetter perfection televsion wise. The fact this man's career never took off still hurts me. I think it's because he really took over the character of Ryan Dallion and made it his own. He was funny, odd, charming, and kind...all rolled into one. I still love all the dark back story they have such a fun loving character, and how devestated he was when he thought Micki had died in one of the episodes. Truly an amazing actor. I mean who else died whenever he gets stabbed in the last episode and tells the little girl to pray for him?

Who had killer fashion sense!

I even named one of my dogs Dallion after John, and always try to sport the Friday the 13th fashion whenever possible. In fact, in one of the books I wrote one of the main characters is even named D LeMay after John.

Yep, I'm a pretty big fan.

John will and always remain my #1 person I would LOVE to meet at a convention. The amount of nerding out that would happen would be insane.

So fingers crossed this guy does more shows! Stacy needs to meet him!