<Tr> <Th> Primary location </Th> <Td> Camp Crystal Lake </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Signature weapon </Th> <Td> Machete </Td> </Tr> <P> Jason Voorhees is the main character from the Friday the 13th series . He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980) as the young son of camp cook - turned - killer Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman . Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S. Cunningham, and Tom Savini, Jason was not originally intended to carry the series as the main antagonist . The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, comic books, and a cross-over film with another iconic horror film character, Freddy Krueger . </P> <P> The character has primarily been an antagonist in the films, whether by stalking and killing the other characters, or acting as a psychological threat to the protagonist, as is the case in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning . Since Lehman's portrayal, the character has been represented by numerous actors and stuntmen, sometimes by more than one at a time; this has caused some controversy as to who should receive credit for the portrayal . Kane Hodder is the best known of the stuntmen to portray Jason Voorhees, having played the character in four consecutive films . </P>

Who played the original jason in friday the 13th