Thom Matthews
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Thomas Mathews (born November 28, 1958) is an American
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
best known for his role as
Tommy Jarvis Tommy Jarvis is a fictional character in the ''Friday the 13th'' franchise. He first appears in '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984) as a child interested in special effects who encounters a seemingly unstoppable slasher—Jason Voorh ...
in the ''Friday the 13th'' franchise—in particular '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986)—and Freddy Hanscom in ''
The Return of the Living Dead ''The Return of the Living Dead'' is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon (in his directorial debut) from a story by Rudy Ricci, John Russo, and Russell Streiner, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, ...
'' (1985). His other film roles include '' Dangerously Close'' (1986), ''
Return of the Living Dead Part II ''Return of the Living Dead Part II'' is a 1988 American comedy horror film written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Michael Kenworthy, Marsha Dietlein, Dana Ashbrook, Thom Mathews, James Karen, and Phil Bruns. It is the first of ...
'' (1988), and ''
Nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...
'' (1992).


Career


Acting and ''Friday the 13th''

Thom Mathews began his acting career in the early 1980s as a
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...
and commercial
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
, starring in national television commercials for
Le Tigre Le Tigre (, ; French for "The Tiger") is an American art punk and riot grrrl band formed by Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill), Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning in 1998 in New York City. Benning left in 2000 and was replaced by JD Samson. ...
, Sprite and
Tostitos Tostitos is a Frito-Lay brand of tortilla chips and accompanying dips, especially salsa and queso. Varieties There are many varieties of Tostitos chips: * Tostitos ''Gold'' (and bite size ''Gold'') - a thicker and larger version of the or ...
. From 1982 to 1984, Mathews guest starred on a string of
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
s including ''
Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Cha ...
'' (1982; 1984), ''
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...
'' (1983) and ''
Paper Dolls ''Paper Dolls'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired for 14 episodes on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 23 to December 25, 1984. Set in New York City, New York's fashion industry, the show centered on top m ...
'' (1984). In 1984, Mathews portrayed Erik in the
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
film '' The Woman in Red'' although he was uncredited. Mathews' first major role was Freddy Hanscom in the 1985
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
''
The Return of the Living Dead ''The Return of the Living Dead'' is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon (in his directorial debut) from a story by Rudy Ricci, John Russo, and Russell Streiner, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, ...
''. The following year, Mathews starred in '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'', being the third actor to portray
Tommy Jarvis Tommy Jarvis is a fictional character in the ''Friday the 13th'' franchise. He first appears in '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984) as a child interested in special effects who encounters a seemingly unstoppable slasher—Jason Voorh ...
after
Corey Feldman Corey Scott Feldman (born July 16, 1971) is an American actor and musician. As a youth, he became well known for his roles in popular 1980s films such as '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984), '' Gremlins'' (1984), '' The Goonies'' (198 ...
and John Shepherd. In 1987, he starred as Francis Kelly in the television film '' The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission''. The same year, Mathews starred in the film ''
Down Twisted ''Down Twisted'' is a 1987 thriller film, directed by Albert Pyun, and starring Carey Lowell, Charles Rocket, Courteney Cox, Norbert Weisser, Linda Kerridge, Trudi Dochtermann and Nicholas Guest. Plot A naïve, good-hearted Los Angeles waitress ...
'' and guest starred on the
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
'' Mr. President''. In 1988, he starred as Joey Hazel in ''
Return of the Living Dead Part II ''Return of the Living Dead Part II'' is a 1988 American comedy horror film written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Michael Kenworthy, Marsha Dietlein, Dana Ashbrook, Thom Mathews, James Karen, and Phil Bruns. It is the first of ...
'' and Charmin' in ''
Alien from L.A. ''Alien from L.A.'' is a 1988 science fiction film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Kathy Ireland as a young woman who visits the underground civilization of Atlantis. The film was featured on ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''. This film is lo ...
''. In 1989, Mathews guest starred on an episode of ''
CBS Summer Playhouse ''CBS Summer Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that ran from June 12, 1987 to August 22, 1989 on CBS. It aired unsold television pilots during the summer season. Overview Tim Reid and Daphne Maxwell Reid acted as hosts during th ...
''. In 1990, Mathews portrayed Tim Murphy in the television film ''
Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...
'', Sonny Hilderbrand in the television pilot ''Sporting Chance'', and David in the film ''Midnight Cabaret''. The following year, Mathews starred in the films ''
Bloodmatch ''Bloodmatch'' is a 1991 martial-arts film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Thom Mathews, Hope Marie Carlton, Marianne Taylor, Vincent Klyn, Michel Qissi, and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Plot The film opens with a man chasing another man. ...
'' and '' Born to Ride'' and the television short ''The Letters from Moab''. In 1992, he starred in the film ''
Nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...
''. In 1994, he portrayed Bill in ''
Kickboxer 4 ''Kickboxer 4'' (stylized on-screen as ''Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor'') is a 1994 American direct-to-video martial arts film directed by Albert Pyun. The film is the fourth entry in the ''Kickboxer'' film series. This was the last film to star Sa ...
'' and Dan Donahue in ''In the Living Years''. The following year, Mathews starred in ''Heatseeker''. The same year, he guest starred on the '' ER'' second season episode "And Baby Makes Two". In 1996, Mathews starred in the television films ''If Looks Could Kill'' and '' Raven Hawk''. Mathews reprised the role of Tommy Jarvis twice in 2017, providing his voice and likeness to the video game '' Friday the 13th: The Game'' and making a cameo appearance in the unofficial
fan film A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. It is a form of fan fiction. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been ...
''Never Hike Alone'' and its 2020 prequel, ''Never Hike in the Snow''. He repeated the role of Tommy Jarvis in 2022 in another unofficial fan film ''Vengeance Part 2: Bloodlines'' and starred in the sequel ''Never Hike Alone 2'', released in October 2023.


Personal life

On May 10, 2014, Mathews married Karla Jensen in
Los Cabos Municipality Los Cabos () is a municipalities of Mexico, municipality located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state, state of Baja California Sur. It encompasses the two towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cab ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. Mathews now owns a construction company, Hammer and Trowel.
Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...
and
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
hired his company to remodel their home during the filming of their
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
reality show ''
The Osbournes ''The Osbournes'' is an American reality television series featuring the domestic life of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and his family—his wife Sharon, their daughter Kelly, and their son Jack. The series premiered on MTV on March 5, 200 ...
''.


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Thom Living people American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors Male actors from Los Angeles Fairfax High School (Los Angeles) alumni 1958 births