Who did Peter Jason play in the Karate Kid? Career explored as Deadwood star passes away at the age of 80
Well-known actor Peter Jason, 80, passed away on February 20, 2025. He was active in the entertainment industry for over fifty years and was known for appearing as a soccer coach in the martial arts drama, The Karate Kid (1984), which led to a big franchise.
As per Variety's February 21 article, a rep from Tribesmen Pictures shared that the cause of death was cancer. The news of Peter Jason’s death was disclosed on social media by personalities who collaborated with him on different projects. One of them was Titanic star Billy Zane, who added some photos of Jason to his Instagram post on Friday.
Zane described Peter Jason as a close friend and that he was a “supremely talented” individual. Billy also wrote:
“Survived by his lovely wife Eileen and his children, the vacuum felt by his passing gut punched me as I saw it coming. It had me spending the last two hours deciding between pieces of music to underscore this tribute that would either confuse, tickle or bore 1/2 of the viewers. They ranged from Spike Jones to Morricone. I couldn’t pick one so I chose none.”
Musician Jason Charles Miller also took to his Facebook page to pay tribute with a black-and-white photo of Peter. Jason stated that Peter was a part of hundreds of films and TV shows and continued:
“A true working man’s actor if there ever was one. A hero of mine, and once, he was even in one of my music videos! In between takes, he kept us all in stitches while he regaled us with tales of crazy directors and crazy adventures. They don’t make ‘em like him anymore.”
Peter Jason worked on stage at the beginning of his career
The Los Angeles, California native received a lot of praise for his appearances in various films and TV shows. One of his notable characters was as Con Stapleton in the HBO series Deadwood for two years.
Peter Jason’s IMDb bio stated that he developed an interest in acting during his time in high school, where he was cast in a play. He later joined an acting group, South Coast Repertory Company. Back in October 2019, he appeared in an interview with Geek Chic Elite, recalling the response to his first performance on stage and said:
“Walking out for my curtain call and they exploded into applause, I was like, I think I like this. (Laughs) It was a different kind of applause, it really was. I was an athlete and my father was a PE teacher and he brought home all the equipment, played with his kids, and I was really good.”
Jason also opened up on how things have changed in the acting industry over the years, saying there was a time when the secretaries used to take charge of everything. He mentioned that he has always loved to work on stage and addressed the reason for the same by saying:
“For me, that’s the most fun for an actor because you’re in charge and you get to read the audience immediately. If they are missing everything you can slow down for them if they’re not getting it you find out immediately and you can change the routine. I mean, stuff happens and you have to deal with it as it happens but you know, I just try to have a good time.”
His first role was as a duty officer in a film titled A Bell of Adano and later portrayed minor characters for episodes in various TV shows, including Daniel Boone, Hawaii Five-0, The Incredible Hulk, The Golden Girls, Herman's Head, Roseanne, Coach, and more.
While Peter Jason had several projects in his credits, he also collaborated with director John Carpenter and was featured in several of his films including Prince of Darkness, Village of the Damned, and more.
Apart from these, Peter had several films in his credits such as Dreamscape, Brewster's Millions, Johnny Handsome, Mortal Kombat, Adaptation, Employee of the Month, Richard III, Queen City, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Peter Jason’s survivors include his wife Eileen Rosaly alongside their children Robin and Andrew. Further updates on his funeral are currently awaited.