Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film
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Jason James Richter (born January 29, 1980, Medford, Oregon)[1] is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his role in the Free Willy film series as Jesse, the boy who befriends Willy the orca.[1]
Richter was born on January 29, 1980, in Medford, Oregon,[1] the son of Sandra "Sandy" Montgomery, an actress, and Gregory Lynn Richter, who was in the U.S. Navy. At the age of 3, he and his family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where a Japanese casting agency discovered him and signed him up for three TV spots. In 1989, his family moved back to the mainland, settling in San Diego, California.[citation needed]
Richter starred as Jesse in Free Willy (1993), a role for which he was chosen out of more than 4,000 candidates.[2]
His other films include Cops & Robbersons, The NeverEnding Story III, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Laserhawk, Free Willy 3: The Rescue, and The Setting Son. He also reprised his role as Jesse in the music video for Michael Jackson's "Childhood", which was featured in Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home. In 2021, he appeared in the thriller The Little Things, his first studio film since the Free Willy films. Between the Free Willy roles, he had TV guest roles on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Rugrats and The Client.
Following his appearance in Ricochet River, Richter took a decade long hiatus from acting where he was the guitarist and bassist for Blue Root and Fermata, respectively.[3]
| Title | Year | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Willy | 1993
|
Jesse | Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film − (tied with Edward Furlong for A Home of Our Own) Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss − (shared with Keiko) Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance |
| Cops and Robbersons | 1994
|
Kevin Robberson | |
| The NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia | Bastian | ||
| Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | 1995
|
Jesse | |
| Laserhawk | 1997
|
Zach Raymond | |
| Free Willy 3: The Rescue | Jesse | ||
| The Setting Son | Big Bully | ||
| Ricochet River | 1998
|
Wade | |
| Tekken | 2009
|
Bonner's Associate | Additionally served as assistant director |
| Inhumane | 2015
|
Dr. Aaron Graybor | |
| Vicious | Jeff | Additionally serving as producer | |
| High and Outside | 2016
|
Johnny | |
| 3 Solitude | 2017
|
Elliot | |
| Last Rampage | Officer Ketchum | as Jason Richter | |
| The Brawler | 2019
|
John Olson | |
| The Little Things | 2021
|
Detective Williams | |
| Last Call | Saville |
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movie Magic | 1995
|
Himself | Episode: "Aqua Animatronics" |
| The Client | 1996
|
Chris Love | Episode: "The Morning After" |
| Sabrina the Teenage Witch | 1997
|
Dante | Episode: "Dante's Inferno" |
| Rugrats | Ringo the Bull | Episode: "He Saw, She Saw/Piggy's Pizza Palace" | |
| Mega Movie Magic | 2001
|
Himself (archive footage) | Episode: "Free Willy 2/Independence Day" |
| Bones | 2009
|
Clown No. 2 | as Jason Richter; Episode: "Double Trouble in the Panhandle" |
| Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior | 2011
|
Matthew Keane | Episode: "Nighthawk" |
| Life's a Pitch | 2014
|
Jimmy | TV movie |
| Year | Title | Role | Artist | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1995
|
"Childhood" | Jesse | Michael Jackson | Nicholas Brandt |
2018
|
"Pink Honey" | Tall Man | Houses | Brook Linder |
Additional credits
