Jason James Richter should not be confused with Jason Ritter.
| Jason James Richter | |
| Birth Date: | 29 January 1980 |
| Birth Place: | Medford, Oregon |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1992–present |
| Notable Works: |
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Jason James Richter (born January 29, 1980)[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.
Richter was born on January 29, 1980, in Medford, Oregon, 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.
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, , Laserhawk, , and The Setting Son. He also reprised his role as Jesse in the music video for Michael Jackson's "Childhood", which was featured in . 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 bassist Fermata.[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Free Willy | Jesse | ||
| 1994 | Cops & Robbersons | Kevin Robberson | ||
| 1994 | The NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia | Bastian | ||
| 1995 | Jesse | |||
| 1997 | Jesse | |||
| 1997 | The Setting Son | Big Bully | ||
| 1997 | Laserhawk | Zach Raymond | ||
| 2001 | Ricochet River | Wade | ||
| 2009 | Tekken | Bonner's Associate | Also assistant director | |
| 2013 | The Quiet Loud | Paul | Short film; also director, writer & producer | |
| 2014 | Life's a Pitch | Jimmy | TV film | |
| 2016 | Vicious | Jeff | Also producer | |
| 2017 | Last Rampage | Brawley | Also associate producer | |
| 2017 | 3 Solitude | Elliot | ||
| 2017 | High & Outside: A Baseball Noir | Johnny | ||
| 2018 | Inhumane | Dr. Aaron Graybor | ||
| 2018 | Remember the Sultana | Corporal Erastus Winters/ Corporal William Norton/ Private John Zazier (voice) | ||
| 2018 | 818 | Alex | ||
| 2018 | Driver | Alexander Hutchins | ||
| 2019 | The Brawler | John Olson | ||
| 2019 | Infidelity | Garret Walker | ||
| 2021 | The Little Things | Detective Williams | ||
| 2021 | Last Call | Saville | ||
| 2023 | Natty Knocks | Leo | ||
| 2023 | Nothing to See Here | Daniel | ||
| 2024 | Final Heist |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Movie Magic | Himself | Episode: "Aqua Animatronics" | |
| 1996 | The Client | Chris Love | Episode: "The Morning After" | |
| 1997 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Dante | Episode: "Dante's Inferno" | |
| 1997 | Rugrats | Ringo the Bull | Episode: "He Saw, She Saw/Piggy's Pizza Palace" | |
| 2001 | Mega Movie Magic | Himself (archive footage) | Episode: "Free Willy 2/Independence Day" | |
| 2009 | Bones | Clown No. 2 | Episode: "Double Trouble in the Panhandle" | |
| 2011 | Matthew Keane | Episode: "Nighthawk" |
| Year | Title | Role | Artist | Director | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Childhood" | Jesse | Michael Jackson | Nicholas Brandt | |
| 2018 | "Pink Honey" | Tall Man | Houses | Brook Linder |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Artist Awards | 1994 | Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Motion Picture: Drama | Free Willy | [4] | |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | 1994 | Breakthrough Performance | Free Willy | [5] | |
| Best Kiss | Free Willy | [6] |