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Adrienne King

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Adrienne King
King in 2009
BornJuly 21, during the mid-1950s (age 68–69)
Oyster Bay, New York, U.S.
Education
Occupations
  • Actress
  • artist
  • winemaker
Years active1965–present
Spouse
Robert Tuckman
​
(m. 1981)​
Richard Hassanein
​
(m. 1987)​
Websiteadrienneking.com

Adrienne King (born July 21, c. 1955–1956[i]) is an American actress, visual artist, and winemaker. She is known for her portrayal of Alice Hardy in the slasher film Friday the 13th (1980) and its sequel, Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). Born and raised in Oyster Bay, New York, King was placed in commercials by her mother beginning at six months old, and worked as a child actor in her early years. She made her film debut in the television film Inherit the Wind (1965), followed by uncredited appearances in Between the Lines (1977), Saturday Night Fever (1977), and Hair (1979).

After starring in Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th Part 2, King retreated from acting when she became the target of a stalker who harassed her over the course of a year, eventually breaking into her home. She relocated to London in 1984 and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before returning to the United States and working for three decades as an ADR looper on numerous studio films, as well as on seven seasons of the soap opera Melrose Place. Simultaneously, King continued developing her skills as a visual artist.

In 2010, she returned to acting in the low-budget horror film Psychic Experiment. King followed this with roles in The Butterfly Room (2012), Tales of Poe (2014), Killer Therapy (2019), and the Friday the 13th fan film Jason Rising (2021). In 2023, King was attached to the forthcoming Peacock series, Crystal Lake, a prequel series to the original 1980 film,[5][6] though the series remains in development as of 2025.

King has also had ventures in art and winemaking: In 2010, she began working as a wine purveyor after partnering with Valley View Vineyards in Oregon's Rogue Valley, curating and selling Crystal Lake Wines themed after Friday the 13th, as well as selling her own paintings.[7] In 2021, she provided voice narration for the audiobook version of Grady Hendrix's novel The Final Girl Support Group (2021).

Early life

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King was born July 21 in the mid-1950s[i] in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York.[4][8] Her mother, who was originally from Liverpool, England,[9] put her into acting at 6-months old in commercials alongside her brother and sister, something she describes as her not having much control over.[10] Her first appearance was in a commercial for Ivory soap.[4] As a child, King attended a Catholic school.[11]

Career

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1965–1979: Early work

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In 1965, around age nine,[12] King appeared in the television film Inherit the Wind in a supporting role.[12][13] Beginning in ninth grade, she began auditioning for films in New York City: "As long as I kept my grades up, everyone was cool with it," she recalled.[12]

She soon began training under Bill Esper, a student of acting instructor Sanford Meisner.[12] She began to obtain parts in soap operas, Off-off-Broadway productions, and in several television commercials most notably Burger King advertising.[10] Additionally, she worked as a dancer in the films Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Hair (1979).[12] She also had a small supporting role in the comedy film Between the Lines (1977). During this time, she studied and graduated from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in fine arts.[14][15]

1980–2008: Friday the 13th and aftermath

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In 1979, while King was appearing in a commercial for Burger King, she was referred to producer Sean S. Cunningham through a mutual friend for a role in his directorial debut, the horror film Friday the 13th.[16] Cunningham, impressed by King's naturalistic acting,[16] felt she embodied the qualities of the film's lead heroine, Alice Hardy, and cast her in the film.[12] Friday the 13th was a major box-office success, grossing nearly $60 million worldwide.[17] The following year, she reprised her role as Alice Hardy in the sequel Friday the 13th Part 2, in which the character meets her demise during the film's opening sequence.[18][19] King's character of Alice has been retrospectively assessed as a "standardization" of the "final girl" template in slasher films following the Laurie Strode character in Halloween (1978).[20]

After the release of Friday the 13th and during the shooting of Friday the 13th Part 2, King was repeatedly harassed by a male stalker, which led her to recede from the public.[21] Her last on-camera screen appearance at that time was a commercial for Downy which she filmed in 1983.[22] Subsequently, King was hired as a stunt performer and background actor for the Ivan Reitman film Ghostbusters (1984), having been acquainted with the stunt coordinator Cliff Cudney.[23]

She subsequently relocated to London[21] in 1984, where she enrolled for a summer program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, studying voice and dance.[24] Upon finishing her studies, she returned to the United States, settling in Los Angeles.[7] Reluctant to appear onscreen, King reemerged doing voice acting and ADR work, first for Mel Gibson's The Man Without a Face, and the Lasse Hallström-directed drama What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (both 1993).[25] She continued to provide voice work for numerous Hollywood productions throughout the 1990s, including Philadelphia (1993), The Pelican Brief (1993), Wolf (1994), Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire (1996), and James Cameron's Titanic (1997).[25] She would later state: "Voiceover work saved me. There's no question it came all around full circle, and I'm a better, more compassionate and stronger actor and artist."[25]

In 2008, King was inducted into the Horror Hall of Fame at the Phoenix Film Festival.[26]

2009–present: Film and other ventures

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In 2009, she signed on to the science-fiction/horror film Psychic Experiment, marking her first onscreen film appearance in 27 years.[27] In 2012, she starred in the Welsh Christmas horror film Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming, an unofficial sequel to the American horror film Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)[28] and The Butterfly Room.[29] In 2018, King portrayed Jackie Winters, an investigative reporter, in the horror film William Froste and Theresa in the short film Admonition.[30]

Beginning in 2010, King also worked as a winemaker and wine company coordinator for Valley View Vineyards in southern Oregon.[31][32][33] She has sold her own line of Friday the 13th-themed wines through the company, called Crystal Lake Wines, as well as paintings.[34] In 2011, she had a supporting role in the independent horror film All American Bully, released in 2015.[35]

In 2021, King reprised her role as Alice Hardy in the medium-length horror fan film Jason Rising.[36] The same year, she recorded the voice narration for the audiobook version of The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix.[37]

On October 31, 2022, a Friday the 13th prequel series was announced, titled Crystal Lake.[38] At the time, it was to be written and executive produced by Bryan Fuller and Victor Miller, along with executive producers Marc Toberoff and Rob Barsamian, with A24 serving as the studio behind the series for the streaming service Peacock.[38] In January 2023, King was attached to the project in a recurring undisclosed role.[39] Writing for the series was slated to begin in late January 2023 with Kevin Williamson writing one episode for season one.[39] On May 6, 2024, unconfirmed reports indicated that the series was no longer happening however the following day, Bloody Disgusting confirmed that the series was still happening and that some retooling of the project is happening behind the scenes.[40]

Personal life

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After the success of Friday the 13th, King was pursued by a male stalker who managed to learn areas she frequented, where she exercised, and ate lunch.[21] The man took Polaroid photographs of King that he would slip under the door of her New York City apartment, and at one point, broke into her apartment and defaced her artwork.[21] On one occasion, the man confronted her in her apartment and held a gun to her head.[21] The assailant was apprehended and spent some time imprisoned, but the incident traumatized King, prompting her to leave the public eye for many years.[21] Reflecting on the incident in a 2016 interview, King said:

It kind of changed the game for me, because instead of thinking of my next move I was thinking about staying alive. Back in 1980, it was quite the endeavour. Think about it: there were no cellphones, very few video cameras around. I was getting Polaroids under my door of what I had been doing the night before. Of course, having no laws against stalking at the time—not until [1990] when poor Rebecca Schaeffer was killed by one of her fans—I was basically [dealing with this] alone.[41]

King married Robert Tuckman on November 29, 1981.[15] She later married Richard Hassanein, founder of United Film Distributors, in 1987.[4][7] Since 2005, she has resided with her husband in Oregon's Rogue Valley.[7]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1965 Inherit the Wind Melinda Television film [7]
1977 Between the Lines Young Lady Uncredited [42]
1977 Saturday Night Fever Dancer Uncredited [42]
1979 Hair Dancer Uncredited [42]
1980 Friday the 13th Alice Hardy [42]
1981 Friday the 13th Part 2 Alice Hardy [42]
1984 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter Alice Hardy Archive footage [43]
1984 Ghostbusters Extra Stunt performer; uncredited [44]
1984 Terror in the Aisles Alice Hardy Archive footage [45]
1993 The Man Without a Face Does not appear Voice looping [42]
1993 Sleepless in Seattle Does not appear ADR [42]
1993 The Age of Innocence Does not appear Voice looping [42]
1993 The Good Son Does not appear Voice looping [42]
1993 Carlito's Way Does not appear ADR [42]
1993 The Pelican Brief Does not appear Voice looping [42]
1993 What's Eating Gilbert Grape Does not appear Voice looping [42]
1993 Philadelphia Does not appear Voice looping [42]
1994 The Paper Does not appear ADR [42]
1994 Wolf Does not appear Voice looping [42]
1994 Imaginary Crimes Does not appear ADR [42]
1995 Outbreak Does not appear ADR, voice looping [42]
1995 While You Were Sleeping Does not appear ADR [42]
1995 Indictment: The McMartin Trial Does not appear ADR [42]
1995 Nixon Does not appear ADR, voice looping [42]
1996 Jerry Maguire Does not appear Voice looping [42]
1997 Murder at 1600 Does not appear ADR, voice looping [42]
1997 Titanic Does not appear ADR, voice looping [25]
1997 MouseHunt Does not appear Voice looping [42]
2000 Almost Famous Does not appear Voice looping [42]
2001 James Dean Does not appear Voice looping [42]
2009 His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th Herself Documentary film [42]
2010 Psychic Experiment Louise Strack [42]
2011 All American Bully Principal Kane [35]
2012 The Butterfly Room Rachel [42]
2012 Gabby's Wish Angela [42]
2013 Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming The Stranger Voice role [42]
2013 Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th Herself Documentary film [42]
2013 This Is the End Does not appear Voice looping; uncredited [42]
2014 Tales of Poe Queen of Dreams / Private Nurse [42]
2017 Friday the 13th Part 3: The Memoriam Documentary Herself YouTube documentary film [46]
2018 Admonition Theresa Short film [30]
2018 William Froste Jackie Winters [30]
2019 Killer Therapy Mrs. Perkins [42]
2021 Jason Rising Alice Hardy Fan film [36]
2022 The Dead Girl in Apartment 03 Detective Richards [42]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1992–1999 Melrose Place Does not appear Voice looping; 7 seasons [37]
TBA Crystal Lake TBA Friday the 13th prequel series for Peacock [5]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b King has publicly acknowledged her birthday is July 21,[1] but sources vary regarding her birth year, with some sources indicating 1960.[2] Per the autobiography on her official website, King writes that she was nine years old when she appeared in the television film Inherit the Wind, released in 1965,[3] while a March 2018 article in The Columbus Dispatch dates King as 62 years old at that time;[4] this would indicate a birth year of approximately 1955 or 1956.

References

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  1. ^ @adrienneking_official; (July 21, 2022). "Spending my Birthday with Monet and other favorite Impressionists!". Archived from the original on June 13, 2025 – via Instagram.
  2. ^ "King, Adrienne". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on June 13, 2025.
  3. ^ "About Adrienne King". AdrienneKing.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2025. When I was 9 years old, I landed the featured role of Melinda in the Hallmark Hall of Fame Production of Inherit the Wind.
  4. ^ a b c d Mikesell, Terry (March 15, 2018). "'Friday the 13th' events put actress amid 'happy campers'". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on June 23, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Jackson, Matthew (March 28, 2023). "Adrienne King stars work on Peacock's 'Crystal Lake'". Syfy. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024.
  6. ^ "Friday the 13th's Co-Creator Thinks Its Studio is Afraid to Revive It". Gizmodo. May 26, 2024. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Newman, Vanessa (May 10, 2018). "Cult Classic Star Toasts Paradise: Adrienne King, Friday the 13th Survivor, Thrives in Southern Oregon". The Rogue Valley Messenger. Archived from the original on July 21, 2018.
  8. ^ Grove 2005, p. 23.
  9. ^ Kerswell 2012, 1:32:30.
  10. ^ a b Bracke 2006, p. 104.
  11. ^ Said, Peter (February 26, 2021). "An interview I think you'll enjoy!". AdrienneKing.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Norman 2014, p. 84.
  13. ^ Kerswell 2012, 1:24:00.
  14. ^ Norman 2014, p. 85.
  15. ^ a b "Adrienne King, Actress, Wed to Robert Tuckman". The New York Times. November 29, 1981. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Bracke 2006, pp. 19–21.
  17. ^ "Box Office Information for Friday the 13th". The Numbers. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
  18. ^ Williams 2015, p. 198.
  19. ^ Verongos, Helen (May 8, 1981). "Horror of horrors; 'Friday the 13th' sequel nothing new". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Petridis 2019, p. 63.
  21. ^ a b c d e f Norman 2014, p. 86.
  22. ^ Squires, John (April 12, 2016). "10 Commercials Starring Your Favorite Horror Icons". Dread Central. Archived from the original on February 24, 2025.
  23. ^ Squires, John (August 31, 2018). "'Friday the 13th' Star Adrienne King Reveals She's Hiding in 'Ghostbusters' as an Uncredited Stuntwoman". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023.
  24. ^ Kerswell 2012, 1:31:58.
  25. ^ a b c d Norman 2014, p. 87.
  26. ^ "International Horror and Sci-Fi Festival Awards". Phoenix Film Festival. Archived from the original on May 26, 2025.
  27. ^ "Title Change: Walking Distance Leads to Experimental Activity". Dread Central. June 6, 2012. Archived from the original on April 11, 2025.
  28. ^ "Gory New Stills from Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming". Dread Central. May 14, 2012. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012.
  29. ^ "Video: Teaser Trailer for The Butterfly Room is Here". ComingSoon.net. March 6, 2012. Archived from the original on March 11, 2025.
  30. ^ a b c Hallam, Scott (June 19, 2015). "Adrienne King Joins Stacked Cast of William Froste". Dread Central. Archived from the original on March 11, 2025.
  31. ^ "First 'Friday the 13th' star's dreams are now in rural Oregon". The Oregonian. October 19, 2010. Archived from the original on April 30, 2023.
  32. ^ Therkelsen, Michael (February 9, 2015). "Adrienne King takes you back to the lake with Crystal Lake Wines". Horror Society. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020.
  33. ^ Butler, Grant (October 12, 2010). "What we're sipping: Halloween-themed drinks". The Oregonian. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Decker, Sean (October 13, 2011). "Exclusive: Friday the 13th's Adrienne King Talks Crystal Lake Wines and More!". Dread Central. Archived from the original on April 13, 2025.
  35. ^ a b Boiselle, Matt (July 8, 2015). "Adrienne King Talks All American Bully And More". Dread Central. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015.
  36. ^ a b Squires, John (August 27, 2021). "Adrienne King is Back as Alice Hardy in 'Friday the 13th' Fan Film 'Jason Rising'; Watch Now!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025.
  37. ^ a b Gingold, Michael (July 13, 2021). "Exclusive Interview: "FRIDAY THE 13TH" survivor Adrienne King gives voice to "The Final Girl Support Group"". Rue Morgue. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024.
  38. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (October 31, 2022). "'Friday the 13th' Prequel Series 'Crystal Lake' From Bryan Fuller Ordered at Peacock". Variety. Archived from the original on June 6, 2025.
  39. ^ a b Squires, John (January 14, 2023). ""Crystal Lake" – Kevin Williamson and Adrienne King Involved in Peacock's 'Friday the 13th' Series!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on June 6, 2025.
  40. ^ Bloody Disgusting Staff (May 7, 2024). ""Crystal Lake" – A24 Has NOT Pulled the Plug on Their 'Friday the 13th' TV Series [Exclusive]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024.
  41. ^ Volmers, Eric (June 8, 2016). "Friday the 13th: How a real-life stalker, Greek mask theory and child psychology helped shape the history of horror's most enduring franchise". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on February 22, 2025.
  42. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai "Adrienne King List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Archived from the original on June 23, 2025.
  43. ^ Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Paramount Pictures. 1984.
  44. ^ James, David (September 1, 2018). "Friday The 13th Star Adrienne King Reveals Her Secret Uncredited Role in Ghostbusters". WeGotThisCovered. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018.
  45. ^ Terror in the Aisles. Universal Pictures. 1984.
  46. ^ Bosielle, Matt (September 26, 2017). "Friday The 13th Part 3: The Memoriam Documentary (2017)". Dread Central. Archived from the original on February 11, 2025.

Sources

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