Who did Whitney Rydbeck play in Friday the 13th? Character explored as actor dies aged 79

Whitney Rydbeck has died from prostate cancer at the age of 79 (Image via Facebook/Whitney Rydbeck)
Whitney Rydbeck has died from prostate cancer at the age of 79 (Image via Facebook/Whitney Rydbeck)

Actor Whitney Rydbeck, 79, has unexpectedly passed away on July 15, 2024. He has appeared in many films over the years and gained recognition for portraying Roy in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Whitney was suffering from prostate cancer which eventually led to his demise.

While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, director Tom McLoughlin revealed that Rydbeck was at a California-based hospice care at the time of death.

Tom, who also helmed the sixth Friday the 13th installment, even took to his Instagram page to pay tribute, sharing a few shots of Rydbeck's character alongside the film poster. The caption reads:

"We lost not only a truly funny comedian and actor…but one of the most good hearted human beings I've ever known. God Bless You and Rest in Peace..Whitney Rydbeck. Our Loss is Heavens' Gain."

Netizens also expressed their grief on other social media platforms, with most of them recalling Whitney's work in plays and musicals. One of them named Marty Aghejian wrote on Facebook:

"I learned so much from him and recently spoke to him a few months ago to see how he was doing and to plan our next birthday luncheon for next March. We missed this year because he was having some health issues, but he remained, strong and defiant."

Whitney Rydbeck played a minor role in Friday the 13th

The Los Angeles, California native's acting skills were praised by the public over the years. As mentioned, he appeared as Roy in the sixth part of the Friday the 13th franchise. Jason Lives was released in 1986 and the premise was a follow-up to the events of the fifth film.

Whitney Rydbeck's character was a member of a group of paintballers that included Burt Denenbrough, Stan Irving, Katie Rice, and Larry Irving. While the remaining paintballers are killed by Jason Voorhees on screen, Roy shoots him with the paintball gun and Jason starts chasing him into the woods.

Notably, Roy's death is not shown on screen and his body parts are later discovered by Michael Garris and Richard Cologne. Roy even turns out to be the 44th victim of Jason Voorhees in the franchise.

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The film's plot followed a similar pattern to the rest of the installments where Jason Voorhees continues murdering people at Crystal Lake after being resurrected by Tommy Jarvis, the survivor from the fifth film, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.

Tommy is forced to confront Jason for another time after dealing with the trauma resulting from the events of the fourth installment, The Final Chapter, where he killed Voorhees. Jason Lives received a better reaction from fans and critics compared to the previous installment and collected around $19.5 million at the box office.


Whitney Rydbeck was featured in several projects throughout his career

The Los Angeles, California native completed his education at the Pasadena High School and Pasadena City College. He then studied theater at California State University, Fullerton. Before his career in films and TV shows, Whitney made his debut as a mime.

He was a member of mime groups such as Richmond Shepard Mime Troupe alongside the L.A. Mime Company. Before his death, he was working at Pasadena City College as a drama teacher.

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Whitney Rydbeck's first major project was the TV show, Whitney and the Robot. Furthermore, he gave his voice in the animated film, Oliver & Company. He had a lot of films under his credit such as Love at First Bite, Rocky II, and A Very Brady Sequel.

Whitney's survivors include his girlfriend Claire and the duo were romantically linked for around ten years.

Edited by Sreerupa Das
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