# Jason James Richter

Jason James Richter (born January 29, 1980) 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.

## Early life

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.

## Career

Richter starred as Jesse in Free Willy (1993), a role for which he was chosen out of more than 4,000 candidates.
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 bassist Fermata.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Free Willy | Jesse | |
| 1994 | Cops & Robbersons | Kevin Robberson | |
| 1994 | The NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia | Bastian | |
| 1995 | Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | Jesse | |
| 1997 | Free Willy 3: The Rescue | 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 | TBA | |
Television :
| 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 | Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior | Matthew Keane | Episode: "Nighthawk" |
Music videos :
| Year | Title | Role | Artist | Director |
| 1995 | "Childhood" | Jesse | Michael Jackson | Nicholas Brandt |
| 2018 | "Pink Honey" | Tall Man | Houses | Brook Linder |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| Young Artist Awards | 1994 | Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Motion Picture: Drama | Free Willy (shared with Edward Furlong for A Home of Our Own) | Won |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | 1994 | Breakthrough Performance | Free Willy | Nominated |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | 1994 | Best Kiss | Free Willy (shared with Keiko) | Nominated |