Latest news with #AlexKintner
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘You're gonna need a bigger bank account': how a Jaws child actor turned a fleeting appearance into a fortune
Name: Jeffrey Voorhees. Age: 62. Appearance: Just the one. Occupation: Child actor. Pretty old for a child actor. He's a former child actor. Has he been in anything I would have seen? Jaws. Wow. Anything else? No, not really. Oh. Well, Jaws is pretty good. I've seen it dozens of times. Jeffrey Voorhees will be pleased to hear that. Why? Because, despite his very small role as shark victim Alex Kintner when he was 12, Voorhees is still being paid residuals – royalties – 50 years later. Every time Jaws is on TV, he earns money. Nice work if you can get it. 'It pays to die,' is how he put it in a recent interview with Syfy. Even so, he can't be pulling in that much after all this time. It's not just residuals. After hiding from fame for years, Voorhees – who still lives on Martha's Vineyard, where Jaws was filmed – has found ways to embrace the full earning capacity of his brief turn as victim number two. How? By attending fan conventions for '£10,000 a time', selling autographed merch online and making personalised videos on Cameo. People pay him for that? It helps that Jaws fans are a little obsessive. One woman brought Voorhees an inflatable yellow raft identical to the one on which Alex Kintner met his demise. 'She was in tears and I signed the raft for her,' he said. That sounds more than a little obsessive. He's even been presented with his old discarded royalty statements – bought by fans on eBay for thousands – to sign. 'I don't throw them away any more,' he said. Are there any other child actors still raking it in after all these years? Yes, if not to the same extent. Jason Weaver, who provided the singing voice for young Simba in the original animated version of The Lion King, reportedly received, and still receives, far more than the $2m (£1.5m) upfront Disney originally offered him before his mother insisted on a reduced fee plus royalties from soundtrack sales. Well done, Jason's mum. Are there any more actors with cameos as brief as Voorhees'? Casey Margolis, who fleetingly played a young version of Jonah Hill's character in the 2007 film Superbad, recently revealed he's still getting cheques. The kid who draws penises on everything? That's him. While the amounts vary from $10,000 to 12 cents, he reckons he's collected about $100k (£74,000) in total. What a racket! How can I get my kid killed in something huge? Actually, that ship has probably sailed. Streaming services don't tend to pay residuals in the same way, as their content is always available to watch – and young actors have reported receiving minuscule amounts for their work. Do say: 'These eye-watering sums are a symptom of how out of control fan culture has become.' Don't say: 'You're gonna need a bigger bank account.'
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘You're gonna need a bigger bank account': how a Jaws child actor turned a fleeting appearance into a fortune
Name: Jeffrey Voorhees. Age: 62. Appearance: Just the one. Occupation: Child actor. Pretty old for a child actor. He's a former child actor. Has he been in anything I would have seen? Jaws. Wow. Anything else? No, not really. Oh. Well, Jaws is pretty good. I've seen it dozens of times. Jeffrey Voorhees will be pleased to hear that. Why? Because, despite his very small role as shark victim Alex Kintner when he was 12, Voorhees is still being paid residuals – royalties – 50 years later. Every time Jaws is on TV, he earns money. Nice work if you can get it. 'It pays to die,' is how he put it in a recent interview with Syfy. Even so, he can't be pulling in that much after all this time. It's not just residuals. After hiding from fame for years, Voorhees – who still lives on Martha's Vineyard, where Jaws was filmed – has found ways to embrace the full earning capacity of his brief turn as victim number two. How? By attending fan conventions for '£10,000 a time', selling autographed merch online and making personalised videos on Cameo. People pay him for that? It helps that Jaws fans are a little obsessive. One woman brought Voorhees an inflatable yellow raft identical to the one on which Alex Kintner met his demise. 'She was in tears and I signed the raft for her,' he said. That sounds more than a little obsessive. He's even been presented with his old discarded royalty statements – bought by fans on eBay for thousands – to sign. 'I don't throw them away any more,' he said. Are there any other child actors still raking it in after all these years? Yes, if not to the same extent. Jason Weaver, who provided the singing voice for young Simba in the original animated version of The Lion King, reportedly received, and still receives, far more than the $2m (£1.5m) upfront Disney originally offered him before his mother insisted on a reduced fee plus royalties from soundtrack sales. Well done, Jason's mum. Are there any more actors with cameos as brief as Voorhees'? Casey Margolis, who fleetingly played a young version of Jonah Hill's character in the 2007 film Superbad, recently revealed he's still getting cheques. The kid who draws penises on everything? That's him. While the amounts vary from $10,000 to 12 cents, he reckons he's collected about $100k (£74,000) in total. What a racket! How can I get my kid killed in something huge? Actually, that ship has probably sailed. Streaming services don't tend to pay residuals in the same way, as their content is always available to watch – and young actors have reported receiving minuscule amounts for their work. Do say: 'These eye-watering sums are a symptom of how out of control fan culture has become.' Don't say: 'You're gonna need a bigger bank account.'
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Jaws child star reveals staggering amount he earns 50 years after hit film
Believe it or not, it's been 50 years since the film we all blame for our fear of sharks was released—Jaws, of course. But still to this day, one of its child stars is making a pretty penny off his role, having been just 12 years old at the time of its cinematic release. Now aged 62, Jeffrey Voorhees played Alex Kintner in the 1975 Steven Spielberg-directed adventure thriller. Like many of the characters, though, poor Alex didn't have much screentime, as he was brutally attacked and killed by a shark while floating on his raft. Naturally, things got rather bloody. However, we're sure Jeffrey isn't too fussed about only playing a small part now, as he's forged a living off the film thanks to fan interest standing the test of time. These days, he travels far and wide to meet people. He also sells personalised memorabilia and even hosts guided tours on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, where the movie was shot. 'It pays to die,' the actor previously said. 'I was a 12-year-old kid who was in the movie for, like, a minute, but there are some real Jaws fanatics out there. 'One guy in England just bought 125 photos. I do signings. They fly me all over the world and pay me in cash at those things—around £10,000 a time. 'There are Jaws tours and people pay double if I'm on them, and next month I'm appearing at three Meet, Greet and Mingle Parties.' And that's not all, as Jeffrey is still paid each time Jaws airs on TV, anywhere in the world. 'My brother lives in Portugal, and I'll get texts from him going, 'Good news, you just died on TV over here. You'll get another cheque',' he joked. Furthermore, he's earned a killing with videos for fans on Cameo, with one family even paying for him to send a message after their loved one died while watching the film from his sofa. 'I said, 'Hey, your father and I had a little something in common. He died watching me die. This is the dead Alex Kintner, Jeff Voorhees, here on Martha's Vineyard—Amity Island. Just want to say—have a Jawesome funeral',' Jeffrey revealed. 'I thought they'd be annoyed, but they gave me a five-star review.' The former actor has learned not to be ashamed of his movie past, and, well, with the coin he's making off the back of it five decades later, we reckon that's wise. 'At first, I used to hide from the fact that I'd been in Jaws, and then finally I realised I could make some good money and make people happy.' Jaws has become one of cinema's most successful franchises, not only expanding into three sequels but also a theme park ride, video games, and various other crazy merchandise, all thanks to the 1974 novel of the same name. While characters come and go throughout the film series, the Brody family is featured in every one as the primary antithesis to the great white shark attacking people in the US and the Bahamas. The original Jaws movie was one of the first 'high-concept' films ever made, complete with that iconic, suspenseful theme tune, which, quite rightly, won an Oscar. In total, the four Jaws movies have grossed over $800million (£590m) worldwide, even if commercial reception did wane with every new addition. What's more, author Peter Benchley has publicly expressed regret over ever writing the original book, since it encouraged a widespread fear of sharks. His interest in the creatures began when he spent summers in Nantucket. 'What I now know, which wasn't known when I wrote Jaws, is that there is no such thing as a rogue shark which develops a taste for human flesh,' Benchley told the Animal Attack Files in 2000. 'No one appreciates how vulnerable they are to destruction.'' More Trending Consequently, he spent much of his life until he died in 2006 as an ocean activist and wrote books advocating shark conservation. Even filmmaker Spielberg himself has admitted that Jaws became 'a living nightmare' due to the 'worst' filming conditions imaginable at the time. He told Vanity Fair previously that while it's now a fun movie for audiences to watch, life on set was very different. 'It was made under the worst of conditions. People versus the eternal sea. The sea won the battle, but where we won was with audiences in every country.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Film hailed as 'greatest movie of all time' makes streaming comeback MORE: BBC iPlayer now streaming 'mind-blowing' Christopher Nolan film MORE: 'Lots of unexpected twists and turns': Your favourite British TV thrillers
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jaws child star reveals the staggering amount he still earns from movie 50 YEARS later
Jaws child star Jeffrey Voorhees has revealed the staggering amount he still earns from the iconic movie 50 YEARS later. The actor, 62, played youngster Alex Kintner in the Steven Spielberg hit which premiered in 1975. Jefferey, who was 12 at the time of filming, was only in the blockbuster for a short amount of time because he was attacked and brutally killed by the shark. However, his alter-ego's death has definitely worked in his favour. Jeffrey has previous said: 'It pays to die. 'I was a 12-year-old kid who was in the movie for like a minute, but there are some real Jaws fanatics out there. 'One guy in England just bought 125 photos. 'I do signings. 'They fly me all over the world and pay me in cash at those things - around £10,000 a time. 'There are Jaws tours and people pay double if I'm on them and next month I'm appearing at three Meet, Greet and Mingle Parties. 'I still get paid every time the film appears on TV. 'My brother lives in Portugal and I'll get texts from him going: "Good news, you just died on TV over here. "'You'll get another cheque."' He also makes a killing on Cameo, recording personalised videos for £25.99. Jaws is based on Peter Benchley's book Jaws. The Movie's synopsis reds on IMDb: 'When a massive killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Long Island, it's up to the local police chief, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.' The film was distributed by Universal Pictures. It starred the likes of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton. He's not starred in many other films or TV shows as an actor. However he appeared on CK Talks with Rob and the Doc for one episode last year. He's also going to play Agent Jonah Vanderbilt in Operation EX-I-33. But he's also appeared in some other shows as himself over the years. Some include Today, One More Shot, World of Walley, Too Opinionated and Good Morning America Weekend Edition. As well as many about the iconic film such as Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, Jaws: The Inside Story, Jaws: The 25th Anniversary Documentary and The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of Jaws.
Edinburgh Live
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
The Hollywood child star still living off legendary film 50 years later
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Jeffrey Voorhees, who starred in the iconic film Jaws 50 years ago, reveals he's still profiting from his on-screen death half a century later. At just 12 years old, Jeffrey was cast as Alex Kintner, a young lad torn apart by the infamous shark while floating on his raft. Fast forward five decades, and Jeffrey is jetted off to Jaws conventions worldwide, leads guided tours of the island where the film was shot, and creates personalised videos for die-hard fans. Fans also visit his website to purchase autographed photos of his gruesome death scene, as well as t-shirts, mugs, and limited edition signed replica rafts for £107 each. Now 62, Jeffrey says: "It pays to die. I was a 12 year-old kid who was in the movie for like a minute, but there are some real Jaws fanatics out there.", reports the Mirror. "One bloke in England just bought 125 photos. I do signings. They fly me all over the world and pay me in cash at those things - around £10,000 a time. "There are Jaws tours and people pay double if I'm on them and next month I'm appearing at three Meet, Greet and Mingle Parties. "I still get paid every time the film appears on TV. My brother lives in Portugal and I'll get texts from him going: 'good news, you just died on TV over here. You'll get another cheque.'". Until recently, Jeffrey was running a restaurant where he sold Alex Kintner burgers and fans would pay him to record personal Cameo videos. He shares: "I did one yesterday from the beach where I died and said: 'Hey! From your dear wife and the dead Alex Kintner – happy birthday!''People seem to enjoy it, although I had a peculiar request last year. A family contacted me and said: 'our father was a big Jaws fan and he passed away on the couch watching the film, can you send your condolences.'"I thought: 'what on earth is this? ' But I decided I'd do it and went down to the beach to record it. ""I said: 'hey, your father and I had a little something in common. He passed away watching me die. This is the deceased Alex Kintner, Jeff Voorhees, here on Martha's Vineyard – Amity Island. Just want to say – have a Jawesome funeral. '""I thought they'd be upset, but they gave me a five star review. '""At first, I used to shy away from the fact that I'd been in Jaws and then finally I realised I could earn some decent money and make people happy. "Released in June 1975 and based on the Peter Benchley novel, Jaws was an immediate blockbuster. The story of a terrifying man-eating great white shark, it caused a significant decrease in beach attendances rapidly became the highest-grossing film ever. Almost a third of America's population rushed to the cinema to see it - more than 67 million people - and an audience of 23m tuned in when it was shown for the first time on UK television in 1981. Jeffrey reminisced on his iconic role as the shark's second and youngest victim in the blockbuster hit Jaws, where the sound of his character being dragged underwater left audiences horrified as the torn remains of a yellow inflatable washed up on sheer chance, he stumbled upon the role after just signing up to be an extra, but soon found himself acting alongside titans of the silver screen like Steven Spielberg, who was directing one of his early major films, and stars Richard Dreyfuss (marine biologist Matt Hooper) and Robert Shaw (shark hunter Quint).Yet, Jeffrey recollects that the notorious drinker Robert Shaw was far from pleased to be performing with children." Spielberg felt bad for all the kids because we were freezing cold and he set up some cook-outs and baseball games, so we'd be out there playing baseball with Richard Dreyfuss. ""Robert Shaw would be sitting over by the fire, far away from everyone. We were just little kids and we went: 'oh, let's go say hello to him. '""We all ran up and he sounded just like he did in the movie. We could smell booze and he went: 'get away from me you little s***s! ' He wanted nothing to do with us! "The iconic film, set in the made-up Amity Island beach resort, saw its production on Martha's Vineyard, which is still home to Jeffrey, and he mentions the buzz around town at the time." We heard rumours that they were making a movie and were paying $40 a day to be an extra," Jeffrey recalls." We all signed up and then a few days later I was called in by Steven Spielberg, who asked me to read a few lines and then made me sign a ton of papers. ""He said I was joining the Screen Actors Guild because I'd got a speaking part and was going to be paid $140 a day. That's pretty good when you're 12 years old. "Initially, Alex's death scene involved a dummy filled with fake blood and organs which the shark tore Jaws team even added screams and the sound of bones crushing to make it as horrifying as possible, but when the scene was shown at a test screening in 1975, filmgoers fainted and threw says: "It was too hardcore. So, they changed it and asked me to swim out to a barrel filled with blood. ""They said: 'lie on top of it and when it explodes in the air go under the water and stay under for as long as you can. '""Spielberg was only 27 and he wanted everything perfect, so he went: 'your arm came out of the water, we've got to do it again. '""We had to wait seven hours for the blood to clear out of the water before we could try again. We did it again and this time my leg came out of the water. ""Five days later he said: 'right ok, this is getting too long. We've got two guys in wetsuits and this time when it explodes, they'll each grab a leg and lift you in and out of the water a few times. They're then going to pull you under and give you air. '"One guy in England just bought 125 photos. I do signings. They fly me all over the world and pay me in cash at those things - around £10,000 a time." People always say: 'were you afraid of the shark? I'm like: 'no, I was afraid of freezing my 12 year-old ass off! '"After starring in 'Jaws', Jeffrey turned to the world of TV with a role in the hit American series 'Santa Barbara' and the movie 'One More Shot', before taking a different path as a seafood restaurant hung up his managerial apron last year, yet his 'Jaws' legacy endures, keeping him in the spotlight. Recalling a fan encounter, Jeffrey says: "I went to a fan convention in Manchester a few years ago. There was a man who'd been waiting there since 2am and had Jaws tattoos all over him. He said he had one spot left and asked me to sign inside the shark's mouth. He then went off to get my autograph tattooed there permanently. "Even as the film celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, the chilling impact of 'Jaws' lives on. Describing family reactions, Jeffrey remarks: "My nephew watched Jaws when he was ten. We went to the water a couple of weeks later and he said: 'I'm not going in there; I don't want to be eaten by a shark. ' He wouldn't go in the sea for a whole summer!"
