Monday, July 6, 2009

Obscure Actor of the Month (July 2009)

Sasha Jenson (Dazed & Confused, 1993)

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

If you watched good movies in the '90s then you'd probably recognize Sasha Jenson's face, but his name alone wouldn't ring a bell. Jenson was--and most likely always will be--best-remembered as Don Dawson, the denim overalls-clad girl-crazy jock in Richard Linklater's Dazed & Confused (1993), one of the best ensemble movies of the decade.

Jenson attended the North Hollywood High School in his home state of California, where he would eventually get into stunt work (Short Circuit, Ruthless People) and then acting. His Calgary-born father, Roy Jenson (1927-2007), was a professional football player for the Canadian Football League (Calgary Stampeders, Montreal Alouttes, B.C. Lions) before he tried his hand at acting, appearing on TV (Kung Fu) and in films like How the West Was Won (1962), The Way We Were (1973) and Chinatown (1974).

Sasha got his start in bit parts in movies like Free Ride (1986), Ghoulies II (1987), Deadly Stranger (1988) and Moving Target (1988). Also during '88 Jenson played Brady in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. He continued with small TV roles (Teen Angel, Monsters) and more brief scenes in movies Deadly Weapon (1989), Dream Trap (1990), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and Distant Justice (1992), amongst others.

In 1993 Jenson was cast in the coming of age cult classic Dazed & Confused, playing a high school football player, despite being in his late 20s. This could've been his breakout role, but the young actor was not able to build on the part, as his name fell between the cracks.

Since Dazed, Jenson has appeared in nine other films, including Dillinger and Capone (1995), Twisted Love (1995), Dead Girl (1996), Venice Beach (2001) and his final film to date, 2003's Grind. He also appeared in an episode of NYPD Blue, in 1996.

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