Beginning his career in the 1960s, Jason made his big screen debut in Rio Lobo as Lieutenant Forsyth, then gained recognition as the football coach in the cult 1980s film The Karate Kid.

In the 1990s he forged a strong working relationship with horror legend John Carpenter, starring in In the Mouth of Madness, Village of the Damned and Escape from LA.

In 2000, Jason found widespread recognition for his role as Con Stapleton in the hit HBO western Deadwood.

He has also voiced popular video games such as Gears of War and Fallout.

Following the news of his passing, remembrances rained down in Hollywood.

John Carpenter led the tributes and remembered him as "one of cinema's greatest actors."

"Peter Jason, one of cinema's greatest character actors, has died. His first film was Howard Hawks' RIO LOBO. He was a dear friend and I will miss him terribly," he wrote.

His friend Matt Unser shared on social media, "I'm heartbroken. My dear friend and my father's best friend, Peter Jason, passed away today. What a loss He truly was one of the kindest people on the planet. My heart goes out to his wife and daughter. Peter, I hope you and my dad are up there laughing your asses off."

In later years, Jason played Jeff in "Desperate Housewives" and appeared in "Stalled Development," "War Crimes (NCIS)" and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom."

His most recent roles include the short film "A Tale of Two Fathers" and the 2022 film "We Are Gathered Here Today," which was uniquely filmed remotely during the pandemic using video call platforms.

The cause of Jason's death has not yet been confirmed. | BGNES