Jonathan Tiersten
American actor (1965-2026)
Jonathan Tiersten (August 11, 1965, April or May 2026) was an American actor and musician. He was primarily known for his role as Ricky Thomas in the 1983 cult slasher film Sleepaway Camp. He reprised the role in the 2008 sequel Return to Sleepaway Camp.
01Early life
Tiersten was born in Queens, New York City, and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey. Tiersten studied acting at New York University.
02Career
Acting
He made his screen debut with an uncredited role in a 1981 episode of Another World before being cast as Ricky Thomas in the 1983 slasher film Sleepaway Camp. Tiersten reprised his role in the 2008 sequel Return to Sleepaway Camp.
In 2012 and 2013 Tiersten garnered three best actor awards and was nominated for a fourth for his portrayal of John Doesy in the horror film The Perfect House.
Music
In between acting Jonathan took to music, fronting a number of bands, mostly based out of the Fort Collins, Colorado area. Tiersten was the lead singer of the band Ten Tiers and composed the score to a short starring David Krumholtz. Tiersten also starred in the 2012 film The Perfect House in which he played a serial killer named John Doesy and the thriller film Redemption which co-stars George Loros and Meredith Ostrom. Tiersten also composed the theme song for The Perfect House and contributed to the soundtrack of Redemption. Tiersten's 2011 EP We'll See, released by Edward Records, ranked third in Magnet magazine's most anticipated albums list. Shakefire.com called the album "surprising" and "simply amazing", rating it 4 out of 4 stars.
Tiersten also recorded a version of the Mickey & Sylvia song "Love Is Strange" for the remake of Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space called Plan 9, starring Brian Krause.
03Death
On May 5, 2026, it was announced that Tiersten had died at the age of 60 at his New Jersey home the prior week. His death was confirmed by his brother, William.
04Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Sleepaway Camp | Ricky Thomas | Credited as Jonathan Tierston | |
| 2008 | Return to Sleepaway Camp | |||
| 2012 | Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor | |||
| 2013 | The Perfect House | John Doesy | ||
| 2016 | Sugar! | Joe | ||
| 2019 | Terror Tales | Segment: "The Sledgehammer" | ||
| Lake of Shadows | Alex Kintner | |||
| 2021 | Toilet Zombie Baby Strikes Back | Eric Sommers | ||
| 2022 | Last American Horror Show: Volume II | Captain Strike | ||
| Time's Up | Gene |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Another World | Kid With Basketball | 1 episode | |
| 1984 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Chip Beddington | Episode: "The Alfred G. Graebner Memorial High School Handbook of Rules and Regulations" | |
| 1987 | ABC Afterschool Special | Jason | Episode: "Seasonal Differences" |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Jonathan Tiersten”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- JT Color Headshot.jpg by Jonathan Tiersten, CC BY-SA 3.0
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