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Every slasher horror flick worth its salt needs a steadfast yet skeptical law enforcement officer to truly earn its street cred. A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Child’s Play and Psycho (arguably the granddaddy of the entire slasher genre) all had their points of authority that refused to see the horrors that were laid out in front of their eyes until it was all but too late. Said police officer or detective offers that fresh and frustrating counterpoint to the hero or heroine as they navigate various and sundry machetes, butcher knives or gloves fashioned into a mighty mean Ginsu knife set; it’s basically industry standard. One of those hallowed figures of sanity and reason in cinematic worlds gone bloodily very wrong has sadly been reported by our friends over at Bloody Disgusting News as having passed away just last month – actor par excellence Jack Marks.
For those not in the know, Jack Marks essayed the role of stouthearted Deputy Winslow in 1981’s cult classic Friday the 13th Part II. Though his screen time was relatively brief before meeting his demise at the hands of a burlap-sacked mass murderer Jason Voorhees – the long-lived and soon to be hockey-masked killer can’t dwell too long on any one adult victim when scores of young and nubile camp counsellors are awaiting his attention, after all – Marks himself was a beloved and celebrated fan-favorite of anyone who ever fell under the spell of the Friday the 13th films.
In a statement about her husband’s passing, Linda Marks eulogized her partner: “I am sorry to inform you that my dear husband, Jack Marks, died last week after a long, slow decline from congestive heart failure. I know many of you have known him in passing as he loved to entertain fellow elevator passengers and trade quips with security guards and neighbors, en route to wherever he was going.
“He spent his last two years mostly at home managing to enjoy his increasingly sedentary existence and keeping in touch with close friends. He received hospice care at home and briefly in Brooklyn, before he died peacefully, just short of 87 years old. We had been together 39 years.”
Though most genre fans know him for his lone foray into Camp Crystal Lake territory, Marks enjoyed a successful acting career outside of horror in off-Broadway productions of Brighton Beach Memoirs, Valley Song and Fiddler on the Roof.
We extend our condolences to his widow and the entire family of Jack Marks; no one ever truly dies as long as their memory exists in the hearts and minds of even just one person. Rest easy, Jack: Your legacy and memory are secure.
