My tribute to Jason David Frank




I was hit with sad news yesterday as the news came as a shock to me. I’m sure it did to many others. One of my favorite actors from my childhood era, Jason David Frank, passed away yesterday at the age of 49.


Whether you have heard of him or not, you probably heard of the “Power Rangers”. It was a popular kids TV series in which he played Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger and later the White Ranger. The original series ran three seasons and spawned three films: two of which were continuations of the series. Oliver was also one of the longest-serving Power Rangers on the show, as Jason also became the Red Zeo Ranger, the Red Turbo Ranger, and the Black Dino Thunder Ranger. He has appeared in 257 episodes of the show, including the anniversary specials. He has been in countless Power Morphicion events, and even reprised the character outside of the main series. He also appears in a cameo in the 2017 reboot film. He retired from his Tommy Oliver persona earlier this year, but was looking forward to playing a much darker version of the character. His last performance will be in “Legend of the White Dragon” out next year —— a film that was supposed to be the start of a trilogy.


He has acted in other television shows as well, occasionally in a guest-starring role. The only thing that irks me during that time is, outside of the television world, he would’ve done really well in either the direct-to-video market or in other low-budget theatrical action films of the 90s era. Even given Van-Damme, Stallone, and Schwarzenegger all a run for their money, or a Sasha Mitchell-a-la entry in the “Kickboxer” franchise. (I would’ve even paid to have seen him in his own film on a store shelf at my local Blockbuster video.)


That all being said - I wish I had the opportunity to meet him in person, as he always took the time to meet and engage with his fans. He always kept his fans up to date and answered any fan questions. He was the inspiration for many others who wanted to get their start into show business or either have the courage to stand up for themselves. He also opened up about loss and how that impacted him as he lost his older brother in 2001 from an illness, and again the very same year when his “Power Rangers” co-star Thuy Trang died in an automobile accident.


He was very much adorned by his fans, but his legacy served as a torch of inspiration for those  in either the film business, the world of mixed martial arts, or the world of storytelling. He will be missed.

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