Biography

Ted Jan Roberts (1979–2022) was an American actor, martial artist, stuntman, and producer best known for his work in 1990s direct-to-video Martial Arts Action films.. Born Ted Gilroy on September 24, 1979, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. His professional name, Ted Jan Roberts, was a stage name created by his father and martial arts stunt coordinator Pat Johnson for the screen. Roberts sadly passed away on June 6, 2022, at the age of 42. Ted possessed a genuine and deep martial arts background that was central to his career. He began training at age seven, focusing on disciplines rooted in Karate and Tae Kwon Do, and achieved the rank of black belt by age twelve. His commitment to martial arts was fostered by his father, Richard Gilroy Ortega, who himself was a martial artist and notably a former black belt student of Chuck Norris from the 1970s. His authentic skills in both Karate and Tae Kwon Do allowed him to perform his own fight choreography and stunts. After dedicating himself to his career, Roberts quickly became a prominent figure in the Direct to Video action scene of the mid-90s, starring in a series of martial arts-focused films, including Magic Kid (1993) and its sequel Magic Kid 2 (1994), as well as A Dangerous Place (1994), The Power Within (1995), and Tiger Heart (1996). His widest recognition came on television when he was cast as Prince Dex / Masked Rider, a character he first played in a three-episode arc of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1995) before leading the spin-off series, Masked Rider (1995–1996), an American adaptation of the Japanese tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Black RX. Roberts also acted in and served as an Associate Producer for the adventure-drama series Hollywood Safari (1997-1999), before later appearing in the critically acclaimed feature film Milk (2008), where he played activist Dennis Peron.

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