Actor Spotlight: Adrienne King As The Original Final Girl of Friday the 13th

 Adrienne King is an actress, visual artist, and winemaker best known for her iconic role as Alice Hardy, the resilient camp counselor and survivor in the 1980 slasher classic Friday the 13th. Raised in Oyster Bay, New York, King entered show business early, appearing in commercials as a baby, and trained in voice, dance, and acting, including studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her natural, empathetic screen presence made her a perfect fit for the "final girl" archetype, influencing the genre long after her debut.

Her Role in the Friday the 13th Franchise

- Friday the 13th (1980): King stars as Alice, the sole survivor of the brutal murders at Camp Crystal Lake orchestrated by vengeful mother Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer). Filmed on a shoestring budget in New Jersey, King performed her own stunts, including the intense lakeside fight with Palmer for which no doubles were used due to cost constraints. The film was a massive hit, grossing nearly $60 million worldwide on a $550,000 budget, and cemented Alice as a horror icon. 

- Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981): King briefly reprises Alice in the opening sequence, where her character is shockingly killed off by Jason Voorhees (in his first on-screen appearance). Her stints in these films coincided with a terrifying real-life stalking incident following the first film's success. A fan obsessed with her role broke into her home, leading to harassment that lasted a year; she confronted him personally, resulting in a brief jail stint for him. Traumatized, King stepped away from major acting for nearly three decades, shifting to voice-over work (e.g., What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and While You Were Sleeping (1995)). 

Her portrayal of Alice is often credited with standardizing the "final girl" trope, building on Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode in Halloween (1978), showing a tough, resourceful woman who outsmarts the killer through wits and willpower. 

Later Career and Ventures

After her hiatus, King returned to acting in 2010 with Psychic Experiment, followed by roles in The Butterfly Room (2012), Tales of Poe (2014), Killer Therapy (2019), and the fan film Jason Rising (2021), where she reprised Alice. In a recent interview, she reflected fondly on the franchise, praising director Sean S. Cunningham's underrated guidance and the "chemistry" in her scenes with Palmer. 

Beyond film, King has thrived creatively:

- Visual Art: She paints camp and wine-inspired works, selling originals and prints via her website.

- Winemaking: Partnering with Valley View Vineyards in Oregon's Rogue Valley, she has curated Crystal Lake Wines, a Friday the 13th-themed line. Her vintages have won awards and nod to her horror legacy.

- Conventions and Advocacy: A horror convention staple, King attends numerous events throughout the year. She's expressed excitement about potential franchise revivals, including the Peacock series Crystal Lake where she was initially attached.

King married producer Richard Hassanein in 1987 and maintains an active online presence, including her Facebook page where she shares art and alumni updates. As of today, she continues embracing her "Final Girl" status, turning personal trauma into a celebrated legacy. For more, check her site at adrienneking.com.