Thomas Mathews is an American actor best known for his role as Tommy Jarvis in the Friday the 13th franchise—in particular Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)—and Freddy in The Return of the Living Dead (1985). His other film roles include Dangerously Close (1986), Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988), and Nemesis (1992).

Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that comprises twelve slasher films, a television series, novels, comic books, video games, and tie‑in merchandise. The franchise mainly focuses on the fictional character Jason Voorhees, who was thought to have drowned as a boy at Camp Crystal Lake due to the negligence of the camp staff. Decades later, the lake is rumored to be "cursed" and is the setting for a series of mass murders. Jason is featured in all of the films, as either the killer or the motivation for the killings. The original film, created to cash in on the success of Halloween (1978), was written by Victor Miller and was produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham. The films have grossed over $468 million at the box-office worldwide.