Austin St. John
Austin St. John | |
|---|---|
 St. John at Animate! Philadelphia in 2026 | |
| Born | Jason Lawrence Geiger September 17, 1974 Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Education | Concordia University |
| Occupations | Actor Martial artist |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Known for | Jason Lee Scott in Power Rangers |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | austinstjohn |
Jason Lawrence Geiger[1] (born September 17, 1974), professionally known as Austin St. John, is an American actor and martial artist best known for his portrayal of Jason Lee Scott in the Power Rangers franchise.[2]
Biography
[edit]Austin St. John is the son of U.S. Marine and martial artist Steve John and his wife, Sharon.[3]
His first acting role and most well-known role to date was at 17 years old, when he was cast as teen superhero Jason Lee Scott, the Red Power Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first installment of the Power Rangers franchise, which debuted on Fox Kids in 1993. For his role, he took the stage name Austin St. John, Austin coming from The Six Million Dollar Man's Steve Austin and St. John being a name of his own choosing.[4] In 2020, St. John reprised the role of Jason in a second-season episode of Power Rangers Beast Morphers titled "Grid Connection".[5]
Austin St. John began as a proficient martial artist, holding a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo, a first-degree black belt in Judo and a first-degree black belt in Kenpo and for a time, he worked as a martial arts instructor.[6]
In February 2024, he announced plans to start a "warrior"-inspired clothing line featuring quotes from prominent historical figures, including Adolf Hitler. This drew fierce condemnation from fans, as well as Amy Jo Johnson, who costarred in the series as Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger.[7]
Personal life
[edit]
Austin St. John attended Robert Frost Middle School and W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia,[8] before moving to Fullerton, California, where he attended Sunny Hills High School, but did not graduate. As an adult, he went on to earn his G.E.D. and ultimately obtained his undergraduate degree from Concordia University. He is married and has 3 children.[9]
CARES Act indictment
[edit]In May 2022, St. John was indicted on federal criminal charges related to the CARES Act. He allegedly conspired in a $3.5 million scheme to create businesses or use an existing business to submit applications to fraudulently obtain Paycheck Protection Program funding. Prosecutors said participants in the conspiracy would file false supporting documentation and misrepresent key details, including the number of their employees and the amount of their payroll, causing the Small Business Administration and financial institutions to issue loans. Prosecutors alleged St. John and co-defendants paid the ringleaders of the scheme, and spent the money on personal purchases. The charges carried a maximum sentence of 20 years.[1][10]
St. John pleaded guilty to the charges on April 22, 2024, as part of a plea agreement, the notice of which was published on May 1.[11] On May 1, 2025, St. John was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay over $225,000 in restitution.[12]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Film | Portraying | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities | Himself | |
| 1997 | Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie | Jason Lee Scott | |
| 2009 | Steps Toward The Sun | Cowboy | Short film |
| 2016 | Gideon's Frontier | Simon Kenton | |
| Tres Leches[13] | Officer Jed | ||
| 2017 | The Order | Jack | Unreleased |
| Survival's End[13] | |||
| Monsters At Large[13] | Sean Parker | ||
| A Gift of The Heart[13] | |||
| 2019 | A Walk with Grace | Duane Shaffer |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | Jason Lee Scott / Red Ranger | Main role (Season 1–2) |
| 1996 | Power Rangers Zeo | Jason Lee Scott / Gold Zeo Ranger | Recurring role |
| 1998 | Exposé | Detective Anderson | Television film |
| 2002 | Power Rangers Wild Force | Jason Lee Scott / Red Ranger | Episode: "Forever Red" |
| 2020 | Power Rangers Beast Morphers | Episode: "Grid Connection" | |
| 2023 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always | 30th Anniversary special (Archival footage only) |
Video games
[edit]| Year | Game | Portraying | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid | Jason Lee Scott / Red Ranger | Voice-over role[14] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "18 Arrested, Charged in East Texas Paycheck Protection Program-Related Fraud" (Press release). Plano, Texas: Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Texas. May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ↑ Dale, Steve (March 10, 1995). "It's Pink Floyd For Children". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
- ↑ "Q&A with original Red Power Ranger Austin St. John". Central Florida Future. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Biggest Success Stories". Pat O' Brien Talent Management. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009.
- ↑ Deckelmeier, Joe (May 2, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Austin St. John Set To Return For Team-Up In POWER RANGERS: Beast Morphers". That Hashtag Show. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ↑ Rivera, Candida; Matamoros, Stephanie (December 24, 1994). "KIDSDAY TALKING WITH Austin St. John". Newsday. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012.
- ↑ Russell, Shania (March 12, 2024). "Power Rangers alum Amy Jo Johnson shades 'rogue Red Ranger' Austin St. John for selling T-shirts with Hitler quotes". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Jason/Austin St. John Bio". jasonaustinstjohn.tripod.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ↑ "Q&A with original Red Power Ranger Austin St. John". Central Florida Future. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ↑ Haring, Bruce (May 20, 2022). "'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Star Austin St. John Arrested For Government Pandemic Loan Fraud". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Notice of Plea Agreement", United States of America v. Geiger (Court Filing), no. 4:22-cr-00110-JDK-AGD, Document 585, E.T.X., May 1, 2024
- ↑ Lee, David (May 1, 2025). "Red Power Ranger actor avoids prison for role in $3.5 million PPP scam". courthousenews.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 "Austin St. John". IMDb. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016.
- ↑ "'Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid Shattered Grid Story Mode Trailer Revealed; Update Live Today". comicbook.com. April 30, 2019. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
External links
[edit]
- Austin St. John on X
- Austin St. John at IMDb
- 1974 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male judoka
- American male taekwondo practitioners
- Kenpō practitioners
- American people of Native American descent
- American people of Japanese descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of German descent
- American people of Spanish descent
- American male television actors
- Concordia University alumni
- Male actors from New Mexico
- Male actors from Washington, D.C.
- Sunny Hills High School alumni
