{{Short description|English actor and director}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=January 2012}} {{Infobox person |name = Jon Jacobs |image = Jon Jacobs, Gamelab 2017 (35483130361).jpg |caption = Jacobs in 2017 |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1966|09|10}} |birth_place = Derbyshire, England, UK |death_date = |death_place = |known_for = ''Lucinda's Spell''<br>''Hey DJ'' |occupation = Actor, entrepreneur, director, producer, writer |children = 3 |spouse = Cheri London (m. 3 August 2006)<ref name="Aaronson" >{{cite web|author=Trevor Aaronson |url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2006-08-03/news/megabyte-millionaire/ |title=Megabyte Millionaire |work=Miami New Times |date=3 August 2006 |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref> |partner = Tina Wiseman<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digital-era-death-eng.blogspot.com/2012/07/an-interview-with-gamer-jon-neverdie.html|title=Digital Dust: An interview with the gamer Jon "NEVERDIE" Jacobs|first=Vered|last=Shavit|date=22 July 2012|website=digital-era-death-eng.blogspot.com|access-date=1 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="Kotaku" >{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/in-the-virtual-world-his-fiancee-never-died-30812832|work=Kotaku|title=In The Virtual World, His Fiancée Never Died|date=2011-05-27|author=Stephen Totilo}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.entropiadirectory.com/wiki/memorial_island/|title=Memorial Island – Entropia Universe 2015|website=entropiadirectory.com|access-date=1 May 2018}}</ref> <br>( – 20 February 2005) |website = {{url|neverdie.com}} }} '''Jon Jacobs''' (born 10 September 1966 in Derbyshire, England) is an English actor, entrepreneur, director, producer, writer, and creator of the avatar '''Neverdie''' from the virtual world ''Entropia Universe''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hillis |first=Scott |date=21 June 2007 |title=Real economy thrives in virtual world |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/internetnews/idUSN1919729520070621 |access-date=21 January 2012 |work=Reuters}}</ref>
As a film actor, director, and producer, Jacobs is best known for films such as ''The Girl with the Hungry Eyes'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displayinterview.php?ID=42|title=Interview: Jon Jacobs: The Boy with the Hungry Eyes|website=digitallyOBSESSED!|access-date=1 May 2018}}</ref> ''Lucinda's Spell'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/library/film/091099lucinda-film-review.html |title='Lucinda's Spell': Wild Time in New Orleans, and It Sure Isn't Mardi Gras |work=The New York Times |date=10 September 1999 |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref> ''Charlotte Sometimes'', ''Hey DJ'',<ref name=NYT/> and ''RevoLOUtion''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Catsoulis |first=Jeannette |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/movies/19revo.html |title=RevoLOUtion (2003) |work=The New York Times |date=19 May 2006 |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref>
==Biography== Jon Jacobs grew up in London. His mother, Jackie White, was Miss United Kingdom in 1962. His father, Adrian Jacobs, was a financier. Jacobs was expelled from the British stage school Sylvia Young's in 1981. In 1986 he made his screen debut in the short film ''Salette''. Jon followed up by directing and acting in ''Metropolis Apocalypse'' and ''Moonlight Resurrection''. ''Metropolis Apocalypse'' was an official selection in the Semaine de' la critique at the Cannes Film Festival 1988. Jacobs's first lead role in a feature film was ''Welcome Says the Angel''. He played the lead in the films ''Johnny Famous,'' and ''Lucinda's Spell''.
In 1992 Jacobs wrote and directed ''The Girl with the Hungry Eyes'', which was executive produced by Cassian Elwes. In 1995, Jacobs wrote, directed, and starred in the micro-budget feature ''The Wooden Gun'', a period black and white Western.
In 2002, Jacobs created the "Neverdie" avatar inside the Entropia Universe.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chiang |first=Oliver |title=Meet The Man Who Just Made A Half Million From The Sale Of Virtual Property |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverchiang/2010/11/13/meet-the-man-who-just-made-a-cool-half-million-from-the-sale-of-virtual-property/ |access-date=2023-01-06 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> In 2005, he co-directed and starred as DJ Hound Dog in the electronic dance movie ''Hey DJ''.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/344814/Hey-DJ/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103160411/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/344814/Hey-DJ/overview |archive-date=November 3, 2012|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|date=2012|title=Hey DJ|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2005, Jacobs mortgaged his home to buy a virtual asteroid for US$100,000, being the most valuable virtual item ever sold at that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4374610.stm |title=Gamer buys virtual space station |publisher=BBC News |date=25 October 2005 |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Domokos, John |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/video/2008/jan/11/making.money.jon.jacobs.neverdie |title=Making Money. Jon Jacobs Neverdie |work=The Guardian |location=UK |date=11 January 2008 |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref> In 2010 Jon Jacobs sold the Asteroid Space Resort to various other Entropia Universe participants for a total of US$635,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.entropiaplanets.com/forums/threads/and-the-asteroid-goes-to.3469/|title=And the Asteroid Goes To|website=entropiaplanets.com|access-date=4 August 2011|archive-date=15 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415000816/http://www.entropiaplanets.com/forums/threads/and-the-asteroid-goes-to.3469/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Jacobs's avatar subsequently appeared in The Discovery Channel documentaries ''Gamer Generation'' and ''I, Videogame'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yourdiscovery.com/ivideogame/html/index.shtml |title=Discovery Channel |publisher=Yourdiscovery.com |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref> it also appeared in the Canal+ documentary ''La Vraie vie des mondes virtuels''.
In 2008, Jacobs founded NEVERDIE Studios to create entertainment-driven virtual worlds on the ''Entropia'' Platform. Planets produced by NEVERDIE Studios have included Rocktropia and Next Island.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dean Takahashi |url=https://venturebeat.com/2010/05/11/rocktropia-virtual-world-for-music-lovers-debuts/ |title=Rocktropia virtual world for music lovers debuts |publisher=Venturebeat.com |date=11 May 2010 |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| author= Dean Takahashi |url=https://venturebeat.com/2010/12/08/next-island-launches-its-time-travelers-virtual-world/ |title=Next Island launches its time travelers virtual world |publisher=Venturebeat.com |date=8 December 2010 |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref>
Also in 2011, NEVERDIE Studios started working with Universal Pictures; the first title to launch was ''Hunt The Thing'', a film-length MMO inspired by both John Carpenter's 1982 version of ''The Thing'' and the 2011 prequel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.mmosite.com/content/2011-09-23/movie_based_mmog_hunt_the_thing_launches.shtml |title=Movie-Based MMOG Hunt The Thing Launches |publisher=News.mmosite.com |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tentonhammer.com/huntthething/news/neverdie-studios-announces-the-launch-of-movie-based-mmog-hunt-the-thing |title=NEVERDIE Studios Announces the Launch of Movie-Based MMOG Hunt The Thing |date=23 September 2011 |publisher=Tentonhammer.com |access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref>
In 2015 NEVERDIE Studios announced the launch of a new virtual ''King Kong'' trilogy in collaboration with Universal Licensing and Partnerships, set in the ROCKtropia virtual world and based on the 2005 film ''King Kong'', directed by Peter Jackson. The first title in the trilogy, ''Zombie King'', features the tagline "King Kong is Back! ...From the Dead!"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zomkong.com/|title=Official Site of Zombie Kong|website=Zomkong.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gamers-loot-20000-from-king-kong-inside-entropia-universe-3d-virtual-reality-world-300054999.html |title=Gamers Loot $20,000 From King Kong Inside Entropia Universe 3D Virtual Reality World |publisher=PRNewswrie.com |access-date=25 March 2015}}</ref>
In April 2016 Jon Jacobs revealed his plan to create three million jobs in virtual reality<ref name=VL>{{cite web|website=Vrlife.news|url=http://www.vrlife.news/president-virtual-reality-unveils-plans-create-3-million-jobs-virtual-public-transport-ipo/|date=3 May 2016|title=President of Virtual Reality Unveils Plans to Create 3 Million Jobs with the Virtual Public Transport IPO}}</ref> by 2030 through the privatization of teleportation, the primary public transport system in the MMO Entropia Universe.<ref name=VL/>
In 2019 Jacobs acted in the role of Walt Warshaw in the psychological thriller ''Lost Angelas''.<ref name=I/> Jacobs won the Outstanding Performance Award at Method Fest Independent Film Festival.<ref name=I>{{cite web|date=2019|title=Method Fest|publisher=IMDb|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000430/2019/1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=LePire, Bobby|date=29 March 2019|title=Lost Angelas|work=Film Threat|url=http://filmthreat.com/reviews/lost-angelas/}}</ref>
In 2023 Jon Jacobs won the "Seymour Cassel Award for Best Actor" at the Oldenburg International Film Festival for his portrayal of indie film producer Cassian Elwes in Elwes' directorial debut ''Passenger C''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/2023-oldenburg-film-festival-winners-list-1235592439/ | title=Ayse Polat's 'In the Blind Spot' Wins Oldenburg Film Festival German Independence Award|website=The Hollywood Reporter | date=17 September 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oldenburg-cassian-elwes-interview-passenger-c-directorial-debut-1235590744/|title=Oldenburg: Cassian Elwes on His Directorial Debut 'Passenger C' | website=The Hollywood Reporter | date=15 September 2023}}</ref>
==See also== * ''Entropia Universe'' * Anshe Chung
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{official|http://www.realityport.com}} * {{IMDb name|0414481}} * {{facebook|nevereverdie}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Jon}} Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Businesspeople in the software industry Category:English film producers Category:English male film actors Category:English film directors Category:English male television actors Category:Virtual avatars