Ex-movie actor is now a heavily-tattooed drink and drug addict who burgled house because he had missed last bus home while drunk 35 years after he landed role in major film

• Jason Hoganson, 52, was a rising film actor after starring in 1987’s Empire State
• A court heard he was ‘unable to deal with success’ and spiralled out of control 
• Now with 103 convictions, Hoganson, of Wallsend, was caught burgling a home
• He was jailed for eight months after admitting the crime in Newcastle city centre 

A former Hollywood actor whose brush with fame peaked in a gritty 1980s film has been jailed for eight months after burgling a home in Newcastle.

Jason Hoganson, 51, from Wallsend, was still a teenager when he landed a role in 1987 film Empire State alongside Ray McAnally, Jamie Foreman and Martin Landau.

Playing an enigmatic Geordie drifter living among mobsters in London, Hoganson was talent scouted by producers who contacted his drama teacher looking for a youth to play the part.

But sudden success and a troubled adolescence saw his life quickly unravel as he abused drink and drugs.

After his acting career dried out, he turned to crime and was jailed for seven years in 1996 for aggravated burglary after threatening a woman in her home.

Now heavily-tattooed, Hoganson appeared at Newcastle Moot Hall for sentencing on Wednesday, June 22, The Mirror reports.

Jason Hoganson, 51, (pictured left at the time of his appearance in 1987 movie Empire State; and right in a recent mugshot) has racked up more than 103 convictions

After auditioning more than 100 teenage hopefuls, producers offered Hoganson the part of Geordie drifter Pete, and he starred alongside Irish actor Ray McAnally, Jamie Foreman and US star Martin Landau. Pictured is a scene from the film 

Hoganson struggled with his early success after starring in Empire State, according to his defence lawyer, and his life descended into crime and addictions

The court heard that Hoganson, who has 103 convictions to his name, was seen kicking his way through a communal door at a residential building in the Groat Market, Newcastle, on April 19.

He then stunned a resident by appearing in his bedroom and asking for a cigarette.

Police were called and Hoganson was caught in a nearby alleyway, carrying a cap and jacket belonging to another resident from the building.

Hoganson pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed for eight months by Judge Sarah Mallet.

Nick Lane, defending, said it was a ‘sad case’ and that Hoganson was not a habitual burglar, adding he was ‘unable to deal with his success’ after his film appearance.

Once a promising young actor, Hoganson, from Wallsend, North Tyneside, turned to a life of crime and has racked up more than 103 offences

The Groat Market, situated off the famous Bigg Market in Newcastle city centre, where Hoganson carried out a burglary on April 19

Mr Lane said: ‘He had consumed alcohol and had missed the last bus home. In his inebriated state he behaved in the way your honour has heard and very much regrets his actions.

‘In his own words he talks about tumbling down hills and getting his life stable again then a setback leading him into further use of illicit substances and a spiralling mental health crisis. He says he knows he should be dead by now given the abuse he had put his body through. He has self-harmed and has significant scarring to his face and other parts of the body.

‘He now has a relationship with a lady and he wants to stop taking drugs and focus on her. Because of sentences and offending he has seen his mother only two times in the last six years.’

In an interview in 2012, Hoganson revealed he had lost contact with his family and was living on the streets due to his drink and drug problems.

‘I’m like the black sheep,’ he said. ‘My mum has done everything for me, she’s a really lovely woman, but my family have had enough and I don’t blame them.

‘I can’t keep putting them through this.’

Trouble began from an early age and at 13-years-old he was taken into care when his mother Maureen was no longer to cope with his erratic behaviour.

‘I was put into care when I was 13 because of my behaviour,’ he said.

‘I was just part of the gang in Elswick and used to follow the crowd, and that’s how I got into trouble.’

His chance to turn his life around came in 1987 when the producers of the low-budget film contacted his drama teacher looking for Geordie actors for a part in Empire State, a gritty drama set in 1980s London.

Hoganson, pictured in 2012, has led a troubled life after his stint with fame  

After auditioning more than 100 teenage hopefuls, producers offered Hoganson the part of Geordie drifter Pete, and he starred alongside Irish actor Ray McAnally, Jamie Foreman and US star Martin Landau.

But as his acting career started to take off, his personal life was in tatters and he succumbed to a life of crime.

In 1996, the father-of-five was jailed for seven years for aggravated burglary in which he threatened a woman in her home and while in prison he lost contact with his children.

He said: ‘The children were only young and I decided it was best for them that I didn’t see them anymore.’

When he was released from jail in 2002, he was housed in various hostels but he was often disruptive and was eventually evicted.

Diagnosed with mental health problems, he spent many years as an outpatient at St Nicholas’ Hospital in Gosforth.

He was discharged in 2009, and by the end of that year was back in jail after being convicted of attacking his partner.

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