Jeffrey Jones

After graduating from the Putney School in 1964, Jones enrolled in Lawrence University as a premed student, where his performances in university productions brought him to the attention of Tyrone Guthrie, who recruited him for the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[5] He then went to London in 1969 to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, followed by a three-year stint with the Stratford Theatre in Stratford, Ontario.[6]

His stage career included more than 125 productions, starting with the Guthrie Theater, then internationally in South America, Canada, and London,[7] and in New York Off-Broadway in Cloud 9 and Henry V, among other productions,[8] as well as on Broadway in productions including Trelawny of the Wells and The Elephant Man.[9] His transition from stage to film began in 1970.[5]

Jones began acting in small parts in film and television in the 1970s. In his best-known roles as Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus, Charles Deetz in Beetlejuice, and Edward R. Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, his dead-pan expression and distinctive face bring a comic flavor to his characters through their reactions to the situations in which they find themselves, more so than the wit in their scripted lines.[5] The New York Times' biographic profile says of Jones, "Although he has tried to steer clear of playing only sinister roles, the actor's imposing height, bugged-out eyes, easy sneer, and shock of reddish-blond hair give him vaguely devilish features that have prompted villain typecasting. However, the actor is also widely respected and considered a boon wherever he appears." The profile describes his portrayals variously as a "hissable, cartoonish high school principal" in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a "good-natured father" in Beetlejuice, "an interplanetary freedom fighter" in Mom and Dad Save the World, a "demon stand-in" in Stay Tuned, "evil bespectacled twins" in Out on a Limb, plus other personae in a variety of other roles.[7]

Jones' work in the Lucille Lortel Theatre production of Cloud 9 was noticed by the casting team of Easy Money (1983), earning Jones a supporting role opposite Rodney Dangerfield.[10][11]

Subsequent to his legal troubles,[25] Jones has become progressively less active as a performer. Following his appearance in the golf comedy Who's Your Caddy? (2007), he was absent from film and television for several years. He returned with an uncredited cameo as Collier's editor Charles Colebaugh in the Emmy-nominated HBO original film Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012),[26] followed by the supporting role of scientist Gladstone in the independent disaster film 10.0 Earthquake (2014).[27] Jones went on to play a fictional version of himself in the short film 7 Days (2016)[28] and reprised the role of A. W. Merrick in Deadwood: The Movie.[29]

In May 2015, Jones returned to the stage with the New American Theatre production of 63 Trillion, directed by Steve Zuckerman. The Los Angeles Times praised his portrayal of financial adviser Dick as having "malevolent gusto that Satan himself might envy."[30] Beginning in March 2018, Jones portrayed ailing patriarch Bradley in a production of the A. R. Gurney play The Cocktail Hour, staged at the Annenberg Theater in the Palm Springs Art Museum.[31][32]

Jones was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Ruth (née Schooley) and Douglas Bennett Jones. His mother was an art historian, who urged him towards a career in acting. His father died when Jones was an infant.[33][34]

Jones has one son, actor Julian Coutts,[35][36] whose mother was Lloy Coutts (1941–2008), a Canadian voice coach. She and Jones met in Stratford, Ontario.[37][38]

One interviewer found Jones to value anonymity and the enjoyment of everyday tasks, like home repairs, and found him to be uninterested in status symbols and fan adulation. In that 1989 interview, Jones pointed out that greater public recognition actually makes it more difficult to transition between roles and allow the character to come to the fore and the actor to recede from view.[5]

On October 13, 2020, Jones spoke virtually with Suzanna Bowling of the Times Square Chronicles, in an interview for The Lambs. Topics of discussion included Jones' path to acting and early theater career, as well as projects including Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Beetlejuice, Howard the Duck and Deadwood.[39]

In 2002, Jones was arrested for possession of child pornography and accused by a 17-year-old boy of solicitation to pose for nude photographs.[40] He pleaded no contest to a charge of soliciting a minor, as the accuser was 14 when the offense first occurred.[41] At the same time, the misdemeanor charge of possession of child pornography was dropped. His attorney emphasized that there was no allegation of improper physical contact. His punishment was five years' probation, counseling, and the requirement to register as a sex offender.[42] As of 2021, Jones was listed on the U.S. Department of Justice national sex offender database.[43]

Jones was arrested twice for failing to update his sex offender status, first in Florida in 2004,[44] and then six years later in California.[45] In 2006, Jones' record became the subject of community complaint during production of Who's Your Caddy? in Aiken, South Carolina. Upon learning of his involvement, locals insisted that the public should have been alerted, considering that families were being invited to visit the set.[46] Surrounding the release of Deadwood: The Movie, Jones' crime was noted by the media.[47][48]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jeffrey Jones.

• New York Times biography of Jeffrey Jones
• Jeffrey Jones at IMDb