O-Lan Jones
O-Lan Jones is an American actress, composer, and theater producer. She played the eccentric religious fanatic woman Esmeralda in Edward Scissorhands.[1]
O-Lan Jones | |
---|---|
Born | |
Other names | O-Lan Shepard |
Education | New Dramatists |
Occupation | Actress, composer, producer |
Years active | 1967–2016 |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 1 |
Early life
Jones was born in Los Angeles, California. Her first name comes from the heroine of the novel The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Her father left the family when she was a child. Her mother Scarlett Johnson, a self-described "free spirit", moved their family for a year to a remote Mayan village in the Yucatán jungle when Jones was 15 years old.[2] In 1966 they relocated to Greenwich Village, New York City, where Jones began her acting career. It was in New York that Johnson married comedian and actor Johnny Dark, while Jones dated Dark's best friend, playwright Sam Shepard. Shepard wrote the role of "Oolan" for Jones in his 1967 play Forensic & The Navigators.
In 1969, Jones and Shepard were married. She went on to star in a number of his plays, including Suicide in B♭ and Angel City among others.[3] Jones gave birth to their son Jesse Mojo Shepard in 1971. Jones and Shepard divorced in 1984 after he left her for actress Jessica Lange.
Jones is an alumna of New Dramatists.[4] In addition to her acting Jones is a writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. She is the artistic director of Overtone Industries, a company she founded in 1980 dedicated to creating and developing new works for opera and musical theater.[5] In 2003, she married her long-time boyfriend Haldor Enard.[6]
Selected filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | A Death in Canaan | Carla Pitts | Television film Credited as Olan Shephard |
1980 | Die Laughing | Judge | Credited as Olan Shephard |
1982 | Deadly Drifter | Nixie / Dinah | Credited as O-Lan Shepard |
1982 | Shoot the Moon | Counter Girl | Credited as O-Lan Shepard |
1983 | The Right Stuff | Pretty Girl | Credited as O-Lan Shepard |
1988 | Married to the Mob | Phyllis | |
1988 | Miracle Mile | Waitress | |
1988 | Wildfire | Mrs. Johnson | |
1989 | Lonesome Dove | Sally Skull | Credited as Olan Jones |
1989 | How I Got into College | Sally O'Connor | |
1990 | Edward Scissorhands | Esmeralda | |
1990 | Pacific Heights | Hotel Maid | |
1992 | Seinfeld | Waitress | Episode: "The Bubble Boy" |
1993 | Shelf Life | Tina | |
1993–1994 | Harts of the West | Rose McLaughlin | |
1994 | Natural Born Killers | Mabel | |
1996 | The X-Files | Rebecca Waite | Episode: "Sanguinarium" |
1996 | Mars Attacks! | Sue-Ann Norris | |
1998 | The Truman Show | Bar Waitress | |
2000 | American Virgin | Kim | |
2000 | Attention Shoppers | Meg | |
2001 | Diagnosis: Murder | Chantelle Boudreau | Episode: "Bachelor Fathers" |
2002 | American Girl | Hildegarde | |
2013 | Syrup | Clinic Receptionist | |
2015 | Community | Garrett's Mom | Episode: "Wedding Videography" |
2016 | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Shelly |
References
- Ariano, Tara; Adam Sternbergh (2005). Hey! It's That Guy!. Quirk Books. p. 996. ISBN 978-1-59474-042-8.
- "Inventing a World, One Note at a Time". Los Angeles Times.
- "Theatre". olanjones.com.
- "Alumni". Alumni Playwrights. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- "About". overtoneindustries.org.
- "Bio". o-lanjones.com.
External links
- O-Lan Jones at IMDb