Saturday, August 19, 2023

Ron Cephas Jones obit

Ron Cephas Jones, Emmy-Winning 'This Is Us' Actor, Dead at 66

Jones died due to a "long-standing pulmonary issue," a representative for the actor confirmed to PEOPLE on Saturday

 He was not on the list.


Ron Cephas Jones, the Emmy-winning actor best known for playing William Hill on This Is Us, has died. He was 66.

A representative for the actor confirmed Jones’ death to PEOPLE on Saturday: “Beloved and award-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has passed away at the age of 66 due to a long-standing pulmonary issue.”

“Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” the statement continued. “He began his career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his love for the stage was present throughout his entire career, including his recent Tony nominated and Drama Desk Award winning performance for his role in Clyde’s on Broadway.”

“Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award winning performance on This is Us. He is survived by his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones,” the statement concluded.

Jones was best known for his role on This Is Us as William Hill, the biological father of Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown), for which he won a guest acting Emmy in 2018 and another in 2020. That same year, his daughter Jasmine, 34, earned her first Emmy, making the pair the first-ever father-daughter winners in the same year.

The Law & Order: Organized Crime star revealed to The New York Times in 2021 that he privately battled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and received a double lung transplant at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in 2020, where he was a patient for almost two months.

According to a June 2022 interview with Today, he said his Tony-nominated performance in Clyde's on Broadway motivated him to make a speedy recovery.

“I don’t want to say a miracle, but I was very fortunate. I had great doctors. It still was a very difficult and arduous recovery. I’m recovering for the rest of my life,” Jones told the outlet. “You don’t get new lungs and start running track. It’s a procedure that you have to constantly work on your body. Medication is involved and therapy.”

He previously recalled to Entertainment Weekly in May 2022 how his costars and producers helped him through a life-threatening health scare on his final day on set, telling them: "You cats held me when I was struggling and you didn't let me go. You've been there for a very difficult part of my life. I'm a walking miracle."

"My whole life has been the stage," Jones said. "The idea of not performing again seemed worse to me than death."

In addition to This Is Us, the New Jersey Native appeared in Mr. Robot (2015-2016), The Get Down (2016-2017), Luke Cage (2016-2018), Looking For Alaska (2019) and Truth Be Told (2019-2023).

His film credits include He Got Game (1998), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Half Nelson (2006), Across the Universe (2007), Glass Chin (2014), The Holiday Calendar (2018), Dog Days (2018) and Dolemite Is My Name (2019).

Prior to that, Jones was a member of New York's Off-Broadway LAByrinth Theater Company. Among his several theatrical roles was Crooks in Broadway's 2014 production of Of Mice and Men.

In December, Deadline reported that Jones was cast in the fourth installment of the historical anthology series Genius: MLK/X. He will portray as Elijah Muhammad, the "powerful, confident and complicated" leader of the Nation of Island and teacher and mentor of Malcolm X in his last credited role.

 

Actor

Genius: MLK/X

Elijah Muhammad

Post-productionTV Series

 

Kate Hudson and Octavia Spencer in Truth Be Told (2019)

Truth Be Told

Leander 'Shreve' Scoville

TV Series

2019–2023

28 episodes

 

This Is Us (2016)

This Is Us

William Hill

TV Series

2016–2022

45 episodes

 

Christopher Meloni in Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021)

Law & Order: Organized Crime

Congressman Leon Kilbride

TV Series

2021–2022

8 episodes

 

Pamela Adlon in Better Things (2016)

Better Things

Ron

TV Series

2022

3 episodes

 

Julianne Moore in Lisey's Story (2021)

Lisey's Story

Professor Roger Dashmiel

TV Mini Series

2021

5 episodes

 

Amphibia (2019)

Amphibia

Captain Aldo (voice)

TV Series

2021

1 episode

 

Charlie Plummer, Denny Love, Jay Lee, and Kristine Froseth in Looking for Alaska (2019)

Looking for Alaska

Dr. Hyde

TV Mini Series

2019

8 episodes

 

Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Keegan-Michael Key, Tituss Burgess, Toni Duclottni, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph in Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Dolemite Is My Name

Ricco

2019

 

Live and Let Die: The Radio Play (2019)

Live and Let Die: The Radio Play

Quarrel (voice)

Video

2019

 

Kat Graham and Quincy Brown in The Holiday Calendar (2018)

The Holiday Calendar

Gramps

2018

 

Venom (2018)

Venom

Jack (uncredited)

2018

 

Dog Days (2018)

Dog Days

Walter

2018

 

Madden NFL 19: Longshot Homecoming (2018)

Madden NFL 19: Longshot Homecoming

Earl Coates

Video Game

2018

 

Mike Colter in Luke Cage (2016)

Luke Cage

Bobby Fish

TV Series

2016–2018

12 episodes

 

The Get Down (2016)

The Get Down

Winston Kipling

TV Series

2016–2017

5 episodes

 

Rami Malek in Mr. Robot (2015)

Mr. Robot

Romero

TV Series

2015–2016

9 episodes

 

Banshee (2013)

Banshee

Frazier

TV Series

2015

2 episodes

 

The Blacklist (2013)

The Blacklist

Dr. James Covington

TV Series

2014

1 episode

 

Billy Crudup, Yul Vazquez, Corey Stoll, and Marin Ireland in Glass Chin (2014)

Glass Chin

Ray Ellington (as Ron C. Jones)

2014

 

James Franco and Chris O'Dowd in Of Mice and Men (2014)

Of Mice and Men

Crooks

2014

 

Mark Strong in Low Winter Sun (2013)

Low Winter Sun

Reverend Lowdown

TV Series

2013

3 episodes

 

Titus (2013)

Titus

Titus (as Ron C. Jones)

2013

 

NYC 22 (2012)

NYC 22

Arthur Anson

TV Series

2012

1 episode

 

Leonardo Nam, James Chen, Ryan O'Nan, Keong Sim, Idara Victor, Gillian Jacobs, and Elijah Cook in Watching TV with the Red Chinese (2012)

Watching TV with the Red Chinese

Little (as Ron C. Jones)

2012

 

Piper Perabo, Ajay Naidu, and Faran Tahir in Ashes (2010)

Ashes

Floyd (as Ron C. Jones)

2010

 

Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Sanaa Lathan, Justin Martin, Audra McDonald, and Phylicia Rashad in A Raisin in the Sun (2008)

A Raisin in the Sun

Willy Harris (as Ron C. Jones)

TV Movie

2008

 

Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood in Across the Universe (2007)

Across the Universe

Black Panther

2007

 

Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Eric Bogosian, Julianne Nicholson, and Chris Noth in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001)

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Reggie Banks

TV Series

2006

1 episode

 

Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson (2006)

Half Nelson

Mr. Dickson

2006

 

Preaching to the Choir (2005)

Preaching to the Choir

Pug (as Ron C. Jones)

2005

 

Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Mario Van Peebles, Jaclyn DeSantis, Luis Guzmán, and Jay Hernandez in Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)

Carlito's Way: Rise to Power

Activist

Video

2005

 

The Ballad of Pinto Red

Earl House (as Ron C. Jones)

Short

2004

 

Anonymous

Frank (as Ron C. Jones)

Short

2004

 

Don Johnson and Jeanne Tripplehorn in Word of Honor (2003)

Word of Honor

Ramon Detonq (as Ron C. Jones)

TV Movie

2003

 

Mekhi Phifer, Wood Harris, and Cam'ron in Paid in Full (2002)

Paid in Full

Ice

2002

 

Little Senegal (2000)

Little Senegal

Westley (as Ron C. Jones)

2000

 

Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

Sweet and Lowdown

Alvin

1999

 

Double Platinum (1999)

Double Platinum

Jean Claude (as Ron C. Jones)

TV Movie

1999

 

Anthony DeSando and Harold Perrineau in A Day in Black and White (1999)

A Day in Black and White

(as Ron C. Jones)

1999

 

Denzel Washington in He Got Game (1998)

He Got Game

Prison Guard Burwell

1998

 

NYPD Blue (1993)

NYPD Blue

Jess (as Ron Cephaf Jones)

TV Series

1997

1 episode

 

Ice-T, Sam Waterston, Mariska Hargitay, Camryn Manheim, Christopher Meloni, Jeffrey Donovan, Mehcad Brooks, Kelli Giddish, and Danielle Moné Truitt in Law & Order (1990)

Law & Order

Roland BooksFrank Doyle

TV Series

1996–1997

2 episodes

 

Malik Yoba in New York Undercover (1994)

New York Undercover

James Ferris

TV Series

1996

1 episode

 

Jake-Ann Jones in Naked Acts (1996)

Naked Acts

Joel (as Ron C. Jones)

1996

 

Murder Magic

Buddy Dixon

1994

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