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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