Lorin Williams August 19th, 2023 - 5:14 PM
According to People, Tony-nominated and Emmy-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has died. The news of his passing was confirmed by a statement from a representative for the actor. Jones was 66 years old.
“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 representative’s statement read via People. “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.”
While most of his career was spent on the stage, Jones found fame in film and television. He appeared in the Netflix musical drama The Get Down and the neurotic hacker thriller, Mr. Robot. He played a nemesis in the 80s-tinged hood drama Paid in Full. He also played Octavia Spencer’s (Ma, The Help) biker father in three seasons of Truth Be Told on Apple TV+.
However, he was most known for his breakout role on NBC’s This Is Us. Throughout the six-season series, Jones portrayed William Hill, the long-lost father of Sterling K. Brown’s (Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul, Project Artemis) Randall Pearson. The role garnered Jones two Emmy wins for Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2020, respectively. The year he coveted his second award, his daughter actress Jasmine Cephas Jones (Blindspotting, Hamilton) won her first Emmy. The two were the first father and daughter to do so in the same year.
According to People, Jones had been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which forced him to undergo a double-lung transplant in 2020. In a May 2022 Entertainment Weekly interview, he detailed how his colleagues had aided him on set after experiencing a nearly fatal health scare.
“You cats held me when I was struggling and you didn’t let me go,” Jones said via EW. “You’ve been there for a very difficult part of my life. I’m a walking miracle.”
As news spreads about his passing, tributes to Jones appear online from fans and colleagues alike. Netflix’s Luke Cage creator Cheo Hodari Coker stated how Jones was “one of the best people I’ve ever worked with.”
AH MAN!!! Heartbroken. Ron is one of the best people I’ve ever worked with. Such a classy person and an INCREDIBLE actor. Ron and Reg E Cathey’s voices live rent free in my head — they made every speech sound like music. RIP BOBBY FISH.
https://t.co/PoiKOQx2AN via @variety— Cheo Hodari Coker (@cheo_coker) August 19, 2023
Ron Cephas Jones had a prolific career, but he gave one of the greatest TV performances of the 2010s as William on This Is Us. The episode dedicated to his character’s passing is a masterpiece, and a perfect, fitting microcosm of his gifts as a performer. May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/3AIkNCEEHB
— Brandon Lewis 🔜 TIFF23 (@blewis1103) August 19, 2023
Actress and comedian Loni Love (The Real, Chelsea Lately) called Jones “talented and gracious” in a touching post.
What a pleasure it was getting to know the talented and gracious Ron Cephas Jones … a pure working actor that knew and loved his craft. His memory will live on through his work. But you will be missed. Rest well. 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/jg3rVQvAkh
— Loni Love (@LoniLove) August 19, 2023
His on-screen son, Brown, paid tribute to the actor in an Instagram post stating how “one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us.”
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Jones leaves to his memory his daughter, Jasmine.
