Ron Cephas Jones

Ron Cephas Jones, who was of African American heritage, was born on January 8, 1957.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

He grew up in Paterson, New Jersey. He attended John F. Kennedy High School and then Ramapo College.[http://nj1015.com/this-is-us-has-nj-connections/ "How hit show This Is Us is connected to NJ — NO spoilers, scout’s honor!"], WKXW, February 23, 2017. Accessed February 17, 2018. "First, the cast includes New Jersey native, Ron Cephas Jones. The Paterson native who played William (Randall's biological dad) graduated John F. Kennedy High School and then attended Ramapo College in Mahwah. Jones also has had recent roles in Mr. Robot & Luke Cage." While at Ramapo, Jones had originally intended to study jazz under director Arnold Jones (no relation), but changed majors to theater after getting the lead in a production of Cinderella Ever After his sophomore year.{{cite web |url=http://www.labtheater.org/companymembers/memberspotlightjones.html |title=LAByrinth Theater Company – Company Members|access-date=September 19, 2013|archive-date=October 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019083514/http://www.labtheater.org/companymembers/memberspotlightjones.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/newyork/upstaged-blog/ron-cephas-jones-on-the-bridge-project|title=Ron Cephas Jones on the Bridge Project|access-date=September 19, 2013|archive-date=May 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509182547/http://www.timeout.com/newyork/upstaged-blog/ron-cephas-jones-on-the-bridge-project|url-status=dead}} He graduated from Ramapo in 1978.

After graduation he moved to Los Angeles, California and drove a bus for the Southern California Rapid Transit District for the following four years. He then moved around for some years, living in San Francisco, Arizona, and New Orleans, before returning to New York City in 1985.

After returning to New York in 1985, Jones began spending time at the Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan's East Village. During that time, he performed in a play based on the Billie Holiday song "Don't Explain". His performance caught the attention of a casting director, which led to Jones being offered the lead role in the Tazewell Thompson production of the Cheryl West play Holiday Heart in 1994. Jones performed in several theatrical productions with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois; appeared as the title character of Shakespeare's Richard III with The Public Theater in New York City, New York, as well as other Off Broadway productions. Jones served as an understudy or standby in several Broadway theatre productions. In 2014 Jones starred as Prometheus in Prometheus Bound directed by Travis Preston through the CalArts Center for New Performance.{{Cite web|url=https://centerfornewperformance.org/projects/prometheus-bound/|title=CalArts Center for New Performance – » Prometheus BoundCalArts Center for New Performance|website=CalArts Center for New Performance}} In 2022, he received a Tony Award nomination for his role in the Lynn Nottage play Clyde's.

His film credits include He Got Game (1998), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Half Nelson (2006), and Across The Universe (2007). In television, he appeared as Reverend Lowdown in the episode "The Goat Rodeo" of the 2013 television series Low Winter Sun and he played Romero, a member of "fsociety" in the 2015 television series Mr. Robot.{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mr-robot-casts-gotham-sopranos-789063 |title=USA's 'Mr. Robot' Nabs 'Gotham,' 'Sopranos' Actors for Recurring Roles (Exclusive) |work=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Kate |last=Stanhope |date=April 16, 2015 |access-date=July 17, 2015}} He also appeared on season 3 of the show Banshee as Philadelphia kingpin Mr. Frazier. He played Harlem chess master Bobby Fish in season 1 of Marvel's Luke Cage. Jones appeared on the NBC drama series This Is Us as William Hill, the biological father of Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown). Jones received critical acclaim for his performance on This Is Us and received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2020 for his performance.

Jones appeared in the Hulu teen drama series Looking for Alaska, as well as the Apple TV+ crime drama series Truth Be Told, opposite Octavia Spencer, Lizzy Caplan and Aaron Paul.

Jones and British-born jazz singer Kim Lesley had a daughter, actress Jasmine Cephas Jones{{cite web |url=https://www.essence.com/celebrity/this-is-us-season-3-preview/|title='This Is Us' Star Ron Cephas Jones Spills On His Stellar TV Performance And Working With His Daughter In 'Dog Days'|date=August 17, 2018|access-date=April 18, 2020}} (born 1989).

Jones had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and underwent a double lung transplant in 2020.{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/20/obituaries/ron-cephas-jones-dead.html|title = Ron Cephas Jones, 66, Soulful ‘This Is Us’ Star With Two Emmys, Dies|date = August 21, 2023|last = Traub|first = Alex|page = B5|newspaper = The New York Times|url-access = limited|accessdate = December 26, 2023}} He died on August 19, 2023, at the age of 66, from what his agent termed "a long-standing pulmonary issue".{{Cite web |title=Ron Cephas Jones, Emmy-Winning 'This Is Us' Actor, Dead at 66 |url=https://people.com/ron-cephas-jones-emmy-winning-this-is-us-actor-dead-at-66-7693257 |access-date=August 19, 2023 |website=People |language=en}}

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• Lists of actors
• List of people from Chicago
• Jasmine Cephas Jones
• List of people from New York City

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{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama Series}}

{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series}}

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Category:1957 births

Category:2023 deaths

Category:20th-century African-American male actors

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:21st-century African-American male actors

Category:21st-century American male actors

Category:Male actors from Paterson, New Jersey

Category:American male Shakespearean actors

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male stage actors

Category:American male television actors

Category:American male voice actors

Category:John F. Kennedy High School (Paterson, New Jersey) alumni

Category:Male actors from Chicago

Category:Male actors from New York City

Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners

Category:Ramapo College alumni

Category:Theatre in Chicago

Category:Deaths from lung disease