The actor died “due to a long-standing pulmonary issue,” his representative confirmed in a statement to People magazine on Saturday.
Ron Cephas Jones, who won two Emmy Awards for his role as William Hill on This Is Us, has died. He was 66.
The actor died “due to a long-standing pulmonary issue,” his representative confirmed in a statement to People magazine on Saturday. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the actor’s rep.
“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 read. “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.”
Born on January 8, 1957, in Paterson, New Jersey, Jones went on to pursue a career in acting. He previously opened up to THR about the lack of diversity on TV when he was a kid, saying, “There weren’t many African American families on TV when I was growing up.”
In 2016, he landed his most notable role on This Is Us, in which he played William Hill, the biological father of Sterling K. Brown’s Randall Pearson. He starred alongside Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore in the hit series that ran for six seasons. The role also scored him two Emmys, in 2018 and 2020, both for outstanding guest actor in a drama series.
Brown shared a tribute for his late costar, writing on Instagram, “Life imitated art today, and one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us. @cephasjaz has passed away, and the world is a little less bright. Brother, you are loved. And you will be missed. Keep them laughing in the next phase of existence, and I’ll see you when I get there.”
This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman also took to social media to remember Jones: “A massive loss. Ron was the best of the best – on screen, on stage, and in real life. The coolest. The easiest hang and laugh. And my God: what an actor. I don’t think I ever changed a single take of his in a cut… because everything he did was perfect.”
In a 2021 interview with The New York Times, Jones revealed that he received a double-lung transplant following a secret battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He said he spent nearly two months as a patient at the Ronald Reagan U.C.L.A. Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Commentaires