Ron Cephas Jones, a veteran stage actor who won two Emmy Awards for his role as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the TV series This Is Us, has died aged 66.
Jones’ manager, Dan Spilo, said in a statement that the actor died “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,” Mr Spilo said.
Jones had a double lung transplant in 2020 because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and spent nearly two months in a hospital in Los Angeles.
I first got to know Ron at the start of This Is Us, a magical time when it felt like we were all being shot out of a cannon. He was always steady, always grateful - even as the madness swirled around us.
He loved actors.
He LOVED his daughter.
And we loved him. All of Us.Advertisement— Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) August 20, 2023
On This Is Us, Jones played William “Shakespeare” Hill, a biological father whose life is renewed through his relationship with the family of his son Randall Pearson, played by Sterling K Brown.
“One of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us,” Brown said in an Instagram post after Jones’ death. “The world is a little less bright. Brother, you are loved. And you will be missed.”
Jones played a more central role in the series’ early seasons, but appeared in some form in all six seasons of the show, which included time-jumping narratives offering recurring opportunities for its actors even after their characters’ deaths.
Jones won Emmys for best guest actor in a drama series in 2018 and 2020 and was nominated for two more.
“Ron was the best of the best — on screen, on stage, and in real life,” tweeted This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman. “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.”
Jones spent most of his career in the theatre before and after This Is Us, returning to Broadway even after his transplant forced him to learn to breathe and walk again.
“My whole life has been the stage,” Jones said in an interview in 2021 with the New York Times, in which he revealed he had quietly been suffering from respiratory problems since about the time he began on This Is Us.
“The idea of not performing again seemed worse to me than death,” Jones said.
Jones had TV guest stints on Mr Robot, Luke Cage and Lisey’s Story.
His film appearances included 2006’s Half Nelson with Ryan Gosling and 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name with Eddie Murphy.
He is survived by his daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones.
