Early career

After graduating from the Putney School in 1964, Jones enrolled at Lawrence University as a premed student, where his performances in university productions brought him to the attention of Tyrone Guthrie, who recruited him for the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He then went to London in 1969 to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, followed by a three-year stint with the Stratford Theatre in Stratford, Ontario.

His stage career included more than 125 productions, starting with the Guthrie Theater, then internationally in South America, Canada, and London, and ultimately in New York's Broadway theatre, appearing with Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Walken, David Bowie and Meryl Streep. Productions included, Cloud 9, A Flea in Her Ear, Romeo and Juliet, and the Elephant Man. His transition from stage to film began in 1970.

Film and television career

Jones began acting in small parts in film and television in the 1970s. In his best-known roles as Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus, Charles Deetz in Beetlejuice, and Edward R. Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, his dead-pan expression and distinctive face bring a comic flavor to his characters through their reactions to the situations in which they find themselves, more so than the wit in their scripted lines. The New York Times biographic profile says of Jones, "Although he has tried to steer clear of playing only sinister roles, the actor's imposing height, bugged-out eyes, easy sneer, and shock of reddish-blond hair give him vaguely devilish features that have prompted villain typecasting. However, the actor is also widely respected and considered a boon wherever he appears." The profile describes his portrayals variously as a "hissable, cartoonish high school principal" in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a "good-natured father" in Beetlejuice, "an interplanetary freedom fighter" in Mom and Dad Save the World, a "demon stand-in" in Stay Tuned, "evil bespectacled twins" in Out on a Limb, plus other personae in a variety of other roles

Amadeus

Jones' roles in the 1983 film Easy Money and Remington Steele led Miloš Forman to cast Jones as Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus, the 1984 adaptation of the Peter Shaffer play of the same name. Jones portrays the Emperor "as a superficial and self-absorbed ruler who can't tell the difference between a great opera and a mediocre one", according to one reviewer. New York Times critic, Vincent Canby, praised Jones' performance as the Emperor, citing the film's most memorable line, when the Emperor complains of The Marriage of Figaro that "there are too many notes". He received a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture for his performance.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Jones' performance as Edward R. Rooney in the 1986 film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, made him a cultural icon. Rooney, self-important and obsessed with catching the chronically truant Ferris Bueller, became a symbol of pomposity and authoritarian hatefulness. In a movie review, the New York Times characterized Jones' performance "fine cartoon like ferocity", wherein his character "gets scratched, bitten, attacked by ferocious dogs and covered with mud while pursuing his weaker, but craftier, prey, and emerges each time bruised but undaunted, thinking up some new (and futile) plan." The review likened Jones' role as akin to that of Wile E. Coyote as a character who is fated to be unable to catch The Road Runner (Ferris Bueller). Jones expressed concern about being remembered more for this role than his Emperor Joseph II in 1984's Amadeus. He said of the movie's premise, "What's amazing about Ferris Bueller, is that we're asked to, and do, sympathise with a kid whose only complaint in life is that his sister got a car for her birthday and he got a computer."

Beetlejuice

In the movie, Beetlejuice, Jones played a supporting role, along with Catherine O'Hara, as co-owners of a haunted house. To highlight this couple's status as bores, director Tim Burton casts Dick Cavett and Robert Goulet to appear as their guests at a dinner party, at which the ghosts of the previous owners cause everyone to sing the Banana Boat song (Day-O). Jones went on to act in other films by director Tim Burton, including Ed Wood in the role of The Amazing Criswell, and in the film, Sleepy Hollow.

Other films

Jones also appeared in The Hanoi Hilton, The Hunt for Red October, Howard the Duck, Houseguest, The Crucible, The Devil’s Advocate, and Stuart Little. In 1999 he co-starred with Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, and David Arquette in the cannibal western Ravenous, and played Inspector Lestrade in Without a Clue. Jones appeared in the comedy film The Pest, as the evil German trying to hunt Pestario "Pest" Vargas. Other key roles include Mr. Spike in Stay Tuned and Dick Nelson in the 1992 comedy Mom and Dad Save the World.

Television roles

One of Jones's earlier television roles was in an episode of the 1976 CBS series Sara. In 1986, he showcased his villain persona in the role of the sinister Mister Acme (owner of Acme Toxic Waste), in the satirical comedy miniseries Fresno, with Carol Burnett, Charles Grodin and Dabney Coleman. In 1995, Jones co-starred with Tyra Banks, Kathy Najimy, and Kevin Pollak in the video storyline portion of the Walt Disney World Tomorrowland attraction ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. He also hosted Disneys D-TV Monster Hits musical special, as The Magic Mirror (Snow White). He has had guest roles on a number of television series, including Amazing Stories, Tales from the Crypt, and Batman: The Animated Series. In 1989, he starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom The People Next Door, as a cartoonist whose imagination could make things come to life. He also appeared as newspaper publisher A. W. Merrick on the highly acclaimed HBO series Deadwood.

Personal life

Jones was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Ruth (née Schooley) and Douglas Bennett Jones. His mother was an art historian, who urged him towards a career in acting. His father died during Jones' childhood.

One interviewer found Jones to value anonymity and the enjoyment of everyday tasks, like home repairs, and found him to be uninterested in status symbols and fan adulation. In that 1989 interview, Jones pointed out that greater public recognition actually makes it more difficult to transition between roles and allow the character to come to the fore and the actor to recede from view.

Jones has one son, actor Julian Coutts, whose mother was Lloy Coutts (1941-2008). Coutts was a respected Canadian voice coach. She and Jones met in Stratford, Ontario.

Arrests

In 2003, Jones was arrested for possession of child pornography and accused of soliciting a 14-year-old boy to pose for pornographic photographs. Jones pleaded no contest to a felony charge. His punishment was five years probation, counseling and the requirement to register as a sex offender. Jones and the aggrieved boy settled in Los Angeles Superior Court for damages related to this matter in 2004. In 2010, he was arrested twice for failing to update his sex offender status, both in Florida and in California.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	The Revolutionary
1978	A Wedding	Guest	Uncredited
1982	The Soldier	U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense
1983	Easy Money	Clive Barlow
1984	Amadeus	Emperor Joseph II
1985	Transylvania 6-5000	Mayor Lepescu
1986	Howard the Duck	Dr. Walter Jenning / Dark Overlord
1986	Ferris Bueller's Day Off	Edward R. Rooney
1987	The Hanoi Hilton	Major Fischer
1988	Beetlejuice	Charles Deetz
1988	Without a Clue	Inspector George Lestrade
1989	Who's Harry Crumb?	Elliot Draison
1989	Valmont	Gercourt
1990	The Hunt for Red October	Dr. Skip Tyler
1992	Out on a Limb	Matt Skearns / Peter Van Der Haven
1992	Mom and Dad Save the World	Dick Nelson
1992	Stay Tuned	Spike
1993	Heaven & Earth	Minister	Uncredited
1994	Ed Wood	The Amazing Criswell
1995	Houseguest	Ron Timmerman
1996	The Crucible	Thomas Putnam
1997	The Devil's Advocate	Eddie Barzoon
1997	The Pest	Gustav Shank
1997	Santa Fe	Dr. Raskin	Uncredited
1997	Flypaper	Roger
1999	Stuart Little	Uncle Crenshaw
1999	Ravenous	Colonel Hart
1999	Sleepy Hollow	Reverend Steenwyck
2000	Company Man	Senator Biggs
2001	Heartbreakers	Mr. Appel
2001	Dr. Dolittle 2	Joe Potter
2001	How High	Vice President
2002	Par 6	Lloyd Bator Jenkins
2007	Who's Your Caddy?	Cummings
2014	10.0 Earthquake	Gladstone

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	The Adams Chronicles		Miniseries
1976	Sara		1 episode
1977	Great Performances	Sergeant Wilson	1 episode
1977	Kojak	Attendant	1 episode
1978	Interrogation in Budapest		TV film
1983	A Fine Romance	Harr	TV film
1983	Remington Steele	Clifford Conant	1 episode
1985	The Twilight Zone	Carl Wilkerson	1 episode
1986	If Tomorrow Comes	Budge Hollander	1 episode, miniseries
1986	George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation	Thomas Jefferson	TV film
1986	Fresno	Mr. Acme	2 episodes, miniseries
1986	Amazing Stories	John Baldwin	1 episode
1987	Disney's DTV Monster Hits	Magic Mirror	TV special
1989	The People Next Door	Walter Kellogg	10 episodes
1993	Tales from the Crypt	Professor Finley	1 episode
1995	Batman: The Animated Series	Nivens / Vinnie	1 episode
1995	Aaahh!!! Real Monsters	Nurse / Man in White	1 episode
1995	The Avenging Angel	Brother Milton Long	TV film
1996	Eek! The Cat	Sloth	1 episode
1998	The Outer Limits	Dr. Scott Perkins	1 episode
2001	Till Dad Do Us Part	Brady	TV film
2001-2006	Invader Zim	Various roles	4 episodes
2002	The Zeta Project	Detective Marcus	1 episode
2002	Justice League	Sir Swami	2 episodes
2004-2006	Deadwood	A. W. Merrick	35 episodes
2012	Hemingway & Gellhorn	Charles Colebaugh	Uncredited, TV film

Other works

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter	L.C. Clench	Theme park attraction
1998	Fallout 2	Dick Richardson	Video game

[ Source: Wikipedia ]