Early life

Jones was born on September 15, 1946, in San Saba, Texas. His mother, Lucille Marie (née Scott), was a police officer, school teacher, and beauty shop owner, and his father, Clyde C. Jones, was an oil field worker. The two were married and divorced twice. He was raised in Midland, Texas and attended Robert E. Lee High School.

Jones soon moved to Dallas and graduated from the St. Mark's School of Texas, which he attended on scholarship; he now serves on the board of directors. He attended Harvard College on a need-based scholarship. He stayed in Mower B-12 as a freshman, across the hall from future Vice President Al Gore, the son of Senator Albert Gore, Sr. of Tennessee. As an upperclassman, he stayed in Dunster House with roommates Gore and Bob Somerby, who later became editor of the media criticism site the Daily Howler. Jones played offensive guard on Harvard's undefeated 1968 varsity football team, was nominated as a first-team All-Ivy League selection, and played in the 1968 Game, which featured a memorable and literally last-minute Harvard 16-point comeback to tie Yale. He recounts his memory of "the most famous football game in Ivy League history" in the documentary Harvard Beats Yale 29-29. Jones graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1969; his senior thesis was on "the mechanics of Catholicism" in the works of Flannery O'Connor.

Career

Jones moved to New York to become an actor, making his Broadway debut in 1969's A Patriot for Me in a number of supporting roles. In 1970 he landed his first film role, coincidentally playing a Harvard student in Love Story (Erich Segal, the author of Love Story, said that he based the lead character of Oliver on the two undergraduate roommates he knew while attending Harvard, Jones and Gore).

In early 1971, he returned to Broadway in Abe Burrows' Four on a Garden where he shared the stage with Carol Channing and Sid Caesar. Between 1971 and 1975 he portrayed Dr. Mark Toland on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. He returned to the stage for a 1974 production of Ulysses in Nighttown with Zero Mostel. It was followed by the acclaimed TV movie The Amazing Howard Hughes, where he played the lead role.

In films, he played an escaped convict hunted in Jackson County Jail (1976), a Vietnam veteran in Rolling Thunder (1977) and an automobile mogul, co-starring with Laurence Olivier, in the Harold Robbins drama The Betsy.

In 1980, Jones earned his first Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of country singer Loretta Lynn's husband, Doolittle "Mooney" Lynn, in the popular Coal Miner's Daughter. In 1981 he played a drifter opposite Sally Field in Back Roads, a comedy that received middling reviews.

In 1983, he received an Emmy for Best Actor for his performance as murderer Gary Gilmore in a TV adaptation of Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song. That same year he starred in a pirate adventure, Nate and Hayes, playing the heavily-bearded pirate Captain Bully Hayes.

In 1989, he earned another Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Texas Ranger lawman Woodrow F. Call in the acclaimed television mini-series Lonesome Dove, based on the best-seller by Larry McMurtry.

In the 1990s, blockbuster hits such as The Fugitive co-starring Harrison Ford, Batman Forever co-starring Val Kilmer, and Men in Black with Will Smith made Jones one of the best-paid and most in-demand actors in Hollywood. His performance as Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive received broad acclaim and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a sequel. When he accepted his Oscar, his head was shaved for his role in the film Cobb, which he made light of in his speech: "The only thing a man can say at a time like this is 'I am not really bald'. Actually I'm lucky to be working".

Among his other well-known performances during the 1990s were those of the accused conspirator Clay Shaw/Clay Bertrand in the 1991 film JFK (which earned him another Oscar nomination), as a terrorist who hijacks a U.S. Navy battleship in Under Siege and as a maximum-security prison warden who's in way over his head in Natural Born Killers.

Jones co-starred with director Clint Eastwood as astronauts in the 2000 film Space Cowboys, in which both played retired pilots and friends/rivals leading a space rescue mission together.

In 2005, the first theatrical feature film Jones directed, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, was presented at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Jones's character speaks both English and Spanish in the film. His performance won him the Best Actor Award. His first film as a director had been The Good Old Boys in 1995, a made-for-television movie.

Two strong performances in 2007 marked a resurgence in Jones's career, one as a beleaguered father investigating the disappearance of his soldier son in In the Valley of Elah, the other as a Texas sheriff hunting an assassin in the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men. For the former, he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Jones has been a spokesperson for Japanese brewing company Suntory since 2006. He can be seen in various Japanese TV commercials of Suntory's Coffee brand Boss as a character called "Alien Jones," an extraterrestrial who takes the form of a human being to check on the world of humans. There are 34 such commercials, many of which can be seen on YouTube. In 2011, Jones appeared in public service announcements on Japanese television, joining a number of other popular figures who sang two sentimental songs in remembrance of those lost in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

In 2010, Jones appeared alongside Ben Affleck in the recession drama The Company Men. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where early reviews praised Jones's performance as "pitch-perfect." Jones had a role in the Marvel Studios film, Captain America: The First Avenger. He also directed, produced and co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson in an adaptation of The Sunset Limited.

In 2012 there was another turning point in Jones's career, starting in a reprisal of his role as Agent K in Men in Black 3, the romantic dramedy Hope Springs, and co-starring as Thaddeus Stevens in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Jones's performance in Lincoln received wide critical acclaim. For this performance, Jones received his fourth Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor.

Personal life

At the 2000 Democratic National Convention, he presented the nominating speech for his college roommate, Al Gore, as the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States.

Jones was married to Kate Lardner, the daughter of screenwriter and journalist Ring Lardner Jr., from 1971 to 1978. He has two children from his second marriage to Kimberlea Cloughley, the daughter of Phil Hardberger, former mayor of San Antonio: Austin Leonard (born 1982) and Victoria Kafka (born 1991). On March 19, 2001, he married his third wife, Dawn Laurel.

Jones resides in Terrell Hills, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio, and speaks fluent Spanish. He owns a 3000-acre cattle ranch in San Saba County, Texas, and a ranch near Van Horn, Texas, which served as the set for his film The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. He also owns a home and farm in polo mecca Wellington, Florida. Jones is a serious polo player and he has a house in a polo country club in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a supporter of the Polo Training Foundation. He is an avid San Antonio Spurs fan; he is often seen court-side at Spurs games.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes
1970	Love Story	Hank Simpson	Arthur Hiller
1973	Life Study	Gus	Michael Nebbia
1975	Eliza's Horoscope	Tommy Lee
1976	Jackson County Jail	Coley Blake	Michael Miller
1977	Rolling Thunder	Corporal Johnny Vohden	John Flynn
1978	The Betsy	Angelo Perino	Daniel Petrie
1978	Eyes of Laura Mars	John Neville	Irvin Kershner
1980	Coal Miner's Daughter	Doolittle "Mooney" Lynn	Michael Apted
1980	Barn Burning	Ab Snopes		Short film
1981	Back Roads	Elmore Pratt	Martin Ritt
1983	Nate and Hayes	Captain Bully Hayes	Ferdinand Fairfax
1984	The River Rat	Billy	Thomas Rickman
1986	Black Moon Rising	Quint	Harley Cokliss
1987	The Big Town	George Cole	Ben Bolt & Harold Becker
1988	Stormy Monday	Cosmo	Mike Figgis
1988	Gotham	Eddie Mallard	Lloyd Fonvielle
1989	The Package	Thomas Boyette	Andrew Davis
1990	Fire Birds	Brad Little	David Green
1991	JFK	Clay Shaw / Clay Bertrand	Oliver Stone
1992	Under Siege	William Strannix	Andrew Davis
1993	House of Cards	Jake Beerlander	Michael Lessac
1993	The Fugitive	Marshal Samuel Gerard	Andrew Davis	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
1993	Heaven & Earth	Steve Butler	Oliver Stone
1994	Blown Away	Ryan Gaerity	Stephen Hopkins
1994	The Client	'Reverend' Roy Foltrigg	Joel Schumacher
1994	Natural Born Killers	Warden Dwight McClusky	Oliver Stone
1994	Blue Sky	Maj. Henry 'Hank' Marshall	Tony Richardson
1994	Cobb	Ty Cobb	Ron Shelton
1995	Batman Forever	Harvey Dent / Two-Face	Joel Schumacher
1997	Volcano	Mike Roark	Mick Jackson
1997	Men in Black	Kevin Brown / Agent K	Barry Sonnenfeld
1998	U.S. Marshals	Samuel Gerard	Stuart Baird
1998	Small Soldiers	Chip Hazard	Joe Dante	Voice
1999	Double Jeopardy	Travis Lehman	Bruce Beresford
2000	Rules of Engagement	Col. Hayes 'Hodge' Hodges	William Friedkin
2000	Space Cowboys	William "Hawk" Hawkins	Clint Eastwood
2002	Men in Black II	Kevin Brown / Agent K	Barry Sonnenfeld
2003	The Hunted	L. T. Bonham	William Friedkin
2003	The Missing	Samuel Jones	Ron Howard
2005	Man of the House	Roland Sharp	Stephen Herek
2005	The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada	Pete Perkins	Tommy Lee Jones	Also director
2006	A Prairie Home Companion	Axeman	Robert Altman
2007	No Country for Old Men	Ed Tom Bell	Joel Coen Ethan Coen
2007	In the Valley of Elah	Hank Deerfield	Paul Haggis
2009	In the Electric Mist	Dave Robicheaux	Bertrand Tavernier
2010	The Company Men	Gene McClary	John Wells
2011	The Sunset Limited	White	Tommy Lee Jones	Also director and executive producer
2011	Captain America: The First Avenger	Colonel Chester Phillips	Joe Johnston
2012	Men in Black 3	Kevin Brown / Agent K	Barry Sonnenfeld
2012	Hope Springs	Arnold Soames	David Frankel
2012	Lincoln	Thaddeus Stevens	Steven Spielberg
2012	Emperor	General Douglas MacArthur	Peter Webber
2013	The Family	Robert Stansfield	Luc Besson
2014	The Homesman	George Briggs	Tommy Lee Jones	Also director; selected for the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival
2016	Criminal	Dr. Franks	Ariel Vromen
2016	Mechanic: Resurrection	Max Adams	Dennis Gansel	In post-production
2016	Jason Bourne	Robert Dewey	Paul Greengrass	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1971-77	One Life to Live	Dr. Mark Toland	Unknown episodes
1975	Barnaby Jones	Dr. Jim Melford	Episode: "Fatal Witness"
1976	Smash-Up on Interstate 5	Officer Hutton	Movie
1976	Baretta	Sharky	Episode: "Dead Man Out"
1976	Charlie's Angels	Aram Kolegian	Episode: "Charlie's Angels"
1976	Family	David Needham	Episode: "Coming of Age"
1977	The Amazing Howard Hughes	Howard Hughes
1982	The Executioner's Song	Gary Gilmore	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1982	The Rainmaker	Starbuck	Movie
1985	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	Brick Pollitt	Movie
1985	The Park is Mine	Mitch	Movie
1986	Yuri Nosenko: Double Agent	Steve Daley	Movie
1987	Broken Vows	Pater Joseph McMahon	Television movie
1988	Stranger on My Land	Bud Whitman	Movie
1988	April Morning	Moses Cooper	Movie
1989	Lonesome Dove	Woodrow F. Call	Miniseries; 4 episodes
1995	The Good Old Boys	Hewey Calloway	Also director

Awards and nominations

Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

• Nominated
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

The Executioner's Song (1982)

• Won
  • Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie

Lonesome Dove (1989)

• Nominated
  • Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film

JFK (1991)

• Nominated
  • Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
  • BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

The Fugitive (1993)

• Won
  • Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
  • MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo
• Nominated
  • BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Blown Away (1994)

• Nominated
  • MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain

The Good Old Boys (1995)

• Nominated
  • Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie

Batman Forever (1995)

• Nominated
  • MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain

Men in Black (1997)

• Nominated
  • Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
  • MTV Movie Awards Best On-Screen Duo

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

• Won
  • Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama

A Prairie Home Companion (2006)

• Won
  • Gotham Awards for Best Ensemble Cast

No Country for Old Men (2007)

• Won
  • Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
• Nominated
  • BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
  • Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

In the Valley of Elah (2007)

• Nominated
  • Academy Award for Best Actor
  • Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama

The Company Men (2010)

• Nominated
  • Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

• Nominated
  • Scream Award for Best Supporting Actor

Lincoln (2012)

• Won
  • Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
• Nominated
  • Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
  • BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
  • Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Charities

Tommy Lee Jones supports the following charitable cause: Special Education.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]