Ron Cephas Jones was an American actor born on January 8, 1957, in Paterson, New Jersey.
He attended John F. Kennedy High School and graduated from Ramapo College, where he changed his major to theater after getting the lead in a production of Cinderella Ever After his sophomore year.
Jones was primarily a stage actor and received a Tony nomination for his performance as Montrellous in Lynn Nottage’s Tony-nominated Clyde’s.
However, he is best known for his role as William Hill in the drama series This Is Us (2016–2022), which earned him four consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2020.
Jones also appeared in other TV series such as the Hulu teen drama series Looking for Alaska and the Apple TV+ crime drama series Truth Be Told, opposite Octavia Spencer, Lizzy Caplan, and Aaron Paul.
In 1990, he starred in his first play, Dont Explain by Samuel B. Harps, at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City.
Jones passed away on August 19, 2023, at the age of 66.
Ron Cephas Jones has sadly passed away at the age of 66. pic.twitter.com/oH6kSESgf1
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 19, 2023
Ron Cephas Jones daughter
Jasmine Cephas Jones is the daughter of the top actor and British rock and roll singer Kim Lesley.
In 2020, Jasmine and her father made history by becoming the first father-daughter duo to win Emmy Awards in the same year.
Jones won his award for his role in This Is Us while his daughter won for her role in Quibi’s, FreeRayshawn.
The deceased actor expressed his excitement and fulfillment as a parent for his daughter’s achievement.
Who is Jasmine Cephas Jones?
Jasmine is an American-British actress, singer and producer who has performed in various theatrical productions and is best known for her roles in Hamilton and Blindspotting.
She was born on July 21, 1989, in London, England, to actor Ron Cephas Jones and British-born rock and roll singer Kim Lesley.
Jasmine attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Berklee College of Music and graduated from Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in 2011.
She originated the dual roles of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the Broadway stage musical Hamilton.
Jasmine has also made small appearances in multiple independent films, including Titus (2013) and Fairfield (2014), and appeared in episodes of HBO shows Girls and Mrs. Fletcher, as well as the films Marriage Story and The Photograph.
In 2020, she won a Primetime Emmy for portraying Tyisha in freerayshawn.
In the critically acclaimed 2018 film Blindspotting, Jasmine played Ashley, the long-time partner of Miles and a devoted mother trying to protect her young son, Sean, from the encroaching forces of police brutality.
In this role, she gave an outstanding performance that blended dramatic acting, comedy and spoken word for a rounded depiction of a mother holding it all together.
Jasmine Cephas Jones career
Jasmine attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Berklee College of Music, and graduated from Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in 2011.
She made small appearances in multiple independent films, including Titus (2013) and Fairfield (2014).
Jasmine has performed in various theatrical productions, including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and Sweet Charity.
She is best known for originating the dual roles of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the Broadway stage musical Hamilton.
Jasmine won a Primetime Emmy for portraying Tyisha in freerayshawn, and has also appeared in episodes of Girls, The Blacklist, and Mrs. Fletcher.
Her 2020 Emmy win made history alongside her father for being the first father-daughter duo to win Emmy Awards in the same year.
