Ron Cephas Jones, the Emmy-winning actor best known for playing William Hill on NBC’s This Is Us, has died, ABC News has confirmed. He was 66.
A statement from his publicist notes that Jones died of a “long-standing pulmonary issue,” and adds, “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.”
Jones won two guest actor Emmys for his role as William Hill, the biological father of Sterling K. Brown‘s Randall Pearson, on This Is Us — one in 2018 and one in 2020. His daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones also won an Emmy in 2020 for her role in the Quibi series #freerayshawn, making them the first ever father-daughter duo to win Emmys in the same year.
Jones started his acting career on the stage, appearing in productions with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois, as well as New York’s Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Public Theater. He also appeared in various Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
His TV credits include Mr. Robot, Luke Cage, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Looking for Alaska and Truth Be Told. He also appeared in movies like He Got Game, Sweet and Lowdown, Half Nelson and Across the Universe.
Jones also continued his theater career, appearing most recently in the Broadway show Clyde’s, for which he received a Drama Desk Award and a Tony nomination in 2022.
In 2021, he told the New York Times that the previous year, he’d received a double-lung transplant due to his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and spent two months in the hospital on and off a ventilator.
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Music Notes: Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and more
May 14, 2024
Ed Sheeran continues to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his breakthrough album X (Multiply) by…
Joan Vassos announced as first Golden Bachelorette
May 14, 2024
Disney/Ramona RosalesJoan Vassos will search for love on the debut season of The Golden…
Selena Gomez provides Loneliness Check-In for her mental health platform, Wondermind
May 14, 2024
Disney/Randy HolmesMay is Mental Health Awareness Month, and two things that can impact a person's…
Spotify hosting listening party for Billie Eilish’s new album
May 14, 2024
Darkroom/InterscopeWhat could be better than listening to Billie Eilish's new album, HIT ME HARD…
Andrew McCarthy’s Brat Pack documentary ‘Brats’ to debut on Hulu
May 14, 2024
HuluABC News Studios and independent film studio NEON announced on Monday that Andrew McCarthy's…
HBO teases photo of Jessica Lange in ‘The Great Lillian Hall’
May 14, 2024
HBO/Tina RowdenHBO has released photos of two-time Oscar winner Jessica Lange in the title role of…
Jelly Roll visits the high school he was told he’d never be allowed to return to
May 14, 2024
Disney/Scott KirklandJelly Roll's troubled past resulted in him being told he'd never be allowed to…
ABC releases 2024-25 schedule, revealing Ryan Murphy’s ‘Doctor Odyssey’ and more
May 14, 2024
Getty ImagesOn Tuesday, May 14, ABC revealed its fall 2024 schedule, revealing some new faces to…