Jeffrey Jones

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Jeffrey Jones
Birth name Jeffrey Duncan Jones
Born September 28, 1946 (age 60)
Flag of United States Buffalo, New York, United States
Notable roles Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus
Principal Ed Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Jeffrey Duncan Jones (born September 28, 1946[1]) is an American actor. He has appeared in many films and television shows, but is best known for his roles as Emperor Joseph II in Milos Forman's Academy Award winning Amadeus, and as principal Ed Rooney in the 1986 John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

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[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Jones was born in Buffalo, New York to Douglas Bennett Jones, who died when he was young, and Ruth, who urged Jones towards a career in acting. Jones went to London in 1969 to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, following that up with a three-year stint with the Stratford Theatre in Stratford, Ontario.

[edit] Career

Jones began acting in small parts in film and TV in the late '70s. A supporting role in the 1983 Rodney Dangerfield film Easy Money, and a guest shot on Remington Steele led to his replacing Ian Richardson in Forman's 1984 adaptation of the Peter Shaffer play Amadeus. Jones' performance in 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 stuffed-shirt pomposity and authoritarian hatefulness. Jones has proven to be a favorite of director Tim Burton's, starring in Beetlejuice, Ed Wood, and Sleepy Hollow, and has also appeared in such prominent films as The Hunt for Red October, The Devil's Advocate, and Stuart Little.

Jones has guested on a number of television shows, including Amazing Stories, Tales from the Crypt, and Trailer Park Boys. In 1989, Jones starred in Wes Craven's short-lived CBS sitcom The People Next Door, where he played a cartoonist whose imagination could make things come to life. He also appeared as famous newspaper publisher A. W. Merrick on HBO's highly acclaimed show Deadwood.

[edit] Controversy

In 2003, Jones was arrested for possession of child pornography and employing a 14-year-old boy to pose for pornographic photographs.[2] Jones pled no contest to the felony charges and was ordered to undergo counseling and register as a sex offender.[3] In July 2004, he was arrested by Florida police after failing to notify them of his change of residence as required under Megan's Law.[4] He has since been sued in civil court by the minor, who is now an adult.[5]

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

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