The Emmy award-winning actor was best known for his This Is Us role as William Hill.
Tributes have poured in for the late actor, Ron Cephas Jones, who has died aged 66.
The news of Jones’s death was confirmed by a representative for the actor (via People) in a statement that read: “Beloved and award-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has passed away at the age of 66 due to a long-standing pulmonary issue.
“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. He began his career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his love for the stage was present throughout his entire career, including his recent Tony nominated and Drama Desk Award winning performance for his role in Clyde’s on Broadway.”
The statement concluded: “Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award winning performance on This is Us. He is survived by his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones.”
Perhaps best known for his role as William Hill in American family drama, This Is Us, Jones was nominated for four Emmy awards for his role, going on to win two for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2020.
In 2020 also, Jones’s daughter, Jasmine, also won her first Emmy award for Outstanding Performance in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, making the pair the first father-daughter duo ever to win Emmy awards in the same year.
Fellow This Is Us stars have paid tribute to the late actor, with Mandy Moore sharing a picture of herself and Jones on her Instagram, writing: “Getting to know and work with Ron on the wild ride of ‘This Is Us’ was the greatest gift- he was pure magic as a human and an artist…I will treasure all of the moments forever.
“Even though he wasn’t around set as much as we all wished, he was such an intrinsic part of the fabric of the show, it’s like he was always there. I’ll never forget how special it was to film this particular episode and welcome him back to say a proper goodbye to our TIU family and the whole experience. I am just so sad. My thoughts and love are with Jasmine and his family and friends.”
Sterling K. Brown, who starred in This Is Us as Jones’s onscreen biological son Randall Pearson, also paid tribute to Jones. He shared a picture of one of their This Is Us scenes together on Instagram and wrote: “Life imitated art today, and one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us.
“@cephasjaz has passed away, and the world is a little less bright. Brother, you are loved. And you will be missed. Keep them laughing in the next phase of existence, and I’ll see you when I get there.”
This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman wrote on Twitter (which has recently rebranded as X) that Ron was “the best of the best” and went on to say that “He was always steady, always grateful – even as the madness swirled around us. He loved actors. He LOVED his daughter. And we loved him. All of Us.”
A massive loss. Ron was the best of the best – on screen, on stage, and in real life. The coolest. The easiest hang and laugh. And my God: what an actor. I don’t think I ever changed a single take of his in a cut… because everything he did was perfect… https://t.co/l5Ko9L1HZy
— Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) August 20, 2023
Chrissy Metz, who starred in This Is Us as Kate Pearson, paid her respects to Jones also, thanking the late actor on her Instagram for “brightening every room you walked into”. She continued: “I’ll never forget and have been changed by your kind heart, amazing spirit, immeasurable talent and beautiful smile.”
Octavia Spencer shared a picture of the two on the red carpet to her Instagram, commemorating Jones, her “dear friend and colleague”. The pair starred alongside each other as father and daughter in Apple TV+’s Truth Be Told for three seasons and Spencer described Jones as “an incredibly talented actor and, most importantly, a wonderfully kind human being”.
She wrote: “Every day on set with Ron was a good day. I’m sending all my love to his daughter Jasmine, family, friends and fans.”
Spencer continued: “Update: this one is hitting very hard. I learned so much from Ron in every single scene we had together. Whenever I saw his name on the call sheet I would get excited because I knew I’d be getting a year’s worth of technique in that 8 hour day.
“For those pursuing acting as a living, let Emmy Award Winner, Ron Cephas Jones, be the type of perfection you strive to achieve. That man could break down a scene. Jasmine gets it honestly.”
Jones had previously told Entertainment Weekly in May 2022 about how his co-stars and producers helped him through a life-threatening health scare on his final day on set, saying: “You cats held me when I was struggling and you didn’t let me go. You’ve been there for a very difficult part of my life. I’m a walking miracle.
“My whole life has been the stage. The idea of not performing again seemed worse to me than death.”
As well as his beloved roles in This Is Us and Truth Be Told, Jones also starred in Mr. Robot, The Get Down, Luke Cage, Looking For Alaska as well as films like Dolemite Is My Name, Glass Chin and The Holiday Calendar.