We Are Movie Geeks » Greatest out of work actor of the day: Jeffrey Jones

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Home » Out of Work Actors

Greatest out of work actor of the day: Jeffrey Jones

Submitted by Travis on Tuesday, 19 February 20082 Comments

[Disclaimer: First off, if you're not aware of Jeffrey Jones' rap sheet, let me spell it out for you. In 2002, Jones was picked up for soliciting a minor for "sexually explicit photographs." Jones pleaded no contest and was put on the sex offender registry, receiving five years probation and mandatory counseling. Well, this pretty much makes him a jerk of the worst kind. So, I am not profiling the man, but instead simply looking back on the classic characters he created, mostly from the 1980's. Of course, we can all pretty much sum up that he's an out of work actor for obvious reasons.]

OK, with that aside, what has Jones done recently? Since 2001, Jones has pretty much only done some voice work for television cartoons … interesting. However, he did land the role of Merrick on the hit series Deadwood, appearing in 35 episodes. You can always count on premium cable to rock the boat. Otherwise, that’s almost his entire career since 2001. Its amazing what a little child sex felony charge can do for your career, eh?

Having slowly starting his career in the 1970’s Jones landed his first recognizable role in the Rodney Dangerfield movie Easy Money (1983) as Clive Barlow. Amazingly, Jones went from this relatively po-dink role in a low-budget comedy to scoring big with the role of Emperor Joseph II in the award-winning Amadeus (1984). After the experience of working on a true dramatic masterpiece, Jones’ next role would be that of Lepescu on the ensemble cast comedy Transylvania 6-5000 (1985). Now, how many actors can you think of who’ve gone from low to high to low again, so drastically?

Had enough? I didn’t think so. This is where it gets good. In 1986, Jones portrays our favorite high school prick, I mean principal, as Ed Rooney in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. That same year, he gives us more to love with his role as Dr. Walter Jenning, the scientist destined to become a monster, in Howard the Duck. In 1988, Jones would catch Tim Burton’s eye and fill the role of Charles, the relaxation-seeking husband and father in Beetlejuice, followed by a role in John Candy’s Who’s Harry Crumb? (1989) and The Hunt for Red October (1990). In 1992, he has a role in Mom and Dad Save the Worldand plays an evil satellite TV sales-demon for Satan, making life Hell for John Ritter, in Stay Tuned, then would receive a role in the Matthew Broderick film Out on a Limb.

Through the 1990’s, Jeffrey Jones would also appear in the following notable movies: Ed Wood (1994), Houseguest (1995), The Crucible (1996), The Pest (1997), The Devil’s Advocate (1997), Ravenous, Burton’s Sleepy Hollow and Stuart Little in 1999, and finally Dr. Doolittle 2 in 2001. I remember Jones quite vividly from many of these movies, with his eccentric character-acting in mostly comedies, always showing a flair for the odd and strange. I hate to see him go, but I fear we’ve lost the actor to the felon he had become.

2 Comments »

scott said:

haha he was such an asshole in stay tuned..awesome. didnt know he was a sex offender though..thats dumb.

- 20 February 2008 at 7:10 am

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