Ron Cephas Jones, who most notably played the standout role of William Hill on NBC's This Is Us, has died at the age of 66, per a representative for the actor. The American actor, who also earned over 40 acting credits across nearly 30 years won two Primetime Emmys for the memorable television role.
Per People's report, Ron Cephas Jones died of a long-standing pulmonary issue. He is survived by his daughter and fellow actor Jasmine Cephas Jones. Jones was once married to British-born jazz singer Kim Lesley as well. Check out the statement Jones’ rep shared with the public following the news:
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. Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award winning performance on This is Us.
Cephas Jones was born in 1957 in Paterson, New Jersey and initially intended to be a jazz musician before he decided to switch his college major to theater instead. After he graduated from Jersey's Ramapo College, he traveled around the U.S. before settling in New York and pursuing theater. From the '90s up until last year, Ron Cephas Jones earned a variety of roles in movies and TV shows.
He'll be best remembered for playing the biological father of Sterling K. Brown's Randall Pearson throughout This Is Us' six seasons. Brown took to Instagram to share a tribute following the news:
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. ❤️✌🏿✊🏿
The actor scored four Primetime Emmy nominations for playing William Hill for four consecutive years as follows: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. He won in 2018 for the "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" category before taking home the prize again in 2020. In 2020, he and his daughter made history when they won Emmys in the same year, becoming the first-ever father/daughter pair to take home the distinguished awards in the same year.
Jasmine Cephas Jones won her Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her performance in Quibi's #FreeRayshawn. Jasmine Cephas Jones was in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds and she starred in the critically-acclaimed series, Blindspotting.
In addition to Ron Cephas Jones’ This Is Us fame, in the past few years he found roles in Marvel's Luke Cage series and Venom, the Eddie Murphy-led biopic Dolemite Is My Name along with playing a role in the Hulu miniseries Looking For Alaska and AppleTV+ crimes series starring Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul, Truth Be Told. He was also originally going to play the Wizard in the Shazam! movies before Djimon Hounsou replaced him due to scheduling conflicts.
The actor’s final role is expected to be the Disney+ and National Geographic miniseries Genius: MLK/X, centering on Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Cephas Jones is set to portray Elijah Muhammad in the upcoming show, which will likely be available to those with a Disney+ subscription.
Here at CinemaBlend, we forward our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of Ron Cephas Jones. He will be greatly missed.
