Celebrity News August 19, 2023
Ron Cephas Jones, 2-Time Emmy Winner for 'This Is Us,' Dies at 66
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Ron Cephas Jones, who twice won the Emmy for his portrayal of William Hill on "This Is Us," died Saturday at 66 following a "long-standing pulmonary issue," People magazine reports.
He had publicly revealed a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that led to a double-lung transplant in 2020.
A rep for the esteemed actor told the outlet, "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.”
He went on, "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 won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2020 for playing the biological dad of Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown).
When he took home his Emmy in 2020, it was the same year his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones won an Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Emmy for "#FreeRayshawn," making them the first father-daughter duo to win in a single year.
As Hill, he appeared on 45 episodes of the popular show, from 2016-2022.
Cephas Jones was born January 8, 1957, in Paterson, New Jersey. He studied music and acting in college, and after a period of personal upheaval became a staple at NYC's Nuyorican Poets Café.
He made his debut as a lead in the 1994 play "Holiday Heart," and went on to build an impressive career on the stage in off-Broadway and Broadway productions.
Films included Spike Lee's "He Got Game" (1998), Woody Allen's "Sweet and Lowdown" (1999), "Paid in Full" 2002), "Half Nelson" (2006), "Titus" (2013), "Of Mice and Men" (2014), "Venom" (2018), and his final movie, "Dolemite Is My Name" (2019).
Cephas Jones worked extensively on TV, including stints on "New York Undercover" (1996), "Law & Order" (1996 & 1997), "NYPD Blue" (197), the Diana Ross-Brandy TV movie "Double Platinum" (1999), "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (2006), a TV-movie version of "A Raisin in the Sun" (2008), "The Blacklist" (2014), "Banshee" (2015), nine episodes of "Mr. Robot" (2015-2016), five episodes of "The Get Down" (2016-2017), a dozen episodes of "Luke Cage" (2016-2018), eight episodes of "Looking for Alaska" (2019), the miniseries "Lisey's Story" (2021), "Better Things" (2022), eight episodes of "Law & Order: Organized Crime" (2021-2022), and 28 episodes of "Truth Be Told" (2019-2023).
He is survived by his daughter.
