Veteran stage actor and two-time Emmy Award winner Ron Cephas Jones passed away at the age of 66, his representative confirmed on Saturday. Cephas Jones was especially known for his role as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the NBC television drama series ‘This Is Us.’
The actor’s manager, Dan Spilo, stated that Cephas Jones died 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,” Spilo noted in his statement.
Cephas Jones underwent a double lung transplant in 2020 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and spent almost two months in a Los Angeles hospital.
In ‘This Is Us,’ Cephas Jones portrayed the character William “Shakespeare” Hill, a biological father whose life is renewed through his relationship with his son Randall Pearson’s family, played by Sterling K. Brown. His character played a central role in the series’ early seasons but appeared in some capacity in all six seasons.
Cephas Jones bagged Emmys for best guest actor in a drama series in 2018 and 2020 and received two additional nominations.
Even after dealing with health issues, Cephas Jones continued his theater career, returning to Broadway despite his transplant forcing him to relearn walking and breathing. “The idea of not performing again seemed worse to me than death,” he said in a late 2021 interview.
A native of Paterson, New Jersey, Cephas Jones made significant contributions to the theater, TV, and film industry. His legacy will continue to be remembered by fans and colleagues alike. His daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones, survives him.