Jeffrey Jones

Jeffrey Duncan Jones (born September 28, 1946, 6 feet 4 inches [1.94 m]) is an American character actor, best known for his roles as Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus (1984), Edward R. Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Charles Deetz in Beetlejuice (1988), Dr. Skip Tyler in The Hunt for Red October (1990), Eddie Barzoon in The Devil's Advocate (1997), and A. W. Merrick in both Deadwood (2004–2006) and Deadwood: The Movie (2019). Jones was born in Buffalo, New York, and studied acting at the Putney School, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and Lawrence University. He began his acting career in small parts in film and television in the 1970s. In his best-known roles as Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus, Charles Deetz in Beetlejuice, and Edward R. Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, his dead-pan expression and distinctive face bring a comic flavor to his characters through their reactions to the situations in which they find themselves, more so than the wit in their scripted lines. Jones has also had a successful career on stage, appearing in productions of The Crucible, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Glass Menagerie. He has been nominated for two Tony Awards, for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in The Crucible (1988) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Secret Garden (1991). In 2002, Jones was arrested on charges of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and ...

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Amadeus (1984)

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a remarkably talented young Viennese composer who unwittingly finds a fierce rival in the disciplined and determined Antonio Salieri. Resenting Mozart for both his hedonistic lifestyle and his undeniable talent, the highly religious ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Miloš Forman
CAST:  F. Murray Abraham  •  Tom Hulce  •  Elizabeth Berridge  •  Roy Dotrice

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a remarkably talented young Viennese composer who unwittingly finds a fierce rival in the disciplined and determined Antonio Salieri. Resenting Mozart for both his hedonistic lifestyle and his undeniable talent, the highly religious ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Miloš Forman
CAST:  F. Murray Abraham  •  Tom Hulce  •  Elizabeth Berridge  •  Roy Dotrice

Beetlejuice (1988)

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A newly dead New England couple seek help from a deranged demon exorcist to scare an affluent New York family out of their home.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tim Burton
CAST:  Michael Keaton  •  Alec Baldwin  •  Geena Davis  •  Annie McEnroe

A newly dead New England couple seek help from a deranged demon exorcist to scare an affluent New York family out of their home.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tim Burton
CAST:  Michael Keaton  •  Alec Baldwin  •  Geena Davis  •  Annie McEnroe

Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)

A group of beavers ask Dr. Dolittle to save their habitat from loggers. The only hope is to get the forest preserved because it's the home of a protected bear, but there's a problem: the bear's the only bear in the forest, so she can't reproduce. Undaunted, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Steve Carr
CAST:  Eddie Murphy  •  Kristen Wilson  •  Raven-Symoné  •  Kyla Pratt

A group of beavers ask Dr. Dolittle to save their habitat from loggers. The only hope is to get the forest preserved because it's the home of a protected bear, but there's a problem: the bear's the only bear in the forest, so she can't reproduce. Undaunted, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Steve Carr
CAST:  Eddie Murphy  •  Kristen Wilson  •  Raven-Symoné  •  Kyla Pratt

Easy Money (1983)

To inherit his mother-in-law's colossal fortune, a hard living gambling addict must change his unhealthy ways before it gets the best of him.  (more)

DIRECTION:  James Signorelli
CAST:  Rodney Dangerfield  •  Joe Pesci  •  Geraldine Fitzgerald  •  Candice Azzara

To inherit his mother-in-law's colossal fortune, a hard living gambling addict must change his unhealthy ways before it gets the best of him.  (more)

DIRECTION:  James Signorelli
CAST:  Rodney Dangerfield  •  Joe Pesci  •  Geraldine Fitzgerald  •  Candice Azzara

Ed Wood (1994)

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The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time", who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tim Burton
CAST:  Johnny Depp  •  Martin Landau  •  Sarah Jessica Parker  •  Patricia Arquette

The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time", who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tim Burton
CAST:  Johnny Depp  •  Martin Landau  •  Sarah Jessica Parker  •  Patricia Arquette

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

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After high school slacker Ferris Bueller successfully fakes an illness in order to skip school for the day, he goes on a series of adventures throughout Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, all the while trying to outwit his wily school ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Hughes
CAST:  Matthew Broderick  •  Alan Ruck  •  Mia Sara  •  Jeffrey Jones

After high school slacker Ferris Bueller successfully fakes an illness in order to skip school for the day, he goes on a series of adventures throughout Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, all the while trying to outwit his wily school ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Hughes
CAST:  Matthew Broderick  •  Alan Ruck  •  Mia Sara  •  Jeffrey Jones

Heartbreakers (2001)

Max and Page are a brilliant mother/daughter con team who have their grift down to a fine science. Max targets wealthy, willing men and marries them. Page then seduces them, and Max catches her husband in the act. Then it's off to palimony city and the next easy mark.  (more)

DIRECTION:  David Mirkin
CAST:  Sigourney Weaver  •  Jennifer Love Hewitt  •  Ray Liotta  •  Gene Hackman

Max and Page are a brilliant mother/daughter con team who have their grift down to a fine science. Max targets wealthy, willing men and marries them. Page then seduces them, and Max catches her husband in the act. Then it's off to palimony city and the next easy mark.  (more)

DIRECTION:  David Mirkin
CAST:  Sigourney Weaver  •  Jennifer Love Hewitt  •  Ray Liotta  •  Gene Hackman

Heaven & Earth (1993)

Le Ly lives in a small Vietnamese village whose serenity is shattered when war breaks out. Caught between the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese army, the village is all but destroyed. After being both brutalized and raped, Le Ly resolves to flee. She leaves for ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Oliver Stone
CAST:  Tommy Lee Jones  •  Robert John Burke  •  Timothy Carhart  •  Tim Guinee

Le Ly lives in a small Vietnamese village whose serenity is shattered when war breaks out. Caught between the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese army, the village is all but destroyed. After being both brutalized and raped, Le Ly resolves to flee. She leaves for ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Oliver Stone
CAST:  Tommy Lee Jones  •  Robert John Burke  •  Timothy Carhart  •  Tim Guinee

How High (2001)

Multi-platinum rap superstars Redman and Method Man star as Jamal and Silas, two regular guys who smoke something magical, ace their college entrance exams and wind up at Harvard. Ivy League ways are strange but Silas and Jamal take it in a stride -- until their ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jesse Dylan
CAST:  Method Man  •  Redman  •  Obba Babatundé  •  Mike Epps

Multi-platinum rap superstars Redman and Method Man star as Jamal and Silas, two regular guys who smoke something magical, ace their college entrance exams and wind up at Harvard. Ivy League ways are strange but Silas and Jamal take it in a stride -- until their ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jesse Dylan
CAST:  Method Man  •  Redman  •  Obba Babatundé  •  Mike Epps

Ravenous (1999)

Upon receiving reports of missing persons at Fort Spencer, a remote Army outpost on the Western frontier, Capt. John Boyd investigates. After arriving at his new post, Boyd and his regiment aid a wounded frontiersman who recounts a horrifying tale of a wagon train ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Antonia Bird
CAST:  Guy Pearce  •  Robert Carlyle  •  David Arquette  •  Jeremy Davies

Upon receiving reports of missing persons at Fort Spencer, a remote Army outpost on the Western frontier, Capt. John Boyd investigates. After arriving at his new post, Boyd and his regiment aid a wounded frontiersman who recounts a horrifying tale of a wagon train ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Antonia Bird
CAST:  Guy Pearce  •  Robert Carlyle  •  David Arquette  •  Jeremy Davies

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

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The curse of The Headless Horseman (Christopher Walken) is the legacy of the small town of Sleepy Hollow. Spearheaded by the eager Constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) and his new-world ways into the quagmire of secrets and murder, secrets once laid to rest, best ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tim Burton
CAST:  Johnny Depp  •  Ian McDiarmid  •  Casper Van Dien  •  Michael Gough

The curse of The Headless Horseman (Christopher Walken) is the legacy of the small town of Sleepy Hollow. Spearheaded by the eager Constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) and his new-world ways into the quagmire of secrets and murder, secrets once laid to rest, best ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tim Burton
CAST:  Johnny Depp  •  Ian McDiarmid  •  Casper Van Dien  •  Michael Gough

Stay Tuned (1992)

Salesman Roy Knable spends all his free time watching television, to the exasperation of his wife, Helen. One day, TV salesman Spike convinces Roy to buy a satellite dish offering 666 channels. The new addition to Roy's home entertainment system sucks him and Helen ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Peter Hyams
CAST:  John Ritter  •  Pam Dawber  •  David Tom  •  Heather McComb

Salesman Roy Knable spends all his free time watching television, to the exasperation of his wife, Helen. One day, TV salesman Spike convinces Roy to buy a satellite dish offering 666 channels. The new addition to Roy's home entertainment system sucks him and Helen ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Peter Hyams
CAST:  John Ritter  •  Pam Dawber  •  David Tom  •  Heather McComb

Stuart Little (1999)

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The adventures of a heroic and debonair stalwart mouse named Stuart Little with human qualities, who faces some comic misadventures while searching for his lost bird friend and living with a human family as their child.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rob Minkoff
CAST:  Michael J. Fox  •  Geena Davis  •  Hugh Laurie  •  Jonathan Lipnicki

The adventures of a heroic and debonair stalwart mouse named Stuart Little with human qualities, who faces some comic misadventures while searching for his lost bird friend and living with a human family as their child.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rob Minkoff
CAST:  Michael J. Fox  •  Geena Davis  •  Hugh Laurie  •  Jonathan Lipnicki

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

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A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius. The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. A lone CIA analyst has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  John McTiernan
CAST:  Sean Connery  •  Alec Baldwin  •  Scott Glenn  •  Sam Neill

A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius. The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. A lone CIA analyst has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  John McTiernan
CAST:  Sean Connery  •  Alec Baldwin  •  Scott Glenn  •  Sam Neill

The Pest (1997)

Fast-talking Latino con artist Pestario "Pest" Vargas is the target of Scottish mobsters to whom he owes a considerable debt. Willing to do anything to raise money and avoid severe injury or death, Vargas agrees to a very unusual job -- he will be transported to a ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Paul Miller
CAST:  John Leguizamo  •  Jeffrey Jones  •  Edoardo Ballerini  •  Pat Skipper

Fast-talking Latino con artist Pestario "Pest" Vargas is the target of Scottish mobsters to whom he owes a considerable debt. Willing to do anything to raise money and avoid severe injury or death, Vargas agrees to a very unusual job -- he will be transported to a ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Paul Miller
CAST:  John Leguizamo  •  Jeffrey Jones  •  Edoardo Ballerini  •  Pat Skipper

Who's Harry Crumb? (1989)

Harry Crumb is a bumbling and inept private investigator who is hired to solve the kidnapping of a young heiress which he's not expected to solve because his employer is the mastermind behind the kidnapping.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Paul Flaherty
CAST:  John Candy  •  Jeffrey Jones  •  Annie Potts  •  Tim Thomerson

Harry Crumb is a bumbling and inept private investigator who is hired to solve the kidnapping of a young heiress which he's not expected to solve because his employer is the mastermind behind the kidnapping.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Paul Flaherty
CAST:  John Candy  •  Jeffrey Jones  •  Annie Potts  •  Tim Thomerson

Without a Clue (1988)

Sherlock Holmes is as dashing as ever, but with a little secret: Dr. Watson is the brains behind the operation. When Reginald Kincaid, the actor he has hired to play Holmes becomes insufferable, Watson fires him and tries to go out on his own, but finds that he has ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Thom Eberhardt
CAST:  Michael Caine  •  Ben Kingsley  •  Jeffrey Jones  •  Lysette Anthony

Sherlock Holmes is as dashing as ever, but with a little secret: Dr. Watson is the brains behind the operation. When Reginald Kincaid, the actor he has hired to play Holmes becomes insufferable, Watson fires him and tries to go out on his own, but finds that he has ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Thom Eberhardt
CAST:  Michael Caine  •  Ben Kingsley  •  Jeffrey Jones  •  Lysette Anthony

The Devil's Advocate (1997)

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Aspiring Florida defense lawyer Kevin Lomax accepts a job at a New York law firm. With the stakes getting higher every case, Kevin quickly learns that his boss has something far more evil planned.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Taylor Hackford
CAST:  Keanu Reeves  •  Al Pacino  •  Charlize Theron  •  Jeffrey Jones

Aspiring Florida defense lawyer Kevin Lomax accepts a job at a New York law firm. With the stakes getting higher every case, Kevin quickly learns that his boss has something far more evil planned.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Taylor Hackford
CAST:  Keanu Reeves  •  Al Pacino  •  Charlize Theron  •  Jeffrey Jones

Houseguest (1995)

In hot water with the mob over an unpaid debt, a con man poses as a family friend in an affluent Pennsylvania suburb.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Randall Miller
CAST:  Phil Hartman  •  Sinbad  •  Chauncey Leopardi  •  Jeffrey Jones

In hot water with the mob over an unpaid debt, a con man poses as a family friend in an affluent Pennsylvania suburb.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Randall Miller
CAST:  Phil Hartman  •  Sinbad  •  Chauncey Leopardi  •  Jeffrey Jones

The Crucible (1996)

A Salem resident attempts to frame her ex-lover's wife for being a witch in the middle of the 1692 witchcraft trials.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Nicholas Hytner
CAST:  Daniel Day-Lewis  •  Winona Ryder  •  Paul Scofield  •  Joan Allen

A Salem resident attempts to frame her ex-lover's wife for being a witch in the middle of the 1692 witchcraft trials.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Nicholas Hytner
CAST:  Daniel Day-Lewis  •  Winona Ryder  •  Paul Scofield  •  Joan Allen
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