Jeffrey Jones

  • Name: Jeffrey Jones
  • Date of Birth: September 28, 1946
  • Place of Birth: Buffalo, New York, USA
Mini-bio: Character actor Jeffrey Jones earned an enduring spot in the zeitgeist with his portrayal of frustrated principal Ed Rooney, Matthew Broderick's outwitted nemesis in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Although...( read more) he has tried to steer clear of playing only sinister roles, the actor's imposing height, bugged-out eyes, easy sneer, and shock of reddish-blond hair give him vaguely devilish features that have prompted villain typecasting. However, the actor is also widely respected and considered a boon wherever he appears.



He involved himself in pre-med studies at Lawrence University in Wisconsin prior to getting the acting bug. His first jobs were on-stage, initially with Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, then internationally in South America, Canada, and London. In the late '70s he began working in film and landed one of his first plum roles as Emperor Joseph II in Milos Forman's Amadeus (1984), for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor. This paved the way for Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), in which Jones plays the hissable, cartoonish high school principal hell bent on proving that the title character is faking an illness in order to play hooky. Viewers won't soon forget Rooney's disastrous home invasion in which he is mangled by a dog and thrice karate-kicked by Ferris' sister (Jennifer Grey).



But it was the gonzo Howard the Duck, released later that summer, that would truly preview the weird streak of movies with which Jones would begin to affiliate himself. In 1988 he played the good-natured father, one of the most normal characters, in Beetlejuice, his first of several collaborations with director Tim Burton. In 1992 alone he would play a triumvirate of oddball roles: an interplanetary freedom fighter in the goofy Mom and Dad Save the World, an actual demon stand-in in the TV spoof Stay Tuned, and evil bespectacled twins in Out on a Limb. He was also the star of a short-lived sitcom called The People Next Door (1989), in which he played a comic strip artist whose creations come to life.



In recent years, Jones worked as a variety of cowardly townspeople in gothic period pieces like The Crucible (1996) and Sleepy Hollow (1999); always full of surprises, he would then go in the other direction by appearing in children's movies, such as Stuart Little (1999) and Dr. Doolittle 2 (2001). These less rewarding, secondary roles have alternated with more deserving work, such as Criswell, the over-dramatic narrator in Burton's juicy Ed Wood (1994).
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Replace this image with an actor photoJeffrey Jones mini-bio: Character actor Jeffrey Jones earned an enduring spot in the zeitgeist with his portrayal of frustrated principal Ed Rooney, Matthew Broderick's outwitted nemesis in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Although he has tried to steer clear of playing only sinister roles, the actor's imposing height, bugged-out eyes, easy sneer, and shock of reddish-blond hair give him vaguely devilish features that have prompted villain typecasting. However, the actor is also widely respected and considered a boon wherever he appears.

He involved himself in pre-med studies at Lawrence University in Wisconsin prior to getting the acting bug. His first jobs were on-stage, initially with Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, then internationally in South America, Canada, and London. In the late '70s he began working in film and landed one of his first plum roles as Emperor Joseph II in Milos Forman's Amadeus (1984), for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor. This paved the way for Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), in which Jones plays the hissable, cartoonish high school principal hell bent on proving that the title character is faking an illness in order to play hooky. Viewers won't soon forget Rooney's disastrous home invasion in which he is mangled by a dog and thrice karate-kicked by Ferris' sister (Jennifer Grey).

But it was the gonzo Howard the Duck, released later that summer, that would truly preview the weird streak of movies with which Jones would begin to affiliate himself. In 1988 he played the good-natured father, one of the most normal characters, in Beetlejuice, his first of several collaborations with director Tim Burton. In 1992 alone he would play a triumvirate of oddball roles: an interplanetary freedom fighter in the goofy Mom and Dad Save the World, an actual demon stand-in in the TV spoof Stay Tuned, and evil bespectacled twins in Out on a Limb. He was also the star of a short-lived sitcom called The People Next Door (1989), in which he played a comic strip artist whose creations come to life.

In recent years, Jones worked as a variety of cowardly townspeople in gothic period pieces like The Crucible (1996) and Sleepy Hollow (1999); always full of surprises, he would then go in the other direction by appearing in children's movies, such as Stuart Little (1999) and Dr. Doolittle 2 (2001). These less rewarding, secondary roles have alternated with more deserving work, such as Criswell, the over-dramatic narrator in Burton's juicy Ed Wood (1994).

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Last update: Aug 15 2008, 1:52 AM EDT by ed (content history | content tools) (help)
Keyword tags: Jeffrey Jones Jeffrey Jones biography Jeffrey Jones quotes Jeffrey Jones trivia Jeffrey Jones vital stats Jeffrey Jones wiki
Jeffrey Jones Biography Jeffrey Jones Quotes Jeffrey Jones Best Movies and Characters

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  • ilovejohnny04
    ilovejohnny04
    i dont think you'll be seing him in a lot of movies. i was googling ferris bueller the other day cos i had to write an essay on it and apparently jeffrey jones has been done for child molesting (or something similar) i think it said he was trying to film kids. anyway if any fans of his are interested in his other movies still then he's in sleepy hollow
    posted 594 days ago
  • Karez2much
    Karez2much
    i have only seen a couple of movies u were in but u were great in those...hope to see u in some future movies
    posted 711 days ago
  • xxxxxxxxxxxxxx999999
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxx999999
    " i am criswell...i know all."
    lol luv that movie
    posted 847 days ago
  • xxxxxxxxxxxxxx999999
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxx999999
    GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    posted 856 days ago
  • nerdpanda
    nerdpanda
    Why does this guy always play a creep?
    posted 1022 days ago
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  • He played a doctor in Dr. Doolittle, a reverend in Sleepy Hollow, and the Principal in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Who is he?   Answer »
  • He was the odious school principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and Winona Ryder's dad in "Beetlejuice":  Answer »
  • Which film stars: Martin Landau, Jeffrey Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bill Murray, Mike Starr, Max Casella, and Johnny Depp?  Answer »
  • What was the line that Jeffrey Jones (King Louis XVII) kept on saying in the movie "Amadeus"?   Answer »
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