Eddie Jones

A dependable and versatile character actor on television and in features for more than three decades, Eddie Jones was equally gifted at playing avuncular characters like "Pa" Kent on "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (ABC, 1993-97), as he was with more authoritative roles like the countless policemen, priests, and military figures that fleshed out his sizable resume. Born Arthur Edward Jones in Washington, Pennsylvania, he hitchhiked west to Los Angeles, California, where he was introduced to performing through a friend's invitation to an acting class. An apprenticeship in summer stock theater gave him the experience to pursue larger roles in regional theater, which culminated in a 1972 stint as Charles Durning's understudy in the original Broadway run of Jason Miller's "That Championship Season." More roles on the New York stage, including the original Broadway run of Sam Shepard's "Curse of the Starving Class" in 1978, preceded his first feature film appearance in Robert Mulligan's "Bloodbrothers" that same year. His solid build and doleful visage made him an ideal choice to play sober-minded working men, including an array of police officers and blue collar types in Sidney Lumet's "Prince of the City" (1981), Michael Cimino's "Year of the Dragon" (1985) and Roger Donaldson's "Cadillac Man" (1990), as well as numerous roles on television, most notably a recurring role on "The Equalizer" (CBS, 1985-89). By the 1990s, Jonas had confirmed his talent for diverse roles, as evidenced by a malevolent turn in Stephen Frears's "The Grifters" (1990) and a more heartfelt performance as a father pleading for his daughter's place on a women's baseball team in Penny Marshall's "A League of their Own" (1992). He also worked steadily in major features, television movies, and episodic series. The latter provided him with one of his most enduring characters, the kindly Jonathan "Pa" Kent, adoptive father of Superman on "Lois and Clark," which he remained with for the entirety of its four-year run. After its conclusion, he remained inordinately active in character roles, including the owner of the titular champion horse in "Seabiscuit" (2003), and enjoyed a personal triumph in 2002 by winning a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award as Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman." Jones's output slowed briefly in the 2000s, though he was still active as a guest star on "Veep" (HBO, 2012-19) and "Aquarius" (NBC, 2015-16). He made his last screen appearance in the 2018 short "Lost Dogs" before dying at the age of 84 at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on July 6, 2019.