An actor on one of the more popular shows on TV today has passed away.
Ron Cephas Jones, who played William Hill on “This is Us,” died recently.
He was 66 years old, having succumbed to a longtime pulmonary issue, according to Yahoo Entertainment.
He’s Gone
Jones’ death was confirmed by his representatives.
They stated, “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. Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award winning performance on This is Us.”
Jones, a lifelong smoker, was first diagnosed in 2020, when he had a double lung transplant.
It took him two months to learn how to breathe and eat again after the operation, spending that time on and off a ventilator.
On that surgery, Jones stated, “I was in total denial. I told myself that it would pass, or that I was just getting older. I was afraid and didn’t want to change what I wasn’t ready to change.”
According to his IMDb profile, Jones broke into the business in 1994, mostly getting single-episode appearances on TV shows and small movie parts.
You may not get crazy rich this way, but Jones earned a very nice living over the next three decades landing almost four dozen parts in movies and TV shows.
Things started to get better for him around 2015, when he started getting parts that were regularly featured in shows.
In 2016, he landed the role of William Hill on “This is Us.”
In 2019, he started to play Leander “Shreve” Scoville in “Truth Be Told.”
In 2021, he also took on the role of Congressman Leon Killbride in “Law and Order: Organized Crime,” placing him in three major TV series at the same time.
The worm, as they say, had turned, but he was unfortunately also going through major health issues at the same time.
And now he is gone…
