Ron Cephas Jones

Ron Cephas Jones was an American actor who grew up in Paterson, New Jersey and switched to theater at Ramapo College, graduating in 1978. He returned to New York City in 1985 and spent time at the Nuyorican Poets Café, where his work came to a casting director's notice and led to the lead in the 1994 play Holiday Heart. He performed with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, played the title role in Richard III for The Public Theater, and in 2022 was nominated for a Tony Award for Clyde's. His films included Paid in Full (2002), Half Nelson (2006), Across the Universe (2007), The Holiday Calendar (2018), Dog Days (2018) and Dolemite Is My Name (2019). He won two Emmy Awards for playing William Hill on This Is Us and also appeared in Mr. Robot, Luke Cage and Truth Be Told. He died in 2023.