‘This Is Us’ actor Ron Cephas Jones passes away at 66

NEW YORK (Agencies): American actor Ron Cephas Jones known for his role as William Hill in the drama series, ‘This Is Us’ is no more. He was 66, reported Variety.

“Beloved and award-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has passed away at the age of 66 due to a long-standing pulmonary issue,” a representative for Jones confirmed to Variety on Saturday.

“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,” the statement continued. “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’. He is survived by his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones,” the statement concluded, reported Variety.

Jones portrayed Randall Pearson’s (Sterling K Brown) biological father William Hill on ‘This Is Us’. For his work, he received four Emmy nominations, two of which he won for outstanding guest actor in a drama series in 2018 and 2020. Jones’s daughter, Jasmine, also won an Emmy in 2020 for outstanding performance in a short-form comedy or drama series, making the pair the first father-daughter tandem to do so.

In May 2022, Jones spoke to Variety about his return as William for ‘This Is Us’ penultimate episode. “At the end, the caboose, which signifies the end, it’s when William is right there. And he has this beautiful little monologue where you see William’s face light up with this idea that the end is sort of the beginning,” he said of his final scene.

“And that’s kind of what the monologue is about, just that endings can be beautiful. If you accept them for what they are, they’re not always sad, they can be very beautiful. It’s these little pieces of him throughout the episode, where you feel so much of William without him saying much. It was all very visual and beautiful, almost like a silent movie, in some ways,” added the late actor.

He also worked in other TV series which include ‘Mr. Robot’, ‘The Get Down’, ‘Luke Cage’, and ‘Truth Be Told’. Jones appeared in a number of films such as ‘Half Nelson’, ‘Across the Universe’, ‘Glass Chin’, ‘The Holiday Calendar’, and ‘Dolemite Is My Name’.