Ron Cephas Jones

Theatre Credits, Bio and Tickets

Ron Cephas Jones stars in Lynn Nottage's play Clyde's on Broadway from November 3, 2021.

Jones is a stage and screen actor born January 8, 1957, in Paterson, New Jersey. He planned to study jazz at Ramapo College, but ended up switching his major to theatre sophomore year. After graduating in 1978, he spent eight years away from the art form, working as a bus driver for four years and then traveling, before settling in New York in 1985.

It was there that he launched his professional career, albeit nearly 10 years later. While performing in a play based on the Billie Holiday song "Don't Explain," a casting director took notice and offered him the leading role in Cheryl West's play Holiday Heart in 1994. From there, he would go on to perform in several productions with Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company and play the title character of Shakespeare's Richard III at The Public Theater, among other credits. Jones has also performed on Broadway as Crooks in Of Mice and Men and as an understudy in Gem of the Ocean and The Motherfucker with the Hat; Clyde's marks his first starring Broadway role.

Jones is more widely known for his extensive work on screen. He has starred as William "Shakespeare" Hill on the NBC drama series This Is Us since its 2016 premiere, and his performance has earned him 5 awards out of 10 nominations, including two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2018 and 2020. His television credits have also included the TV film A Raisin in the Sun, Mr. Robot, Luke Cage, the Hulu miniseries Looking for Alaska, and the Apple TV+ crime drama Truth Be Told opposite Octavia Spencer. Jones has also appeared in more than 20 films including He Got Game, Sweet and Lowdown, Half Nelson, Across The Universe, Dolemite is My Name, and the London National Theatre Live taping of Of Mice and Men.

His daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones, is also an actor, known for originating the role of Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds in Hamilton on Broadway and playing the lead role of Ashley in the film Blindspotting and its subsequent spinoff series.