Christopher Jones (actor, born 1941)
American actor (1941–2014)
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Key Takeaways
- William Franklin Jones (August 18, 1941 – January 31, 2014), known professionally as Christopher Jones , was an American actor.
- According to The New York Times , Jones' "talent and star power drew comparisons with James Dean," and he "seemed poised for stardom before abruptly abandoning his movie career in the late 1960s.
- Jones's father and aunt admitted Robbie to the state hospital in Bolivar, Tennessee, in 1945.
- He then joined the Army, but went AWOL, and after serving a sentence in a military prison, he moved to New York City, where he began his acting career.
- Career Early roles Jones (having adopted the stage name Christopher) made his Broadway debut on December 17, 1961, in Tennessee Williams's The Night of the Iguana , directed by Frank Corsaro and starring Shelley Winters.
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Source summary
WikipediaWilliam Franklin Jones (August 18, 1941 – January 31, 2014), known professionally as Christopher Jones, was an American actor. He was best known for his starring roles in the films Wild in the Streets (1968) and Ryan's Daughter (1970), and for playing the title role in the 1960s television series The Legend of Jesse James.
According to The New York Times, Jones' "talent and star power drew comparisons with James Dean," and he "seemed poised for stardom before abruptly abandoning his movie career in the late 1960s."
He was born in Jackson, Tennessee, where his father was a grocery clerk and his mother, Robbie, was an artist. Jones's father and aunt admitted Robbie to the state hospital in Bolivar, Tennessee, in 1945. Jones and his brother were then placed in Boys Town in Memphis, where he became a fan of James Dean after being told he bore a resemblance to him. He then joined the Army, but went AWOL, and after serving a sentence in a military prison, he moved to New York City, where he began his acting career. His mother died when he was 19.
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