Jones was born on September 15, 1946, inSan Saba, Texas.[2] His mother, Lucille Marie Jones (née Scott; 1928–2013),[3] was a police officer, school teacher, and beauty shop owner, and his father, Clyde C. Jones (1926–1986), was a cowboy and oil field worker.[4] The two were married and divorced twice. Jones is ofCherokee descent.[5] He was raised inMidland, Texas,[6] and attendedRobert E. Lee High School. Jones later moved to Dallas and graduated from theSt. Mark's School of Texas in 1965,[7] which he attended on scholarship.
After graduating from Harvard in 1969, Jones moved toNew York City to become an actor, making hisBroadway debut in 1969'sA Patriot for Me in a number of supporting roles. In 1970, he landed his first film role, coincidentally playing a Harvard student inLove Story (Erich Segal, the author ofLove Story, said that he based the lead character of Oliver on aspects of two undergraduate roommates he knew while on asabbatical at Harvard, Jones andAl Gore).[14]
In the 1990s, Jones was featured in blockbuster films such asJFK (1991) co-starringKevin Costner (which earned him an Oscar nomination),The Fugitive (1993) co-starringHarrison Ford,Batman Forever (1995) co-starringVal Kilmer,Volcano (1997) co-starringAnne Heche, andMen in Black (1997) withWill Smith. His performance as Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard inThe Fugitive received broad acclaim that included anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and a sequel,U.S. Marshals (1998). When he accepted hisOscar, his head wasshaved for his role in the filmCobb (1994), which he made light of in his speech: "The only thing a man can say at a time like this is 'I am not really bald'. Actually I'm lucky to be working".
Among his other well-known performances during the 1990s were those of a terrorist who hijacks a U.S. Navy battleship inUnder Siege (1992), the role of "Reverend" Roy Foltrigg inThe Client (1994), a maximum-security prison warden who's in way over his head inNatural Born Killers (1994), and a parole officer inDouble Jeopardy (1999).
In 2000, Jones co-starred withSamuel L. Jackson as a Marine colonel serving as Jackson's defense attorney in the filmRules of Engagement, and co-starred with directorClint Eastwood as astronauts in the filmSpace Cowboys, in which both played retired pilots and friends/rivals leading a space rescue mission together. In 2002, he and Will Smith co-starred in theMen in Black sequel,Men in Black II.
Two strong performances in 2007 marked a resurgence in Jones's career, one as a beleaguered father investigating the disappearance of his soldier son inIn the Valley of Elah, the other as a Texas sheriff hunting an assassin in the Oscar-winningNo Country for Old Men. For the former, he was nominated for anAcademy Award.
Jones has been a spokesman for Japanese brewing companySuntory since 2006. He can be seen in various Japanese T.V. commercials of Suntory's Coffee brandBoss as a character called "Alien Jones", an extraterrestrial who takes the form of a human to check on the world of humans. Many of these commercials can be seen on YouTube.[19] In 2011, Jones appeared inpublic service announcements on Japanese television, joining a number of other popular figures who sang two sentimental songs in remembrance of those lost in the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
In 2012, there was another turning point in Jones's career, starting with playing Agent K again inMen in Black 3, portraying Arnold Soames in the romantic dramedyHope Springs, and co-starring asThaddeus Stevens in Steven Spielberg'sLincoln. Jones's performance inLincoln received wide critical acclaim, and he was nominated for an Oscar for the fourth time, for Best Supporting Actor. SinceLincoln, Jones has continued appearing in popular films, includingJason Bourne (2016) andAd Astra (2019).
Jones was married to Kate Lardner, the niece of screenwriter and journalistRing Lardner Jr., from 1971 to 1978.[22] He has two children from his second marriage to Kimberlea Cloughley, the daughter ofPhil Hardberger, former mayor of San Antonio.[23] On March 19, 2001, he married his third wife, Dawn Laurel.[24][25]
Grunert, Andrea, "Les bons et les méchants selon Tommy Lee Jones", in: Francis Bordat et Serge Chauvin (eds.)Les bons et les méchants Université Paris X, 2005, p. 339–352,ISBN2-907335-30-8
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