Sam J. Jones

Sam J. Jones
Jones in April 2016
Born Samuel Gerald Jones
(1954-08-12) August 12, 1954
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Occupation Actor
Years active 1975–2015
Spouse(s)
Lynn Eriks
(m. 1982; div. 1987)

Ramona Lynn Jones (m. 1992)
Children 5

Samuel Gerald Jones (born August 12, 1954), known professionally as Sam J. Jones, is an American actor. He is best known for having played the title character in the 1980 film Flash Gordon and The Highwayman (1987–1988).

Filmography

  • 1979 10 as David Hanley (as Sam Jones) – Feature film
  • 1980 Stunts Unlimited as Bo Carlson – TV movie
  • 1980 Flash Gordon as Flash Gordon – Feature film
  • 1981-1982 Code Red as Chris Rorcheck – TV series (14 episodes)
  • 1984 The A-Team as Eric Episode – TV series (1 episode)
  • 1984 Hunter as Lance Lance – TV series (1 episode)
  • 1984 Riptide as Rick Beever – TV series (1 episode)
  • 1985 Hardcastle and McCormick as Grant Miller – TV series (1 episode)
  • 1985 Jungle Heat as Gordon – Feature film
  • 1986 My Chauffeur as Battle Witherspoon – Feature film
  • 1987–1988 The Highwayman as The Highwayman; TV series (Pilot + 9 episodes)
  • 1999 Stargate SG-1 as Aris Boch – TV series (1 episode)
  • 2007 Flash Gordon (2007 TV series) as Krebb; TV series
  • 2012 Ted as Himself; Feature film
  • 2015 Ted 2 as Himself; Feature film

Early life

Jones was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Sacramento, California, where he graduated from Mira Loma High School in 1972.

Career

In 1975, prior to his first screen roles, Jones appeared in full frontal nude under the alias "Andrew Cooper III" as the centerfold for a photo-spread in the June issue of Playgirl magazine.[1]

He made his first film appearance in the 1979 romantic comedy film 10.[2] His appearance in 10 allowed him to beat Kurt Russell and Arnold Schwarzenegger for his most famous role, that of Flash Gordon in the 1980 film of the same name.[3] Jones dyed his hair blonde for this role. The film was moderately successful at the box office grossing $27.1 million in North America, and $22 million in the UK: double its $20 million budget. However, a falling out between Jones and the producers helped to scrap the planned trilogy.[4]

After the release of Flash Gordon, Playgirl reprinted his 1975 photo-spread in its January 1981 issue, this time using his real name. He went on to play Chris Rorchek in the TV series Code Red (1981–1982). He had guest roles in other TV shows including The A-Team, Hunter, and Riptide. In 1987, he played the lead role in a TV adaptation of Will Eisner's comics character The Spirit.[5] He also played the title character in the short-lived NBC sci-fi series The Highwayman.[5] In the late 1980s and early 1990s he portrayed Johnny Valentine on the HBO series 1st & Ten.

Jones starred in the 1986 theatrical release My Chauffeur[6] and the straight-to-video movies Jungle Heat (1985), Jane and the Lost City (1987), Under the Gun (1988), Silent Assassins (1988), Whiteforce (1988), Driving Force (1989), and One Man Force (1989). In the 1990s, Jones had roles in films including In Gold We Trust (1990), Maximum Force (1992), Fist of Honor (1993), Hard Vice (1994), Enter the Shootfighter (1995), Texas Payback (1995), The Killer Inside (1996), Earth Minus Zero (1996), Baja Run (1996) and American Tigers (1996), and guest roles in the TV shows Baywatch, Diagnosis Murder and Walker: Texas Ranger.

In 2001, Jones was cast in Animal Planet's family series Hollywood Safari as a park ranger. He appeared in "Deadman Switch", an episode of the television series Stargate SG-1. In 2007, he played the prisoner Krebb in the Sci Fi Channel original television series Flash Gordon. He also had extended cameos (as himself, with his blond Flash Gordon hairstyle) in both the 2012 comedy film Ted and its 2015 sequel, Ted 2.

Personal life

Jones married Lynn Eriks in 1982; they had two children and divorced in 1987. He married Ramona Lynn Jones on June 26, 1992; they have three children.

References

  1. ↑ Lodge, Jack (1992). Hollywood: Sixty Great Years. New York: Barnes & Noble. p. 572. ISBN 978-1-5661-9606-2. Retrieved June 22, 2013. (Subscription required (help)).
  2. ↑ Ebert, Roger (1987). Roger Ebert's Movie Home Companion. Andrews, McMeel & Parker. ISBN 978-0-8362-6212-4. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Mike Hodges: "Flash Gordon was a bumpy ride… "". Total Sci-fi Online. Archived from the original on 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  4. ↑ "Sequel Baiting Endings That Didn't Work". Empire. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  5. 1 2 Sam J Jones interview: Flash Gordon , Ted 2, Flash remake denofgeek.com
  6. ↑ McKenzie, Steven (September 10, 2013). "Flash Gordon: Actor Sam J Jones on the Skye connection". BBC News.
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