Tommy Lee Jones (b.1946) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his dryly-taciturn portrayals of law-enforcement officials, military men, and cowboys.
Born in San Saba, Texas, Jones studied English at Harvard University, where he shared a room with future U.S. Vice President Al Gore and shone on the football field. Although he made his film début in the romantic drama Love Story (1970,) he continued for several years to work on stage and in television, including in soap opera One Life to Live (1971–75.)
Jones’s weathered features and no-nonsense screen presence suit the many military, law enforcement, and Western heroes he has played, including as an ambitious prosecutor in the film adaptation of John Grisham’s legal thriller The Client (1994) and his Academy Award-winning turn as a U.S. marshal in The Fugitive (1993.) His deadpan delivery found a comedy outlet in the Men in Black series (1997, 2002, 2012,) and he directed the well-received The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005.) Recent appearances include Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012,) The Homesman (2014; also as writer and director,) Criminal (2016,) and Shock and Awe (2017.)
In addition to acting and directing, Jones owns and operates several cattle and horse ranches.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Tommy Lee Jones
The quality of one’s emotional life changes over the years, doesn’t it? But the basic instincts and desires, greed and hope, seem to remain constant. In the larger scope of things, there’s a sense of fulfillment to living a creative life. So I guess that’s what keeps me going.
—Tommy Lee Jones
My idea in terms of managing a narrative, or in thinking in my creative life, is that you could easily argue that the past, the present and the future all occur simultaneously, and if you can postulate that, then you’re not strictly bound to a linear narrative.
—Tommy Lee Jones
Damn right, it’s fun. There’s good company. It’s creative. It’s adventurous. Combines high adventure and art with intellection. It’s more fun than polo. It’s like going undefeated in football.
—Tommy Lee Jones
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Tim Robbins American Actor, Director
Vincent Price American Actor
Brad Pitt American Actor
Eddie Murphy American Actor
Tom Hanks American Film Actor
Martin Landau American Actor
Adam Sandler American Actor
Burt Reynolds American Actor
Fred Astaire American Dancer, Singer
Gary Sinise American Actor, Musician