Known For
Acting
Known Credits
119
Gender
Male
Birthday
April 5, 1911 (115 years old)
Place of Birth
Alden, Iowa, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gordon Wynnivo Jones (April 5, 1911 – June 20, 1963) was an American character actor, a member of John Wayne's informal acting company best known for playing Lou Costello's TV nemesis "Mike the Cop" and appearing as The Green Hornet in the first of two movie serials based on that old-time radio program.
Iowa-born Jones had been a student athlete and star football guard ("Bull" Jones) at University of California, Los Angeles, and had also played a few seasons of professional football. He started out playing small roles in Wesley Ruggles' and Ernest B. Schoedsack's The Monkey's Paw (1933), his first credited role in Sam Wood's Let 'Em Have It (1935), and Sidney Lanfield's Red Salute (1935). By 1937, he had moved on to a contract at RKO Radio Pictures. In 1940, Jones had the title role in The Green Hornet but did not reprise the role in the sequel.
Jones held a reserve commission in the army and was called into the service after filming his roles as "The Wreck" in My Sister Eileen (1942) and "Alabama Smith" in Flying Tigers (1942), a John Wayne vehicle that was one of the most popular action films of the war. This picture began Jones' 20-year onscreen association with Wayne, who was also a former football player at the University of Southern California.
Jones remained associated with the service after the war, encouraging college students to consider the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. After resuming his acting career in the late 1940s, Jones appeared in prominent roles in the John Wayne features Big Jim McLain (1952) and Island in the Sky (1953).
By the end of the 1940s, Jones had aged into a beefier screen presence and into very physical character roles. He was no longer a leading man but he had developed a comic villain persona which meshed with the work of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Jones' association with the duo began in The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (1947) with the role of the film's heavy, Jake Frame, and continued through their television series The Abbott and Costello Show. Jones played "Mike the Cop", Costello's hulking, loud-voiced antagonist. The program was produced for only two seasons, but ensured continued recognition for Jones via frequent reruns and a 21st Century DVD release.
Jones also remained busy in films and on television throughout the 1950s, in pictures that ranged from the sci-fi chiller The Monster That Challenged the World to the Tony Curtis/Janet Leigh sex comedy The Perfect Furlough, and on TV series ranging from The Real McCoys to The Rifleman. Jones also appeared in two very successful Disney movies during the early '60s, The Absent-Minded Professor and Son of Flubber. He played harried school coaches in both pictures. He also starred with Mitzi Green and Virginia Gibson in the short-lived TV sitcom So This Is Hollywood (1955), and had a recurring role as neighbor Butch Barton during the early years of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Jones returned to the John Wayne stock company portraying Douglas, the bureaucrat antagonist to Wayne's G.W. McLintock in the Western comedy McLintock! (1963). Jones unexpectedly succumbed to a heart attack on June 12, 1963, five months before the release of that movie.
Jones has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the West side of the 1600 block of Vine Street.
| 2011 | The Abbott and Costello Show: Who's On First?as Mike the Cop (archive footage) | |
| 1994 | Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeldas Self (archive footage) | |
| 1963 | McLintock!as Matt Douglas | |
| 1962 | The Lucy Showas Charlie Vantassel | |
| 1961 | Everything's Duckyas Conroy | |
| 1961 | Master of the Worldas Talkative Townsman | |
| 1960 | The Case of the Dangerous Robinas Nels Bergstrom | |
| 1960 | Surfside 6as | |
| 1960 | The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamondas Police Sgt. Joe Cassidy | |
| 1959 | Battle of the Coral Seaas Torpedoman Bates | |
| 1959 | Hawaiian Eyeas | |
| 1959 | Dennis the Menaceas | |
| 1959 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillisas | |
| 1959 | Laramieas | |
| 1959 | Battle Flameas Sgt. McKelvey | |
| 1959 | The Shaggy Dogas Captain Scanlon | |
| 1958 | The Perfect Furloughas MP "Sylvia" | |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Stripas | |
| 1958 | The Riflemanas | |
| 1958 | Live Fast, Die Youngas Pop Winters | |
| 1957 | Maverickas | |
| 1957 | Perry Masonas Deputy Gillis | |
| 1957 | Sugarfootas Sheriff | |
| 1957 | Sugarfootas Wasco Wolters | |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travelas | |
| 1957 | Richard Diamond, Private Detectiveas Joel Finlay | |
| 1957 | Richard Diamond, Private Detectiveas Mike Gower | |
| 1957 | The Monster That Challenged the Worldas Sheriff Josh Peters | |
| 1957 | Shoot-Out At Medicine Bendas Pvt. Wilbur Clegg | |
| 1957 | Spring Reunionas Jack Frazer | |
| 1956 | The Adventures of Jim Bowieas | |
| 1955 | Cheyenneas | |
| 1955 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earpas | |
| 1955 | Smoke Signalas Corporal Rogers | |
| 1955 | Treasure of Ruby Hillsas Jack Voyle | |
| 1954 | The Wonderful World of Disneyas Captain Scanlon - Chief of Police | |
| 1954 | Lassieas | |
| 1954 | The Outlaw Stallionas Wagner | |
| 1953 | Take the High Ground!as Moose (uncredited) | |
| 1953 | The Pepsi-Cola Playhouseas | |
| 1953 | Island in the Skyas Walrus | |
| 1953 | Woman They Almost Lynchedas Yankee Sergeant | |
| 1953 | I'm the Lawas | |
| 1952 | The Abbott and Costello Showas Mike Kelly | |
| 1952 | The Ghost of Crossbone Canyonas Curly Wolf | |
| 1952 | Cavalcade of Americaas Lt. Treusch | |
| 1952 | Wagon Teamas Marshal Sam Taplin | |
| 1952 | Big Jim McLainas Olaf | |
| 1952 | The Winning Teamas George Glasheen | |
| 1952 | Sound Offas Crockett | |
| 1952 | Gobs and Galsas CPO Mike Donovan | |
| 1952 | Dangerous Assignmentas | |
| 1951 | Corky of Gasoline Alleyas Elwood Martin | |
| 1951 | Racket Squadas | |
| 1951 | The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickokas Curly Wolf | |
| 1951 | Heart of the Rockiesas Splinters McGonigle | |
| 1951 | Spoilers of the Plainsas Splinters | |
| 1950 | Trail of Robin Hoodas Splinters McGonigle | |
| 1950 | North of the Great Divideas Splinters McGonagle | |
| 1950 | Sunset in the Westas Splinters | |
| 1950 | Big Timberas Jocko | |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Showas | |
| 1950 | Trigger, Jr.as Splinters | |
| 1950 | The Arizona Cowboyas I.Q. Barton | |
| 1950 | The Palominoas Bill Hennessey | |
| 1950 | Belle of Old Mexicoas Tex Barnet | |
| 1949 | Dear Wifeas Taxi Cab Driver | |
| 1949 | Tokyo Joeas Idaho | |
| 1949 | Easy Livingas Bill 'Holly' Holloran | |
| 1949 | Black Midnightas Roy | |
| 1949 | Mr. Soft Touchas Muggles (Uncredited) | |
| 1948 | The Untamed Breedas Happy Keegan | |
| 1948 | Black Eagleas Benjy Laughton | |
| 1948 | Sons of Adventureas Andy Baldwin | |
| 1948 | A Foreign Affairas Military Police | |
| 1947 | Whispering Cityas Reporter | |
| 1947 | The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gapas Jake Frame | |
| 1947 | The Secret Life of Walter Mittyas Tubby Wadsworth | |
| 1944 | Youth Runs Wildas Truck Driver (uncredited) | |
| 1942 | Flying Tigersas Alabama Smith | |
| 1942 | Highways by Nightas 'Footsy' Fogarty | |
| 1942 | My Sister Eileenas 'The Wreck' Loomis | |
| 1941 | Among the Livingas Bill Oakley | |
| 1941 | You Belong to Meas Robert Andrews | |
| 1941 | The Blonde from Singaporeas 'Waffles' Billings | |
| 1941 | The Feminine Touchas Rubber-Legs Ryan | |
| 1940 | The Texas Rangers Ride Againas Ranger Radio Man (uncredited) | |
| 1940 | Girl from Havanaas Tubby Waters | |
| 1940 | Up in the Airas Tex Barton | |
| 1940 | I Take This Oathas Steve Hanagan | |
| 1940 | The Doctor Takes a Wifeas O'Brien | |
| 1940 | The Green Hornetas Britt Reid / The Green Hornet | |
| 1939 | Henry Goes Arizonaas Tug Evans (uncredited) | |
| 1939 | Disputed Passageas Bill Anderson | |
| 1939 | When Tomorrow Comesas Radio Technician (uncredited) | |
| 1939 | Invitation to Happinessas Dutch Arnold (uncredited) | |
| 1939 | Big Town Czaras Chuck Hardy | |
| 1939 | Pride of the Navyas Joe Falcon | |
| 1939 | The Long Shotas Jeff Clayton | |
| 1938 | Out West with the Hardysas Ray Holt | |
| 1938 | I Stand Accusedas Blackie | |
| 1938 | Rich Man, Poor Girlas Tom Grogan | |
| 1937 | Quick Moneyas Bill Adams | |
| 1937 | Fight for Your Ladyas Mike Scanlon | |
| 1937 | The Big Shotas Chester Scott | |
| 1937 | There Goes My Girlas Dunn | |
| 1937 | China Passageas Joe Dugan | |
| 1937 | Sea Devilsas Puggy | |
| 1937 | They Wanted to Marryas Jim Tyler | |
| 1937 | We Who Are About to Dieas Slim Tolliver | |
| 1936 | Night Waitressas Martin Rhodes | |
| 1936 | Don't Turn 'em Looseas Joe Graves | |
| 1936 | Walking on Airas Joe | |
| 1936 | Devil's Squadronas Tex | |
| 1936 | Strike Me Pinkas Butch Carson | |
| 1935 | Red Saluteas Michael (Lefty) Jones | |
| 1935 | Let 'em Have Itas Tex | |
| 1932 | Wild Girlas Vigilante (uncredited) | |
| 1931 | Three Roguesas Teamster (uncredited) |