Orlando Jones
Orlando Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 10, 1968 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Known for | Founding cast member of MADtv, spokesperson for 7 Up, role as Anansi in American Gods |
Orlando Jones (born April 10, 1968) is an American comedian and actor, recognized as a founding cast member of the sketch comedy show MADtv. He gained additional prominence as the face of 7 Up from 1999 to 2002 and for his portrayal of the African deity Anansi in Starz's American Gods.
Early life
Born in Mobile, Alabama in 1968, Jones is the son of a former professional baseball player affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies. During his teenage years, he relocated to Mauldin, South Carolina, where he completed his studies at Mauldin High School in 1985. One of his earliest acting experiences was playing a werewolf in a haunted house fundraiser. Jones enrolled at the College of Charleston but left in 1990 before finishing his degree.
In pursuit of a career in entertainment, Jones co-established Homeboy's Productions and Advertising alongside comedian Michael Fechter. Their collaborative work included producing a McDonald's commercial featuring basketball legend Michael Jordan promoting the "McJordan" sandwich.
Jones began working in Hollywood in 1987 as a writer for NBC's A Different World, also making a guest appearance in its fifth season finale. Between 1991 and 1992, he contributed as a writer to Fox’s Roc and co-produced The Sinbad Show in 1993. Additionally, he appeared briefly on Fox’s Herman's Head in 1992.
MADtv
Following his role as host of Fox’s music program Sound FX in 1994, Jones joined the original ensemble of nine performers on MADtv. Unlike several fellow original cast members, his background in sketch comedy was relatively limited.
Throughout the initial two seasons, Jones brought to life characters such as Dexter St. Croix, leader of Cabana Chat band, and Reverend LaMont Nixon Fatback, an outspoken admirer of Christopher Walken. He was also noted for impersonations of personalities including Thomas Mikal Ford, Temuera Morrison, Warwick Davis, Danny DeVito, Michael Jai White, Eddie Griffin, and Ice Cube.
After completing two seasons, Jones departed to focus on film projects but made a return appearance during the show’s 200th episode in 2004.
Other television projects
Jones achieved widespread recognition as the spokesperson for a well-known series of comedic commercials for 7 Up, famously donning a t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan Make 7 Up Yours, which was promoted through specialty outlets like Spencer Gifts.
This visibility opened doors to various ventures: he hosted an HBO First Look special in 2000 and led his own late-night talk program, The Orlando Jones Show, on FX in 2003. Although the talk show had a brief run, Jones continued appearing on television with roles on The Bernie Mac Show and Girlfriends that same year.
In 2006, he starred as Cayman Bishop in ABC’s crime drama The Evidence. Between 2007 and 2008, he appeared twice on Everybody Hates Chris and guest-starred as Harold Wilcox on New Amsterdam in 2008. He was also featured as the inaugural guest star on MTV’s improvisational comedy show Wild 'N Out.
Jones co-hosted ABC’s game show Crash Course, which was canceled after just four episodes. In 2009, he took on the role of Marcus Foreman, sibling to Eric Foreman, on season six of the series House.
In 2013, Jones became part of the FOX drama Sleepy Hollow, which recorded FOX’s highest-rated fall drama premiere since the debut of 24 in 2001.
From 2016 through 2019, Jones portrayed Mr. Nancy—the African god Anansi—in Starz’s critically praised series American Gods.
Film projects
Following his departure from MADtv, Jones ventured further into cinema, beginning with a small part in In Harm's Way (1997), and subsequently acting alongside Larry David in Sour Grapes (1998). He appeared in Woo (1998), Mike Judge's cult classic Office Space (1999) alongside fellow former MADtv cast member David Herman, and took a role in Barry Levinson's drama Liberty Heights (1999). His later film credits included appearances in Magnolia (1999), New Jersey Turnpikes (1999), and Harold Ramis' comedy Bedazzled (2000).
Throughout the 2000s, Jones broadened his professional scope. Apart from his work in 7 Up commercials, he portrayed Clifford Franklin in the sports comedy The Replacements (2000) and featured in the horror installment From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2003). He led as Daryl Chase in the action-comedy Double Take (2001), co-starring with Eddie Griffin, and shared the screen with David Duchovny, Seann William Scott, and Julianne Moore in Ivan Reitman’s science fiction comedy Evolution (2001). Additional significant films include his role in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009), lending his voice to the computer Vox 114 in The Time Machine (2002), and parts in Drumline (2002), Biker Boyz (2003), Runaway Jury (2003), and Primeval (2007). He also made an uncredited appearance in the segment Planet Terror of the anthology film Grindhouse (2007).
In 2011, Jones was featured in the documentary Looking for Lenny, which explored the life of Lenny Bruce and issues surrounding free speech. The following year, he headlined Joe Penna’s interactive thriller series Meridian, a project developed by Fourth Wall Studios.
In April 2013, Jones stirred public attention by announcing he would take over Tyler Perry’s role as Madea, accompanied by a photo of himself impersonating the character. This claim was later revealed to be an April Fools’ joke; Perry confirmed that the statement was untrue and indicated that after he concludes portraying Madea, the character would be retired.
Voice acting
Jones has lent his voice to numerous animated productions. In 1993, he contributed to Yuletide in the 'hood, and five years later made a guest appearance on the animated show King of the Hill. His voice work extended to series such as Father of the Pride, Yin Yang Yo!, and video games including his role as Marine Sergeant Banks in Halo 2 and appearances in L.A. Rush. In 2006, he co-created, produced, and voiced characters for MTV2’s animated series The Adventures of Chico and Guapo.
Personal life
Jones wed former model Jacqueline Staph in 2009; together they have a daughter. In October 2011, he attracted criticism after posting a controversial joke about former Alaska Governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Twitter, for which he subsequently issued an apology.
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | A Cool Like That Christmas | Self (voice) | TV movie |
| 1997 | In Harm's Way | Andre | Short film |
| 1998 | Sour Grapes | Digby | |
| Woo | Sticky Fingas | ||
| 1999 | Office Space | Steve | |
| From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter | Ezra Traylor | Direct-to-video | |
| Liberty Heights | Little Melvin | ||
| Magnolia | Worm | ||
| New Jersey Turnpikes | - | ||
| 2000 | Waterproof | Natty Battle | |
| The Replacements | Clifford Franklin | ||
| Chain of Fools | Miss Cocoa | ||
| Bedazzled | Various roles | ||
| 2001 | Double Take | Daryl Chase | |
| Say It Isn't So | Dig McCaffrey | ||
| Evolution | Professor Harry Block | ||
| Unbakeable | Elijah Price | Video short | |
| 2002 | The Time Machine | Vox 114 | |
| Drumline | Dr. Lee | ||
| 2003 | Biker Boyz | Soul Train | |
| Runaway Jury | Russell | ||
| 2004 | House of D | Superfly | |
| 2006 | Looking for Sunday | Einstein Steinberg | |
| 2007 | Primeval | Steve Johnson | |
| I Think I Love My Wife | Nelson | ||
| 2008 | Misconceptions | Terry Price-Owens | |
| 2009 | 8Dazeaweakend | Doctor Feel | |
| Beyond a Reasonable Doubt | Detective Ben Nickerson | ||
| Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant | Alexander Ribs | ||
| 2010 | Tax Man | Fisher | TV movie |
| 2011 | Seconds Apart | Detective Lampkin | |
| The Chicago 8 | Bobby Seale | ||
| Identity | Agent Wareing | TV movie | |
| 2012 | Meridian | Jeff Meyers | Short |
| 2013 | Enemies Closer | Clay | |
| 2015 | The Adventures of Beatle | Dr. Vanderark | |
| 2016 | The Book of Love | Cornelius "Dumbass" Thibadeaux | |
| Planting Seeds of Mindfulness Animated Movie | Will | ||
| 2022 | 88 | Harold Roundtree | |
| 2023 | Til Death Do Us Part
| Groomsman 4 | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Herman's Head | Police Officer | Episode: "Guns 'n Neurosis" |
| A Different World | Troy Douglas | Episodes: "Save the Best for Last: Part 1 & 2" | |
| 1994 | Sound FX | Himself | Television series |
| 1995–97 | MADtv | Himself/Cast Member | Principal cast: Seasons 1 and 2 |
| 1997 | Faster Baby, Kill | Thomas Williams | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1998 | King of the Hill | Kidd Mookie (voice) | Episode: "Traffic Jam" |
| 2001 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Himself/Contestant | Episode: "Comedy Edition, Show 1" |
| 2003 | Girlfriends | Dr. Darren Lucas | Episode: "Sex, Lies, and Books" |
| The Bernie Mac Show | Max Trotter | Episode: "For a Few Dollars More" | |
| The Orlando Jones Show | Himself/Host | Television series | |
| 2004–05 | Father of the Pride | Snack (voice) | Main cast member |
| 2005 | Wild 'n Out | Himself | Episode: "Orlando Jones" |
| 2006 | The Evidence | Inspector Cayman Bishop | Principal cast |
| The Adventures of Chico and Guapo | Concepción Rodriguez (voice) | Main cast member | |
| 2007 |
Everybody Hates Chris | Mr. Newton | Episode: "Everybody Hates the Substitute" | ||
|
Men in Trees | George Washington | Recurring role | |||
|
Ghost Whisperer | Casey Edgars | Episode: "Unhappy Medium" | |||
|
rowspan=4 | 2008 |
New Amsterdam | Harold Wilcox | Episode: "Soldier's Heart" | ||
|
Everybody Hates Chris | Dr. Clint Huckstable | Episode: "Everybody Hates Homecoming" | |||
|
Pushing Daisies | Magnus Olsdatter | Episode: "The Norwegians" | |||
|
Yin Yang Yo! | Badfoot | Episode: "The Big Payback" | |||
|
2009 |
Rules of Engagement | Brad | Recurring role: Season 3 | ||
|
2010 |
House | Marcus Foreman | Episode: "Moving the Chains" | ||
|
2011 |
Necessary Roughness | Lazarus Rollins | Episodes: "Losing Your Swing" & "Forget Me Not" | ||
|
CSI: Miami | Lawrence Kingman | Episode: "By the Book" | |||
|
2012–15 |
Black Dynamite | Additional Voices | Recurring cast member | ||
|
2013 |
Tainted Love | Black Barry | Principal cast member | ||
|
Save Me | God #2 | Episode: "Holier Than Thou" | |||
|
2013–15 |
Sleepy Hollow | Captain Frank Irving | Main cast Seasons 1 and 2 | ||
|
2015 |
The Haunting of... | Himself | Episode: "The Haunting of Orlando Jones" | ||
|
2017 |
Madiba | Oliver Tambo | Principal cast member | ||
|
Room 104 | Samuel | Episode: "The Knockandoo" | |||
|
2017–19 |
American Gods | Mr. Nancy | Recurring in Season 1, main in Season 2 | ||
|
2019 |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Justin 'Snake Eye' Anderson | Episode: "Diss" | ||
|
2020 |
LA's Finest | Lieutenant Marshawn Davis | Recurring role Season 2 | ||
|
The Good Lord Bird | The Rail Man | Recurring character | |||
|
2021 |
Teenage Euthanasia | Little Flor-Ida (voice) | Episode: "The Bad Bang Theory" | ||
|
2022 |
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Elgin Baylor | Episode: "Invisible Man" | ||
|
2022-2025 |
Abbott Elementary | Martin Eddie | Four episodes | ||
|
2025 |
The Family Business: New Orleans | Gabriel | Series regular |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Halo 2 | Voice of Marine Sergeant |
| 2005 | L.A. Rush | Voice actor for Ty Malix |