Neal Jones

Marvin Neal Jones, Jr. (born January 2, 1960) is an American stage, film, and television actor. His roles range from Billy Kostecki (aka The Watermelon Boy) in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing to Sergeant Major John Sixta in the 2008 HBO original miniseries Generation Kill.

Jones was born in Wichita, Kansas to Marvin Neal Jones, Sr. and Marian Myrl Jones (née Phillips). One of two children, he and his younger brother Joel spent their childhood between St. Louis, Missouri; Athens, Georgia; and Jefferson City, Missouri.

After attending the Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts in St. Louis, Jones moved to New York and began his professional career in Nicol Williamson's production of Macbeth at the Circle in the Square, followed by The Corn Is Green at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and the Tony Award-winning Big River at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.^[1] He went on to appear in numerous New York stage productions, including Mike Leigh's Ecstasy and Tom Dulack's Diminished Capacity at The New Group,^[2][3] Kenneth Branagh's Public Enemy at the Irish Arts Center,^[4] and The Great Lakes Theater Festival’s world premiere of Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales in Cleveland, Ohio, directed by Clifford Williams. As a director he staged the world premiere of Celtic Tiger (Me Arse) by Don Creedon, and the New York premiere of Joseph O'Connor's Red Roses and Petrol, both at the Irish Arts Center in New York, where he has also served as Artistic Director.^[5][6] He is a member of the Actors Studio.

His first film appearance was in Dirty Dancing, followed by more than twenty-five films, including Taylor Hackford's The Devil’s Advocate (one of four films in which he appears with Al Pacino), In America and G.I. Jane. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2008 Malibu International Film Festival, for his role in the independent film Mona.^[7]

Jones has also appeared in some of television's most successful series, including The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Law & Order, and Criminal Minds (as Karl Arnold aka The Fox).^[8] He appeared in seven episodes of the FX series Rescue Me as Peter Reilly, the gay son of Chief Jerry Reilly. Jones's work in Generation Kill was singled out for praise by reviewers Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe and Alan Sepinwall of the Star-Ledger.^[9][10]

Jones also rehearses and coaches other actors for their stage, film, and television roles.

He splits his time between New York City and Los Angeles and lives with his wife, Jamie, and their children.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

• Official website
• Neal Jones at the Internet Movie Database
• Neal Jones at the Internet Broadway Database