Actor. Born William Frank Jones, his father was a grocery clerk, his mother was an artist. Young William spent his early youth living in a small apartment with his parents and brother, above his father's grocery store. William's mother was stricken with mental illness that required institutionalization for the remainder of her life. Unable to handle raising two boys alone, his father sent both brothers away to live with other relatives. Along with his brother, he ended up at Boys Town in Tennessee. He would return to his father's home at age sixteen, and during this period he developed an interest in movies. He briefly served with the United States Army, but after acting on an impulse, he went AWOL, which led to a period of incarceration. Following his release, he lived in New York City and took up painting for a while. He met and became friends with stage director Frank Corsaro, who convinced Jones to sit in on a few acting classes. His striking resemblance to James Dean would also assist in potential acting opportunities. This led to his name changing, and being cast as Pancho in the Broadway production of "The Night of the Iguana" which starred Bette Davis. Jones met and later married actress Susan Strasberg, and their union produced a daughter. He achieved fame in television as he landed the title role in the series "The Legend of Jesse James" (1965 to 1966), and in 1967 he marked his motion picture debut with the title role in "Chubasco." The film also starred Strasberg, and not long after the picture's release, their rocky marriage (which endured Jones' fits of anger and drug usage) ended. Jones went on to experience success in the films "Wild in the Streets" (1968), "The Looking Glass War" (1969) and "Ryan's Daughter" (1970), prior to his fading into obscurity. He returned to films one last time and appeared in the picture "Mad Dog Time" (1996).
Actor. Born William Frank Jones, his father was a grocery clerk, his mother was an artist. Young William spent his early youth living in a small apartment with his parents and brother, above his father's grocery store. William's mother was stricken with mental illness that required institutionalization for the remainder of her life. Unable to handle raising two boys alone, his father sent both brothers away to live with other relatives. Along with his brother, he ended up at Boys Town in Tennessee. He would return to his father's home at age sixteen, and during this period he developed an interest in movies. He briefly served with the United States Army, but after acting on an impulse, he went AWOL, which led to a period of incarceration. Following his release, he lived in New York City and took up painting for a while. He met and became friends with stage director Frank Corsaro, who convinced Jones to sit in on a few acting classes. His striking resemblance to James Dean would also assist in potential acting opportunities. This led to his name changing, and being cast as Pancho in the Broadway production of "The Night of the Iguana" which starred Bette Davis. Jones met and later married actress Susan Strasberg, and their union produced a daughter. He achieved fame in television as he landed the title role in the series "The Legend of Jesse James" (1965 to 1966), and in 1967 he marked his motion picture debut with the title role in "Chubasco." The film also starred Strasberg, and not long after the picture's release, their rocky marriage (which endured Jones' fits of anger and drug usage) ended. Jones went on to experience success in the films "Wild in the Streets" (1968), "The Looking Glass War" (1969) and "Ryan's Daughter" (1970), prior to his fading into obscurity. He returned to films one last time and appeared in the picture "Mad Dog Time" (1996).
Bio by: C.S.
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