Dean Carroll Jones was an American actor and singer, who participated in numerous live-action Disney films between 1965 and 1977.
Jones starred in the NBC television sitcom Ensign O'Toole from 1962–1963, produced by Four Star Television, portraying an easy-going and inexperienced officer on a U.S. Navy destroyer. He also recorded a singing album Introducing Dean Jones for Valiant Records.
As Ensign O'Toole was the lead-in show on NBC to Walt Disney's The Wonderful World of Color, Disney ordered a print of Jones' latest film Under the Yum Yum Tree to study. They signed him on for a string of Disney films in the 1960s and 1970s, beginning with That Darn Cat! (Hayley Mills' last film with Disney). His performance was so well-received that they used him for future movies, including The Ugly Dachshund, Blackbeard's Ghost, and Snowball Express. He and Suzanne Pleshette were frequently paired in Disney's gimmick comedies.
Jones' signature Disney role would be as race car driver Jim Douglas in the highly successful The Love Bug series. He appeared in two feature films (The Love Bug and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo), as well as a short-lived Herbie television series produced in 1982, and the made-for-TV movie The Love Bug in 1997.
Jones' other film credits included Jailhouse Rock, Never So Few, Under the Yum Yum Tree, Born Again, Beethoven and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero. He also appeared in stage productions, like There Was a Little Girl, Into the Light, and most notably Company.
In 1995, he was honored as a Disney Legend.
Jones died on September 1, 2015, at the age of 84 after suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | That Darn Cat! | Zeke Kelso |
| 1966 | The Ugly Dachshund | Mark Garrison |
| 1967 | Monkeys, Go Home! | Hank Dussard |
| 1968 | Blackbeard's Ghost | Steve Walker |
| 1968 | The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit | Fred Bolton |
| 1968 | The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show | Himself - Narrator |
| 1969 | The Love Bug | Jim Douglas Hippie |
| 1971 | The Million Dollar Duck | Professor Albert Dooley |
| 1972 | Snowball Express | Johnny Baxter |
| 1976 | The Shaggy D.A. | Wilby Daniels |
| 1977 | Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo | Jim Douglas |
| 1978 | Mickey's 50 | Himself |
| 1982 | Kraft Salutes Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary | Mr. Lane |
| 1982 | Herbie, the Love Bug | Jim Douglas |
| 1995 | The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Dean Webster Carlson |
| 1997 | That Darn Cat | Mr. Flint |
| 1997 | The Love Bug | Jim Douglas |
Roles
(Monkeys, Go Home!)
(The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit)
(The Love Bug)
(The Million Dollar Duck)
(Snowball Express)
(The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes)
(That Darn Cat (1997 film))
Gallery
Trivia
- He was considered for the role of Tom Piper in Babes in Toyland, but the role went to Tommy Sands.
External links
Dean Jones on Wikipedia
Dean Jones on IMDb
Dean Jones at Find a Grave
