For every career, there are those who strive very hard to distinguish themselves for something unique. One of such people is the American actor Doug Jones who is best known for his prolific roles in most of Hollywood’s monster films.
The creature actor and former contortionist are also known for their roles in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. He often wears heavy makeup to play non-human characters like in Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, produced in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008, respectively. His latest role, however, is the fishy Amphibian Man in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.
Doug Jones’ Biography
The youngest of four brothers, Doug Jones was born on May 24, 1960, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up in the Northeast side of the city where he started playing as a mime artist. His father, Robert Jones was a former teacher and a self-trained entrepreneur while his mother, Fifi Jones was a homemaker who was faced with the grueling task of raising her four boys after her husband passed away.
Taking a look at his educational background, Doug, better known as “Dougie” to friends and family, attended Bishop Chatard High School before moving to Ball State University, where he performed as a mime at the age of 16. At the university, Doug majored in Telecommunications and minored in Theatre.
Added to his lanky figure and slight contortionist skills, Doug trained himself further to ensure his success as a mime. He portrayed his school’s mascot “Charlie Cardinal” on a whole new level, better than the previous mascot who did nothing more than flap his arms. This performance laid the foundations for his unique career in the movies.
In 1985 he relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he pursued his acting career full time. He debuted as an actor in the 1988 horror movie The Newlydeads and all through the 1990s, he dedicated himself to his acting role, making appearances in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns which was produced in 199 and Disney’s Halloween special Hocus Pocus also released in 1993. Other films he made appearances in include Tank Girl (1995) and Mystery Men (1999) to name a few. All these ventures helped Doug Jones to rise to fame and to garner a total net worth of $500,000.
Awards and Nominations
The 6 feet 3 inches tall and 140 pounds, Jones who has been active in the movie-making industry since 1985, has earned for himself a number of awards and nominations. As per nominations Doug received nominations for his acting skills and versatility. Doug’s first nomination was in the 2008 Scream Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance for Hellboy II: The Golden Army. He shared the nomination with Guillermo del Toro, Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, and Michael Shannon. In 2009, he was nominated for Festival Award’s Best Actor in Leading Role for My Name Is Jerry though he shared it with Morgan Mead; D.C. Hamilton.
In 2018, he got a nomination for the LAOFCS Award Best Animated/Visual Effect Performance for his role as the Amphibian Man in the 2017 American fantasy drama film The Shape of Water which he also shared with Morgan Mead; D.C. Hamilton. During the International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema held in London in 2009, he got a nomination for Festival Award as Best Actor in Leading Role for My Name Is Jerry. He shared it with Morgan Mead; D.C. Hamilton.
Doug has however won a number of awards which include the 2009 Fangoria Horror Hall of Fame award for Best Supporting Actor for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Festival Prize Award for the Best Supporting Actor for My Friend Max; the Chairman’s Vanguard Award for Best Animated/Visual Effect Performance for 2017 The Shape of Water; among many others.
Some of his most famous parts are in movies and TV shows such as “Hocus Pocus”, “The Golden Army”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Pan’s Labyrinth”, and “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”.
Doug Jones Family, Wife, and Kids
Doug has been married since 1984 to Laurie, his college sweetheart. He saw Laurie performing on stage in “Godspell” on Valentine’s Day, and later that day, they attended Valentine’s Day dance together as their first date. The two soon fell in love and tied the knot on April 14th in 1984.
Doug and Laurie Jones have no child of their own but they remain happily married to this day. Living in Califonia, the creature actor spends much of his time with his family, friends, and puppies, watching fluffy movies on The Hallmark Channel, attending church services.
