Henry Jones

Biography

Henry Jones (New Jersey, 1912 – Los Angeles, 1999) was an American actor who worked on stage, in film and on television. Over a career spanning several decades, he became known mostly for supporting roles, bringing precise character touches to both classic Hollywood films and later productions.

He was raised in Philadelphia and attended St. Joseph's Preparatory School, a Jesuit institution. Early in his career he performed with the Hedgerow Theatre near Philadelphia. During the Second World War he served in the Army and appeared in Irving Berlin's This Is the Army. On Broadway he won a Tony Award for his performance in Sunrise at Campobello.

On screen he is best remembered for playing the handyman Leroy Jessup in The Bad Seed (1956), a role he had already created on Broadway. He also worked in 3:10 to Yuma, Vertigo, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Arachnophobia. On television he had a regular role in the sitcom Phyllis and guest-starred in many series of the period, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Lost in Space. He died in 1999, aged 86, from complications after a fall at his home.

Key films

• The Bad Seed (1956): the handyman Leroy Jessup, his best-known role, which he had first played on stage.
• 3:10 to Yuma (1957): a supporting part in Delmer Daves's Western.
• Vertigo (1958): a brief appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller.
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): a role in George Roy Hill's Western starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
• Arachnophobia (1990): a horror comedy about spiders and one of his later hit films.