Nicholas Jones (actor)


Nicholas Jones is an English character actor who has appeared on stage, film and television.

Early life

Jones was born in London, the younger brother of actress Gemma Jones. They are the children of actor Griffith Jones and Robin Isaac. He was educated at Westminster School.
Jones's acting career started in 1965, when he became a stage manager at The Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. He made the scenery, set the lights and ran the shows.
After taking on various small acting roles, Terry Hands, the theatre director, suggested he should be doing more acting, so he auditioned for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
He arrived a day late, due to travelling from Liverpool in a 1946 Triumph Roadster and, for the first and only time, used his father's name to get to see the principal. Following his audition, he was invited to start the following term.
In 1968, Jones graduated from the school and, as part of the 'Gold Medal’ prize, was invited to go to the Bristol Old Vic.

Career

Jones has had a distinguished career, playing leads on television, at The National Theatre and on the West End Stage. He also followed in his father's footsteps by appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has starred at Shakespeare's Globe. One of his first screen roles was as Laertes opposite Richard Chamberlain's Hamlet in 1970.

Personal life

Jones has been practising devotional yoga since 1973. It is a meditational discipline.
As a pilot, Jones performed his first 'slow roll’ in a Chipmunk 10 hours after his first solo flight and landed in a farmer's field for a Boxing Day party.
He has windsurfed at home, abroad and on the Isle of Tiree in Scotland. He is a 2nd Dan in Kickboxing - one belt beyond a black belt. Now in his 70s, he spends much of his free time kayaking, cycling, riding his motorbike, collecting 19th century literature and playing the piano.
Jones has written for the radio, a television series, a play and a book of anecdotes about his experiences for his daughter India. This is an ongoing project.

Filmography

Film

Since 1969, Jones has acted in over 90 television films and series.
In the 1970s, he starred as Captain Triggers in the First World War series, Wings, alongside Tim Woodward and Michael Cochrane, perhaps his most iconic role. He also played Jeremy Aldermarten QC in all six series of the 1990s courtroom drama, Kavanagh QC. alongside John Thaw.
Jones' many appearances include the following: