Tennesee-born actress Cherry Jones spent 15 years in professional theater before her performance as Catherine Sloper in the Broadway revival of "The Heiress" (1995) brought her long overdue and very much deserved recognition. Vincent Canby in his rave New York Times review called her "a splendid young actress who's new to me"--despite the fact she had 50 productions under her belt, including a 1991 Tony nomination for "Our Country's Good" and a 1992 OBIE Award for "The Baltimore Waltz". Perhaps that's to be expected since her malleable cameo face had allowed her to submerge herself in her roles, playing both younger and older characters. When informed of Lincoln Center's interest in her for "The Heiress", both Jones and her agent mistakenly believed they wanted her for the part of Aunt Penniman (eventually played by Frances Sternhagen) and did not discover she was up for the title role until expressing her unwillingness to play the middle-aged character.
After graduating from Carnegie-Mellon University, Jones worked briefly as a waitress in NYC and spent a year with the BAM Theater Company at the Brooklyn Academy of Music before finding a berth with The American Repertory Theater (in Cambridge, Massachusetts) for their inaugural season (1980). Working under the direction of Andrei Serban and Anne Bogart, Jones did 25 plays in 6 seasons, developing a reputation as a risk-taker in major roles in plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov and Brecht, among others. She appeared on Broadway in "Stepping Out" (1987), directed by Tommy Tune, and as Lady Macduff in the Christopher Plummer-Glenda Jackson production of "Macbeth" (1988). Possessing a physical daring to match her emotional range, Jones has received critical acclaim in parts as diverse as the fierce convict in "Our Country's Good" and the mousy academic who turns into a swashbuckler in "Goodnight Desdemona" (Off-Broadway).
Jones made her feature debut as Cindy Montgomery in Paul Schrader's hymn to garage bands, "Light of Day" (1987), starring Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett. Although she sparked some notice as the deaf maid Lucy in Alan Wade's interesting "Julian Po" (1997) and as a veterinarian in Robert Redford's "The Horse Whisperer" (1998), she considers herself a stage actress whose infrequent work in TV and film has merely been a way to subsidize her theatrical earnings. Jones has voiced very strong opinions about Hollywood, preferring to maintain her artistic integrity instead of pursuing fame, fortune and the inevitable compromise they herald. She hopes her Hollywood career will provide small character parts that won't threaten the anonymity she values so highly. But one wonders how long this formidable talent can hide her light under a bushel.
Jones appeared next as the matriarch Grandma Buggy in 2002's "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and as an officer in the highly anticipated M. Night Shyamalan thriller about the mystery of crop circles in "Signs" (2002). The actress re-teamed with Shyamalan for his next outing, the thriller "The Village" (2004). She then played Sister Marie in the CBS coming-of-age series, “Clubhouse” (2004), but the show was cancelled by the network after only a few episodes. In “Ocean’s 12” (2004), sequel to the remake of the Rat Pack caper comedy, Jones had a small, but crucial role as the mother of Matt Damon. Despite widespread anticipation and a high-profile cast, Jones was able to maintain her artistic integrity and cherished anonymity.