Tall, laconic character player of film and TV usually in Westerns, war films, and other tough guy fare so abundant in the 1950s and early 60s. Jones, who took his stage name from his first film role in Raoul Walsh's "Battle Cry" (1954), worked with some of the most celebrated figures in action filmmaking. Some career highlights include Don Siegel's "Flaming Star" (1960), a superior Elvis Presley Western; "Hell Is For Heroes" (1962), a brilliant WWII film starring Steve McQueen; and Sam Peckinpah's much admired "Ride the High Country" (1962), "The Wild Bunch" (1969), and "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (1973). Jones also appeared in such classic TV Westerns as "Rawhide" and "The Virginian".
Trying his hand at directing and screenwriting, Jones crafted the cult classic "A Boy and His Dog" (1975). Based on the award-winning novella by Harlan Ellison about a post-apocalyptic Earth where young men use telepathic (and much smarter) dogs to scavenge for food and women. Making good use of his small budget, Jones conveyed both the desperation and desolation of the setting by shooting in deserts and other isolated areas. Furthermore, he elicited a finely tuned performance from Don Johnson and gained some respectability by casting Jason Robards in a supporting role. Jones subsequently returned to acting, appearing in such features as, "Mother, Jugs & Speed" (1976), "Lone Wolf McQuade" (1982) and the Australian Western, "Lightning Jack" (1994).
- Also Credited As:
Justice Ellis McQueen, Justus E. McQueen, L. Q. Jones, LQ Jones
- Born:
August 19, 1927 in Beaumont, Texas, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Navy reservist
Family
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Daughter: Marilyn Helen McQueen.
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Father: Justice Ellis McQueen.
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Mother: Pat McQueen.
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Son: Marlin Randolph McQueen.
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Son: Steven Lewis McQueen.
Significant Others
Education
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Lamar Junior College, Lamar, Texas, 1944
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Lon Morris College, Jacksonville, Texas, 1949
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University of Texas, Austin, Texas
Milestones
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1954 Feature acting debut, Battle Cry (credited as Justus E. McQueen); first collaboration with director Raoul Walsh
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1962 First film with director Sam Peckinpah, Ride the High Country
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1970 Feature producing debut, Brotherhood of Satan , also appeared
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1974 Feature directing and screenwriting debut, A Boy and His Dog
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1982 Final film for six years, Lone Wolf McQuade
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1988 Returned to features with Bulletproof
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1994 Starred in the Australian western Lightning Jack
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1995 Cast in Martin Scorsese s Casino
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1997 Appeared in The Edge written by David Mamet
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1998 Cast as Three-Fingered Jack in The Mask of Zorro
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2006 Cast in Robert Altman s ensemble feature A Prairie Home Companion, based on Garrison Keilor s radio program
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Appeared in the Western TV series, The Virginian
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Changed professional name to L.Q. Jones, took name from the character he played in Battle Cry
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Feature acting debut as L.Q. Jones, An Annapolis Story ; first collaboration with director Don Siegel
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TV series debut in a recurring role on the influential Western series, Rawhide