On this day in comedy on January 4, 1975 Actress, Jill Marie Jones was born in Dallas, Texas.
Prior to becoming an actress, Jones was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, a Dallas Mavericks dancer, a performer for the USO and the United States Department of Defense. She toured Asia and the Middle East, became a model and then moved to Hollywood to become an actress.
Jones wasted no time in obtaining her goals. She made her small screen mark in the Saturday morning series, City Guys. The year was 2000. That was also the year she won her establishing role as Toni Childs on the Kelsey Grammer produced sitcom for UPN, Girlfriends. The show became an instant hit and put Jones in the conversation. As envisioned by the show’s creator, Mara Brock Akil, the character of Toni was the epitome of the self-absorbed woman of her era. Jones embodied and relished that role for six seasons. Once her contract expired in 2006, she left fellow cast members, Tracee Ellis-Ross, Golden Brooks and Persia White to pursue a film career.
Jones stayed in front of the camera. In 2007 she appeared in The Perfect Holiday with Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut and Gabrielle Union. That same year Jones starred in Universal Remote and Redrum. She did Major Movie Star with Jessica Simpson and Drool with Laura Harring. Jones also appeared in music videos including Ne-Yo’s She Got her Own.
Television was never far away. Jones had a recurring part on the Fox series, Sleepy Hollow. She played Cynthia Irving. She had the leading role in the TBS series, Gillian in Georgia. In 2015 she began work as Michigan State Trooper, Amanda Fisher, a central character in the Starz horror-comedy, Ash vs Evil Dead.
Jill Marie-Jones was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in Comedy Series by BET in 2000 for City Guys and the NAACP for her role on Girlfriends.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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