Dick Jones

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Dick "Dickie" Jones (born February 25, 1927 in Snyder , Texas as Richard Percy Jones , † July 7, 2014 in Northridge , California ) was an American actor and voice actor . He spoke the title character in the cartoon classic Pinocchio (1940) and was named a Disney legend for it.

life and career

Dickie Jones was born in Texas to a journalist. Above all, his mother introduced him to show business at an early age and at the age of five he appeared in the rodeo shows of western star Hoot Gibson. Gibson suggested that parents try a career in Hollywood with their son . In 1934 he made his film debut there and in the following years took on supporting roles in several short films by The Little Tramp and various B-Westerns. In the course of his career he played minor roles under major directors such as Frank Capra ( Mr. Smith goes to Washington ) , Billy Wilder ( The Major and the Girl ) and Ernst Lubitsch ( A Heavenly Sinner ) . However, he was best known as the original voice of Pinocchio in the cartoon of the same name from 1940. He not only lent Pinocchio his voice, but Pinocchio's appearance was also adapted to Jones'. In 2009 he commented on his experiences on the DVD version of the film.

At the age of 15, he took on the role of Henry Aldrich in the popular radio sitcom The Aldrich Family , which was broadcast between 1939 and 1953. Towards the end of World War II , he served in the American Army in Alaska . In 1949 Jones returned to the big screen after five years, but was only used in minor supporting roles outside of smaller westerns. He had more success in the 1950s on television with the lead roles in the western series The Range Rider and Buffalo Bill, Jr. After he received fewer and fewer roles, he retired from the acting business in 1965. In total he worked on over 100 film and television productions.

After the end of his show career, he became a real estate agent and founded his own company in 1992. Dick Jones died of a fall at his home in July 2014 at the age of 87. He was married to Betty Jones from 1948 until his death; they had four children.

Filmography (selection)

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Pinocchio - Dickie Jones is the boy who gave Pinocchio his voice and his nose . In: The Telegraph. February 27, 2009, accessed July 11, 2014 .
  2. ↑ a b Dick Jones. Voice. In: D23.com. The Walt Disney Company, accessed July 11, 2014 .
  3. ^ Obituary for the Los Angeles Times
personal data
SURNAME Jones, Dick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jones, Dickie; Jones, Richard Percy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 25, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Snyder , Texas
DATE OF DEATH 7th July 2014
Place of death Northridge , California