CJ Jones (born September 29, 1950) is an American actor residing in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. He is one of the subjects of ''
See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary'' (2009).
Jones made his feature film debut with
Edgar Wright
Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a ...
's ''
Baby Driver'' (2017), in which he portrays Joseph, the deaf foster father of
Ansel Elgort's protagonist.
He has developed three one-man shows that have toured the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
Japan,
Sweden,
Australia,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
, and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. He co-wrote and directed six classic fairy tales for children's television for the series ''Once Upon a Sign''. CJ produced the International Sign Language Theater Festival, which hosted theater artists from all over the world. He has also appeared in various episodes of American TV series.
Jones created a
Na'vi
The Pandoran biosphere is a fictional habitat introduced in James Cameron's 2009 science fiction film ''Avatar''. The ecology of the lush moon Pandora, which teems with a biodiversity of bioluminescent species ranging from hexapodal animals to ot ...
sign language for ''
Avatar: The Way of Water,'' in which he plays a Na'vi.
Personal life
CJ Jones is the son of deaf parents who communicated in
American Sign Language. One of seven hearing children born to the couple, he lost his hearing at the age of 7 when he fell ill with
spinal meningitis
Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion o ...
. He attended
Missouri School for the Deaf Missouri School for the Deaf (MSD) is a school that serves deaf and hard-of-hearing students from ages 5–21 years old. Its campus is located in Fulton, Missouri. It serves students who live in Missouri.
It has grades K-12 and it was established i ...
. Active in sports, he was voted class valedictorian. He remains active in deaf awareness causes and charities.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
CJ Jones official website*
See What I'm Saying official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, CJ
1950 births
Living people
American male deaf actors
American male film actors
Male actors from St. Louis
Deaf activists