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).