Actor LQ Jones, who has worked on dozens of westerns, including Sam Peckinpah’s classic “My Hate Will Be Yours,” died Saturday of natural causes at his Hollywood Hills home at the age of 94.
Born to Judge Ellis McQueen Jr. On August 19, 1927, in Beaumont, Texas, he was orphaned at an early age and raised by relatives on a farm, learning to ride horses at the age of 8. His transformation into an actor happened by chance. While studying law at the University of Texas, he was roommate of Fess Parker, the future Daniel Boone of TV. But while his colleague went to Hollywood, he put all his money into a failed ranch. Knowing his friend’s plight, Parker invited him to audition for a project he would shoot. He even drew a map of how to get to the studio.
Jones was approved by director Raoul Walsh and made his film debut as a soldier on “What Will Our Tomorrow Be?” (1955), alongside Parker, Tab Hunter, Van Heflin, Aldo Ray and a large cast. His character was a soldier named LQ Jones and he enjoyed the experience so much that he adopted the moniker as his stage name.
He initially specialized in war films. He has accumulated such productions, including some classics, such as Richard Fleischer’s “Between Heaven and Hell” (1956), Anthony Mann’s “Those Who Know How to Die” (1957), “The Vanquished Gods” (1958). ), by Edward Dmytryk, “Death has a price” (1958), also by Walsh, and “Hell is for heroes” (1962), by Don Siegel.
In the midst of so much filming, he first appeared as a cowboy, curiously enough, in Elvis Presley’s film debut: “Love Me Tenderly” (1956). And he also returned to star opposite the King of Rock in another western, “Star of Fire” (1960).
So, little by little, he changed his profile. From a soldier, he became a cowboy and went on to ride with Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Glenn Ford and Audie Murphy in Wild West movies. At the same time, he took advantage of the explosion of the “bang-bang” genre on TV and shot in the television spotlight, making multiple appearances in series such as “Cheyenne”, “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin”, “Gunsmoke”. “,” Annie Oakley “,” Laramie “,” The Rifle Man “,” Caravan “(Wagon Train),” Rawhide “(Rahide),” Johnny Ringo “,” Big Valley “and especially” The Virginia Man “- where portrayed Andy Belden’s ranch for 25 episodes.
Jones met director Sam Peckinpah on one of those series, “Klondike”. Production only lasted a season, but the friendship thrived for decades.
After the series, the director chose him for five westerns. The first was “Gunslinger” (1962), with Henry Fonda and Randolph Scott, followed by “Oath of Vengeance” (1965), with Charlton Heston. And then came the famous “My Hate Will Be Your Legacy” (1969).
The film that established the aesthetics of ultraviolent, slow-motion death produced the role Jones is best remembered for: the sadistic bounty hunter TC, who joins Robert Ryan and Strother Martin in the pursuit of the gang of robbers led by William Holden.
He went on to collaborate with Peckinpah on “Death Does Not Send a Message” (1970) and “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” (1973). And in the midst of this collaboration, he also appeared in other classics of the genre: “Nevada Smith” (1966), with Steve McQueen, “The Mark of the Hangman” (1968), with Clint Eastwood and “Sadistic Hunt” (1971 ), with Gene Hackman.
But Jones’s career was successful when westerns went out of fashion in the mid-1970s. Peckinpah also turned to thrillers.
When jobs for the former cowboys ran out, Jones turned to the producer. He and colleague Alvy Moore founded the LQ / JAF production company and made four films in unexpected genres: horror and science fiction. Jones himself directed “The Devil’s Room” (1964), wrote “The Brotherhood of Satan” (1971) and did both in “The Boy and His Dog” (1975), which is often advertised as the most great inspiration for “Mad Max”.
Adapted from a Harlan Ellison novel, “The Boy and His Dog” followed the still teenage Don Johnson through a land devastated by the apocalypse back in 2024. It has become a cult. But Jones did not continue as a director. Instead, he returned to make appearances in series-now detective-, such as “Charlie’s Angels”, “CHiPs” and “Esquadrão Classe A”. His last work behind the camera was directing an episode of “The Incredible Hulk” in 1980.
In a recent long interview with Camera in the Sun, he explained that directing took a lot of work. Acting was so much easier and whenever they needed a sheriff, they still remembered him.
In the 1980s, Jones was sheriff in “The Yellow Rose” (1983-1984), a contemporary western series that brought together a cast of beasts: Sam Elliott, Cybill Shepherd and Chuck Connors. And also in the sci-fi “Il cavaliere del tempo” (1982).
He came to revive his film career over the next decade, appearing in some box office hits, such as the western comedy “Quick on the Trigger” (1994) with Paul Hogan, the thriller “On the Edge” (1998) with Anthony Hopkins, the blockbuster adventure “The Mask of Zorro” (1998), with Antonio Banderas, and the award-winning mafia drama “Cassino” (1995), by Martin Scorsese, in which he played, for a change, the lawyer who was the enemy of the gangster played by Robert De Niro.
His last screen appearance was as country singer Chuck Akers in “The Last Night” (2006), which was also the last film by Robert Altman, who died that year.
Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
