Gordon Wynnivo Jones was a renowned American character actor, best known for his iconic roles as "Mike the Cop" opposite Lou Costello on The Abbott and Costello Show and as The Green Hornet in the first movie serial based on the old-time radio program.
Born on April 5, 1911, in Iowa, Jones was a talented student athlete and star football guard at the University of California, Los Angeles, earning the nickname "Bull" Jones. He also played professional football for a few seasons before pursuing a career in acting.
Jones' early film credits include The Monkey's Paw (1933),Let 'Em Have It (1935),and Red Salute (1935). By 1937, he had secured a contract with RKO Radio Pictures and went on to appear in numerous films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, including The Green Hornet (1940) and Flying Tigers (1942),a John Wayne vehicle.
During World War II, Jones held a reserve commission in the army and was called into service, where he remained associated with the military after the war. He encouraged college students to consider the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and resumed his acting career in the late 1940s.
Jones' association with John Wayne began with the film Flying Tigers (1942) and continued throughout his career, with notable roles in Big Jim McLain (1952) and Island in the Sky (1953). He also appeared in prominent roles in several John Wayne features, including McLintock! (1963),in which he played the bureaucrat antagonist to Wayne's G.W. McLintock.
Jones' comic villain persona, which he developed in the late 1940s, meshed perfectly with the work of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, and he became a staple of their television series, playing the hulking, loud-voiced antagonist "Mike the Cop". The program was produced for only two seasons, but ensured continued recognition for Jones via frequent reruns and a 21st Century DVD release.
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Jones remained busy in films and on television, appearing in a wide range of pictures, from sci-fi chiller The Monster That Challenged the World to the Tony Curtis/Janet Leigh sex comedy The Perfect Furlough, and on TV series ranging from The Real McCoys to The Rifleman.
Jones also starred in two successful Disney movies during the early '60s, The Absent-Minded Professor and Son of Flubber, and had a recurring role as neighbor Butch Barton during the early years of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
Sadly, Jones passed away on June 20, 1963, just five months before the release of McLintock!, due to a heart attack. He was remembered for his iconic performances and left a lasting legacy in the world of entertainment.
Jones has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the West side of the 1600 block of Vine Street, a testament to his enduring impact on the film and television industry.
