Tommy Lee Jones was born on September 15th 1946 in San Saba, Texas. He made his first film appearance in Love Story (1970). During the next five years Jones worked for television, appearing in “One Life to Live”.

During the 80’s Tommy Lee appeared in TV productions such as “The Executioner’s Song”, “The Rainmaker” and “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof”. One of his better parts during this period was in the mini-series “Lonesome Dove”, where he played a Texas Ranger, co-starring with Robert Duvall. Tommy Lee Jones was still an unknown to the general public, but that was going to change within a few short years. He appeared in Mike Figgis’ film noir Stormy Monday (1988), then in Andrew Davis’ spy film The Package (1989) where he plays a prisoner who is transported to the U.S. by Sgt Gallagher (Gene Hackman). He received an Academy Award nomination for his eerie performance as suspected assassinator Clay Shaw in Oliver Stones JFK (1991). Jones then re-teamed with director Andrew Davis for two more films; Under Siege (1992) where he plays a disgruntled ex-CIA operative who leads a band that takes over a battleship.

The second film was the excellent chase movie The Fugitive (1993) where he plays opposite Harrison Ford. Ford stars as Dr. Richard Kimble, an innocent man accused of murdering his wife. He is now on the run and leading the pursuit is the relentless U.S. marshal Sam Gerard, played by Jones who won an Oscar. By this time Jones became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, a position which has been cemented by a number of strong performances in some of the decades’ most successful films. He played Dwight McCluskey in Oliver Stone’s road movie Natural Born Killers (1994) and Two-Face in the blockbuster Batman Forever (1995). He teamed with Will Smith in the sci-fi comedy Men In Black (1997) which grossed 250 million dollars. Jones plays ‘K’, a veteran of a government agency that tracks down aliens on Earth. Smith and Jones form a perfect duo, Smith with his frantic energy and Jones with his deadpan delivery. Jones returned as Sam Gerard in U.S. Marshals (1998) opposite Wesley Snipes and as ‘K’ in Men In Black II (2002). Other notable appearances are the thriller Double Jeopardy (1999) and Clint Eastwood’s space adventure Space Cowboys (2000).

Also he starred opposite Benicio del Torro in 2003’s thriller The Hunted. His future projects include In the Valley of Elah (2007) and In the Electric Mist (2007).

Jones has two children from his second marriage to Kimberlea Cloughey: Victoria Kafka (born 1991) and Austin Leonard (born 1982). He was married to Kate Lardner, the daughter of Ring Lardner Jr. from 1971 to 1978. On March 19, 2001, he married his third wife, Dawn Laurel.

Filmography

• In the Electric Mist (2007)
• In the Valley of Elah (2007)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)
• A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
• The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
• Man of the House (2005)
• The Missing (2003)
• The Hunted (2003)
• Men in Black II (2002)
• Space Cowboys (2000)
• Rules of Engagement (2000)
• Double Jeopardy (1999)
• Small Soldiers (1998)
• Small Soldiers (1998)
• U.S. Marshals (1998)
• Men in Black (1997)
• Volcano (1997)
• Batman Forever (1995)
• The Good Old Boys (1995)
• Cobb (1994)
• Blue Sky (1994)
• Natural Born Killers (1994)
• The Client (1994)
• Blown Away (1994)
• The Fugitive (1993)
• House of Cards (1993)
• Heaven & Earth (1993)
• Under Siege (1992)
• JFK (1991)
• Fire Birds (1990)
• The Package (1989)
• "Lonesome Dove" (1989)
• Gotham (1988)
• April Morning (1988)
• Stormy Monday (1988)
• Stranger on My Land (1988)
• The Big Town (1987)
• Broken Vows (1987)
• Yuri Nosenko, KGB (1986)
• Black Moon Rising (1986)
• The Park Is Mine (1986)
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1985)
• The River Rat (1984)
• Nate and Hayes (1983)
• The Executioner's Song (1982)
• The Rainmaker (1982)
• Back Roads (1981)
• Barn Burning (1980)
• Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
• Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)
• The Betsy (1978)
• Rolling Thunder (1977)
• The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977)
• Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976)
• "Family" (1 episode, 1976)
• Jackson County Jail (1976)
• "Charlie's Angels" (1 episode, 1976)
• "Baretta" (1 episode, 1976)
• "Barnaby Jones" (1 episode, 1975)
• Eliza's Horoscope (1975)
• Life Study (1973)
• "One Life to Live" (1968)
• Love Story (1970)

Awards

• MTV Movie Award Best On-Screen Duo "The Fugitive" 1994
• Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actor "The Fugitive" 1993
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actor "The Fugitive" 1993
• Oscar Best Supporting Actor "The Fugitive" 1993
• Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special "The Executioner's Song" 1982 - 83