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Mickey Jones

Highest Rated: 75% Jane White Is Sick and Twisted (2002)

Lowest Rated: 15% Iowa (2006)

Birthday: Jun 10, 1941

Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA

Mickey Jones lent drums and percussion to numerous hit records from and live concerts with Bob Dylan and Kenny Rogers before turning his focus to his second career as a character actor in films like "Total Recall" (1990) and countless television series, including "Home Improvement" (ABC, 1991-99). Born into a Navy family on June 10, 1941 in Houston, Texas, Jones began playing drums while in high school, and co-founded a band, the Catalinas, with classmates. The experience allowed him to serve as a freelance musician for other acts, which led to a stint with folksinger Trini Lopez; he would leave the band in 1959 to earn a degree from the University of North Texas before heading west to California, where he worked at Rohr Aircraft. Jones quickly tired of the work and returned to the entertainment industry, where he rejoined Lopez's band at the height of the performer's pop stardom with singles like "If I Had a Hammer" and the chart-topping "At P.J.'s" live LP in 1963. The following year, he left Lopez to back Johnny Rivers for two years before joining the Band to back Bob Dylan on his historic 1965-66 world tour. Jones replaced Band drummer Levon Helm, who had quit the group due to audiences' visceral reaction to Dylan playing electric instruments, and performed at the infamous Royal Albert Hall concert in May 1966, when an audience member labeled Dylan as Judas, prompting the singer to respond, "I don't believe you. You're a liar!" When the tour was cut short due to Dylan's injury in a motorcycle accident, Jones decided to leave music to pursue his childhood dream of becoming an actor, but joined former New Christy Minstrel singer Kenny Rogers to form The First Edition. The pop-rock act first struck gold on the charts in 1968 with the psychedelic single "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In"), and was followed by several country-tinged tracks, including a cover of Mel Tillis' "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" and "Reuben James," and a variety series, "Rollin' On the River" (syndicated, 1971-73). Jones also earned his first screen acting credit as a member of the First Edition, which appeared as a fictitious band in the 1974 TV movie "The Dream Makers" (NBC), and soon left the band to devote his energies to film and television. His burly, bearded presence made him an ideal choice for casting directors seeking bikers and small town types, and as such, Jones worked steadily for the next three decades, often appearing in multiple projects per year. He made his feature film debut as a rustler opposite Steve McQueen in "Tom Horn" (1980), and would enjoy recurring and regular work on series like "Flo" (CBS, 1980-82) and the miniseries "V" (NBC, 1983) and its short-lived series (NBC, 1984-85). His acting career hit full stride in the 1990s with feature roles in "Total Recall" (1990), "Tin Cup" (1996) and "Sling Blade" (1996), which cast him as the drummer in a bar band fronted by fellow musician Colonel Bruce Hampton. However, his widest exposure during this period came with a recurring role on the popular sitcom "Home Improvement" as construction worker Pete Bilker, who also played makeshift drums in a garage band comprised of his co-workers. Bilker's catchphrase, "That would be me," would later provide Jones with the title of his autobiography, published in 2007. When "Improvement" ran its course in 1999, Jones resumed a busy schedule of guest appearances, as well as a recurring role as small time drug dealer Rodney "Hot Rod" Durham in three seasons of FX's "Justified." He logged his last screen role in a 2015 episode of the Adult Swim comedy "Newsreaders" (2013-15) before diabetes sapped his ability to work on a regular basis. He passed away on February 7, 2018 at the age of 76.

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Highest rated movies

75% 36% Jane White Is Sick and Twisted
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74% 65% Tin Cup
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39% 32% Drop Zone
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15% 17% Iowa
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Rebel on the Highway
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Bob Dylan World Tours 1966-1974 - Through the Camera of Barry Feinstein
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Rebel Run
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80% Born Wild
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17% It Came From Outer Space II
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True Legends of the West
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rebel on the Highway Uncle Mickey (Character) - 2018
No Score Yet 80% Born Wild Billy Henley (Character) - 2013
No Score Yet 20% Bob Dylan - Revealed Unknown (Character) - 2011
No Score Yet 17% Downstream Meat Vendor (Character) - 2009
No Score Yet 10% Necrosis Hank (Character) - 2009
No Score Yet 50% Simple Things Stan Slyder (Character) - 2007
15% 17% Iowa Darrell McNeely (Character) - 2006
No Score Yet 35% Penny Dreadful Eddie (Character) - 2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet True Legends of the West Two Gun Sly Willy (Character) - 2003
75% 36% Jane White Is Sick and Twisted Kenny Kingman (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Shattered Lies William Holt (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Vice Officer Duke (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet 33% The Last Best Sunday Bartender (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet 17% It Came From Outer Space II Chance Madson (Character) - 1996
74% 65% Tin Cup Turk (Character) $53.9M 1996
No Score Yet 22% Don't Look Back Calvin (Character) - 1996
39% 32% Drop Zone Deuce (Character) $26.7M 1994
No Score Yet 57% Forced to Kill Neil (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rebel Run Unknown (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet 12% A Passion for Murder Lloyd Carter (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hear No Evil Blackman (Character) - 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Dream Makers Jesse (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bob Dylan World Tours 1966-1974 - Through the Camera of Barry Feinstein Unknown (Character) - 1966

TV

Credit
97% 95% Justified Unknown (Guest Star) 2011-2012 2014
90% 83% Bones Willie (Guest Star) 2009
65% 82% Entourage Mickey Jones (Guest Star) 2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet The District Unknown (Guest Star) 2002
No Score Yet 69% Home Improvement Unknown (Guest Star) 1993 1995 1997-1999
No Score Yet 86% Boy Meets World Ezekial (Guest Star) 1996 1999
No Score Yet 96% Married ... With Children Parley Wayne Rockefeller (Guest Star) 1996
13% No Score Yet Misery Loves Company Unknown (Guest Star) 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet Baywatch Lonny (Guest Star) 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet 21 Jump Street Unknown (Guest Star) 1989
No Score Yet 79% ALF Artie (Guest Star) 1986
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alice Unknown (Guest Star) 1985
67% 76% V Chris Farber (Guest Star) 1984-1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gimme a Break Unknown (Guest Star) 1984
69% 92% V: The Final Battle Unknown (Character) 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Master Unknown (Guest Star) 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet Simon & Simon Unknown (Guest Star) 1982
No Score Yet 87% M*A*S*H M.P. 2 (Guest Star) 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hart to Hart Unknown (Guest Star) 1981
No Score Yet 74% Incredible Hulk Unknown (Guest Star) 1978 1980-1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Flo Chester (Character) 1980-1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet CHiPs Unknown (Guest Star) 1980
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Dukes of Hazzard B.B. Davenport (Guest Star) 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet Charlie's Angels Bo Mackey (Guest Star) 1979