American actor and director L.Q. Jones died of natural causes at the age of 94.
L.Q. Jones, a veteran character actor whose resume included more than 60 screen credits in film and numerous television appearances, died of natural causes on Saturday at his home in Hollywood. He was 94 years old and his death was confirmed by his grandson, Erté deGarces, quoted in several reports.
Jones appeared in many movies and TV series, often playing villains in Westerns. He is also known as the director of the cult sci-fi movie A Boy and His Dog.
About L.Q. Jones
L.Q. Jones was born Justice Ellis McQueen Jr., and adopted “L.Q. Jones” as his stage name after playing a character with the name in his first acting role, in the 1955 movie Battle Cry. He went on to work alongside major Hollywood icons such as Clint Eastwood, Elvis Presley, and Robert De Niro over his long career, and is particularly known for the villain that he played in 1969’s The Wild Bunch
He also appeared in Martin Campbell’s The Mask of Zorro, Roland Emmerich’s The Patriot, and Martin Scorsese’s Casino.
On television, he specializes in westerns, appearing in Gunsmoke, The Virginian, and Bargain.
In addition to acting, he produced, directed, and wrote the 1975 feature film A boy and his doga post-apocalyptic black comedy.
Survivors include sons Randy McQueen and Steve Marshall, and daughter Mindy McQueen.
In the middle of the 20th century, Jones worked with some of Hollywood’s most renowned directors, including Walsh, Don Siegel for “An Annapolis Story,” and Mervyn LeRoy for “Toward the Unknown.”
L.Q. Jones’ career spanned more than just playing on screens; over his life, he produced four stand-alone films. The 1975 motion picture “A Boy and His Dog,” which is an adaptation of the same-named novella by Harlan Ellison, was produced, directed, and written by him. Jones started out on the film as the executive producer, but as other colleagues dropped out, he took over the writing and directing duties, as reported by Variety.
“A Boy and His Dog” is a post-apocalyptic black comedy that follows a young man and his telepathic dog as they struggle to survive in the southwestern United States in the year 2024, a year in which nuclear fallout has engulfed the entire planet.
The movie A Boy and His Dog, which Jones wrote the script for and appeared in a cameo role in addition to directing, was released in 1975. Based on a novella by legendary sci-fi author Harlan Ellison, the movie depicts the post-apocalyptic United States where a teenager named Vic travels with a telepathic dog, Blood, scavenging for food and seeking women to satisfy Vic’s sexual urges.