Mickey Jones, a character actor who appeared in shows including “Justified” and “Home Improvement,” died Wednesday from the “effects of a long illness,” his publicist confirmed to Variety. He was 76.
Jones’ multi-decade career began in 1971 on the TV comedy “Rollin’ on the River.” He appeared in dozens of television shows and movies, notably alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone in 1990’s “Total Recall.” In addition to a recurring role as Rodney “Hot Rod” Dunham on FX’s “Justified,” Jones was also known for his work on “Home Improvement,” where he played Pete Bilker, a friend of Tim Allen’s character, from 1991 to 1999.
His other TV credits include appearances in the “Baywatch” series, “Married With Children,” “Home Improvement,” “Entourage,” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” On the film side, Jones also had roles in “Vacation,” “Tin Cup,” “Vice” and horror movie “Penny Dreadful.”
His autobiography “That Would Be Me” was published in 2009. The title is a play on the catchphrase his character repeated on “Home Improvement.”
Jones was born in Houston, and was also a musician, playing drums for Trini Lopez and Johnny Rivers. Jones is also credited on the soundtrack for shows “Get a Life” and “V.”
Jones most recently worked on J.K. Simmons’s comedy “Growing Up Fisher” and “Newsreaders,” which starred Kumail Nanjiani.
