Riverdale native John Christopher Jones leaves lasting mark on theater

On Sept. 15, 2025, John Christopher “Chris” Jones, 77, of the Upper West Side of Manhattan, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. He died from complications of Parkinson’s disease, a challenge for more than 22 years, although he never allowed his diminishing abilities to dampen his extraordinary creative output and unwavering enthusiasm for the theater.

Born in Greenfield, Mass., into a theatrical family, Chris was an actor’s actor, a teacher, a writer, a director, a translator and a beloved family and gentle man.

He graduated from Riverdale Country School in 1966, attended Fettes College in Edinburgh in 1967, and graduated with a bachelor’s in English literature from Amherst College in 1971. In 1971 to 72, Jones studied at LAMDA, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. He was a founding member of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass.

He taught movement for actors at the National Theater Institute at the O’Neill Center, and Acting Shakespeare at the Hartman Conservatory in Stamford, Conn. He appeared in more than a dozen Broadway shows, including “Otherwise Engaged,” directed by Harold Pinter; “Hurly Burly,” directed by Mike Nichols, “The Goodbye Girl,” directed by Gene Saks, “Democracy,” directed by Michael Blakemore, and “Beauty and the Beast,” directed by Rob Roth.

Jones performed in dozens of Off-Broadway plays, among them: “Aristocrats,” by Brian Friel, “Tartuffe,” by Molière; “Quartermaine’s Terms,” by Simon Gray; “Slavs!” by Tony Kushner, “Fuddy Meers,” by David Lindsay-Abaire, and “Sight Unseen,” by Donald Margulies.

He also created many roles, in New York and regionally, including the Rev. Baines in David Henry Hwang’s “Golden Child” at the South Coast Rep in Costa Mesa, and Scrooge in David Thompson’s original “Christmas Carol” at the McCarter Theater in Princeton, N.J.

His love for classics also led him to perform in featured roles in about 25 Shakespeare plays. His Shakespeare work could be seen in New York at the Classic Stage Company, Theater for a New Audience (TFNA), New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park and Lincoln Center. Around the country, he worked at the Folger, Seattle Rep and Huntington Theater, among others.

As a director, Chris worked in New York at TACT, the Threshold Theater and Out of the Box. At the Depot Theater in Westport, N.Y., he directed more than a dozen plays and appeared in another dozen. Among these summer stock performances, he especially enjoyed his role as Elwood P. Dowd in “Harvey,” directed by Chris Clavelli.

Beyond his work as a director, character actor and Shakespearean actor, John Christopher Jones made his living in film and television.

He was a series regular in “On Our Own” and “Popcorn Kid.” He will be remembered for many featured roles, among them in the series “The Sopranos” and the films “Moonstruck” and “The Village.” His last television appearance was in 2024 in the series “Evil,” and before that, in 2021, in “New Amsterdam.”

As a translator, Chris was commissioned by Classic Stage Company in New York to translate Turgenev’s “A Month in the Country” and Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard.” For the latter, he won the Lortel Award for Best Revival. This adaptation can currently be seen until Oct. 12 in a fantastical production featuring live performances and video installations, including Jones himself as the abandoned servant Firs, filmed last month. The production is mounted at Rutgers Presbyterian Church by Adult Film.

At the time of his death, he was working on his memoir, “Carion Comfort.” He was also creating the character of Gloman, the First Wizard Ever, in the “ChangersAdventures” series with BGG Creative Studio.

He is survived by his spouse, writer and teacher Mary Beth Coudal, and their three children, Hayden Coudal Jones, Catherine Elizabeth Jones and Charlotte “Char” Louise Jones. He was predeceased by his brothers Jeremy Jones and P. Jeffrey Jones. He is also survived by his sisters Charlotte “Shami” McCormick and Jennifer Jones Cavenaugh, 18 nephews and nieces, and six great-nieces and nephews.

Information about memorial services will be available soon. Consider donating to JCC Parkinson’s Community, where Chris received so much love and support.