Bio
Doug Jones is an American former contortionist and actor best known to science fiction, fantasy and horror fans for his various roles playing non-human characters, often in heavy makeup, in films and television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Pan's Labyrinth, Falling Skies and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
The youngest of four brothers, Jones was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up in the city's Northeastside. After attending Bishop Chatard High School, he headed to Ball State University, where he graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor's degree in Telecommunications and a minor in Theatre.
He learned mime at school, joining a troupe called "Mime Over Matter". Doug has also worked as a contortionist.
After a hitch in theatre in Indiana, he moved to Los Angeles in 1985, and has not been out of work since - he's acted in numerous films, many television series (including the award-winning Buffy the Vampire Slayer, his episode Hush garnering two Emmy nominations), many commercials and music videos with the likes of Madonna, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Marilyn Manson.
Although known mostly for his iconic work under prosthetics, such as the floppy zombie Billy in the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus, or the lead Spy Morlock in the 2001 remake The Time Machine, he has also performed as himself in such highly-rated films as Adaptation with Nicholas Cage, Mystery Men with Ben Stiller, Batman Returns with Danny DeVito, and indie projects such as Stefan Haves' Stalled, Phil Donlon's A Series of Small Things, and as Cesare in David Fisher's daring 2005 remake of the 1919 silent classic The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari.
But it is his sensitive and elegant performance as Abe Sapien in Hellboy, which stormed to the top of the U.S. box office in the spring of 2004, that brought him an even higher profile and much praise from both audiences and critics.
In 2005 he renewed his association with Mexican director Guillermo del Toro when he starred in the title role of Pan in del Toro's Spanish language fantasy/horror project El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth).
He also has a cameo in the film as The Pale Man, a gruesome creature with a penchant for eating children. Working once more under heavy prosthetics in both roles, he also was required to learn huge chunks of dialogue in archaic Spanish - which he did perfectly.
2005 continued to be a hectic year for Doug, with roles in Doom, The Benchwarmers and Lady in the Water, the latter being the brainchild of award-winning cult director/writer M. Night Shyamalan.
The year also brought success for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the film reaping three awards at the Screamfest Horror Festival in Los Angeles, including the coveted Audience Choice Award.
He also stepped out from behind the prosthetics for several roles, most notably to guest-star as freaked-out drug addict Domino Thacker in the episode Blood Hungry of the hugely popular TV series Criminal Minds, his jittery, unnerving performance being lauded by cast, crew and audiences alike.
Doug continued his collaboration with Guillermo del Toro into 2006, as he reprised his role as Abe Sapien by voicing the character in the new Hellboy Animated television project, recording two 70-minute animated films, Hellboy: Sword of Storms and Hellboy: Blood and Iron.
Doug has also been expanding his voice work resumé, including work on the indie short movie Rise, the independent film Man in the Silo and the animated film Quantum Quest - A Cassini Space Odyssey, as well as narrating the animated short The Dream and The Alphabet Sonnets by Calix Lewis Reneau.
2008 brought more screen work, including guest cameos in Super Capers, Legion and Quarantine, as well as a highly-acclaimed performance on the television series Fear Itself, starring in the episode Skin and Bones directed by cult horror director Larry Fessenden.
Doug's reputation for being able to cope with dialogue in a language he doesn't speak stood him in good stead when he joined the cast of Serge Gainsbourg: Vie Heroique, French writer Joann Sfar's first foray into directing.
An affectionate and surreal tribute to the life and works of French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, Sfar cast Doug as Gainsbourg's strange alter-ego La Gueule, a comic-book style character who is Gainsbourg's muse.
Working once more with David Marti and Montse Ribe of DDT Efectos Especiales, the Oscar-winning FX shop from El Laberinto Del Fauno, Doug spent a happy four months during 2009 filming in Paris.
But most satisfying of all is his starring role in the independent film My Name is Jerry, shot in his home state of Indiana with fellow Ball State University alumnus director Morgan Mead.
A deeply spiritual man, Doug is often asked to talk at youth festivals and universities, and indeed many of the independent films he makes have a spiritual leaning.
Doug and his wife Laurie also mentor young people who wish to work in the medium of film and are beginning their careers in the business.
Doug and Laurie live in California, but return home to visit Indiana whenever they can.