The late, great Ron Cephas Jones died last year in August, leaving behind a career of top-tier performances. His final on-screen role was in National Geographic’s “Genius: MLK/X,” in which he played Nation of Islam leader Elijah Mohammed.
“Genius” explores the inner lives of some of humanity’s most important innovators, with this fourth season focusing on Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre). Critics praised Jones’ performance. as an intelligent, precise, and thought-provoking one befitting an actor who constantly shone on screen and elevated every project he was in.
Daniel Fienberg (The Hollywood Reporter) stated: “The late Ron Cephas Jones makes for an intriguing and calculating Elijah Muhammad.”
Ronda Racha Penrice (The Wrap) explained that as the Honorable Elijah Muhammed, Jones turned in “an award-worthy performance by the late [actor]”.
Liam Lacey (Original Cin) opined: “In supporting roles, the standout is the late Ron Cephas Jones, who stands out as the shrewd, magisterial Nation of Islam leader, Elijah Muhammad.”
Jones will compete in the Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor category at the Emmys and is all but certain to be the latest performer to earn a posthumous nomination. Other actors who have earned posthumous bids include Ray Liotta for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor for “Black Bird,” Fred Willard for Best Comedy Guest Actor for “Modern Family,” Carrie Fisher for Best Comedy Guest Actress for “Catastrophe,” and Kathryn Joosten for Best Comedy Supporting Actress for “Desperate Housewives.”
Jones was well-liked by Emmy voters, too. He earned four consecutive nominations for “This is Us” from 2017 to 2020. The first bid was for Best Drama Supporting Actor while the latter three were for Best Drama Guest Actor. He won in 2018 and 2020, both for Best Drama Guest Actor. Jones could add a fifth nomination for another supporting role.
The type of role that Jones is playing here helps, too. He is portraying a real person in a biographical show. Emmy voters love this kind of role in this category, with recent such nominees including Richard Jenkins (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”), Murray Bartlett (“Welcome to Chippendales”), Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”), Jim Parsons (“Hollywood”), Stellan Skarsgård (“Chernobyl”), and Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”).
Jones could also be competing against his co-star, “The Walking Dead” alum Lennie James. However, that shouldn’t hurt either of their chances as Emmy voters are more than happy to nominate two or more actors from the same show in the same category. For the past 12 years, there has been at least one show every year that earns nominations in this category for two or more of its actors.
Recent examples in this category include Young Mazino and Joseph Lee (“Beef”), Walter Hauser and Liotta (“Black Bird”), Jake Lacy, Steve Zahn, and Murray Bartlett (“The White Lotus”), and Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff, and Anthony Ramos (“Hamilton”).
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