Orlando Jones

Orlando Jones is an American actor best known for a variety of roles played over 30 years. He first found fame in the mid-1990s as one of the original cast members of the MadTV sketch show. Since then, he has remained on our screens with recurring roles in series as diverse as Sleepy Hollow, Everybody Hates Chris, Tainted Love, Black Dynamite, and many others. He more recently co-starred as Mr Nancy in the first two seasons of the Saturn Award-winning fantasy series American Gods and has also added roles in shows such as L.A.’s Finest and The Good Lord Bird to his resume.

Jones’ route into acting is slightly unusual. After dropping out of college, he and a friend formed a production company and landed lucrative projects such as a McDonald’s commercial starring Michael Jordan. He also became a writer, contributing to episodes of sitcoms such as A Different World and Roc. He then fell in with the MadTV crowd, and despite his limited experience of acting sketch comedy, he became an essential part of the cast. His profile raised accordingly, and he spent three years as the spokesman for 7Up, becoming a familiar presence in American commercials.

At the dawn of the millennium, Jones began to focus on film and TV acting. He appeared in the acclaimed film Liberty Heights and also had roles in the likes of Magnolia, Bedazzled, and The Replacements. More recently, he has been featured in successful series, with the much-praised series American Gods proving yet another triumph and his already remarkable resume.